Too many applicants have lost out simply because they were poor listeners. I recall one fellow who seemed to think that everything I said called for acknowledgment on his part. I never got to finish a sentence.
"So you fish," I said to Bertram (not his name). "So do I in some seasons..."
"Fishing, yes," Bertram said. "I've got all the equipment, make my own flies; of course my wife, she hates to clean anything I've caught ... " Bertram got a polite handshake at the end of the interview and was told we'd be in touch.
Let me give you some ideas on listening. Research has shown that although everyone listens, most of us listen ineffectively. If we understand what the essential elements are that make some people good listeners and others poor ones, then we can learn how to increase our ability to identify and retain the critical content of what we hear.
To be a good, active listener, you must recognize and grasp several components of listening skills. To begin with, you must prepare to listen. This is accomplished by recalling everything you know that relates to what you are about to hear. Let's see how this process works. Imagine that you're about to hear an interviewer describe the organization of the company to you. You would go over in your mind everything you know about organizations. Starting at the top, you might think, "Oh yes, let me see; I know something about the chairman of the board, the board of directors, the chief operating executive or the president, staff functions, vice-presidents, directors; various departments such as finance, public relations, sales, marketing, personnel, legal. I know about line and staff.
As you warm up this way for listening to what the speaker is about to say, be prepared to look for similarities or differences between what you already know and what you're about to hear. You prepare yourself by asking the general question, "What do I already know?" Then you ask yourself about the relationships and the similarities and/or differences between what you know and what you hear as you listen.
You also must be able to summarize what the speaker has said. This can be accomplished by recognizing the speaker's main points and the supporting statements he or she uses to embellish them. For example, the speaker may say, "A requirement of this position is extensive travel away from home." The main point is "extensive travel." The speaker may then support that point by saying, "Most of the travel is of short duration and only requires one or two days away at a time. Also, the travel is mainly to our manufacturing plant in Peoria, so the trips are easy." The main point is "extensive travel," the supporting points are "short duration," "two days away," and "Peoria." In order to listen actively, you must be able to identify the main points and supporting points while you are listening. By doing so, you will retain more of the statement.
To summarize a statement effectively, it is extremely helpful to note only those words and phrases that are important in identifying the main points and the supporting points. These words can be called ''key words," as they provide the key to what the speaker is trying to get across. For example, in the statement, "This position requires a recent degree in computer science," the key word is "recent." If your degree is ten years old, you may not be the ideal candidate for whatever opening the speaker is describing. Recognition of the key word, recent, will assist you in listening to the speaker's main point, which is "recent degree."
In supporting the main point, the speaker may say, "We have recently leased a fourth-generation computer, and we have had a skills obsolescence problem with our current staff." Here the key phrases are "Fourth-generation computer" and "skills obsolescence." They are used to support the main point of finding a candidate with a "recent degree."
As the speaker talks, in addition to identifying main and supporting points, you must also be able to group the points into such categories as similarities/differences and advantages/disadvantages. In the above situation, you might ask yourself, "How is my background similar or different in terms of the requirements for the job? Is it an advantage or disadvantage to work with fourth-generation equipment?" As you categorize the main and supporting points and compare your own situation against them, you are well on your way to becoming a good, interactive listener. You are now in a position to ask the speaker to clarify statements for you or to elaborate on them and also to confirm your understanding of any statement that isn't clear.
The final key to good listening is to be able to overcome any blocks that may be present that will distract you. Blocks to effective listening can be environmental distraction such as sights and sounds, personal opinions or prejudices that prevent you from identifying the speaker's entire message, accents, improper grammar or slang that forces your attention to the structures rather than the content and meaning, and finally, selective listening, where you only allow yourself to hear what you want to hear and selectively tune out everything else.
Here are some additional do's and don'ts when it comes to listening: Recognize the fact that you think about four times as fast as a person can talk. Don't use that excess time to turn your thoughts elsewhere.
Do not let certain words, phrases, or ideas prejudice you against the speaker so that you cannot listen objectively to what is being said.
If you are annoyed or irritated by what has been said, do not interrupt the speaker and try to straighten it out either in your own mind or verbally.
Do not tune out a message if you feel that it will take too much time and effort to understand something. Do not deliberately turn your thoughts to other subjects if you believe the speaker has nothing interesting to say.
Do not let a person's appearance or speech pattern influence you into thinking that he or she may not have anything worthwhile to say.
Do not act as if you are listening to someone if you are not. Pay attention! And further, because of human nature, most people like good listeners. It's a fact. People prefer to have people listen to them much more than they prefer to listen themselves.
Did you know where the interviewer was "coming from?"
I admit to this being a loaded question, because if you haven't read, you won't know the answer. Let me explain. Most interviewers try to conduct an interview in four steps:
1. Getting started; 2. Getting facts and insights; 3. Stimulating your interest; and 4. Closing the interview.
To get started, the interviewer will encourage you to be totally free with them. He or she will do this by putting you at ease and maintaining a comfortable atmosphere. The more comfortable you are, the more likely you are to open up. I have two words for you at this point.
"Watch out!" Don't get taken in and reveal your innermost thoughts. Go ahead, be warm and friendly, but practice restraint. This is no time for open confession.
Here the interviewer will delve into your previous employment, will try to pin down dates, ask you why you left each job, and uncover your career objectives. You do have career objectives, don't you? If not, take time out now to think about them. They are as important as references. Once you've formulated your objectives in your mind, jot them down on a piece of paper and commit them to memory. If you can't convince a professional interviewer you're going somewhere, you'll never get the opportunity to get there.
The interviewer may also ask you about your educational background, periods of unemployment, if any, and the names and titles of your previous supervisors so that reference checks can be made. The interviewer will take notes of this key information.
The interviewer will try to maintain control of the interview by searching for satisfactory answers, using follow-up questions, exploring superficial responses, and encouraging you to talk. Remember: The interviewer is "buying" and you are "selling." And nine times out of ten, it's a buyer's market.
To stimulate your interest, the interviewer will probably explain the job to you; describe the company, and encourage you to ask questions. He or she will avoid revealing any desirable characteristics being sought in the prospective employee, will attempt to answer all your questions, and will avoid overselling the position.
To close the interview, most interviewers summarize the main points brought out during the exchange. They will avoid making a commitment to you and will not express any enthusiasm or raise your level of expectation. The interviewer will detail the next steps to be taken and express appreciation for your interest. In some situations, the interviewer may offer to pick up the tab for the interview trip, but don't expect to be reimbursed.
