|
The Power of Interview Preparation Let’s suppose you were in the market for a new home, and you were shown
a house for sale that was disheveled, poorly lit, and overrun by
cockroaches. Would the condition of the property affect your willingness to buy?
Of course. That’s why competent listing agents always prep their
clients’ houses before they’re shown. They know that a clean, cheery
home with attractive furnishings and a manicured lawn will sell. And
they know that a carefully prepped property is a reflection of an
agent’s professionalism and attention to detail.
What’s this got to do with our business? Well, you’d be surprised how
much money we lose by arranging interviews for candidates who are
ill-prepared, poorly dressed, and lacking in the basic interviewing
skills required to compete in a tight employment market In our daily
activities on a desk, we’re so busy marketing our service and digging
for new referrals that we sometimes forget that it’s the successful
interview that ultimately pays the rent. All too often, candidate
preparation gets put on the back burner. I’ve found that I can increase my send out-to-placement ratio
by making certain my candidates are well prepared prior to their
interviews. To do so means taking the necessary time to help them
understand the fundamentals of a successful interview. In addition, I ask my candidates to read two of the Career
Development Reports I’ve written, entitled "Seven Keys to Interview
Preparation" and "How to Master the Art of Interviewing." These
2,000-word essays reinforce the messages I’ve communicated with them
verbally, and at the same time enhance my credibility and professional
image, since people generally respect the authority of the printed
word.
Here are a few excerpts from the Reports, as told to the candidate:
Fundamentals of a Successful Interview To a large degree, the success of your interview will depend on
your ability to discover needs and empathize with the interviewer. You
can do this by asking questions that verify your understanding of what
the interviewer has just told you, without editorializing, or
expressing an opinion. By establishing empathy in this manner, you’ll
be in a better position to freely exchange ideas, and demonstrate your
suitability for the job. In addition to establishing empathy, there are four intangible
fundamentals to a successful interview. These intangibles will
influence the way your personality is perceived, and will affect the
degree of rapport, or personal chemistry you’ll share with the
employer.
- Enthusiasm --- Leave no doubt as to your level of interest
in the job. You may think it’s unnecessary to do this, but employers
often choose the more enthusiastic candidate in the case of a two-way
tie. Besides, it’s best to keep your options open -- wouldn’t you
rather be in a position to turn down an offer, than have a prospective
job evaporate from your grasp by giving a lethargic interview?
- Technical interest --- Employers look for people who love
what they do; people who get excited by the prospect of tearing into
the nitty-gritty of the job.
- Confidence --- No one likes a braggart, but the candidate
who’s sure of his or her abilities will almost certainly be more
favorably received.
- Intensity --- The last thing you want to do is come across
as "flat" in your interview. There’s nothing inherently wrong with
being a laid-back person; but sleepwalkers rarely get hired.
Both for your sake and the employer’s, try not to leave an interview
without exchanging fundamental information. The more you know about
each other, the more potential you’ll have for establishing rapport,
and making an informed decision.
The Short and Long of It There are two ways to answer interview questions: the short
version and the long version. When a question is open-ended, I always
suggest to candidates that they say, "Let me give you the short
version. If we need to explore some aspect of my answer more fully, I’d
be happy to go into greater depth, and give you the long version." The reason you should respond this way is because it’s often
difficult to know what type of answer each question will need. A
question like, "What was your most difficult assignment?" might take
anywhere from thirty seconds to thirty minutes to answer, depending on
the detail you choose to give. Therefore, you must always remember that the interviewer is the
one who asked the question. So you should tailor your answer to what he
or she needs to know, without a lot of extraneous rambling or
superfluous explanation. Why waste time and create a negative
impression by giving a sermon when a short prayer would do just fine?
-Bill Radin
Author of recruiting professional development series, recruiting training programs and seminars
www.billradin.com
|
Home 
