The Preliminary Positions
Before the interview actually begins, both parties are uncertain about the situation. The interviewer has no idea what you are like, and in most cases he or she is not really prepared for what is about to take place. Even armed with formal, prepared questions and a well-defined format, the interviewer is still in a difficult spot because he or she desperately wants you to be the right person. It may be that management is leaning on the supervisor to fill the post or that production conditions are forcing the department to hire an employee immediately. Or perhaps the interviewer is just sick and tired of seeing candidates. No matter what the reason, 99 percent of the time, the interviewer will do everything he or she can to give you the job, even if you are only marginally suited for the position. If the applicant will just cooperate, the interviewer will actually try to persuade a candidate to take the position.
The applicant usually wants the job or he or she would not be there in the first place. At the same time, the applicant has doubts and is generally uncertain about many factors. Is this a job for which he or she is really qualified? Is this a job that he or she will like? What about the pay and benefits? In addition to considering these questions, applicants will constantly try to please the interviewer in order to win the position.
So, the interviewer wants the candidate to be the right person for the job and to take it when the job is offered. The applicant wants the right job to be offered. In essence, both parties really want the same thing. But unfortunately, neither will admit this fact and, as a consequence, they engage in a complex game that rivals even the most advanced chess match.
The Opening Moves
As a rule, the first opening move belongs to the employer. After all, the interviewer sets the time, date, location, and conditions for the interview and determines the general tone of the discussion. The interviewer also decides what questions to ask and what information to provide about the position or company. In this sense, the interviewer is immediately in control, or at the very least, has most of the elements on his or her side.
Most employers begin by trying to put the candidate at ease. Exactly why they do this is not clear. Perhaps it is because of some naive notion that this way the interviewer will get to see the' 'real'' person. Or maybe it is the first step in trying to sell the job to the candidate. In any case, this informal approach begins with a greeting, a handshake, and quite often, an offer of refreshment.
Behind all of this seemingly friendly behavior, of course, is a mind-set that hopes this is the person for the job. Off-setting this, however, is a fundamental caution that says "I am not going to be fooled by this person. If this is not the right candidate, I will find out. I won't be tricked."
The opening for the employer is ambivalent, at best. On the one hand, the interviewer wants to impress the candidate and help him or her relax. On the other hand, the interviewer is suspicious and determined to cross-examine each applicant.
The opening for the candidate, of course, is much the same as the employee. The applicant, too, is generally uncomfortable because he or she probably wants the job but has no idea if it is really the right job. On top of this, applicants often are unsure about what to say and sometimes are confused about how to act. So the candidate usually tries to play it safe by acting casual and friendly and responding with short answers to the initial greeting.
At this point, of course, neither party is being perfectly honest. It is similar to the greeting of two prize fighters in the center of the ring. Although the rules dictate that they shake hands and behave like gentlemen, what they both want is to win and they are prepared to beat each other to a pulp to do it. In the same way, the employer and the candidate are playing out similar roles. They might smile and shake hands and sound like two friends, but the reality is quite different. At this stage, they are combatants who are feeling each other out. Each side is determined to win the round and eventually the battle, even if it means discomfort.
There are those who claim that the typical interview is filled with good will and deep regard for the other party, and that the outward appearance of friendliness at the beginning is genuine. But such a view presumes that the main purpose of the interaction is social; the interviewer and the interviewee have little at stake in the outcome; and each has nothing to hide. To assume that the above is true is naive, wishful thinking that ignores reality.
The opening is a test. Both parties gently fence with one another, size each other up, and make last-minute battle plans. Appearances aside, it is the quiet before the interviewing storm.
Incidentally, the typical opening does not last more than five minutes or so, but it can continue for much longer if the employer wishes or allows this to happen. It is usually to the advantage of the candidate to extend the opening of course, because doing so will limit the time spent dealing with harder, much more demanding questions.
I once watched a woman, being interviewed for a position as a university professor; maneuver herself into a situation like this that lasted nearly an hour. I happened to be there because I was the chairperson who brought her to the dean to be interviewed. The moment we walked into his office the dean began a meaningless discussion about some trivial matter that had nothing to do with why we were there. The candidate picked up on it and continued to amplify her thoughts on the subject for the next fifty minutes. I sat there astonished because the dean (a person I regarded as bright and observant) did not seem to notice what the candidate was doing. But for reasons of her own, she kept it up until we had nearly run out of time. As it turned out, the dean was only able to ask her a few basic questions, which produced only a minimum of information. Yet, when I spoke to him about the candidate the next day, he seemed perfectly sure that she was the right person for the job. He even commented that he "enjoyed the interview" and that I should hire her.
