1: The Disarmingly Relaxed Interview
A relaxed, casual manner that immediately puts you at ease is usually the mark of the most highly-skilled of interviewers. Such a person realizes that most candidates are well-rehearsed and know all the "right" answers to expected questions. So he does the unexpected. He creates such a casual, friendly and disarming atmosphere that you irresistibly lower your guard and, without realizing it, spontaneously reveals more about yourself than may be prudent.
He will often go so far as to seem to be on your side in many little ways. He'll take pains to establish common ground with you and sometimes allude to a shared camaraderie as members of the same craft, industry or profession. All of this is designed to lull you into thinking, "Hey, this guy really likes me. We're on the same wavelength. This one's going to be a piece of cake."
Indeed, he probably does like you, as the best interviewers genuinely enjoy meeting new people and making them feel right at home.
All of this, in turn, works an irresistible, inevitable magic, inducing you to feel relaxed and comfortable as you unconsciously start to lower your guard and speak more spontaneously. This is exactly what your interviewer wants.
As part of his technique, he won't exhibit the slightest trace of surprise or disapproval should you slip and say something negative about your former boss or perhaps reveal something confidential you shouldn't have or inadvertently bring up something incriminating about your credentials or current situation.
Yet despite his lack of reaction, you may rest assured that your unguarded comments are all being taken in, recorded in his memory for scrupulous review and evaluation later on.
The best way to deal with this type of interviewer is to accept and appreciate his warm hospitality, and be gracious in return, as always. But do not allow yourself to relax too much. Remember the purpose of the interview which is being masked by the disarming manner. That is, you are being evaluated according to how well you might fulfill the firm's needs.
So by all means be pleasant and cordial yourself, but don't let all this brotherly love and cordiality derail you from your main mission, which is to uncover the greatest wants and needs for the position, and then explain why your past achievements make you especially well-qualified to meet those needs, giving lots of specifics to back up this premise.
In short, regardless of how the interviewer behaves, your master strategy is still the same, i.e., The Greatest Secret of Executive Job Hunting -- find out what people want, and then show them how you can help them get it.
This also holds true for the second type of difficult interview.
2: The Stress Interview
This type of interview is far less common than the disarmingly relaxed variety, and you will probably never even run across it. But if you do, you'll never forget the experience.
In this type of interview, your host does whatever he can to place you under maximum stress, the better to observe your reaction to frustration and pressure. Some people believe this is the only way to get a quick read on your ability to handle stress. In certain professions, such as union negotiator, press spokesperson or customer service manager, the ability to handle hostility and stress are at the very top of the qualifications list.
Your best strategy: Don't let yourself get defensive and caught up in emotion. Remember that you are personally not the target for the interviewer's hostility and that this interviewer is, in reality, merely playing a role. Your role in this stage drama is to be the cool, calm and collected one, an unflappable authority figure who addresses the issues, not the emotion or stress the interviewer is throwing off.
A few other stress interview techniques you may
Five Biggest Interview Mistakes
According to Business Week magazine, these are the five biggest turnoffs that get interview candidates disqualified:
- Playing hard to get. Acting nonchalant will usually be interpreted that you aren't interested enough in the position.
- Talking too much. Never ramble nor entertain the interviewer with chitchat about the Super Bowl.
- Boasting. You must sell yourself, but beware of embellishing your responsibilities, exaggerating your accomplishments, covering up shortcomings or bragging too much.
- Not listening. Candidates are often so anxious to prove themselves that they don't listen carefully to the interviewer's questions. As a result, their answers are off target.
- Being unprepared. If you haven't done your homework to learn about the company and its culture, you can't ask the right questions.
Poor posture, a limp handshake, bow ties, smoking a pipe, too much jewelry-nervous tics, nervous demeanor.
Finally, if you're a man, and you cross your legs, make sure your socks raise high enough to cover any bare skin. If they don't, do not cross your legs. Believe it or not, an exposed hairy calf ranked highest in one survey of what turns women off most.
- The broken chair technique. One leg of the chair is intentionally shorter than the others, placing you in a very awkward position. Every time you shift your weight, the chair threatens to deposit you on the floor. Best response: simply change chairs, asking permission first.
- You may also be seated in direct line of the sun. Here you can ask the interviewer to adjust the blinds or to change your seat.
- The peasant-at-the-feet-of-the-king maneuver. The interviewer puts you at a disadvantage by placing you at a great distance from his desk or at a lower height from his "platform" position. Not much you can do, unless you see an alternate place to sit.
- The kangaroo court proceeding. You may be interviewed by two or more people at once, caught in a withering crossfire of hostile, impatient questions. Again, make the best of the situation, but if the stress level becomes ridiculous, simply get up and leave. You don't want to work for people like these.
