Interviews: How to give the right answers in the right way: Jobs - Resources

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Interviews: How to give the right answers in the right way

By Eric Walter, 0
March 04, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/jobs/resources/soa/Interviews-How-to-give-the-right-answers-in-the-right-way/0,130056675,120107570,00.htm

You've wowed them with your resume. Now's the chance to convince them that you're qualified and motivated to do the job, and that you'll be a good fit in the company's structure.

The trick is not in merely giving the answers an interviewer wants to hear. The honest answers about your career and your needs must be the answers that the interviewer wants.

Starting out on the right foot
Like many career advice resources, Bradleys CVs and Career Service, based in Shefield, UK recommends some research before committing to a face-to-face interview. Find out everything you can about the company from the Internet, its annual reports, or even a friend of a friend. The more information you have, the more intelligent your questions and answers will be.

Preparation is the absolute key to a good interview experience. No matter the style or technique, every hiring manager who invites you into his or her office has to find out the same things about you. Anticipate what you will be asked, and prepare some questions to ask them yourself. The more you tell them about why you're interested in the job and what you can offer the company, the better your chances of getting hired.

Surviving the usual questions
According to a recent article in Training Magazine, many hiring managers emphasize behavior when interviewing job candidates. Behavioral interviewing, used in corporate America since the '70s, has roots in industrial psychologist Bill Owens' contention that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

Use this to your advantage. An interviewer wants to know how you'll handle the job you're interested in, so you should focus on experience that demonstrates your suitability.

According to the Bradley CVs Web site, here are some common questions you can be almost guaranteed to hear these days:

What qualities do you think are necessary for this job? Think outside of what's in the job ad.

What can we offer that your previous company could not? Be positive about your former employer. Stress opportunities for personal growth and new challenges.

Why did you choose a career in technology? If technology is a switch for you, make a logical argument about why you switched. Avoid being negative about your earlier career choices.

How was your previous company organized, and where did you fit into that structure? Your interviewer wants to know how different this job is from your previous job.

What is your ideal job? Fair pay, challenging atmosphere, and training opportunities may fit into the picture, but it's not a bad idea to describe your ideal in terms of the job you're after.

What was your greatest success, and how did you achieve it? Don't be unprepared for this one, and don't be modest. Pick an achievement that's related to the needs of your prospective company.

What has been your biggest failure? You can give an honest answer while still exuding self-confidence, say experts. Think of a situation that you were able to rectify or improve. Focus not on the failure, but on what you learned from it.

What do you look for in a manager? Think about the managers who helped you to be the most productive. Keep your answer short to avoid sounding judgmental and insulting the interviewer.

How do you motivate other people? Of course they want someone inspirational. How have you used your skills to inspire creativity and productivity?

What are your long-term career goals? Link your goals to the prospective job.

Right back at you
Interpersonal skills make or break an applicant's chances, according to research from OfficeTeam, a US-based staffing firm. It's up to you to keep the interview process from quelling your ability to interact. No matter what your interviewer's intent, you must not give the impression that you feel drilled.

A good interview should have all the qualities of a good conversation, according to Interview Power, a London-based workshop provider.

Candidates need to sell themselves by asking questions that are work-focused, task-focused, and function-focused, advises OfficeTeam. You'll want to know about the environment, how you can grow your skills, and the nature of the projects you'd be working on.

Communication skills are paramount
How you handle yourself in daily interactions with others influences what they think about you. How you communicate also indicates your self confidence, your assertiveness, and your self image, say employment experts.

From the moment you first set foot on company property, you have to be aware of the image you project. But don't be phony. Your interviewer knows that if you can communicate effectively, despite all the pressures of a job interview, chances are you can handle yourself similarly every other day of your life.

OfficeTeam offers the following guidelines:

Walk energetically.

Smile and shake hands firmly. You are glad to meet the interviewer.

Sit upright to stay alert and interested. Be a listener, not just a talker.

Look a prospective employer in the eyes.

Don't answer with a simple yes or no.

Make sure your good points come across in a factual and sincere way.

Be professional. Even if you find that you are not interested in the job, your responsiveness will demonstrate your professionalism.

If you feel like you have already been rejected, don't be discouraged. It's not over yet. Your interviewer may be testing you for a reaction.

Don't over-answer questions.

"Be yourself ... Be natural," writes Joyce Lain Kennedy in her book, Job Interviews for Dummies (1996, IDG), but don't treat a job interview as a confessional. "Nor should you treat a job interview as social dialogue," she advises in the book. "Don't download your personal beliefs on interviewers in the name of ... 'being honest.'"

Find similarities with your interviewer, Kennedy suggests. People hire the people they like, and we like people most like ourselves. Find areas of mutual interest during the interview conversation.

Focus on experience
Doug Berg, president of techies.com inc., was once a head hunter who coached job candidates for their first all-important interview. In a July 1999 column, he suggests that focusing on experience is not only essential – it's easy. Ask questions of a hiring manager that will open up an opportunity to sell your abilities, says Berg. Whatever the response, relate it to a similar situation from your own work history.

Talk as much as you can about specific tasks or technologies related to the position, and regardless of what's on your resume, reinforce how your skills match the job. It's easy to assume your interviewer knows your resume in detail, says Berg, but that may not be the case.

You may not have every skill listed in the job description, but the hiring manager may not expect you to. It's the other things you bring to the table that make you stand out – management experience, communication skills.

If at first you don't succeed...
If you have adequately explained why you are interested in the position and what you can do, you have done all you can. After the interview, show how keen you are on getting that job. Ask when you can expect to hear from the hiring manager.

If you do get rejected, don't think of the interview and lost job opportunity as sour grapes. Don't be too proud or ashamed to ask your interviewer for some feedback. Where did you fail? Where did you succeed? Then you can modify your technique to do better at the next interview.