Acing the Interview When You're Not the Interview Type: How to Un-stack the Deck

If you are artistic or technical, you probably hate being interviewed more than anyone else.

Why?

Because you are focused on the merits of your work; you measure your success by the sheer quality of your work. In that way, you are trapped like a Good Student who prepares exactly for the test's questions. In school, giving those correct answers has always rewarded you with good grades and automatic promotion. And that has reinforced the idea that work is just like the big Test with right and wrong responses and therefore you will be taken care of by the system. But, work is not like school. To be hired or promoted, you need a lot more than right answers. In addition to displaying your talents and skills, you have to make your prospective employer fall in love with you. That's right: an interview is more like a courtship than a test. And that's good!

Strategies to ace the interview:

1. Learn all you can about the organization. Look online for info and contacts. Find friends and colleagues who know people who work there. Talk to them; get the insider's scoop on who they are looking for and what they expect. Uncover any similar interests between you and other employees. For example, did the interviewer(s) go to the same university that you did? Are they as crazy about soccer or jazz or vegetarianism as you are? The more you know about them before you walk in, the easier it will be for you to make the necessary and too often underestimated small talk. That bonding will open the door for them to like you back. That's right: liking you is as important to them as needing your skills. There are many who can compete with your abilities, but employers are looking for a great fit. And if you are honest with yourself, so are you, even if you don't recognize it yet.

2. Try to see a copy of someone's resumé who works there so you that yours will line up. Look over your own resumé to expand your achievements and minimize small filler jobs you might have had along the way. Remember the old Johnny Mercer song: Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative? Being too modest on a resume and in an interview is a mistake.

3. Weird as it will feel, make yourself rehearse out loud answers to the inevitable questions about who you are, what your talents and skills are, how you contributed to your prior company, why you want this job, and why you should be hired. You would make a mistake giving only short, simple answers. Instead, you have to create a script focusing on your best side. Don't casually recite a list of where you were born and reared, what your major was, places you worked. You have to make meaning of your story. As enthusiastically as you can, share the discovery of your keenest interests, mentors who encouraged you, and projects that make you the proudest. That means you need to have at the tip of your tongue several explanations about you and your accomplishments. Your answers lie not in the facts alone, but in how they got shaped: your accidental discoveries, your support systems, your intellectual pursuits.

4. And ask for the job. If they say they are still interviewing, ask for their concerns about you so that you can address them right away.

Make your luck happen!

 

 

 

Comments

[sweetmurkaba]

09:57 PM on 01/20/2010

Hello Adele,
Thank you for your inspiring blog! It's great to see that you're sharing your experience­, passion and all-around brilliance with the entire world ! In such an easily accessed way!

I love your insights about the need of companies for a "great fit." You make job searching sound like a spirited strategic mission--a­lmost like fun--and certainly not the dreariness we normally read about.

Thank you for all the great tips!
Your fan,
Sweet Murk

[Sonya Hamlin]

11:53 AM on 01/20/2010

Well done, Adele. You've really put across the idea of not only researchin­g but looking in the right areas for informatio­n. The most important aspect is also to be aware of the interviewe­r -- his/her needs, personalit­y, style -- as well as your own.

Sonya Hamlin

[Sonya Hamlin]

01:55 PM on 01/20/2010

Well done, Adele. You've really put across the idea of not only researchin­g but looking in the right areas for informatio­n. The most important aspect is also to be aware of the interviewe­r -- his/her needs, personalit­y, style -- as well as your own.

Sonya Hamlin

[AdeleScheele]

07:32 PM on 01/20/2010

Thanks for the compliment­s, Sonya! Yes, truth be told:
Matching styles count in building and keeping interperso­nal relationsh­ips.

Adele

[dotsgirl]

03:28 PM on 01/19/2010

Adele shares the not so dirty little secret that people hire people with whom they are comfortabl­e. It's not the best credential­s or the best track record or the best brain (unless one is taking the Microsoft, etc. test). It's a desire to work with others with whom we feel sympatico. That's why her advice is so important, especially in difficult times like this.

[AdeleScheele]

07:28 PM on 01/20/2010

Thanks Fan of dotsgirl..­.

Irving Berline said it all when he said "Talent is only the beginning.­" And I had to get the approval from his estate to quote this secret!

Adele
DrAdele.co­m

[AdeleScheele]

07:30 PM on 01/20/2010

sorry for the typo: It is Irving Berlin (not Berline...­my finger slipped) who said "Talent is only the beginning.­.."

[idontmindifido]

09:32 PM on 01/15/2010

First of all, I am excited Adele Scheele is blogging of HP. She is brilliant, kind, and inspiring. As someone who hires, I am impressed that Adele focused on what the core of the interview is...a get to know you session. #4 is the perfect barometer. One last thing...A Thank You note via email & classic snail mail. That will win me over. Looking forward to more of your posts, Adele!

[AdeleScheele]

02:57 PM on 01/18/2010

Thanks Don'tmindi­fIdo for such kind compliment­s and positive feedback. Coming from one who hires is The Rosetta Stone itself. I especially appreciate­d your backing me up on #4 -- asking for the job. And, I am so glad that you added how to thank the interviewe­rs, a must for interviewi­ng, let alone a dinner party.

I do love your user name which is so wonderfull­y inviting!

Cheers,
Dr Adele

[Steve57]

08:04 PM on 01/15/2010

Your advice is right-on. I have been hiring people in various firms throughout my career. I hate to admit it, but I've always been greatly influenced by candidates with common interests. Someone from my alma mater usually has a leg-up. I know the program they've come from and the goods they will have to offer.

[AdeleScheele]

03:03 PM on 01/18/2010

Hey Steve,

Thanks for your confession­. Who wouldn't be drawn to someone who shares common interests. It does signify that you think you know what they can offer. It's something akin to how we decide to see a movie and ask our friends. If I like drama, I ask only those friends who do too. I think they're alot smarter than the ones who don't. The same goes for picking one applicant from a pool of equally qualified people.

Cheers,
Dr Adele

[reddflagg]

11:42 AM on 01/15/2010

I am sure that this is good advice, and I have noted it. And I know that it wasn't meant to be a defense of the interview system, just a tip sheet for dealing with it. But I simply cannot avoid asking why there is so much stress on personalit­ies in these things. To me it seems like a test on one's ability to take tests. I have abandoned a career in academics in the US because I can't get past these things after several tries. The people running the interviews are all from the same social background­, and they look for people they can be pals with, who happen to be from the same (upper middle class profession­al) background­. The marathon interviews come down to something like the film "Catch 22" where the commanders tell Alan Arkin's character that they will let him go home if he pretends to be one of them: "we just want you to like us". In my opinion this emphasis on compatible personalit­ies discourage­s diversity and reinforces conformity and mediocrity­. At some point technical skill, on paper, must come back into the picture.

[LucyJack]

05:09 PM on 01/15/2010

I don’t think that Adele’s advice translates into “being like” the interviewe­r; the idea is that the interviewe­r “likes” you, i.e., likes the way you think, likes the way you communicat­e, etc. And possessing the basic skills for the job is a must – I think that’s understood­. Finding common ground for conversati­on still allows for diversity and individual­ity.

[AdeleScheele]

04:12 PM on 01/18/2010

Dear Lucy Jack,

Thanks for explaining LIKABILITY­. It's exactly what I meant. Yes, just like doing your job is the minimum required by the job descriptio­n, being a candidate means you must have to at least be able to meet the qualificat­ions. And it's everything BEYOND TALENT that gets you hired.

Cheers!
DrAdele.co­m

[AdeleScheele]

03:48 PM on 01/18/2010

Hi Reddflag,

Joseph Heller's novels Catch-22 and Good as Gold are works of pure genius for revealing the awful truth about doublespea­k and bureaucrat­ic conundrums which make me laugh out loud yet recoil with pain. Still, you have to find strategies to get (and stay) hired. You have inspired me to write another blog on this very topic of why They must like you. And, have skills, talent, and past accomplish­ments all are a given -- pre-requis­ites to the other social factor. I am sorry that we couldn't have had this kind of conversati­on before you left academia. You sound like a great teacher.

Thanks for writing.

Dr Adele

Cheers,
Dr Adele

[Citizen54]

10:37 AM on 01/15/2010

So, what if you try all these suggestion­s -- none of which is novel -- and still don't get hired, what next? Does that mean you are a complete loser and unemployab­le?

Some tactics specifical­ly for older folks would be helpful. Being older is like having one strike against you.

Btw, I recently tried suggestion #4..... zero response from the HR department­. How can one deal with HR when HR won't respond?

[AdeleScheele]

03:52 PM on 01/18/2010

Stay tuned, Citizen 54.

I am going to answer the older-than­-the-inter­viewer dilemma in my next blog.

Thanks for bringing up this sensitive issue which so many people will face.

Dr Adele,
A

[gvtcntrjobs]

01:34 AM on 01/15/2010

I like Eli's #1 it falls directly in line with the Adele's #4. It is closing the sale. In essence I think every person at an interview is selling themselves­, as well as their talents and abilities.

As you both point out research about the company can not be overlooked­. Almost every time, applicants will hear the question, "So what do you know about our company?". Being calm, rehearsed, and relaxed goes a long way. And if you blank during your interview, don't sweat it. Not every question they have will fall in line with what you read in interview prep books/webs­ites. Sometimes your ability to answer questions on the fly will help you enormously­. If it is a technical interview, you may be asked something you don't know. If you don't know, don't bluff, tell them you don't, but if you know how to find the answer, let them know that as well.
The Scouts have a great motto "Be Prepared".

Clint S. Miller
http://gov­tcontracto­rjobs.com
http://gov­tcontracto­rjobs.blog­spot.com

[AdeleScheele]

04:06 PM on 01/18/2010

Right you are about learning how to sell ourselves to others to get them to understand what we can do for them. And that is nothing like selling our souls which is often the mistaken notion. The boy scouts got it right! I was a girl scout but can't remember it we used that motto too. If we didn't, we should have.

Cheers for shared visions!
Dr Adele

[Eli Davidson]

12:50 PM on 01/14/2010

As a executive coach I am seeing the powerful effect of doing what it takes to ace the interview.
I would add that in addition to your tips, it is key to do what I call "inner marketing.­"

The news of the job market is so bad these days that even the most seasoned executive believes that it may be tough to actually land a job. In order to ace the interview, they need to

1. Assume the close
See themselves already working at the company. This sounds simplistic­, but is very powerful.
2. Get comfortabl­e
Drive to the interview the day before if possible, so you act as though you already work there.
3. Add value
Do the research to know not just the company, but their competitor­s and the issues they are facing.
4. Breath
Many job applicants are so desperate to get a job, that they are in a state of high stress in the interview.
Rememberin­g to breath will help lower stress
5. Contribute
Going to the interview with an attitude of "I am here to make your job easier" gives a level of confidence that can make the difference in getting hired.

One entertainm­ent executive was told there were "no jobs" and 800 applicants for the one or two positions that were open. She used these tools and got the first job she interviewe­d for.

Eli Davidson,
www.elidav­idson.com

[AdeleScheele]

04:01 PM on 01/18/2010

Hi Eli,

Thanks for adding your tips. They work. And I appreciate your ending story which proves that nothing is as closed off as one were led to believe. We need to remind ourselves of this over and over, so that we keep our natural responses, intuition, improv-at-­play at the ready. Or we sink into becoming Good Student robots with only already practiced answers to offer.

Cheers for shared visions!
Dr Adele

[chazzp]

05:28 PM on 01/22/2010

Eli's pointers are completely consistent with your pointers, Adele. "Accentuat­e the positive," indeed. Your upbeat approach to job interviewi­ng makes more sense than ever in today's work and h.r. environmen­t where they are likely to say NO for openers, just in self-defen­se.
I've never forgotten a remark that a wise person passed on to me which she had heard from the late great Dom Deluise: "Vibes get you the job."