Face-to-Face
It is impossible to list all of the things that could transpire sitting opposite an interviewer. Fortunately, there are a few situations that do occur repeatedly. Expect to find variations on the following themes:
- You and the interviewer do not "hit it off." For whatever reason, you cannot stand one another. Or, maybe the company, in your estimation, has turned out to be a real loser. Don't rush for the door. Bite your tongue. Ask politely if he might be kind enough to suggest another possible lead.
- You and the interviewer "hit it off" but... she really cannot hire you. Thank her for her time. Make sure she has your resume. Ask if she could suggest another lead. Tell her if you're still on the market a few weeks from now you intend to call her to see if anything might have opened up since you last talked. After all, her company is the company that you have your heart set on joining... isn't it?
- You and the interviewer "hit it off." He likes you enough to search for ways to justify adding you to his team. Now several exciting possibilities open up. If he doesn't bring them up you might suggest them tactfully.
He could try to hire you by:
- Placing you in an existing but unadvertised opening.
- Slotting you to fill an upcoming opening.
- Finding a temporary opening for you to fill until the job you want opens up.
- Creating an opening for you by releasing an unproduced or problem employee currently holding the position you're seeking.
- Offering you a consulting assignment.
- Or, he might recommend you to another employer or business acquaintance.
Questions, Questions
A good interview involves give-and-take. You're shopping the company and the company is shopping you. It is possible the questions you've been asked during an interview will help you to decide you really don't want the job after all-better to find out now than after you start working.
Conversely, your replies to an interviewer's questions may lead him to decide you're not right for the position, the company, or his team. Whether you might like to admit it or not, he's probably correct in his assessment. After all, he knows the company and the position much better than you do. Consider this: in rejecting you, he could very well be doing you a favor.
Never Confess, Never Complain
No one will ever hire a complainer. Companies already have enough moaners and groaners. Be positive. If you can't say something good about a person, an institution or an employer, don't say anything! Above all, you should know by now that the key word is profit and the key question is, ''Why should I hire you?" Study the following questions. You will undoubtedly be asked, or will ask, all of them sooner or later in your interviews. Be positive in your answers. Use SOAR statements. Practice following each answer with a question. Answer and ask.
Four Approaches to Answering Questions
Before looking at the types of questions you will likely be asked, let's examine the four approaches you can use in answering them. I'm not talking about the content of your answers, but rather the mode you adopt to answer them.
Direct Response: This is the most common approach. We use it automatically. You are asked the question and you answer it, in a straightforward manner.
With a Question: If you don't understand the question asked, you ask if the interviewer would be kind enough to restate it.
That's one reason you use a question approach. Another reason is to lead the interviewer away from the question he or she is expecting an answer to and onto a different but related topic for which you have a stronger response. Example:
Interviewer: What kind of money are you looking for?
You: That's a good question but I really don't know enough about the position to give you an intelligent answer. What are the possibilities for advancement with this position?
Non-Response: This could just as easily be called the "political response." See if you recognize this approach. Rather than answer the question asked in a weak or negative fashion, you try to tactfully avoid it by continuing on with the dialogue. For example, let's suppose you were fired from your last position:
Interviewer: Why did you leave the company you were with?
You: As you probably know, the company has been undergoing a lot of changes. The whole industry, like so many others today, has adopted this same mode. I've been doing some reading about your company and wonder why you haven't been as hard hit as your competitors ... (Now, ask.)...to what do you attribute your success?
Humorous: This is a great way to break the ice, but it can also prove to be treacherous-especially if your interviewer has no sense of humor or doesn't appreciate your trying to be humorous. Here's how one candidate responded to a question and received a laugh:
Interviewer: What would you say your greatest weakness is?
Interviewee: Impatience. Next question?
Or, consider how my wife used humor to her advantage when being interviewed about a possible promotion:
Interviewer: I see that you have three young children. The position we are talking about calls for you to be on the road two or three nights a week. What would you do with your children?
This was definitely an illegal question, and she knew it. But instead of reacting negatively, she hesitated, smiled, and replied: "I'm sure I could sell two of them, but the third one we might have to give away... But seriously, yes, I am available for overnight travel two or three nights a week."
If you discover your interviewer has a sense of humor, cautiously join in the fun, but don't go overboard and don't lower your guard. Humor is also a great tool for getting you to confess and complain without your realizing it. If you enjoy humor, but are reluctant to try it, you're probably better off to smile as much as you can and dispense with witticisms.
