What interviewers ask in an interview may depend on whether the policy of the organization is to use a patterned interview, with set questions, or an informal one-on-one meeting. The former style can keep the interviewer on course but could get to be a ritual; the latter could lead to aimless wandering with badly orchestrated questions that contribute little to the final decision.
Both applicants and interviewers can be guilty of bluffing or of covering up deficiencies. Still, the long-established place of an interview in the employment process is set in concrete and will no doubt continue to be a keystone to getting hired. So it makes sense for you to understand the process, from the points of view of both sides of the table. Since there are many kinds of interviewers, there will be many kinds of questions.
Employers have to start somewhere, so they often ask what may seem to be odd questions. (This is less likely to be the case in professional and management circles than at lower levels.) You should respond with friendly, serious-minded answers and wait until the essentials begin to show up. Consider these typical questions:
- "Who are you, really?"
- "Well, what shall we talk about?"
- "Why do you want to work for us?"
- "What do you think you can do for us?"
- "Are you employed now?" "Why not?"
- "Why did you leave your current job?"
- "Do they know you are leaving?"
- "Tell me about your education."
- "Tell me about your work history."
- "What are your salary needs?"
Capable and competent interviewers ask pertinent questions. If you are fortunate, you'll run into these individuals. In each case, make the most of it by discussing, person-to-person, how your presence could be beneficial to this employer.
One more word of caution: Do not let questions about extracurricular activities get you into an enthusiastic, long-winded tale of your favorite sport or how you got elected to the school board. Be especially careful about the evening classes you have taken and have done well in. If they are relevant, mention them. If not, don't waste time. One danger area might be too many self-improvement courses, which could be interpreted as a lack of confidence on your part.
WHAT YOU CAN ASK
When the usual polite preliminaries are over, try to get into the current situation and the job-opening as quickly and smoothly as you can. The interviewer may assure you that there is plenty of time, but you know, and he or she knows, that there isn't all that much time.
You will have prepared some key questions in advance. See how the following queries lead right to where you want to be-that is, what the problem is and how you can be of help in solving it.
- "Would you tell me about this position?"
- "Whom would I report to?"
- "What are the current problems where my experience could help produce the solution?"
- "What's been done so far?"
- "Which problem is most urgent?"
- "What is the deadline to get this straightened out?"
Do not ask the probing questions you have prepared until the little questions are answered. Earl) in a get-together is not the time to upset the interviewer with questions that he or she will probably feel comfortable answering after some community of interest is established.
INTERVIEWING FOR CORPORATE/PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
It's similar to a social situation. In due time, your interviewer might be inclined to share personal thoughts with you. Special questions might include:
- "Why is the position open?"
- "How long has the position been vacant?"
- "Did the individual who had the job get promoted?"
- "Will you tell me something about the person to whom I would report?"
As an executive, you realize the level of the position for which you are interviewing, and you conduct yourself accordingly. You understand corporate/professional protocol. You are courteous. But there is one other important factor. You should consider yourself on an equal footing with the interviewer. You aren't begging for a job; you are offering an employer an opportunity to hire you so the problems can be solved and the job can be handled successfully.
Thus, your attitude is professional. You can discuss with the employer what the job is, its level, its difficulties. You can swing the conversation into "how we can handle this problem."
You can help by keeping the interview on track. Cut off the tangents quietly but as firmly as you can without being pushy. In some cases, you can gain control of the interview, but be very careful with it. You want a grateful interviewer, not a resentful one.
Keep uppermost in your mind the fact that the employer is thinking about what he or she wants, not what you want. So in business situations talk about sales increase, profit development, greater market share, cost cutting, advertising results, or whatever problem you've discovered. In other fields, talk about whatever is the main thrust: grants, budgets, community acceptance, membership increase, curriculum development, and so on.
HELP THE LESS-EXPERIENCED INTERVIEWER
If an interviewer is relatively inexperienced, help out. Keep the conversation going. Be sincerely understanding of the predicament. You can make a friend, and a friend is what you need at this point. Helping the interviewer helps you.
Show by your attitude and your grasp that you can expect positive results from an interview. You'll probably get a positive response.
THE INTERVIEW PORTFOLIO
Should you prepare a portfolio? And if you do, should it go with you on the first interview or be saved for future meetings? Your answer to the first question depends on your personality and your ability to present a clear picture without the use of props. Put another way, if you feel that a high-quality portfolio will be of any assistance, and then prepare it. Like all your other steps, quality counts.
A portfolio might not prove to be necessary on the first interview, but if you need it and don't have it, one sales opportunity has been lost. How about making the portfolio to fit inside your attached case? Keep it in the case until you need it.
Many people tend to build portfolios that are too large. This is not an ego exercise. Omit everything that is not a definite plus toward your job-search goal. You quickly lose an interviewer if you force attention on irrelevant areas irrelevant, that is, in the employers mind. A portfolio enables you to communicate visually with the interviewer. It is your collection of data and material to show your competence in prior positions.
To assemble one, prepare a three-ring or similar binder, probably using plastic protective sheets. Your achievements can be indexed and filed by functional areas of experience for ready reference. Include a copy of your resume. Include sales and profit charts, letters that produced results, procedures that were successful, financial forms designed, marketing plans that were effective, or research that brought results. Include pictures of products, stories of customer or plan problems solved, or list of patents. In professional areas, include effective examples of your work. In addition, outside activity references may be useful but should be used sparingly. Include copies of articles and lists of publications. In all work areas, include talks given and important press clippings.
Use the portfolio carefully and sparingly in an interview. Use it only to illustrate a point or a problem you solved, then close it and put it away. Do not let the interviewer read the entire kit at once. You must physically control the portfolio at all times.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW IS OVER
Immediately after the interview and outside the interview building, jot down all the pertinent areas covered. How was it concluded? Who is to call whom? When? Is anything to be mailed tonight? These are vital items, and your notes must be clear to avoid any slip-ups. Do what you must, on time.
Next, record areas stressed by the employer. What were the problems you might be required to solve? What was said that was positive for you as an applicant? Are there any negatives to be overcome in your "thank you" note?
Write down all the names mentioned, even casually, along with position and level. Whom will you report to and work with? Record your own reactions to the interviewer. To what things did he or she respond favorably?
Your "thank you" note should be brief, friendly, and indicate your expectation of another talk. Include one or two experience highlights, not previously used; that you believe will strike a receptive chord. Write the note within twenty-four hours of the interview, and write it regardless of what the outcome was or what you anticipate it will be. Let this letter be one more soft-sell sales effort on your part. And remember, you were going to attempt to make a new friend. The interviewer-friend may prove to be extremely helpful in some unexpected way.
Mark your ever-faithful calendar pad for any follow-up call you are scheduled to make or that you want to make anyway. Would calls to anyone else be useful? Should you call your references to alert them of possible letters or telephone calls?
After the conclusion of the interview, review what happened. Try to think of what went well and what did not. If you made any mistakes, determine to correct them. Were there any areas you know that you could improve upon next time?
THE JOB OFFER
After a few weeks, or many months, of searching, the great day arrives when you get a job offer. What should you do? The basic rule is this: If you are almost starving, desperate for money, and it has been a long, arduous struggle, take the job then and there. But if not, be receptive and eager but ask for a short time to consider it. Almost every employer who does make you an offer actually wants you because you appear to be the best bet for the opening. If he or she didn't think this, no offer would have been made. What a "short time" is depends on a lot of things, but the higher the job level the longer you probably have to decide. Ask the employer if the time you have suggested is reasonable. Be prepared to reduce it if you have to. This "thinking it over" time allows you a breather and prevents you from making a premature leap in the wrong direction. While an employer may have taken a long time to make the offer, once it is made he or she expects action. Be guided accordingly!
Do not expect an employment contract unless you are in the higher brackets. A letter of agreement will sometimes be given. It spells out the details of the job that has been proffered: Starting date, salary and benefits, and first review date may be included. But it doesn't bind the employer to anything other than what the letter says. It won't be written to protect you but to protect the employer. If you were the employer, you would no doubt write it the same way.
Take heart. No matter what job you accept, if you are a good executive, do your job well, and produce results, you can expect a reasonably long tenure in the position. Meanwhile you are expanding your horizons, creating new achievements, and moving along your career highway.
