How to give an Interview

In this article you learn what interviewers are looking for and how to give an interview when trying to fill a job vacancy and how to use this knowledge successfully.

The job interview is one of the most anxiety-producing situations one can encounter. We are expected to walk blindly into an unknown office setting, impress a number of people with whom we are unacquainted, be on our very best behavior throughout a stressful and uncomfortable period of time, and anticipate the events of an entirely unfamiliar situation. But it is important to know how to give an interview properly.

It is true that the burden of stress is on the interviewee rather than the interviewer. After all, the interviewer has all the advantages. She is the one who chooses the time and place of the meeting. She is the one with the job description in front of her, and the list of qualifications and skills she hopes to find for the job. And, of course, she has the power to make the hiring choice.

Wouldn't the whole interviewing process be easier if the job candidate could somehow take a peek at the interviewer's game plan before the job interview? Couldn't you play the interview game much more adeptly if you somehow knew what was being sought in a job candidate before the interview began? Maybe the interviewer's game plan isn't as mysterious as you think.

Evaluating Job Candidates

Hiring managers typically evaluate a job candidate along two broad dimensions.

1.Job Expertise: A job candidate's level of knowledge, skills, industry-related experience, and technical expertise as it relates to the job at hand.

2.Personal Skills: A candidate's unique set of personal behaviors and values, which allow him to achieve success in the particular position to be filled.

While most people assume that hiring managers place strong emphasis on a job candidate's level of experience (job expertise), in reality, it is the personal skills that hold the most weight in the hiring decision.

Focus on Your Achievements: Don't undersell your personal skills in the job interview. Use illustrations of past achievements to highlight positive personal qualities.

While technical skills, job-related knowledge, and prior job experience are certainly a vital part of any hiring decision, the overriding criterion in the decision is whether or not the job candidate's personality characteristics are consistent with successful job performance. After all, it is generally easy to teach a motivated and honest person to become successful in many job functions, but it is quite difficult to teach an unmotivated and dishonest person to be successful at anything. Hiring managers figure that they can teach technical skills much more easily than they can teach new behaviors.

The Eight Personal Qualities Hiring Managers Look for Most

There really is no mystery as to what hiring managers would like to see in the job candidates they are interviewing. The applicant who shows these personal qualities along with job skills are every manager's ideal. Below eight qualities can be utilized to understand how to give an interview.

1. Willingness to Learn

Any job interviewer worth his salt will assess you for your interest in learning new skills and for your enthusiasm for doing things according to the specific values and direction of the company.

What to do in the Interview: Don't go into the interview with the goal of convincing them that you already know everything you need to know to be a success on the job or that you've seen it all before. The interviewer would prefer to think you have a bit of room to grow…into the company's way of doing business.

2. Motivation

Every employer, whether hiring a custodian, school teacher, nurse, or executive, needs an employee who is motivated— someone who accepts challenges and who is not a quitter; someone who is dedicated enough to put time and energy into important projects and who works hard to do the best job possible.

What to do in the Interview: Use stories of past accomplishments to illustrate times that you have been challenged and have succeeded at difficult tasks. Steer clear of overemphasizing your busy life outside of the workplace. You do not want the interviewer to fear a lack of dedication to your Job.

3. Integrity

Why would an employer hire someone she can't trust? No matter how good you might be at your job, you are of no use to any employer if you are not honest and loyal.

What to do in the Interview: Make sure you do not convey any negative information about your past or current employer. And, of course, keep all classified information regarding previous projects to yourself. You will gain respect and admiration (and maybe even a job) because of your moral character.

4. Communication Skills

It is important not only that you know how to read and write well, but that you can convey important information to others in a clear and concise manner. Can you keep others apprised of situations and information so that projects run smoothly and the process is efficient?

What to do in the Interview: Use direct illustrations of past communication victories. Have you ever made a project run more efficiently because you established better communication channels? Have you ever revised communication procedures to increase information flow? A careful communicator is an important asset at any level.

5. Ability to Get Along with Others

The interviewer will assess whether you are a team player, an individualist, a maverick, or a loose cannon. Employers tend to look for the worker who can toe the company line when needed and who gives in to the interests of the group when necessary, but someone who can hold on to his principles and ideas when the going gets tough. Generally, employers want someone who makes noteworthy contributions to the company but doesn't make waves.

What to do in the Interview: Don't overemphasize your nonconformist side. You don't want to be seen as a renegade. If you tell a story of a time that you succeeded on a project because you stood your ground against the crowd, make sure to include a lot of praise and statements of respect for the others involved in the project.

6. Positive Attitude

Nobody wants to work with a whiner. Complaining, tattling, undercutting, and gossiping are all behaviors that undermine productivity and have caused managers countless headaches over the centuries. Employers want to bring on board someone who gets along with fellow workers and who pitches in when needed.

What to do in the Interview: Never complain about a previous job or boss, even if directly asked to do so in the interview. (You might get questions such as, "Tell me about the worst boss you ever had," or "What did you like least about your last position?") The more positive things you have to say about people and projects you have encountered, the more positively you will be evaluated.

Also, don't balk if the interviewer asks if you'd be willing to do a task you consider demeaning, such as making coffee for the boss. The interviewer is probably just checking your attitude. Smile and ask if the boss likes cream and sugar.

7. Personal Chemistry

Employers hire people with whom they'd like to work. Perhaps it is unfair that the guy who is a wonder with a Softball glove gets hired just because the hiring manager happens to be the company team coach. It is difficult, however, to remove the impact that personal chemistry and rapport have on the hiring decision. And, after all, personality is a legitimate factor in the hiring decision. An employer figures that someone who gets along with her and with other members of the staff will be a productive part of the team.

What to do in the Interview: It's tough to coach someone on how to be likeable. Some people exude great personal charisma in interview settings, while others let situational stress or shyness override their charm. Do your best to establish rapport with the interviewer. It is okay to stray off the immediate professional topic a bit during the interview, just don't overdo it.

Let the Interviewer Set the Topic: Keep the interview professional, but friendly. Go ahead and talk sports, music, and so on, but only if a logical opening for casual conversation sc interviewer brings the subject up first.

8. Confidence

An interviewer looks for a candidate with a strong but realistic level of confidence. Overconfidence paves the way to expen­sive failures. Under-confidence leads to lack of productivity.

What to do in the Interview: Be neither boastful nor self-effacing. Never pretend you can solve all the company's problems in an hour, and never admit that the company's problems sound overwhelming to you. Project self-assurance, level-headedness, and poise.

Company Baggage

For several reasons, it can be helpful to know what goes into a hiring decision. First, it can help you to handle the curve balls that can sometimes be hurled at you during the interview. Second, it can ease the feeling of rejection to know that occasionally, interview situations have prearranged circumstances which, although beyond your control, have played a big part in determining the outcome of the selection process. And third, it can help you ask the right questions to determine the interviewer's mindset, so that you can play the interview game with finesse.

Interviewers and the companies they represent may inflict baggage on the hiring process which shifts the direction of the interview dramatically:

1. The Other Guy: The hiring managers may be looking for anyone who is as far removed as possible from the last worker they had in the position. That worker may have been too quiet, or too talkative, or too assertive, or not assertive enough, and because of that trait, the company experienced a problem that it is now trying to repair.

Solution: Ask about the strengths and weaknesses of the person who previously held the position for which you are interviewing. This gives you a chance to emphasize the parts of your personality the company likes and steer clear of those that are frowned on.

2. Indecision: The Company may not be too sure what it is looking for. Sometimes managers need a jack of all trades and have failed to narrow the job description sufficiently.

Solution: Ask for a clear description of the position early in the interview. If the interviewer tends to remain unfocused, ask him to clarify the most vital parts of the job and emphasize those when describing your strengths.

3. A Busy Schedule: Once in a while you may find yourself in an interview situation in which you feel that you are imposing on the interviewer just by being there. She seems busy and distracted and quite uninterested in the whole process

Solution: Remain polite and focused. Ignore the interruptions and accept any apologies graciously. Move the interview into a more positive direction by asking at the end of the interview if there might be anyone else connected with the job whom you could meet.

4. A Targeted Candidate: Your interview may be only an obligation that the interviewer is fulfilling while in fact the position has already been unofficially filled by someone else.

Solution: If you feel this may be the case, continue with the interview and give it your best. You never know what may happen down the road. Perhaps the pre chosen candidate will drop out of the picture. Shoot for that back-up spot just in case.

Summary

In this article you learned about how to give an interview process from the hiring manager's perspective and you learned several strategies to help you convey the qualities the hiring managers are looking for. You also learned solutions to troublesome interview situations.