HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF INTERVIEWING

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Contents

Why Write This Book Introduction.............................................viiChapter 1 Why we interview- What are we looking for?........................1Chapter 2 Getting Started...................................................15Chapter 3 Where to Begin....................................................29Chapter 4 Interview formats.................................................65Chapter 5 How to Prepare For the Interview..................................81Chapter 6 Answering Questions during Interview..............................97Chapter 7 Referencing.......................................................115Chapter 8 Body Language.....................................................123Chapter 9 Thirty Common Interview Questions and Answers.....................137Chapter 10 How to survive your First 90 days in a Job........................159Chapter 11 Advice to Parents.................................................179Chapter 12 Putting it All Together...........................................195

Chapter One

"Your future depends on many things but mostly yourself." ~ Frank Tyger

A candidate in order to do well in an interview must understand why we interview and what we are looking for. The interview process concerns meeting with a lot of strangers, and selecting within a very short period of time, the right candidate for a position.

When we interview, we make judgments on candidates, based on the facts available on their rsums. And what do we try to judge? We try to judge the current performance of the candidate, the future prediction, and whether they will fit into the culture of the organization. When we select a candidate, it is like starting a new relationship. We all hope that this relationship based on mutual respect, high expectation and ethical behavior will be long lasting. If the relationship faces termination, we would expect that it will have a respectful and dignified ending so as to protect the interest of both the parties. To a recruiter, bad selection of a candidate costs a great deal of money, wastes resources, and disrupts the business.

Interviewing is a necessary and perhaps the only way to select a candidate. That is why the process of selection begins with its focus on fact finding. We search for key qualities and attributes that one must have, in order to be successful in any work environment. I have put some of these key qualities into a simple formula which is easy to remember.

If you look at a job description, you will notice that these key qualities have been mentioned time and again. The more you understand these qualities and prepare for the questions to come, the better success you will have. Simple preparation will increase your chances of a better interview and give you an edge over the more experienced or qualified candidates; the result- you getting the job.

FACECIA: The Key Qualities Needed for Succeeding in Interviews

The acronym FACECIA will provide you with a key to the essential attributes needed by an interviewee to succeed in an interview. The acronym FACECIA provides a deep insight into those vitals traits on the basis of which the interviewer would judge you. These key aspects of an interviewee that would make or break the interview process are as follows:

Facts Attitude Confidence Experience Communication Skills Interpersonal Skills Analytical Skills

Facts

During the interview your interviewer will try to find the facts about your background. These facts will represent an overall picture of you and will sum up your experiences, your character, and personality. Always be sure to get your facts straight.

The interviewer being a virtual stranger to you would obviously try to form an overall idea about you through the facts provided to him on your rsum. He will peruse through your experience certificates and academic credentials and try to verify the facts provided to him. That's why, it is all the more important that whatever information you provide to your interviewer, must be 100% true. Being Complacent is a cardinal sin for an interviewee. Even if you have the adequate experience and educational qualification to qualify for a job, then also you should never get complacent. Whatever facts and figures you provide to your interviewer, you should mentally prepare yourself to be challenged about those facts. You must be able to explain any gaps between any schools that you attended or any job changes.

For example, if you finished high school in 2004 and attended university in 2006, you must be able to explain a logical reason for the gap. What experiences did you gain during that period and how it made you better prepared for university? Similarly, if there is a gap between your total employment years, you must be able to explain the gaps and give accurate reasons for them.

It's inevitable that you would feel unsure and defensive, if you are grilled about the facts presented in your resume. If you have a gap between your employment years you should mentally prepare yourself for such questions as- "So, what was happening from July 2002 through September 2002?" Don't panic over any questions asked about the phase of temporary unemployment in your career.

If you were truly unemployed during a period in your career, you should try to keep your explanation about that temporary unemployment succinct and factual. You should endeavor to highlight the positive things that you learnt and did within that period, and gradually try to steer the conversation back to your qualifications and interest in the job for which you are being interviewed.

Thus, prior to an interview try to work with the facts of the resume gap, and craft a 2-3 sentence response to an anticipated inquiry. Your response needs to be honest, yet it does not need to include all of the convoluted details or the background stories.

The same theory applies to any gap that you might have had in your academic career. If you had left your studies midway due to any pressing personal issue and then resumed it later, you should be truthful about it. But try to present the details in such a way that you are not left looking too capricious and fickle minded.

Attitude

The interviewer will want to find out about your attitude towards work. He or she will want to determine your reasons for applying for a particular job. He will want to know how many places you have applied for already. Are they all over the place, or are they specific and targeted at their areas of expertise. For example, if someone applied for a sales position, during the interview it would become evident that in reality they do not like sales, but would rather prefer to do a clerical job. This would reveal that the person doesn't have the right attitude towards sales, and as a result may not be selected for the position that he/she had applied for.

Thus, your attitude, towards the job you have applied for, would give your interviewer an idea about your propensity and competency towards it. You might have enough educational qualification to apply for a particular job, but if you don't have the right kind of attitude required for the job you would never be able to excel in it. Your interviewer would try to find out whether you have the right frame of mind to reach the zenith in the job that you have applied for. That is why you should ensure that you possess the right kind of attitude and a positive frame of mind before you venture out to give an interview.

Your interviewer would judge your attitude on various criterions. Some of the other facets of having the right kind of attitude for a job have been discussed below.

A) Positive Attitude: Are you a Positive Thinker? Do you talk negatively about your experiences from your previous colleagues and supervisors? When faced with problems, do you think of it as an opportunity to learn, or do you see it as an obstacle. Positive thoughts shape our moods and create positive energy. On the other hand, negative thoughts create depression and a pessimistic outlook towards work, and life in general.

An interview is a process of selling yourself. So, if you don't realize your true potential your interviewer would never be able to appreciate your true qualities. Thus, a positive attitude is the best thing you can bring along with yourself to a job interview. When you think positively about yourself and what you have to offer, your interviewer would also recognize this and would want to learn more about you.

You should always remember that you are your strongest asset. Try to harp on your strong points and capabilities as much as possible during an interview. But, at the same time, be prepared to answer questions about your weaknesses too. You should endeavor to make your weaknesses work for you by rehearsing a response about the harmless nature of your weakness, and the plans that you have made to overcome it. The interviewer will surely be impressed at your ability to comprehend and deal with your shortcomings.

The act of writing out your answers to difficult interview questions, particularly if you have a glitch in your resume or background, is a great way to sound positive.

B) Self Motivation: Are you a Self-motivator? It is hard to motivate someone who is not self motivated. Your interviewer will want to find out what kind of initiatives you have taken in your current or previous job and what kind of extracurricular activities you were involved in.

Do you set goals and have you achieved them? What have you learned from setting these goals? Your interviewer wants to find out, if you motivate yourself, or do you always rely on someone else to motivate you and guide you.

One common question that an interviewer asks is, "In your rsum you wrote that you are self-motivated; give me an example of this and what was its impact on you and your team?" It is important that when you are faced with such a question that you have a few good examples of situations that proves that you are indeed a self motivator. What if in fact you are not a self motivator?

The best way to answer this sort of question is to express your willingness to take initiative when it comes to additional work. You should always try to emphasize your interest in increasing your knowledge and contacts. Your answers should prove to your interviewer that you can self-motivate by setting ambitious goals, working hard, and keeping up with current trends.

Try to prepare yourself in advance for this kind of questions from your interviewer. You can rehearse an answer for this kind of a question prior to the interview. Prepare and answer in advance which won't be too elaborate and boring and yet be satisfactory enough to your interviewer. Try to brainstorm about possible interview questions on your attitude and come up with thoughtful answers to them. This is an advice which is applicable for other kind of interview questions too.

Confidence:

The interviewer will be looking for a self-confident person. Do you quit easily or are you unstoppable? Perception is reality- the more confident the person comes across, the most likelihood that they will succeed. The way one judges self confidence is through their handshake, eye contact and the way they are dressed up. The interviewer will be observing whether you are smiling and enthusiastic, and if you talk about your achievements with a clear voice.

A handshake with the interviewer is the first personal contact that you make with him. So make sure that you give him or her firm, not bone-crushing handshake. While you are shaking your interviewer's hand try to keep direct eye contact to exude confidence.

Whether you are sitting or standing, make sure that your posture portrays your inner confidence. Try to sit properly during the interview and avoid nervous habits like fidgeting, smoking or chewing gums during the interview because that might send wrong signals to your interviewer. Your demeanor and confident attitude can positively influence your interview results to a great extent.

Your Dress attitude, tone of voice, and mannerisms all create a positive impression. An interviewer uses these impressions to judge you on your level of confidence. A confident attitude and visual impression are equally important as the things you say during your interview.

If you feel that you lack in self-confidence, the best way to build your self-confidence is to focus on the areas that you are strong in and good at. Again do your home work; and come to the interview prepared. Do not procrastinate and put things off until the last minute. The best way to boost your self confidence is to be totally prepared for the interview. To augment your chances of getting hired, you need to do some research with regard to the company. You can log on to the website of your prospective employers and check what they are looking for.

Gleaning an array of information about the company will help you answer the interviewer's questions with confidence. Once you get to know what the company is looking for, you can be confident enough to elaborate on your own experience with respect to what they are seeking.

Experience

The way you market yourself and your experience, will make a big difference in getting the job. Experience carries big value when it comes to selecting the right candidate. That is why the majority of recruitment advertisements list some key experience as a prerequisite to qualify for the job.

If you don't have enough experience, this does not mean you should not apply for the job either, it will not be the final consideration in the selection of a candidate.

When you lack certain experiences, focus on building your transferable skills. For example, if you are a home maker and trying to re-enter the job market, focus on what you have learned from raising up kids, for example the ability to multi-task, to be flexible, organized, handle criticism well, and handle adversity and conflict well.

If you are a student who has had very little work experience, then you can draw your examples from other experiences of life. Your school record and community activities can be valuable attestations to your abilities. You can use these valuable experiences in addition to the references work experience that you have made.

Prepare your own transferable skills and try to match it with the job posting with real examples on how well prepared you are for this job. Even before you go for the interview, try to thoroughly read through the job description more than once. Try to zero on the mission statement of your prospective employers. If it is full of teambuilding jargon, then during your interview you must emphasize your past experiences of working with teams.

You should know how to communicate the key skills and relevant experience that your interviewer is looking for in candidates. It's all about highlighting the skills that land jobs. For example, if a job description states that the company is looking for a candidate with management skills and juggling multiple projects, then you could utilize this information to your advantage by highlighting those past experiences which required such qualities. You can outline how you single-handedly coordinated a sales meeting of more than hundred employees of your former company, with only two months notice.

While you speak about your past experience of working in other organization, you should never commit the cardinal mistake of criticizing them or badmouthing them. It is essential for you to speak positively about former experiences. Even if your former employer had been grumpy and ill-tempered, never complain about a previous employer. You should always try to find something positive in every former work experience and emphasize that.

Communication Skills

Communication skills can be both verbal and non-verbal. In this section we will focus on verbal communication skills. Non-verbal skills will be covered in a separate chapter to follow. Your interviewer will want to find out how effectively you can verbally communicate the contents of your rsum. To help you communicate effectively, make sure you speak clearly and concisely. Try to avoid big words and jargons, avoid smart Alec comments, jokes etc. And remember, whatever you do, do not argue with the interviewer even if they push your buttons. This is a sure way to test your temper and emotions. Also, if you don't understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat it. If the question is unclear, try to paraphrase it.

The second part of verbal communication skills, which the interviewer is looking for and judging on, is your listening skills. This is critical in the job interview. It brings out to the interviewer, your ability to comprehend complex questions, how you respond and articulate your answers and whether you are feeling comfortable or hesitant with your responses.

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Excerpted from HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF INTERVIEWINGby Ramzi Karim Copyright © 2010 by Ramzi Karim. Excerpted by permission.
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