Everything checks out? Okay, go ahead and make your entrance. Walk straight to the interviewer and offer your hand and a pleasant smile. Be careful not to make the handshake too firm (you are not applying for Ranger school) or too limp. Grasp the other person's hand completely, not just the fingers for one of those dead fish handshakes. If you are wearing a jacket (suit coat), unbutton it before sitting down, then ensure it hangs properly and is not bunched up and gaping open. (Practice by sitting down in front of a mirror. See how you appear from the other side of the desk.) Women should be extra careful about their skirts riding up, and men should be mindful of hairy ankles peeking out over the socks.
Now some philosophy: As I said, conducting the interview is the interviewer's job. A skillful interviewer will control all facets of the conversation and guide you through a logical plan in order to uncover specific items of information. Some questions will be directed at gaining data, and others will be used to determine your thought process.
Usually, you will undergo more than one interview. The first will be conducted by human resources professionals who will totally control the direction of the conversation. That's their job, what they are trained to do, and you have little choice but to go with the flow. Second or subsequent interviews are conducted by people who make hiring decisions, but who have little or no training in interview techniques. If you understand the process, sometimes you can take control of the interview and help guide the interviewer to the proper conclusion-to hire you.
The Interview
The interviewer will most likely take the following steps with you:
1) Establish Rapport
The interviewer's responsibility is to put you at ease, both physically and emotionally. The more relaxed you are, the more you will trust the interviewer and open up to him or her. Skilled interviewers will not put you in front of a desk. They will put the chair beside the desk so that there are no barriers between you, or will not use a desk at all. Initial conversation will be about trivial matters such as the weather, parking, or any subject to get you talking.
2) Determine Your Qualifications
The interviewer has to find out as early as possible if you are technically qualified (on the surface) for the job. Time is valuable, and an interviewer can't waste it on unqualified candidates. The determination is made by a review of the application and your resume. This can turn into a simple yes and no session as the interviewer matches your qualifications against the requirements for the position. During this phase, information is gathered to develop questions later on in the conversation. This technique is called blueprinting.
Explain the Company and the Job. This phase of the interview enables the interviewer to get you excited about working for the company. He or she generally will cover job responsibilities and company benefits to interest you even further.
3) Determine Your Suitability
The interviewer now has to determine if you are the best candidate, in many cases this is a subjective judgment based upon impressions of your conduct and your ability to handle the questions posed to you. In this part of the interview you will be asked situational questions which may or may not be directly related to your future duties. The interviewer may even ask some startling questions to get your response. The technique used is to ask open-ended questions (those that require more than a one-word answer), rather than close-ended questions (those that only require a simple yes or no).
Conclusion
At this point it is the interviewer's responsibility to review the salient points that were covered during the interview and get you out of the office in a timely manner. The interviewer should ensure all of your questions have been answered and will generally let you know what the next step is and when a decision will be made.
