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Five Tips for More Impressive Interviews
By James "Skip" Lemoine
Over the course of my career, I've interviewed literally hundreds of
people for a variety of reasons, including finding the right person to fill a job, finding the best staff member to promote
to a better job, and finding the right student to take home a coveted award. Good interview skills are almost a prerequisite for a successful professional life, but I've found that many people don't understand what we, the interviewers, are really looking to get out of an interview. Instead of just being themselves or speaking honestly about their ambitions, many of my interview subjects have tried to act so professional... so prepared... so stiff... that by the time they left the interview, I really didn't have the information I needed about them. And without that information, I couldn't select them, for job or award.
I've noticed that most interviewees make the same five mistakes... five mistakes which, if corrected, would dramatically
improve the quality of their interview, thus making it more likely that I'd hire them. So if you're interested in talking
to potential employers, bosses, and award-givers more effectively, read on for five tips on how to make the most of your
interview!
Tip #1: Research Me Before You Meet Me
Do your homework: before you go in for the big job interview, log onto the internet and research the company you're applying at. Before the day of the awards panel interview, study up on what exactly the qualifications for the award are, and find out who's won it in the past. The basic premise here is that ideally you want to know as much as your interviewer does about what you're interviewing for. That's probably not realistic in most cases, so when it isn't, you want to come as close as possible.
Let's say, for instance, you're applying for a sales management job at Wal-Mart. Before the interview, research Wal-Mart to get a firm handle on their mission and values. Do a web search for the latest news articles related to Wal-Mart - find out what issues are currently pressing at the company. Talk to other Wal-Mart managers about their experiences with the company. Shop at the store/district you're applying for, and draw your own conclusions as to what the priorities should be for the new sales manager. Then, armed with all of this information, walk into your interview cool and prepared.
If you can answer your interview questions by referring to relevant current company events, you're going to impress the person who's interviewing you. If you can show that you've already done your homework and taken the initiative by learning about the area of the company you're applying to work at, you'll go a long way toward showing the interviewer that you're prepared to take on the job you're after!
Tip #2: Ask Intelligent Questions - Not Just About Money
Whenever I interview an applicant for a position, I always ask at the end of our time if they have any questions they'd like to ask me (which is only fair, since usually I've been asking them questions for the past twenty minutes or so). Sometimes they say that they have none, and sometimes they have a great many questions... but more often than not, the only question I get is one of the most expected ones: either "How much does this job pay?" or "With my qualifications, how much do you think I can make in this position?" Now let me be honest with you, friends: whenever an applicant asked me that, and that was the applicant's only question for me, I did everything in my power to avoid hiring them.
Why? Because the questions you ask me are a great indicator of what your priorities are. Think about it: if your biggest priority is having free time to spend with your family, wouldn't you ask questions to get an idea of free time available in a new job? Of course you would. I as an interviewer can tell what your priorities and interests are based on the questions you ask me. Thus, if the only question you ask is one regarding how much money you're going to make, I know that all that you're really interested in is the money - not getting the job done, working with a team, or even having fun - just money. And if that's all you care about, you're not the kind of person I want to hire.
Go into an interview with questions you're prepared to ask. It's okay if one of them's about the money... that's understandable. Just have other questions as well: about the specific duties of the position, about the team you'll be working with, about the company's overall culture, about the timetable for hiring... whatever. Just make sure you have questions, and you leave the interviewer with a good impression of your own priorities!
Tip #3: Brag, But Brag Relevantly
Humility, like patience, is a virtue. Modesty is truly a wonderful character trait. If you downplay your own achievements, choosing instead to focus on the good things others have accomplished, you'll have friends quickly. However, there's a time and place for all things... and the interview is not the time or the place for humility. Don't be afraid to brag in an interview: trust us, we want you to. We want you to brag shamelessly about your past accomplishments and about the great job you'll do when you come to work for us. There's nothing that bothers interviewers more than an applicant who tries to be humble and won't talk about himself... perhaps trusting that we'll read all about it on the resume. Yes, we could do that... but we don't like reading resumes. We'd much rather hear it from you, in person.
But along those lines, make sure when you're bragging that you brag relevantly. I've had applicants for sales jobs wax poetic about their science grades, and I've had prospective floor managers go on and on about how they were once in a rock band. While I'm sure you're very proud of that Biology grade, and I know you really like talking about your old rock and roll group, let me be honest with you: at this point, I don't really care. If we're in an interview, then I've got a very limited amount of time to figure out whether I want to hire you or not. If you spend a lot of time talking about something not relevant to the job you're applying for, you're wasting my time. And if you waste my time... I won't hire you.
So by all means, tell me all about how great you'd be for the job and everything you've done in the past. Tell me about previous experiences in similar positions, or even generic moments where you worked as team, thought creatively, or took the initiative. That's the kind of thing interviewers are looking for.
Tip #4: Never Ever Say You're a People Person
You may be wondering why... why could it possibly be a bad thing to say that you, as an applicant, are good at working with people? Isn't that exactly what an interviewer would want to hear? Isn't that the kind of skill that you want to bring up in a job interview?
Well, when you put it like that, sure. But how many other applicants do you think walked into my office and told me the exact same thing? Although I don't have exact numbers, I'd guess that about 75% of all the people I've ever interviewed have told me that they were "people persons." I ask an applicant what his greatest strength is: he says he's a people person. I ask the next applicant how they'll cope with a hectic office: she says it'll be no problem because she's a people person. I query the final applicant on why I should hire him and not someone else, and he confidently tells me that he's a people person. See a pattern?
When I'm interviewing, if somebody answers a question by saying "I'm a people person," that says to me that they didn't have a real answer ready for the question, and they're just stalling for time. If they back it up with experiential proof that they really are very good with people, that's different... but that happens very rarely. Usually, they just tell me that they're a people person, they assure me that they enjoy working with others, and they look at me with a big smile on their face (while I put a small "X" near their name on my notepad).
If you're good at working in team environments, or you enjoy customer service interactions, that's great... tell me! But don't just tell me that you're a "people person"... that's what everyone else says, and you want to stand out from the crowd, don't you? Instead, give me specific instances of times when your people skills were needed and used; go into detail, and wow me with your specific history, not a vague promise!
Tip #5: Don't Be A Stranger
Most interviewers are very busy people. Unless they're lucky enough to be a dedicated HR professional who does nothing but staffing, they have to balance their interviewing and job selection with the mandates and duties of their regular jobs. Because of this, it sometimes takes a lot longer than we'd like to make our final selection and get our dream candidate into their new job. Sometimes, believe it or not, we get so caught up in our other job duties that we forget to call you, the applicant, back, and let you know how things are progressing.
So unless I, the interviewer, specifically tell you otherwise, don't hesitate to contact me. All things in moderation, of course; don't call every day. But after the interview, I'll be very impressed by your professionalism if I receive a letter, card, or thank-you note from you. Not only will it impress me, but it'll also bring your name to the top of my awareness, and whenever I think about the position to be filled, I'll probably think of you first.
Don't be afraid to call, either, especially if the interviewer tells you that they'll contact you by a certain time, and then they don't. You may be afraid of "bothering" the interviewer, but look at it from the opposite perspective: if I don't hear from you, I have to assume that you didn't really want the job all that much. Giving me a call reminds me that you're an interested candidate, and it proves to me that you've got follow-up skills (which are a MUST in most management jobs).
That's it, friends... five easy tips to make your interviews five times as effective. Following these suggestions will make interviews true win-win situations; the interviewer wins because they're more fully introduced to you, your commitments, your priorities, and your skill-sets. Meanwhile, you win because you're much more likely to get your dream job.
James "Skip" Lemoine, a former Regional Manager for Cingular Wireless, is a Leadership Fellow with TRI and the Editor of the Leadership Solutions Network. Click here to learn more about Skip and how to contact him!
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