Acing the Interview

Yesterday I discussed some ideas for getting yourself noticed within the job search process.  Hopefully, your approach to job hunting has been expanded a bit so that you are looking at some opportunities you might not have thought about before.  Getting a new job is a job in itself.  Be sure to devote six to eight hours a day toward this activity.  Realistically, this is the only way you will be successful in any reasonable amount of time.  A lot of folks I talk to feel that if they send out 50 resumes a week and look on line a couple days, then that will be sufficient to get them hired.  I don’t believe that will do it these days.  You need to be aggressive in your search and make this your mission, the goal being a new job that suits your skills and abilities and enables you to collect a reasonable paycheck.

For the purposes of your job search, you might also wish to set up a new email account.  They are free, you know, so go to Yahoo, Hot Mail or G Mail and get yourself an account with your actual name in it.  Potential employers may not think you are serious about your job search if you are using something like Rotobunny@yahoo.com.

Remember that the earlier you respond to an ad, the more likely someone will note your interest and information.  While it is not a good practice, those of us who do hiring are trying to fill the position as soon as we can with a qualified person so that we can keep the workforce fully staffed and take the stress off the rest of the remaining people who are probably already overworked.  Also, as a second strategy, look at jobs that have been posted for more than 30 days.  This means that the company is struggling to find someone and they may be more likely to consider you, should you have a little less than enough experience, providing you have most of the basic qualifications.

Let’s say you finally get a call for an interview.  If this is a phone interview, I strongly suggest that you set some time aside for yourself to complete the interview and find a land-line phone or an area where your cell phone is very responsive.  Trying to do an interview while your children are trying to get your attention, you are driving your car and the signal is not consistent, the CD player, television or someone’s games are roaring in the background, tells your potential employer that you probably aren’t really interested in the job.  This is a sure way to shorten your interview time.  If a potential employer calls you and wishes to do the interview immediately and you find yourself in the environment described above, tell the person you would be happy to do the interview with them and ask for an appropriate time in the next day or so.  If the person is insistent, then you probably don’t want to work there anyway.

During your interview, whether this is by phone or in person, here are a couple of things to remember:

• Answer questions honestly.  If you lie, and the employer finds out, you will probably lose the job immediately.  This is true for your work history, your background, what you have done in prior roles, whether you were a manager or not, and your high school or college degree.  People are checking references these days and will uncover your dishonesty.
• Be positive in your tone and attitude.  Nobody wants to hire someone else’s problems.  Employers really don’t want to hear about your jerky boss, how you hated your last job and why, the people you worked with, the lowsy pay, etc.  Think about the good things you learned, even if this is a tough lesson, and put a positive spin on your experiences.
• Keep your answers clear and complete.  Don’t ramble on and on.  I know you are probably nervous, but just listen and answer the question.  Some recruiting firms tell you to prepare your pat answers and to apply them if they are even remotely linked to the question.  Those of us who interview see this tactic as an attempt by an unqualified applicant to get our attention.  If you don’t have the actual experience you are asked about, admit this and try to think of a related experience that would be similar and describe this.
• Don’t step across the line of professionism and tell jokes, share intimate information, talk about your family, make outrageous comments, discuss the country clubs you belong to, or organizations you belong to (unless this is a public service organization where you gained some of your leadership skills), or try to be too friendly.   Cordial and open is good.  You also won’t get the job by pretending to know someone you don’t know.  I will call that person to ask them what they think of you.
• Be prepared for your interview. Have your dates of employment ready, your manager’s name and contact information and other key data, so that if the interviewer asks you for this, you can share it right away.  The fact that you are prepared goes a long way in the interview.

If your interview is in person,  here are some other things to think about.  Please be sure to show up on time.  Do not bring your children or friends.  With security the way it is today, most employers will have nowhere to put these folks while you are having your interview and will not appreciate that you need assistance in handling your personal life responsibilities.  Sorry, but that is how it is.  Join a job-search networking group to find someone who can share babysitting with you so that you can go to your interviews unaccompanied.

Dress for success.  I know this probably seems dumb to some of you Gen Xers and Yers, but the reality is that people make impressions about you in the first 40 seconds of the interaction.  If you show up in ripped jeans, chomping on bubble gum (and blowing bubbles), green hair, piercings all the way down your ears or wherever, needing a shave, dirty and smelling of alchol or smoke, we are probably not going to give you much credence.

Now, before you share your outrage, let’s establish the guidelines.  You don’t need fancy clothes, but you do need to be clean and conservatively dressed.  If you need a wardrobe fix, consignment and second hand shops are a big help.  You can generally find something to wear there for your interviews for under $10.  And, if you share your story with the staff at the thrift shop, they will probably help you out for free.  You probably only need 1 outfit for now. Go home with your outfit and wash or home dry-clean it, press it, and wear it.

If your hands sweat, as many people’s do, put antipersperant on them before your interview.  This will help a lot and give you the confidence you need.  Have a tissue with you just in case you sneeze or spill something.  Most interviewers will offer coffee or water.  If you aren’t the nervous type, go ahead and accept the offer.  If you are the nervous type and you think you might spill it or be distracted by the drink, forego the experience and thank the offerer.

Do not ask what the pay rate is for the job at this point.  If you get this far in the interview process, most employers are prepared to offer the going rate for the position.  You can find out what people are being paid in similar jobs by visiting Salary.com and entering in the information there for free.  Remember that smaller employers will pay less than larger corporations generally.  Negotiate salary when you are offered the job.

At the end of your interview, be sure to thank the interviewer and express your interest or lack of interest in the position.  After you go home, send a short note or email thanking the person and re-expressing your interest in the job.  This step, while you may find it annoying, shows that you are a professional and that you really would like to be hired.  It will also help you to be elevated in the pecking order of the pack of applicants, since these days, people are generally pretty rude and demanding.

I hope these ideas will help you in your job search and good luck!  Next time, I will talk about what the hiring process looks like from the employers point of view so that you can understand why it takes so long to hear back at times.