So, How may of us have been in an interview that felt like a doctors exam? Sterile, not really knowing what to expect, and then hoping that it ends in your favor!
I'm of a very different school of thought than most when it comes to the interviewing process. I think it should be a give/take scenario. Both the candidate and the hiring authority have a responsibility to be engaging and transparent. Think about interviewing the way you do dating. Would you want to go on a second date with someone who isn't happy, and/or doesn't seem to be all that interested in you? Are you genuinely interested in continuing the pursuit of a relationship with some who isn't showing the same amount of interest that you are, or maybe they are a nice person, but simply is not the right person? Of course, most of us would say no to the above questions, but for some reason we choose to ignore the obvious signals that possibly an employment opportunity doesn't fit where we want to be. We give up long-term options for short-term pay off. It’s kind of a form of career speed dating. Allot of activity, but not much you can take home to the family! ;-)
So, then of course the next question is " How do I avoid this when interviewing?"
Here are a few keys that will help you get the information you need to really know if you do indeed want to move forward in the process:
1) Almost every interview starts off with the employer saying in one form or another " Tell me about yourself." This is a very, very slippery slope! I cannot express enough to be careful here. Don't just start rambling on about your self.
You may say allot of valid stuff, but there is an incredibly high chance you are not going to say the key things they are looking for. Remember, the hiring authority has a problem that is most likely not in the job description. It’s your job to find out what the problem is, so you can address it specifically. (Don’t shoot blindly. Find out what your target is.)
THIS IS HOW YOU DO THIS: When they say" Tell me about yourself" Keep it short and sweet, and the flip the question.
EXAMPLE RESPONSE: I've been a SW Developer (insert career) for over 10 years, and I'm very interested in your company, but before I go any further, since this is the 1st time I'm talking with you directly, can you tell me what you specifically are looking for in the person that will fill this position? (That’s flipping the question)
2) Once you have flipped the question, STOP TALKING!!! Let them answer it. You need to hear them tell you the details that are not in the job order. Basically, you need to hear their pain, because once you have that information, now you are no longer in a generic interview. Once you have that information, you then can address the real problems they need solved, and you will also get a clear picture of what the work environment is that you are interviewing against.
3) Once you have the information you were looking for, whatever you do, don't just say," I can do that." Or " I have done that." Go into your work history and give them examples of where and how you have solved that type of problem before. Demonstrate what you can do, by describing what you have done. Give them a verbal picture of how you functioned in a similar situation. By giving an example, you are giving two answers in one response. A-1) I have done this before, and A-2) I can do this for your company.
