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Tips to Help You Win the Interview Roulette Game
by Susan Zitron
Zitron Career Services
From the San Francisco Examiner
Most people plod through a roulette-style interview process, uncertain of what information the interviewer will use to select someone. In this mode, even after careful research, you still have only a 70 to 80 percent chance of getting hired. Those odds simply aren't good enough.
The situation worsens when interviewers are uncertain of what they want, because it takes both your understanding of the interviewer's needs, and your ability to respond well, to win their vote and land the job. How, then, can you substantially improve your chances?
The needs of interviewers within the same organization often vary. The hiring authority will have a different set of requirements than the managers and peers from other departments with whom the position will interact.
For example, potential marketing managers will most likely interview with peer managers from the engineering, sales, finance and manufacturing departments. Will these people have the same requirements as the future boss? Of course not.
The other interviewers have agendas that do not directly relate to the job description, but to their department's needs and requirements. Your job is to find out each interviewer's 'hidden' agenda, the most important needs beyond the job description. Once you know those needs, address them with examples of your experience and accomplishments.
How can you find the hidden agenda? You can take much of the guesswork out with two questions: "What is most important to you regarding the person you (or the company) are going to hire?" and "What are your major concerns about that person?" Notice how these questions address the interviewer's dream candidate — and their worst nightmares.
The interviewer's responses should sound more in-depth than simply a job description. For example, "What we really need here is someone who can do more than the job, but who will ..." or "We have a philosophy here about the way in which we operate that is quite different from our competitors. If you couldn't abide by this, we simply wouldn't be a good match."
To be certain that you have gotten everything, always ask if there is anything else they want to add. More often than not, valuable information will come forth. Additionally, it is important that you only interrupt for the purpose of clarification: "You may have a definition of a 'good' manager that differs from mine, Mary, so would you mind clarifying what you mean?" If you begin answering before they finish, you may distract them and lose your chance to hear the rest of their targets. Be a patient listener. It will pay off.
When you do respond, stick with the information the interviewer provided and not trail off. By sticking to this format, you will avoid underselling or overselling yourself. Deviate and you could run the risk of shooting yourself in the foot.
One woman who asked the target questions had impressed the hiring authority with her ability to do the job. He acknowledged that she had the talent they were looking for in a manager, and that she was his top candidate. Feeling very confident, she mistakenly reeled off additional skills she believed would lock down her candidacy. In the end, the interviewer hired someone else. His reason? He told her she was overqualified and could probably do his job, not just the one she was applying for.
If you have a strong urge to bring up other experience that could be valuable, ask the interviewer, "Would it be valuable to know more about my experience with ...?" If they say yes, ask them what they would most like to know about it, and address that. Then say no more. If they say "not really," no harm done.
Always close by asking if your responses satisfied them, and if they believe you can do the job well. Seize the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions and bring up information that you forgot to mention. Remember, by directing your responses to what is important to them, you will have a leading edge over your competition, and the advantage of being able to deliver a more comprehensive and compelling answers.
Note: This article drew huge responses from executive recruiters, job-seekers, and hiring managers.
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