MOST of us will be subjected to the traditional interview. Few of us will have relished the prospect and many of us are left with regrets about what we said, didn’t, or could not, say. And yet there are few occasions when a good performance has such a significant impact on our careers and lives.
I remember in painful detail the public service interview where I was subjected to a 45-minute quiz on modern history, economics and social policy. And how I found unplumbed depths of despair in my search to find new ways of saying “I don't know”. Where my body physically moved in the chair towards the door even as my mind said “Keep going, there cannot be that much time left”. I also remember interviews where I got first place and the sheer pleasure that gave me.
The first lesson about interviews is: it’s not personal. Interview results may be as much about the interview board, the organization or the current political state of play in the recruiting organization as it is about yourself. It is only by sitting extensively on interview boards over the years that I have realized how precarious the difference is between success and failure at interview.
Nevertheless, let me share with you the insights I have gained about how to increase the odds in your favor at interview. But please remember it is not personal. The job that you do not get may be the job that you should not have got. And you will not know for sure until much later.
Firstly good preparation is key. The return on your time invested can make this the best-paid work of your life. Find out all you can about the job and the employing organization. There is no substitute for talking to people who know the job and the organization. Ask them what they like and do not like about the company. Ask them about current issues of concern. And finally ask for a referral to somebody else to talk to. Next prepare by anticipating the questions you will be asked. How do you do this? By briefing yourself on the company. And by pretending you are interviewing yourself. Never prepare topics, only questions. Do your research as described above to find the answers to the questions you will be asked.
Having developed a framework of questions, answers should have only three bullet points. Be ruthless. Good answers last between 30 seconds and two minutes. You have time only for a maximum of three points but probably less. So do not clutter your preparation with too much information. Become familiar with your questions and answers. Shuffle them around so that you can deal with any sequence of questions. Next vocalize your answers. I recommend that you beg, bribe or threaten your nearest and dearest to become the interviewer and to formally ask you the questions. Ask for feedback regarding clarity. But you will know yourself when you are hitting the mark. And do not be afraid to go back and repeat the question and answer until a groove or neural pathway is established in your brain.
Remember there is a difference between understanding something and being able to articulate it. And the latter is what the interviewer will experience. Some hints for during the inter-view. As you are so well prepared you may be tempted to jump in with your well rehearsed answers. I recommend what I call a thinking pause. Especially when you know exactly what your response is going to be, pause for about five seconds. This can seem to be quite a long time but it is not. It is the adrenaline in your body which makes it appear to be an eternity. To the interviewer it appears as if you are a thoughtful person who is considering their response to a challenging question. The interviewer will be impressed.
Remember to smile lightly. People hire people whom they like and we liked to be smiled at, appropriately. Do not say anything that does not prove that you are the candidate for the job. So use questions about hobbies, sports, interests to make your case. Do not be afraid to ask for the question to be reformulated if you do not understand it. This is better than guessing and having to be re-directed by the interviewer having lost several minutes. If you do not know the answer to a question, say so. The former is more attractive to an interviewer. Look at the person asking the question most of the time. But take an occasional sweeping glance at the other board members for courtesy reasons and to check if they are giving any indications of how you are doing.
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