A basic principle of good interviewing is to get the PE to do most of the talking. Your job is to impress the PE with your brilliance by the quality of your questions, not by a soliloquy of your abilities. To do this, you must capture the initiative subtly, without threatening your PE. The first moments of the interview will probably be devoted to small talk. You may be asked about how easily you found the PE's office, the weather, your neighborhood, and so forth. If you wish, you can participate in these preliminaries. Comment on something you have in common with the interviewer (maybe you heard that the PE has the same hobby as you), an object in the PE's office, or whatever. This phase of the interview can be very important. You and the PE are sizing each other up. The PE is beginning to form a decision about you, just as you are forming your own attitudes toward the PE.
You must listen carefully for the moment when the preliminaries are over and the serious part of the interview begins. Often, the PE will say something like, "Well, we'd better get on with it," or "Tell me about yourself". You should say something like, "Certainly, but before we start, may I ask you a question?" Stop and wait for the PE to agree. Then ask, "Can you tell me the main qualifications for the job for which I am interviewing?"
As soon as the PE begins to answer, take out your notebook and begin to write. As soon as the PE is finished, go on to the next question and the next. Your objective in using this technique is to impress the PE with your qualifications by the quality of your questions. Also, you want to learn all you can about the job so that when you are asked to describe your experience and accomplishments either during the interview or in a post interview resume you can tailor them to the requirements of the job.
If for any reason you have not been able to learn beforehand what job the PE has in mind, you should listen especially carefully. At some point the PE will say, "The reason I asked you in is... If the PE fails to give a reason for inviting you to the interview, try to get him to reveal it by saying, "Since you invited me in for this interview, I gather you have need for a .Or you could ask, "Is your need for a due to expansion?" You must get the PE to discuss the reason for the interview so that you can better understand his problem. Remember, this is your last chance to get information that will enable you to present your background, accomplishments, and other qualifications as the obvious (but unstated) solution to the PE's problem.
Always avoid giving responses that could disqualify you for the job. Keep the initiative by asking questions and allowing the PE to do most of the talking. But be flexible. Occasionally you will find a PE who is determined to ask the questions himself. Let him. But take advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and the interviewing executive or to state experiences that are obviously suited to the PE's needs. If you temporarily lose the initiative because the PE raises a question, answer the question, then recapture the initiative by asking a question of your own. If the PE says, "Tell me about yourself," ask which experience he is most interested in. This will help you in your answer. Here are some other questions you might want to ask:
- Why are you going outside the company to fill this position?
- Whom would I be replacing? Why is that person leaving?
- If I am offered this position and accept it, exactly what will be expected of me?
- What is the number one priority for the employee who fills this job?
How to Gain Instant Rapport and Maintain It through the Interview
Psychologists discovered some time ago that we act more favorably toward those with whom we are in rapport. The usual way of gaining rapport is finding some commonalty of background, experience, or interest. It's not that you shouldn't try to establish rapport in this way. However, neuro linguistic programming research demonstrated that there is a faster means. It is called "mirroring."
Mirroring requires matching your PEs voice, speech tempo, word usage, breathing, postures, and movements. You don't mimic in an obvious way. What you do, however, is watch the other person. If they are speaking in a rapid staccato, you start doing the same. If they speak slowly, in a laid back fashion, follow their lead. If they cross a leg, you do the same. Again, don't instantly mimic. Follow the person you are mirroring gradually as you continue with your interview. You're going to have to practice this until it comes naturally and you master it. Once you do, you have an amazing tool for gaining rapport. You will find that you will achieve an almost instant closeness with your PE. It will be as if you know him or her for years.
Scientists do not know why mirroring works. They do know (and you can verify this for yourself that people who are already in rapport practice mirroring without any conscious effort. It is as if the brain were saying: "I must like this person, because he is exactly like me."
How to Avoid Salary Questions Before You Have Made a Sale
You should not discuss salary until you know that the PE is definitely interested in hiring you. The decision to extend an offer is made fairly early in the interview; compensation is not determined until much later. A figure that may be considered too high or even out of the question early in the interview may be perfectly acceptable after you have "made the sale." Forcing the salary decision too soon may cause the PE to reject you at the start. During the rest of the interview the PE may simply go through the motions, barely listening to what you are saying.
Giving a salary figure that is too low can also work against you, since the hiring executive may not consider you "heavy enough for the job. Once a negative reaction has set in, it is very difficult to overcome. The only solution is to postpone any discussion of salary until you have made your case and the PE wants to hire you. To do this, you must be prepared to fend off salary questions. If the PE asks what you are currently making or what compensation you are seeking, put him off with one of the following:
- "Like you, I do not have a definite salary figure in mind. However, after we discuss some of the requirements of the job, I'm certain we can arrive at a mutually acceptable figure as to what the job is worth."
- "Salary is, of course, important to me, but it is not the most important factor. I wonder if you could tell me some of the qualifications for the job so I can get a better handle on what the compensation level should be." (This provides an opportunity to lead into your list of questions.)
- "My primary interest is in the total opportunity, rather than in salary alone. If I can ask you a question about the job, I'm certain this will be a great help." (And so does this).
Sometimes a PE will ask questions about your current or former employers. You should never criticize a present or past employer, even if such criticism is well deserved. For one thing, any problem in your past is a negative, even if it was not your fault. Only positive experiences and accomplishments will help you get to job offers. Second, the PE may not agree with your criticism, or you may fail in some way to give all the facts. The net result could be that the PE is silently agreeing with your employer rather than with you. Finally, it may occur to your PE that if you criticize your present or past employer, you may criticize him in the future. For similar reasons, you should not betray confidences or competitive information about present or past employers.
If you are asked why you left a former employer or want to leave your present job, you must be ready with an answer. Even if you were or are about to be fired, you should work out an acceptable answer with your former employer. You do not want to give your PE one reason for leaving and have your former employer give another.
In general, you should show your expertise by the quality of your questions and your knowledge of the company, its products, and the PE. If you are asked to describe your experience and accomplishments, state them matter of fact and in quantitative terms, as you did in your sales letter. Don't say, "I increased production considerably in a short period of time." Say, "I increased production 50 percent within two months."
Body Language Can Help You Win a Job
Psychologists have discovered that we frequently reveal our innermost thoughts through visual cues provided by the body. Many salesmen have already begun to use body language in making sales by adjusting their presentation depending on what body language is telling them. You can do the same thing.
Positive Signs
Interviewer is smiling.
Interviewer is leaning forward in his chair.
Interviewer is listening attentively.
Interviewer is nodding his head affirmatively.
Interviewer's arms are unfolded.
Interviewer is looking directly at you.
Negative Signs
Interviewer is frowning.
Interviewer is drumming his fingers on the desk or noticeably playing with some object (such as pen, pencil, or article of clothing).
Interviewer is checking periodically.
Interviewer is not making eye contact with you.
Interviewer is squirming around in his seat.
Interviewer's arms are folded in front of him.
If you are getting negative signals, you are doing something wrong. Change tactics and observe what happens.