Posted By: Nimish Thakkar In: Job Seeker - Interview Poor interviewing skills are to be blamed when an otherwise promising candidate loses a job offer. Fortunately, interviewing skills, like many life skills, can be perfected with preparation, practice, and persistence.
Poor interviewing skills are to be blamed when an otherwise promising candidate loses a job offer. Fortunately, interviewing skills, like many life skills, can be perfected with preparation, practice, and persistence.
The first step, however, is to understand how employers make hiring decisions. Many companies use behavioral interviewing -- a technique that allows them to gauge an employee's potential on the basis of past performance -- as a key decision-making tool. Successful candidates are normally ones who can demonstrate how their past experience prepares them for the future position.
Consider the following tips:
1. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.
During my coaching practice, I come across many candidates who just show up at interviews without any preparation whatsoever. Considering the stakes, preparation is not an option.
Preparing for an interview is a multi-dimensional effort covering multiple areas -- company, candidate (you), and culture (the three C's of interview preparation).
The company: Research everything you possibly can about the company and the position. Analyze the job posting, review the company's website, know their products, read press releases, browse through newspapers and periodicals, study competitors, speak to stakeholders (clients, vendors, employees, etc.) and read whatever you can find about the organization.
The candidate: Conduct an honest assessment and develop several stories about your past experiences and accomplishments. Prepare scripts for commonly asked interview questions and a list of convincing reasons for "why should we hire you?" type of questions.
The culture: You must know the cultural norms of the company. From interview responses to your attire, knowledge of a company's culture can play a crucial role in the interview process.
2. Take the interrogation out of the meeting
It is a very common misperception that an interview is an interrogation session. Hiring decisions are as much about you as about them and an interview is the best time to understand the company, its cultural norms, and other details. Be prepared to ask intelligent, but relevant, questions that will transform the meeting into a collaborative discussion as opposed to an intelligence gathering effort.
3. Talk about results and experiences
Based on your preparation, you should come up with plenty of examples demonstrating how you benefited your past employers. The key is to tie these results and experiences to the question being asked.
Example:
Interview question: Are you able to lead teams?
Sample interview response: I am a gifted leader who has fortunately had the opportunity to lead many cross-functional, cross-cultural teams globally. In fact, in my recent position I had to lead a team of 80 employees who were dispersed across 22 countries. Although, the distance was a challenge, I leveraged my team leadership skills to motivate these geographically-dispersed teams through weekly phone conferences and daily e-mails. My constant communication and employee-focused leadership style resulted in 100% team performance consistently. Our teams are recognized across the company. In fact, we won 14 awards last year.
4. Demonstrate interest
In addition to your skills and talents, employers would be very interested in determining your level of interest in both the company and the position. Through your responses, you must be able to convince the employer about your serious interest in the position.
5. Follow-up
Write an offer-clinching thank you note to every interviewer. The letter must be a very powerful piece and must be written to impress the hiring team. Briefly, but politely, summarize a list of reasons why you would be the ideal candidate for the position and touch upon issues discussed during the meeting. If done right, this letter (or follow-up phone call) could be your ticket to the new job.
Comments
Posted by: Alba Guerra
This article is great because of the sample question you provided and then the the sample answer. It gives me an idea on how to answer certain questions that I am not sure how to answer. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Posted by: Alan Motkin
This was very helpful.
Posted by: Mark Little
This info is most helpful for today job seekers thank you very much.
Posted by: Michael Hargrove
My latest telephone conference interview went extremely well with a fortune 50 company. We ran out of time so the director gave me his cell phone # and a time to call him back. As we discussed the first interview,(on the second phone call), I was informed that I was exactly what they needed for the next level up management vacancy, (not the level we initially interviewed on). Short story --- I was told that I came across to intense and knowledgable. (I did ask them a couple of questions about their division that the four interviewers did not know the answers to). Recognizing this I toned it down alittle. I haven't heard anything in 3 weeks, even after I wrote a strong/gracious thank you note. After giving the letter a chance to get there plus a couple of days, I initiated a phone call to his office (left a voice mail) then I tried the cellphone number he gave me (left a voice mai) Third week and still no news. Unbelieveable - two separate 1 hour long phone interviews and nothing. What happened to old time consideration, or do I dare say professionalism?
Posted by: Diane Jackson
Thank you for this information, It is just what I need for my Interview coming up on Monday. It was a lot of help for me.
Posted by: Jim Beam
Two thoughts:1) I too have had some very productive interviews followed by silence. It reflects poorly on the hiring manager and his company, and the recruiter and his company.2) If anyone I was interviewing started an answer with "I am a gifted leader", I'd probably laugh and ask if he really believed his own BS. Or if he was more pompous than pretentious, or the other way around. Come on folks, you can't sound like a parody.
Posted by: Mitch Hamilton
These are well thought out suggestions. It does boggle the mind that people fail to properly prepare themselves on these basics before walking in the door for the interview. I'd like to also add to try and figure out where the company "fits" within their repective industry as compared to the competition. Then try to creatively come up with ideas of expansion into other "niches" of that industry they could move forward. That way, you'll come across as someone who has really done their homework; or tried at least. Remember, if you get to an interview these days, take every one as serious as if you were going to be hired.
Posted by: Diane Chapman
Thank you very much! This article had very helpful interviewing tips. I especially liked the advice about being prepared to ask intelligent and relevant questions in order to convert the interview into a participatory discussion.
Posted by: Maria Redden
Why is it that examples are usually read with the person being interviewed having degrees, and or, working for large/strong companies? There should be different levels of experience and education.
Posted by: Carol O
I have a interview with a manager and regional manager for a branch manager position. I do not know what company to reseach because it is a temporary agency. What do I research as far as knowing about the company?
Posted by: Joe Pan
Very useful advices. And I fully agree that a job interview is very much a sales process; you yourself (experience, well prepared presentation of it) is the product you may want to close a deal with the hiring party - who also has a problem to identify a right person to fill up the vancancy.
Posted by: Kashae Green
I must admit that I always went into a interview. Thinking believing as long as I know who and what I'm about and looking for that this interview will be successful.Boy was I wrong in not realizing that I needed to educate myself better to be successful in a interview. This article is very helpful.
Posted by: jasmine eacret
This was very helpful, yet I try to apply for opening business positions, so therefore there is nothing to research. no website, no customers, there isn't even a menu out for me to study up on, so this makes it much more difficult. I also have barely started college so though your "answer" to the interviewer's question is very perspective, a waitress or house cleaner or barista is not going to be as impressive so I agree with Maria Redden, "There should be different levels of experience and education." thanks, Jasmine
Posted by: Johnnie Walker
Like Mark and Jim, I had an interview that I thought went well, and I followed it up with thoughtful thank you e-mails to each of the 4 people who had interviewed me. One of the 4 acknowledged me with a terse response. After 10 days I called my interviewers to ask my status. Not one of them picked up his phone, so I left a voice message for the one who was my HR contact. No response. After 3 weeks I called my HR contact again, and one of the others who'd interviewed me, and I left a voice message again. A few days later I received a call informing me that I am still a candidate, no decision has been made, and they are still interviewing a long list of candidates. As of today, it's been fully 4 weeks since I had my interview, and I have neither a rejection, nor a call-back for a next level interview. Guys, I think common sense tells us that we aren't going to get the positions we interviewed for, and best to move on. In addition, maybe it tells us something about the decision making skills at the companies we've interviewed with, and best we make the decision for them. Tough market out there, but other, better opportunties will be there eventually. Hang in there!
Posted by: wm l davis On: 9/22/2009 7:21:01 PM
I have an upcoming interview tomorrow, I have a big problem and that it is the age (59) that is on almost all employers review of the new emoloyee, how do you get around this, 35 yrs of experience in the millwright field does not make any difference in the hiring aspect?
Posted by: Stephannie Brown On: 10/27/2009 11:17:38 PM
This is very helpful and important information the interviewing process has really changed Thank you
