Blog Post: An Insider’s View of Interviewing

I’ve had an opportunity to do some interviewing for a company, and have some tips to share to prospective applicants about interview preparation and actual interviewing.  

Understand the position.  Review the job description and determine the most important skills and priorities.  Develop PAR (Problem-Action-Result) stories that illustrate how you would handle expected scenarios of the job, as there will likely be questions about this.   

Ex. Administrative position.  Expect to be asked about organization and multi-tasking, dealing with people and determining priorities if faced with multiple deadlines or distractions. 

Try to imagine yourself in the job, and ask specific questions that relate to the job.  The job description gives an outline of skills required, but doesn’t explain the job on a daily basis.  Ask questions how this job relates to the organization, what a day is like, what the priorities are, and the challenges.  This will give you more information to determine if the job is a good fit for you as well as the employer. 

Don’t expect the interviewer to draw out the answers from you.  This is your opportunity to shine, not a counseling session where someone has to dig to get to the real you.  Know what your skills are and why the employer should hire you.  You are the product; make them want to buy it.

Be prepared for typical interview questions.  This includes the “salary” question.  Try to defer salary until the appropriate time, when it is determined you are a strong candidate for the position.  Giving away your last salary, or expectations that don’t fit with a proposed range, will either exclude you from the position or keep you on a path of lower salaries throughout your career.  For example, if you accept the position, and the company knows what your previous salary was, what do you think they will offer you?  More of the same…. If you state your expectations too low or too high for the range, you will be excluded.  So…my advice is to defer the salary question, with a question.  

“I’d like to defer this issue until it is determined I am the best candidate for the job. Right now I’d like to learn as much about the position and its requirements, responsibilities, and your expectations before talking about salary, is that ok?”

 “I’m sure you have a range in mind, can you tell me the range?” 

Tell me about yourself….

You should prepare an opening statement that includes your experience, education and skills for the job; your strengths related to necessary skills or priorities of the job; an example of this, and end with the question “what would you like to know more about?” 

Ex. I have over 10 years experience in customer service, in both retail and commercial telecommunications.  My strengths are in listening and determining solutions for my customers.  For example, I assisted an irate customer understand his bill and the charges by calmly explaining what each of the charges were.  Once he felt heard and understood, he was fine and even thanked me for my time.  What would you like to know more about? 

Tell me about a time when…. Behavior based questions are utilized because the past is a predictor of the future.  Be specific, not theoretical when answering these questions.  When preparing for an interview, develop answers that deal with teamwork issues, previous managers, dealing with different personalities or criticism, and what you are most proud of.  Your answers say a lot about you, and help the employer put you in the position.  If he/she can envision you successfully accomplishing something based on your past behavior, you are ahead of someone who answers these questions with “Generally, I’d handle that by…..” without giving specific examples. 

Strengths and Weaknesses.  We all have both, so be prepared.  I tell people inside their greatest strength, is a weakness.  Taking any strength to an extreme is a weakness.  For example, detail oriented taken to an extreme is obsessive-compulsive.  Instead, bring that weakness back to a strength.   

Ex.  I am good at looking at alternatives and seeing how things fit into the big picture.  I can get quite “out of the box” so I have to be aware of the context of the situation, and look at realistic alternatives that will fit the situation.  As a transition coach, this trait has worked well for me so people can envision opportunities they never believe existed. 

Another example is to tell a story about something you’ve actually attempted to improve upon.  Public speaking is a good one, as most of us have a fear of that.  If you’ve gone to Toastmaster’s or attended a seminar, use that as an example.   

And finally, don’t wing it…. It is obvious when you do not have a clue about the job, the company, or yourself, and you are there as a warm body.  Take the time to prepare, look and feel confident so when you meet that interviewer your knowledge, experience and personality will be what sell you.

Good luck in your next interview, and see if these tips don’t help your performance.