The Art of Interviewing

The process of getting the job you want is very similar to conducting a sale. In this scenario, you are selling yourself as the best candidate for the position. Discard any previous mind set you have that the interview is just a setting to answer questions. Instead, ask questions and impress the interviewer with your preparation.

In order to be successful in sales, or interviewing, learn and apply these steps:

• Know your product: You are the product. You bring to the bargaining table knowledge, skills, energy, accomplishments, and personality. Take an inventory and be sure your customer (potential employer) fully understands your value.
• Know your customer's needs: You must research the employer's organization and industry in order to determine needs, problems and opportunities. Information is available through the Career Center Library, video tapes, employer presentations, career fairs, business and government publications, the Internet and informational interviews.
• Demonstrate how you can fulfill the needs or solve the problems: Based on what you have learned about the employer's needs, highlight the skills and capabilities you have that best solve problems and fulfill those needs.

For All Interviews

Your interview question responses are measured on two factors, content and style.

• Content: The information you provide, add to, or clarify about your qualifications. Use a sales approach and make the most of the opportunity to describe all the positive things about you, the "product."
• Style: Your delivery and mannerisms. The interviewer develops perceptions of your personality and skills based on your ability to "think on your feet." Organize your thoughts, and speak clearly and confidently. This is why interviewers sometimes ask the "Why is the sky blue?" type of questions. Be careful not to give short, incomplete responses or long, rambling discourses.

Interviewee Questions

It's important to develop intelligent, probing questions of your own that will help you get the information you need to make an informed decision. You ask these questions for two reasons. Obviously the first reason is to get information (content measure). Secondly, the interviewer will probably judge you based on the quality of your questions (style measure).

You can develop good questions by researching the employer's organization and the industry. The interviewer will recognize the extent of your research. It is acceptable to write key questions on a notepad which you carry with you to the interview. You will probably ask most of these questions from memory at the appropriate time. Typically, this will occur near the end of the interview and you can refer to your notes if necessary.

Close the Sale

Recall that the interview is a sales presentation where you are selling a product; that is, your skills, knowledge, experience, and energy. You do not want to expend the effort to present yourself as a viable candidate and then fail to get closure.

For a screening interview, you want to get a commitment from the interviewer as to what action will take place next and when. Most likely, this action will either be a rejection (usually after some additional consideration), or an invitation to visit the organization's site for a selection interview. If the interviewer does not provide details as to whom will contact you and when, you should ask before leaving the interview. If you have a strong interest in the employer and the opportunities presented, make this clear in your closing remarks.

You should request a business card and ask if you can call or e-mail the interviewer with any additional questions or follow-up on the status of your application. Then do it, if necessary! Since the business card provides the correct spelling of the interviewer's name and his/her mailing address, send a thank-you card or business letter to the recruiter within two days of the interview. A thank-you via e-mail is now commonly accepted. A short business letter thanking the recruiter and restating your interest for a particular position, however, is still the most effective technique.

Interviewing Techniques

You will encounter a variety of techniques and mannerisms exhibited by different interviewers. Some have had extensive training, others have had none; most are somewhere in between.

In all interviews, you must make a good first impression. Studies have shown that many interviewers are most influenced in their decisions within the first few minutes of the interview. This means arriving on time, being properly dressed and groomed, exhibiting positive non-verbal behavior (firm handshake, good eye contact, smile and confident presence). Even the initial "small talk" conversation is very important. It's difficult to recover from a bad beginning.

Learn the different interviewing techniques used by potential employers. Some techniques require specific preparation on your part. Listed below are several common interview styles.

Behavioral Interview

The behavioral interview is based on the premise that the best way to predict future behavior is to determine and evaluate past behavior. This type of interview is different, and takes special preparation and skill to perform well.

First, an employer determines a profile of desired behaviors. Some examples of desired behavior are:

Next, the interviewer asks an open-ended question designed to stimulate recollection of a situation that would lead to a desired behavior. Following are some examples of situations that may provoke desired behaviors.

• Balancing/prioritizing several tasks within a short period of time
• Dealing with an unproductive or uncooperative colleague
• Finding better ways to perform a task

The interviewer asks for an overview of the situation, the candidate's role, other players involved, key events and the outcome. The interviewer would ask follow-up questions like, "What did you do?" "What did you say?" For example, for flexibility, the interviewer might ask: "Describe a situation that required several things to be done at the same time. What was the action? What was the result?" For leadership, the interviewer might ask: "Describe a situation in which your efforts influenced the actions of others. What was your action? What was the result?

The acronym STAR provides the formula for this questioning process.

• S - Describe the situation in which you were involved.
• T - Describe the task to be performed.
• A - What was your approach to the problem?
• R - What were the results of your actions?

The interviewer documents your responses and compares actual behaviors in a situation to the desired profile of behaviors. In a behavioral interview, make sure the answers you give are honest, concise, and reflect positively on you (even if the event did not have a positive outcome).

Remember that you are selling yourself, and the interview is the first place to prove your worth to a company.

Differences between Behavioral and Traditional Interviews

• The behavioral interviewer will ask you to provide details and will not allow you to theorize or generalize about events and actions.
• The behavioral interviewer is fact-finding and will focus on your actual past actions, not what you "should" or "would" have done. Some interviewers, however, will follow-up with questions such as, "Looking back on this experience, what would you do differently?"
• The behavioral interviewer is more interactive with you and will continue probing with follow-up questions or refocusing in order to get the information needed.
• The behavioral interview may be longer and the interviewer will likely be taking copious notes.

Traditional Interview

This is the most common type of interview. The interview consists of a series of questions that may or may not be standardized. In addition to responding to questions, you would be expected to ask articulate, well-formed questions. The best preparation for this is to research the employer and the industry prior to the interview.

Jobs Posting

Research Resources

Join The TAG Mailing List