Preparation
The better prepared you are for interviews, the better you will do. Here are some ideas to help you shine. Also see:
http://www.careersonline.com.au/easyway/interview.html
- Practice interviewing, and get critiques, from people you know and trust to tell you the truth. This is how to find out that you wiggle in your seat or twirl your hair.
- Practice hand shaking, until you handshake is firm but not a knuckle-cracker. Practice and practice that first handshake, hello, looking interviewer straight in the eye, until it is automatic.
- Grab one of those books that list common interview questions and prepare answers. Work with a group of friends to try answers, and share ideas.
- Prepare a set of anecdotes and examples that illustrate your strong points. Practice telling them until they sound natural but are brief and to the point.
- Follow all "the rules" to get a standard interview suit. Pick up two shirts or blouses, and several ties. Men, it’s worth the money to have your shirts professionally laundered and pressed--with extra starch, so it takes longer for them to wilt when you’re nervous. Only wear these clothes for interviews. After each interview, prepare them for the next as necessary, so you are prepared for unexpected call-backs.
- If the interview location is unfamiliar to you, drive there the day before, so you know where you’re going and won’t get lost. Plan to get there 1/2 hour early, and take a walk or sit in your car and do a crossword until 5 minutes before your appointment.
Before The Interview
- Treat every member of the company as an interviewer. Many times the front office people are asked for their opinions of candidates. Demonstrate courtesy and professionalism during every contact with the company.
- Basics: Arrive on time, treat receptionist politely and with respect.
- Use that smile-eye contact-good handshake-introduce yourself routine that you’ve been practicing.
What Do They Want To Hear?
The Halo Effect:
One powerful tool used by salespeople can be equally effective in an interview--the Halo effect. In essence, people tend to like others who are most like themselves. So the best way to make a good impression on an interviewer is to be as much like him or her as possible. Tools to do this include:
- Speaking at the same rate of speed and volume as the interviewer.
- Moving at the same pace and in the same way as the interviewer.
- During the interview, actually mirroring the physical position(s) of the interviewer.
The First 5 Minutes:
If you have made a good impression on the interviewer in the first 5 minutes, you have a 75% chance of receiving a job offer. If you make a bad impression in the first 5 minutes, you only have a 10% chance of receiving an offer. So focus most of your energy and attention on those first 5 minutes. (And spend the rest of the interview trying not to blow it.)
Perceptions:
- Don’t be nervous--or don’t look nervous--practice not fidgeting.
- Don’t position yourself as a supplicant--work to strike a balance--not subordinate, but not arrogant either. Approach an interview as simply two people trying together to determine if there is a fit.
- Take advantage of the Primacy/Recency Effect: that people tend to remember only the first and last thing about an incident or event. So focus especially on the first and last part of the interview. Don’t ignore the importance of the last impression you make too.
What Do You Want To Say?
Answering Questions:
- Answer questions succinctly but completely.
- Take advantage of questions to illustrate with pre-practiced examples of your good features as appropriate
- Don’t be uncomfortable taking the time to think before answering a question, if you need to. It shows that you are taking the interview seriously.
- If you don’t understand a question, ask to have it repeated or clarified. That’s better than answering inaccurately or strangely because you didn’t "get it" the first time.
Asking Questions:
- One important place to make an impression is when the interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions?" The answer should always be yes.
- Don’t ask questions just to show off your knowledge of the company, and this is not the time to practice your tough investigative reporting tactics.
- Don’t ask generic questions--try to pick questions that meet your needs in terms of finding the right fit. (See "determining what you want" to help develop these.)
- Write a number of possible questions down before the interview.
- Don’t ask questions about salary or benefits. This is inappropriate before an offer is made.
Other Factors That Influence The Interview
How to get around a bad interviewer
- In some ways, you can’t. Using the Halo effect can help get you past him or her to other key players who may be better interviewers.
- Use their generic questions to segue-way into some of your strengths.
- Don’t show your dissatisfaction with the interviewer.
How to deal with inappropriate interviewers:
- If an interviewer asks you a question you know is illegal: answer it if you choose, or give a general answer that brings the subject back to professional issues. Example: "Does your husband mind you traveling on business?" An appropriate answer would be, "I am willing and able to travel on business."
- If an interviewer makes improper remarks or advances, you can respond by stating that you think that question is inappropriate and move on. If the behavior is too inappropriate, or continues, you should feel comfortable terminating the interview immediately. If you report the problem to the Director of your Career Center if it is on campus, or a member of the Human Resources staff if it is at the company site, you may save others the same problem.
After The Interview
- Make notes on the job and your impressions of the company immediately. As you go on more and more interviews, they will each begin to blur.
- Review your impressions of how you did--what can you improve the next time? (For a good check list of what not to do in interviews, see pages 133-134 of The Ultimate Job Hunter’s Guidebook, Second Edition, Susan D. Greene and Melanie C.L. Martel, Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
- Ask yourself, "do I really want this job?"
Careers: Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Taking Stock
- Making It Happen
