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Playing the Interview Game

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There are rules to playing the interview game. Job seekers who know and understand the rules recognize that there are ways to make themselves stand out from the rest. Knowing how to handle ambiguous questions, when to pause, how much eye contact to maintain, and how to handle offensive and illegal questions — will make a major difference in your interviewing success.

The Pregnant Pause

Interviewees often feel they must give instant responses to every question. While you certainly would not want long pauses after every question, a significant pause is often the best response to a difficult question. If you answer an obviously difficult question too quickly, you can leave the impression of being a person who "shoots from the hip."



A pause can demonstrate that you are a thoughtful person who wants to provide the most appropriate response. Pausing also gives you time to select the best example and therefore provide the best answer possible. When the question is asked and you realize it is going to be difficult, look away from the interviewer and begin to consider a response. Looking away is the natural way all people ponder a question. To try to maintain eye contact while thinking is unnatural. With difficult questions, a pause of 10-15 seconds is reasonable. If you need to buy some time you might say, "That's a good question," "That's a difficult question," or "That's a tough one." This will give you another few seconds to think.

Eye Contact

Interviewees are frequently told to maintain constant eye contact during an interview and that anything less will be interpreted as weakness. Actually, that type of eye contact is completely unnatural. Studies reveal that in normal conversation, the speaker typically looks away 30-70% of the time. As a person begins to speak, he turns away while speaking, then periodically returns his eyes for several seconds to the person being spoken to, and then looks away again. It is the extremes that should be avoided. Appearing to stare at the person being spoken to makes that person feel uncomfortable and proves the speaker lacks social graces. Eye contact must be maintained, however, by the listener. Whenever the speaker returns his or her eyes to you, your eyes must be on that person. The interviewer should not catch you looking around the room, looking out the window, or staring at the floor. Active listening requires you to keep a soft look on the interviewer to demonstrate interest and attentiveness.

Personal and Offensive Questions

Occasionally you will be asked personal questions which, while they are not illegal, are certainly inappropriate. If you are asked such a question, you must quickly decide whether you will answer it or tact fully decline. Because the interviewer will generally realize he's touching a sensitive area, a gentle rebuff will usually cause the person to back off.

Illegal Questions

Because most interviewers are unsophisticated in the art and legality of interviewing, it is still not uncommon for interviewees to be intentionally and unintentionally asked illegal questions. Other questions may not, strictly speaking, be illegal, but they inappropriately pry into people's private lives. Generally, questions about your or your spouse's national origin, including questions about your native language, are illegal. Employers cannot ask about your marital status or the number or ages of children or dependents. Nor can they ask questions regarding pregnancy or birth control use, or plans for having children. You'll notice that there is often a fine line between acceptable and illegal. Those who really want to find out a particular piece of information can probably find a legal way to do so.

One way to deal with illegal or prying questions is to simply answer them without revealing that you are the least bit offended. For most such questions, that is my recommendation. To respond in that way, simply assume that the person meant no harm, is simply curious, and is unaware that some people might be offended by such questions.

Truthfulness

A reputation for integrity and honesty is one of the most priceless possessions a person can have. Never say anything in an interview that would cause an interviewer to question your integrity or honesty.

Along with being truthful, it is important to remain consistent. Once you decide how you are going to deal with a certain issue, maintain consistency in the way you describe and talk about it.

Skeletons and Other Touchy Subjects

Many people have a skeleton or two in the closet. It's important, therefore, to know how you're going to respond if they are brought up. If the very thought of having to explain a particular fact or issue gets your heart racing or causes you to break out in a cold sweat, you'll need a lot of thought and practice, and perhaps some professional assistance to learn how to handle the situation. Your challenge is to put the situation in the best possible light to minimize its negative effect. De pending on the situation, there may be no way to look good. Your goal may simply be to minimize and control the damage.

These skeletons include situations such as being fired from a job, having spent time in prison, having failed at a business venture, going through bankruptcy, and having been out of work for over a year. If there were five reasons for the situation, pick the two or three reasons that are easiest to discuss. It is important to provide enough information so the interviewer does not feel compelled to probe further. Practice discussing the situation until you sound confident and can explain everything without getting tense or defensive.

Don't Assume the Interviewer Sees Your Qualifications As Clearly As You Do

When you describe accomplishments, most interviewers can discern additional skills even if you don't label each one. They may not discern all of your skills, however, so don't be too subtle. One method which can ensure that your interviewers get a clear picture of your skills is to state which skills you demonstrated in a particular accomplishment, For example, you might say: "I think my greatest strength is my ability to get people excited and motivated about projects. For example..." Then, tell a two-minute story which illustrates your point. Go on to say, "So I really do think I can get people excited about projects and really motivate them. At the same time I can keep people focused and bring out the best in them." Notice that two additional skills were identified and demonstrated in the accomplishment, even though the person started to describe only one skill, the ability to motivate people.

Interviewees often assume and act as though interviewers should be able to magically see what wonderful qualities they possess. While some interviewers are very perceptive, many are not. They will only know those things which you reveal verbally and nonverbally. Thus, it's your responsibility to reveal your strengths and demonstrate why you are the right person for the job.

Things to Do/Remember

Do Something Unique or Different

Throughout your job search, keep asking yourself if you can do something unique, something creative, or something unexpected, that will make you stand out. Consider what happened to Jason when he used such a strategy. A major software company was interviewing three candidates for a purchasing manager position. Jason's last interview was held on Thursday, and he was told he would be given the decision by Monday. Thursday night after his interview, he wrote a plan for purchasing that would help handle the firm's rapid growth. On Friday morning he had a messenger deliver the proposal. On Mon day he was notified he had the job because, "We knew you wanted it." Clearly, the extra effort and creativity Jason applied in this circum stance gave him the outcome he was hoping for.

Check with Your References before Using Them

Make sure your references are truly willing to speak on your behalf. When asking for their help, give them an out by saying, "If you're really busy, I'll understand." If they don't want to act as references don't use them-they won't do a good job for you. If you've had a major interview, call them and let them know to expect a call. Give them the background of the job and tell them why you'd be effective in the position.
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