The object of a job interview is not to "tell" the interviewer about yourself. It's to communicate to the interviewer the three things I mentioned earlier: your ability, your willingness, and your suitability.
You don't become an effective communicator overnight. You work at it. And I wouldn't presume to suggest that on the basis of the advice I'm giving you, you can master this difficult art. But let me mention and elaborate on a few aspects of communication that relate directly to the job interview, and suggest some ways you can improve-if not completely master -your skills in each of these areas.
Personalizing Your Presentation
Interviewers bring to the interview situation not only their own techniques of getting information, but their own personality quirks and their own prejudices. Much of your ability to communicate persuasively will depend on how effectively you can tailor your presentation to the personality of the interviewer.
What I'm talking about here doesn't mean having any number of pre-programmed "approaches" ready. It's better to trot out the presentation that suits a particular personality type. No. It means being able to "read" your interviewer early on and to shape your conversation and your answers in ways that are keyed to how the interviewer responds.
For example, many interviewers are very direct and pragmatic in their basic approach to their work. They tend to ask specific questions and to expect specific answers. Other inter-viewers are more analytical: they want more than short, precise answers-they want you to elaborate a little more on the answers. Certain interviewers are highly company-oriented. Their main concern is whether or not you're going to fit into the "family." Personnel executives tend to fall into this category.
Not all interviewers, of course, can be easily classified, but it's been my experience that most fall into one of four general categories. I'll describe each of the "types," tell you how you can recognize them, and then give you an idea of the best way to approach each.
1. The Target-Directed Interviewer: Interviewers who fall into this category tend to be direct, businesslike, and a little impersonal in their basic interviewing approach. They're not terribly interested in you as a person-only in what you can bring to a job. They ask their questions succinctly. They're impatient with lengthy and discursive answers. They'll frequently interrupt you if they feel you're drifting away from the point.
Target-Directed interviewers are easy to spot. They tend to be abrupt and somewhat hurried when they greet you. They'll tell you, not invite you, where to sit. They won't spend much time with preliminary small talk. Usually, but not always, you won't see a lot of personal photographs either on the walls or on the desk. They're all business.
It's easy to be intimidated by this type of an interviewer. They are not interested in putting you at ease, and are not usually responsive. They'll ask a question; listen to the answer, maybe nod, and then go on to the next question.
The key to handling yourself when you're being interviewed by such a person is to present your answers as briefly as you can, but not allow yourself to be bullied into shortchanging them. Stick mainly with facts. Leave personal observations out of the conversation as much as you can. Don't allow yourself to be rushed. The more numbers and hard data you can give to such an interviewer the better. If, toward the end of the session, this interviewer asks you bluntly: "Can you handle this job?" don't hesitate. "I know I can handle it," you should say. What impresses the Target-Directed Interviewer is directness, a clear sense of purpose, and confidence. What bother the Target-Directed Interviewer are vagueness, blue-skying, and indecision.
2. The All-in-the-Family Interviewer: The All-in-the-Family Interviewer should remind you a little of a nice uncle (aunt) you used to know-the sort of person who liked everybody and wanted everybody to like him or her. Whether you can handle a particular job is important to this interviewer, but not as important perhaps as how comfortably you'll fit into the "family" atmosphere of a certain department or an entire company.
This type of interviewer will usually give you a warm greeting, and go out of his or her way to make sure you're comfortable and at ease. You'll probably see family photographs on the desk, and company plaques on the wall. The All-in-the-Family Interviewer will say things like "our people" and mention the president of the company over again.
Whenever you're being interviewed by somebody who fits this type, make sure you emphasize your "team-player" attributes. Show the interviewer that you're people-oriented. Use "we" instead of "I" when talking about your accomplishments at your last job. Let the interviewer know that one of the reasons you're interested in this company is the working atmosphere is known to be warm and friendly. Get the interviewer to see that you're "their" kind of person.
3. The Thinking Person's Interviewer: The Thinking Person's Interviewer takes a deliberate and thorough approach to inter viewing and is usually interested as much in how you did or intend to do things as in what you did or intend to do. Unlike the Target-Directed Interviewer, this person wants you to answer certain questions at length and will feel uneasy if your answers are too abrupt and non-specific.
Interviewers who fit this type will not be as insensitive as Target-Directed interviewers, but won't be as warm, either, as All-in-the-Family-type interviewers. You will sense a certain detachment in them. They'll ask more theoretical questions. They may want to know, for example, your philosophy of the field you're in.
Above all, try to be as logical in your answers as you can when you're dealing with a Thinking Person's Interviewer. This interviewer, remember, isn't so much interested in hearing you say that you're able to do something or willing to do something. This interviewer wants to be told how you intend to do it.
4. The Make-It-Easy-job-Me Interviewer: Make-It-Easy-for-Me interviewers are the most difficult of the four types to deal with because they tend to be the most unpredictable. This per son isn't comfortable with decision making (and is probably hard to work for). Make-It-Easy-for-Me interviewers are likely to make snap judgments early on and base perceptions throughout the interview on that initial impression.
A person who falls into this category will probably be a little unfocused when you first are introduced. Look for a somewhat disorganized office-a desk that's filled with piles of papers. You'll find this type of interviewer fairly easy to deal with if you indicate a good- measure of responsiveness early on. You may be shown a new photograph the interviewer has just bought for his or her office, or be told a story that has nothing to do with the job. Respond enthusiastically.
Your best tack during the interview itself is to let the Make-It-Easy-for-Me Interviewer do most of the talking. People who fall into this category love an audience. Give them the stage.
