Read this Rant to Interview Your Best

The interview process is broken  and its is time to fix it. From my point of view here are some things about the interview that needs repair:

The interviewer has to be control
There is this belief that the interviewer is in “control” of the interview and any attempt by the candidate to assert themselves is usurping the interviewer’s power. When did this get established and what’s the point? This belief causes lots of problems including:

• A bad interviewer (unfortunately not rare) results in a bad interview and the candidate is powerless to improve the situation.
• The candidate feels powerless and “one down” and their anxiety is increased
• The interviewer feels compelled to completely manage the interview, gets nervous, and ends up talking mainly about themselves.

Here  is the way it should be-The candidate should be prepared to sell themselves in the interview and share in the responsibility for communicating the critical information. Candidates should be told to come to the interview prepared to actively present themselves as the best fit for the position. Then the candidate should be given time to “sell” themselves.

How is interview behavior indicative of on the job behavior?
How often and on how many jobs does a person walk into an office and have to answer a series of question with little if any prior knowledge of the questions or the exact situation? Thinking on ones feet is an important skill but doing it with little situational knowledge is rare. And for many positions it never happens. Why do it in an interview? Why not give candidates more information so they can be prepared to interview their best. “Our most pressing issue is XYZ, please come prepared to talk about how you have worked on similar issues in the past.”

The candidate is asked to do actual work
Some companies actually have the chutzpah to ask candidates to produce valuable pieces of work. “Please put together a marketing plan for the next fiscal year”. The unstated message is “don’t do it and don’t get hired”. Done by  a senior executive this piece of work may be worth thousands of dollars. This is different than asking a candidate to display their thinking about a work related task. If a company wants a marketing plan they should pay for it not take advantage of a job candidate.

Cross examination
One of candidate’s greatest complaints is that the interview is like a cross examination; question answer- question answer- question answer- verdict. Two adults trying to decide an important issue should be in a conversation. In an interview conversation there is an exchange of information between two adults that are working together to decide if the job is a good fit for both the company and the candidate. In any good conversation there is a give and take of information as well as the opportunity to talk about what is going on here and now. “So how do you feel about how the interview is going?”

Lack of Trust
A job interview is basically a sales call. Like every sales situation there is an element of suspicion about the sales person, how good is their product/service and what does it cost. Beginning from this underlying belief, the interview becomes subtly adversarial with the interviewer trying to figure out if the candidate is really who they portray themselves to be. The interviewer then uses a series of questions (tell me about your greatest weaknesses) to find any inconsistencies or misrepresentations.

This is a hard one to overcome. The candidate is portraying themselves in the best possible light and trying to avoid any weaknesses or problems. They want to make the sale. However, a candidate should keep in mind selling themselves into a bad situation is worse than no sale at all. After a stressful period of time they will fail,  be back where they started with a short term job on their resume and  looking for their next job.

Untrained interviewers
Since when did interviewing become an innate skill? Many managers think interviewing is a simple “gut/instinct” process and they are good at it. Typically they are deceiving themselves. Interviewers should get training or at least let the candidate be more active and assertive in the interview to balance out their limited interview skill.

Lousy job descriptions
Candidates cannot match their background, skills, and experience to unknown job requirements. Poorly developed job requirements are like saying “I want to buy something to help us with customer service but I have no idea of what I want, I will just know it when I see it”. Hiring managers should take the time to figure out and then specify what skills, experience and personality type they are looking for and then let candidates know.

So those are my thoughts- let me know if you agree or even if you have more to add to the rant!

InterviewBest improves the interview

How to Establish Rapport and Interview Your Best

Build rapport

The first challenge of any job interview is establishing rapport with the interviewer. Rapport can be described as the feeling you experience when you are with someone you intuitively like. People only hire people they like; rapport is critical.

How do you establish rapport in a job interview?

Here are some of the common things-
Be on time
The first tactic may seem obvious but it is critical…be on time. If you are late to the interview you have destroyed the foundation for rapport. Be there 15 minutes before the appointment.

Eye contact
Look the interviewer in the eye. Eye contact establishes a connection and a trust. I am not suggesting a stalking type stare but do look the person in the eye for 2-8 seconds and then look away and then back again.

Smile
Be sure to smile. Smiles are contagious and will set a tone of friendliness and connection.

Be yourself
Be yourself be relaxed. This may be a challenge in an interview situation but keep in mind an interview is two human beings meeting one another. Treat the interview as an opportunity to meet someone and get to know them. This shifts the context and helps to develop rapport. Also, being authentically yourself communicates honesty.

These are a bit more advanced
Be observant
Look at the interviewer and and the surroundings, really observe them. What do you learn about them from what you observe. By paying attention to the interviewer you tune into their world and become more open and sensitive to them as a person. This will be communicated in your attitude and verbal/non-verbal communication.

Be tribal
Human beings are basically tribal. We tend to like and trust members of our own tribes. Fortunately human tribes are very broad and include almost any connection. Search for a commonality that will put you in their tribe. The commonality can be geographic, interests, sports, hobbies, schools, prior jobs, etc. etc. Almost anything will do to establish a tribal connection. However caution; avoid discussing anything that will put you in another tribe so politics and religion are areas to avoid.

Ask questions, listen, and communicate understanding
When you ask questions really listen and understand. It is helpful to echo the answer just to be sure you understand and to let the interviewer know you are tuned in. “Am I correct that you are saying that the company is very family friendly but at the same time focuses on performance?” Being heard and understood is very appealing to human beings and fosters rapport. Listen particularly carefully for the interviewer’s goals and concerns, position, expectations and needs.

Be relaxed be confidant
Recent research shows that emotions are contagious. Come into an interview nervous with low confidence and the interviewer will sense it. Anxiety (fear) and low confidence inhibits rapport. The one best way to increase confidence and reduce anxiety is to be well prepared.

Be curious
This is the most critical element in establishing rapport. Be genuinely curious about the interviewer as a person. I am not suggesting you ask about personal issues; an interview should be professionally focused. Find out how the interviewer came to their position, what they like about their job and the company, their challenges on the job, their professional goals, their management style. It is important to be genuinely curious. If you ask questions as an “interview technique” you will not come across as genuine and you will be perceived as less honest.

Establishing rapport is essential to being selected for a position. As mentioned above, the most important part of establishing rapport is being open, curious, and genuinely interested in establishing a relationship with the interviewer.

Using an interview presentation will help you be confidant and establish rapport