Techniques to Keep the Interview under Control:
An interview is a communication interaction between you and the interviewer. Both of you want to present yourselves in the best possible light and want the interview to be successful. Some of the communication skills that will help you bring your interviews to a successful and desired conclusion include answering questions to give information; asking questions while still presenting what's most beneficial to you; being able to summarize the topics covered during the interview (this is a device that will also help you keep the interview on a track that's favorable to you); and listening carefully to the interviewer, to "read between the lines" and think along with the interviewer so that you don't miss-communicate.
One of the best techniques you can use to present yourself most favorably is the sales and marketing technique known as the "Needs/Benefits Link-Up." You use this technique by:
- Determining what skills, background and experience are needed to fill the position (the "needs");
- Showing how your skills, background and experience match or exceed those skills (the "benefits");
- Demonstrating how hiring you can benefit the interviewer's company (the "link-up").
Needs/Benefits Link-Ups
As soon as you can during the interview, tie in your skills, background and experience to your potential employer's needs. In almost every situation, you should be able to link an employer's needs to the benefits your qualifications offer in a persuasive statement. For example: If the interviewer explained that the company is looking for someone with experience in planning and starting up an automated factory, you might say something like:
Summaries Keep Interviews on Track
One of the best ways to build empathy and understanding is to periodically summarize or paraphrase the meaning or main idea of different parts of the conversation. By doing this, you can: confirm that you understood what was said, define an attitude or restate a fact and/or place a statement of the interviewer on record. You use a confirmatory paraphrase for those purposes. Or, you can use a paraphrase to suggest disagreement without actually contradicting the interviewer or to force the interviewer to re-examine a previously stated position or premise. You use a leading paraphrase for this second purpose.
When you are making a confirmatory paraphrase, use some of the interviewer's same words, almost like an echo. Or you can rephrase completely, using your own words to summarize the gist or main thought. When you're receiving an intuitive message from the interviewer that is not stated in words but implied, trying a confirmatory paraphrase can let you off the hook. It allows you to ask for verification of what you are feeling, but which wasn't said.
A leading paraphrase, on the other hand, summarizes something which has been said, but does it in such a way that it brings the interviewer's position into question. Imagine, for instance, that you've applied for a position in the business school of your state university. The school is looking for someone with business experience, at least a master's degree and ability to make presentations to local businesses.
You have all of the stated requirements in addition to years of business training experience. In your conversation with the interviewer, it suddenly dawns on you that they're interested only in a local person with an MBA (preferably from their institution) and aren't really interested in considering anyone with an MS or MA degree regardless of background and experience. A leading paraphrase in this instance might be:
A leading paraphrase is a good way to counter the age question. For instance, if an interviewer comments, "Your background is certainly impressive and you have the breadth of experience we need for the position. But, to be honest, we were looking for someone younger to fill the position." A leading paraphrase directed toward countering this bias might be, "Oh, you feel that my background and experience are less important to your company than my age?"
You'll use other kinds of summaries during the interview. A summary is useful, for instance, to get an interview back on track after it has been interrupted for some reason. You can summarize briefly the topic of conversation that was interrupted then continue in the line you'd like conversation to continue. You can: 1) Reemphasize and expand upon the remark you made just prior to interruption; 2) redirect the conversation into other channels; or 3) ask the interviewer a question to obtain information you'd like to have.
When the interview ends, you want to have a reasonably firm understanding of what the next step will be. Frequently, interviewers clearly state what they have in mind and make some kind of commitment. But if they don't-they've made no offer or suggested a second meeting-or they've stated a conclusion that is unacceptable to you, you'll want to try an interview conclusion statement.
You begin an interview conclusion statement with an assumptive summary of at least two important benefits which the company would get if they hired you. You assume that the interviewer recognizes the value of those benefits. Then you continue by requesting some kind of commitment, even if it's just another meeting with a different inter viewer-perhaps another manager mentioned by the interviewer. The request for commitment should be appropriate to the situation, but is not a push to try to get the interviewer to commit to hiring you.
Note that in the example, there's no element of pleading. There's a definite request for further action. Notice the difference in wording and in effect between the example above and the poor interview conclusion statement below:
But during the interview, you also need to be a questioner. You will use your questions to gather enough information to allow yourself to make a considered judgment first about whether you are even interested in the job at all; and second, whether or not to accept the position if it is offered to you. Some of the information you receive may have no particular relevance for you-and some you may already have gathered from other information sources. You do need to spend time before the interview thinking about the things you want to find out about the organization with whom you are interviewing. Prepare a list of questions, then take it along with you to use as a prompt- sheet or notes.
