Building a Better Job Interview

With a job interview comes a great amount of hope. If you don't hear back after an interview, an inevitable let-down follows as you begin the job search again. Don't let that unhappy ending happen to you. The following tips show you how to make your interview performance earn rich reviews:

Know your purpose: 

A large percentage of candidates don't understand that their purpose in an interview is to do infinitely more than ask for a job. Your goal is two-fold: First, to demonstrate that you are a good fit for the organization; second, to find out whether the position is really something you want to invest your life in. 

 

 

Be a storyteller:  

An interview is a conversation. Don't fall into an answers-only rut. That's why you've spent time learning to tell stories that highlight your accomplishments. Remember, a conversation is really a series of questions and answers. As soon as you answer a question, try following up with a question of your own.

 

Avoid ad libbing ad infinitum:  

Although you should always do your share to keep the conversational flow going, droning on loses your audience. Telling your interviewer more than he or she needs to know could be fatal. Your stories should be no longer than 60 to 90 seconds, and they must make a relevant point related to your topic.

 

 

Leave the begging to others: 

 Neediness is one of the all-time deal killers in the job market. Whisper in your own ear before walking in the door: "I don't need this job. I do need air, food, and water." Keep things in perspective. Employers don't hire because they feel sorry for you; they hire because they want you to solve their problems.

 

Don't expect to make a new friend:  

Don't make the mistake of being overly familiar. A good interviewer is skilled enough to put you at ease within the first 10 minutes of the interview. That doesn't mean that the interviewer has become your best friend. From start to finish, treat this encounter as the professional business meeting that it is.

 

 

Ask questions that show you care where you go:  

You want to be sure you're getting the true picture of what this job is really about and whether you want it. Arrive with a list of several prepared questions about the company, the position, and the people who work there, avoiding simple "yes" or "no" questions. Most interviewers are unimpressed by a candidate who has no questions.

 

 

Keep emotions out of the interview:  

Put all your personal problems behind you before an interview. Here's why: The interviewer may at times consciously attempt to provoke you into a temperamental outburst. Don't fall for it or take it personally. This may be only a part of the interviewing process.

Don't Talk Yourself Out of a Job

 Don't Talk Yourself Out of a Job

There are two ways to answer interview questions: the short version and the long version. When a question is open-ended, I always suggest to candidates that they say, "Let me give you the short version. If we need to explore some aspect of the answer more fully, I'd be happy to go into greater depth, and give you the long version."

You must always remember that the interviewer's the one who asked the question. So you should tailor your answer to what he or she needs to know, without a lot of extraneous rambling or superfluous explanation. Why waste time and create a negative impression by giving a sermon when a short prayer would do just fine?

EXAMPLE: 

Let's suppose you were interviewing for a sales management position, and the interviewer asked you, "What sort of sales experience have you had in the past?"
  

Well, that's exactly the sort of question that can get you into trouble if you don't use the short version/long version method. Most people would just start rattling off everything in their memory that relates to their sales experience. Though the information might be useful to the interviewer, your answer could get pretty complicated and long-winded unless it's neatly packaged.

One way to answer the question might be, "I've held sales positions with three different instrumentation companies over a nine-year period. Where would you like me to start?"

Or, you might simply say, "Let me give you the short version first, and you can tell me where you want to go into more depth. I've had nine years experience in instrumentation product sales with three different companies, and held the titles of district, regional, and national sales manager. What aspect of my background would you like to concentrate on?"

By using this method, you telegraph to the interviewer that your thoughts are well organized, and that you want to understand the intent of the question before you travel too far in a direction neither of you wants to go. After you get the green light, you can spend your interviewing time discussing in detail the things that are important, not whatever happens to pop into your mind.

The 15-step guide to crack any job interview