Interview Mistakes: 10 Big Ones You Want to Avoid – Part 3

Mistake #5: You participated in an interrogation
instead of a conversation

Let’s get clear on the objective of an interview. This type of meeting is an
opportunity for you and a potential employer to meet to evaluate fit. There is only
one way to do this well. You must both share information and to accomplish this,
a two-way conversation is required.

Most interviews are like a bad tennis match. The interviewer throws you a
question and you toss back an answer. The problem is, you’re always swinging
and never take a turn up to serve.

You have to be an involved participant in an interview. Not just in providing
answers, but in asking good questions.

To prepare for an interview, ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s most important to me that I need to clearly understand?
• What do I need to know to be able to make an informed decision?
• What do I know for sure and what am I assuming?

Here are some typical questions that can save you a lot of grief:

1. What training is provided?
2. What resources will be available?
3. How would you describe the company’s culture?
4. How would you describe your management style?
5. What attributes are needed to be successful in this role?
6. Why is this position open?
7. I’m not sure I understand the question, would you repeat (or rephrase) it
   please?
8. Beyond the responsibilities of the position, what do you need the person in
   role to accomplish or deliver within the first 3 – 6 months?
9. How much travel is required?
10. How many hours do most employees work?

When the manager brings up compensation, you can probe for clarity with
questions like these:

1. How is the commission program structured? Is it capped?
2. Is the bonus program discretionary or performance based?
3. If performance based, is it based on company, team or individual
   contributions? What measurements are used?

Remember when I discussed some of the pitfalls of basing your interest in a job
on a position description. Well, assuming that information is accurate becomes
even more dangerous in an interview situation.

When asked why they thought they’d be a good fit for the position, most
candidates respond based on information they’ve seem on a position description
or job posting. Answers are usually vague or broad due to lack of focus.

I’m suggesting you ask questions to gain more clarity. Here’s one of my favorites
because it is so powerful:

“What do you need the person in this roll to accomplish in the short term?”

By finding out the true focal point or immediate need you can achieve several
things.

First, you can provide a specific, results-oriented answer to the question, “why
are you a good fit for the position”.

Second, you gain more clarity about the job and corporate objectives.

Third, you can begin to learn how the company works and the kind of challenges they face.

For each question you are asked during an interview, pause. Ask yourself, “Do I have enough information to answer this question clearly, specifically and concisely? If not, what do you need to know? Then ask for what you need and be a true participant in the process.

Mistake #6: Unaware of standard lines of questioning

What if I told you most interview questions fall into three or four categories?
These are at the top of the hit parade:

1. The experience on your resume
2. Your strengthens and weaknesses
3. Your goals and objectives
4. Personal, non business related questions

There is another single question that has been added to the roster. It is usually
asked at the beginning of the meeting and it can be a real deal breaker. It can be
asked a few ways, but the essence of the question is Why us?

Companies want to know if you are interested in just finding a job or if you are
truly interested in it.

That’s why pre-interview research is so important. You gain insights into the
company and its needs. You begin to understand how your attitude, skills and
knowledge could be an asset to the organization. You can address the question
specifically; directly; clearly. You can illustrate potential mutual opportunities to
explore. You can demonstrate your superiority

After the interviewer finds out why you are interested in working there, they will
normally explore whether it should be interested in you. This is when the
interviewer will launch into questions about your experience.

The whole purpose of this evaluation is to determine whether you can offer value
to the organization.

• They want to know if you have an understanding of the issues they face.
• They want to know if you have the skills and abilities to help them grow.
• They want to know if you can hit the ground running. If not, they want to know what it will take and how long it might take before you can offer a return on
  their investment.

This is why it’s so important for you to ask questions to find out their true needs.
To do this, some folks have found it helpful to visualize themselves in the role of
a consultant rather than an interviewee. When they think about themselves in this
capacity, it becomes easier for them to effectively manage a “belly to belly”
meeting.

With the mind-set of a consultant an interview process can become a simple three-step conversation. Consider the flow of these topics and the power of these questions:

1. Situation Analysis: Where is the company/department today? What gaps is it trying to close to achieve desired performance/results? What
   challenges keep the hiring manager up at night? What needs to
   change/What needs to happen?
2. Review of Objectives: What are the urgent short-term priorities of the
   company/department/position? What does the “ideal” candidate look like?
3. Recommendations: These are your responses, but they are positioned as
   actionable solutions based on your experience.

Before we move on, let’s touch on personal/non business related questions.
Personal questions are usually inappropriate. They may be illegal and can often
be offensive. As a guideline, any questions about age, race, religion, marital
status, or political beliefs would fall into this category. There are always
exceptions, however, to any rule.

If you’re applying at UPS to load trucks or at a retail store where stocking is a
large responsibility, the company may want to know if you can lift a box that
weighs thirty pounds. That would be a fair question. Lifting is part of the job.
If you are a woman applying for a job that requires frequent travel and the
interviewer asks if you plan to get pregnant, that question would not be
appropriate.

Most companies have trained their staff to know what they can and can’t ask, but
just in case, here’s two replies to personal questions that may be helpful:

• “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how this pertains to the job. Could you explain the relevance?”
• “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable with this question and would prefer not to
  answer.”

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