Interview Preparation
by
Mark Warren
You have an interview coming up and it may just be one of the most important events of your life. To treat it as anything less could be a grave mistake. A great interview is like a perfectly played football game with you not the interviewer as the quarterback. If you direct the course of the play successfully you will win even if you are less qualified then your competition. Our vast experience tells us that rarely does the most qualified candidate get the job. It almost always goes to the person who had the best interview. If you learn the following tips and strategies you will be the one who has the best interview.
Before the Interview
Plenty of advanced preparation is needed to have a great interview. Preparing for an interview takes time and work. If you think you want the job it is worth the work.
1) Go to the company web site and read every page carefully. Pay particular attention to the mission and value statements, company history and press releases.
2) Try to learn about the person who will be interviewing you. Find a coach who will share this info with you. You can find somebody on LinkedIn, Google, resume searches etc... If you are working with a recruiting firm it is their responsibility to provide this information.
3) Make sure you understand the details of the position you are interviewing for. Your recruiter should be able to answer every question and provide a detailed position description. If you were called directly by the employer ask them for all the details available. Once you have the information study it. Draw a line down the center of a legal pad. On the left side write down all the requirements and job duties. To the right of each one write down your skills and experience that relate specifically to the employers needs. This process will help you evaluate your qualifications and remember everything you need to address in the interview.
4) Prepare a written list of the questions you want to ask the interviewer. These questions should be designed to accomplish two goals. Uncover all the employers’ needs so you can address them in the interview and give you the information you will need to determine if you really want the job. Make a good list. You don’t want to run out of questions in the interview. I will cover this in more detail and provide some examples later.
5) Prepare an inventory of your skills, abilities, strengths, accomplishments and anything that makes you unique and separates you from the average person doing your job. Write them down and rehears them.
6) Unless you were instructed to come in business casual make sure you have a cleaned & pressed dark suit, white shirt, conservative tie and well shined shoes.
7) Make sure you have two copies of a resume you are proud of and a prepared list of references. There may be people involved in the hiring process who will not meet you and they should be impressed with your resume.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
Arrive at least ten minutes early. If you are not positive about the location of the interview drive by the building the night before.
Greet the receptionist and or secretary with a big friendly smile and the utmost courtesy. Get her name and use it. When the interviewer picks you up thank the receptionist by name and do it again before you leave the building. We know of many situations where a candidate was rejected because of a receptionist’s or secretary’s negative comments.
Come prepared: Discussed earlier.
Dress for success: Discussed earlier.
Maintain steady, direct eye contact. Poor eye contact shows a lack of confidence and can be interpreted as a sign of dishonesty. If you struggle with this, look at the spot between the interviewer’s eyes. He won’t know. If there is more than one person in the room share your eye contact equally around the room even if the other people in the room are not talking or asking questions.
Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake and a bright smile. Nothing destroys the beginning of an interview like a soft, weak handshake. You will not recover from it.
Sell yourself with enthusiasm and confidence. An interview is no place for modesty. As long as you are discussing facts that you can document you are not bragging. No matter who you are or what you do you have accomplishments that you can be proud of. Talk about them but be honest.
Don’ts
Don’t be late. If you absolutely can’t avoid it call the interviewer before your scheduled interview time, apologize and ask if it is convenient to come ahead or would he like to reschedule.
If you smoke DON’T smoke in the car on the way to the interview.
Do not ask questions about money, benefits or vacation. These are not relevant until you get an offer. We will discuss later how to respond if you are asked about money.
Do not speak negatively about a past employer. If you do, the person conducting the interview will assume that you will do the same if you leave his company.
When asked why you are looking or why did you leave, relate only to career goals. Show gratitude for what you have learned and the opportunity you were given but in order to continue the advancement of your career and find new challenges it is time to move on.
Do not generalize or exaggerate. Only talk about abilities and accomplishments that you can back up with specifics. Use numbers, ratios and dates when possible. It does no good to say “I can do that” If you can’t give specific examples of when you have done it.
Do not act or talk like you need a job. Don’t talk about how rough it has been being unemployed. It makes a poor impression and you will lose your room to negotiate for the best offer if the interviewer thinks you will be easy to get. You want to show enthusiasm but you also want them to think they might have to work a little to get you.
The Money Hurdle
Before we start with the beginning of the interview we should cover the topic of how to handle the compensation question or discussion since this could come up at anytime. In an interview or any negotiation the first person who mentions a dollar amount looses. If you mention a dollar figure you will price yourself out of a good opportunity or sell yourself cheap and leave money on the table. These are the only possible results. If you are asked how much you are looking for there is only one answer that will work every time. “I am here to evaluate the opportunity. If it is everything I want and I meet all of your needs I am sure money will not be an issue.” Normally that will be the end of it. If the interviewer will not let the subject go, give a range starting at 5% below your current salary and ending 15% above. Then state that of course it depends on the opportunity. This leaves plenty of wiggle room once an offer is actually made. This rule also applies to the application. If the application asked for a “salary requirement” you write “open” or “TBD”.
The Opening
Most interviewers are not well trained or skilled at interviewing. They are just as
uncomfortable as the candidate. They will start with the most common and dreaded interview question that is easy for them but very awkward for you. It goes like this. “Tell me a little about yourself”. Or “Tell me about your experience as an …….” If you launch into an answer as most people do, you will ramble, give way to much information and not provide what the interviewer is looking for. This happens because the interviewer gave you no direction, focus or guidance as to what he is looking for.
The only response that works is to answer his inquiry with a question. “I’m afraid I could sit here for an hour responding to that question but I know we don’t have that much time. Specifically what part of my background and experience would you like me to address” His answer will tell you exactly what he wants to know and that is all you talk about. This is how you can respond to any vague question.
Don’t wait for the interviewer to keep the interview moving. The most successful interview is one where the candidate controls the focus and direction while letting the interviewer think he is doing it. You keep the body of the interview focused through the use of good, intelligent, direct questions. Here are some good examples.
What are the primary challenges I will face in this position?
What will you want me to accomplish in the first month? Second month?
How can I contribute to the success of the department?
What is the department’s primary mission?
What did the last person in the job do well?
What did he struggle with?
My favorite question:
Let’s assume that I have been in the job for a year. Today you are giving me
an outstanding review. What have I accomplished to deserve such a great
review.
These questions are all designed to get the interviewer to tell you exactly what he is looking for. Once you know that, all you need to do is relate your background using specific examples of accomplishments, and relating skills, knowledge and abilities to his needs. Here is a simple formula to do just that. This is the most important interview advice you will ever receive. If you follow this every time you hear a need , problem or challenge faced by the employer or that he thinks you will face you will have a great interview
.
Acknowledge the need (Make sure you understood him)
“I can do that”
“I have done it before”(when)
This is how I did it. (specifics)
These were the results (specifics)
Will that work here? or, Will that take care of the problem? or, Is that how you need it done?
If the answer to (f) is a firm “yes” you can move on. If you get an answer that sounds less than positive you need to flush out his concerns or doubts by asking another question. “What else can I tell you about how I would handle that”? or “How would you like that handled?
The hanging negative
Beware of leaving negatives hanging. If you are asked a question about skills, experience or abilities that you must answer with “no” or “I have not done that before”, you have just sent up a big red flag that you must pull down before moving on.
For example if you are asked if you have worked with a system that is used by the employer and you have to say “no” immediately follow up with something like “Twice before in my career I have had to adjust to a new system and it did not pose a problem. I am a very fast study”. Now give details.
Strengths and Weaknesses
At some point in the interview you will be asked to describe your strengths and weaknesses. You want to talk about as many strengths as possible but only those that relate specifically to the position you are interviewing for and as always respond honestly and do not exaggerate your strengths.
Most of us do not have a problem talking about our good points but we struggle with discussing weaknesses. When asked about weaknesses a response like I can’t think of any will probably result in being rejected. The interviewer will assume you are not honest or you just don’t know yourself. Just remember that as was the case with hanging negatives you must qualify your weaknesses, For example when you mention a weakness follow up with “I have recognized this as a weakness and therefore I focus on it every day as to make sure it does not affect my work”.
The close
When the interviewer brings the interview to a close it signals the last chance for the candidate to seal the deal which means get an offer or get to the next step. This is the most difficult part of the interview for most candidates to handle. At the end of the interview most people thank the interviewer for his time and say they look forward to hearing from him.
The smart candidate takes a minute to briefly and succinctly sum up the interviewer's needs, tell why he feels his qualifications are a good fit and express sincere interest in moving forward. Ask what will be the next step and ask if the interviewer is comfortable moving the candidate to that step? Then the candidate ends with the hardest and most important question in the interview. “Do you have any concerns or see any reason why I would not be a good fit for the position?” This is the last chance to deal with any deal breakers so you might as well ask if there are any.
If this is the final interview, tell the interviewer you are ready to join the team and ask for the job.
Follow up
Immediately send a thank you/follow up email. The email should briefly sum up the needs of the interviewer and list skills and abilities that will satisfy those needs. Express a sincere interest in the company, the opportunity and moving on to the next step.