
The
interviewer is likely to ask another question in that silence, and
the candidate will answer, and so on.
I
encourage you to make your interviews more natural and conversational
by doing these three things:
1.
Don't wait for the interviewer to ask you a question before speaking
(examples below).
2.
Answer some of the interviewer's questions with a tag (a question
inside your answer) to gently nudge your interviewer off the script.
Here's an example: "I did a mix of customer support and sales
support things in my last job. Is this job more involved with
customer support, or sales support?"
3.
Take every opportunity you can (for instance, when you are asked an
open-ended question like "Tell me about yourself!") to get
off the script and into a human conversation. Ask a question about
the role, or ask your interviewer to tell you more about the
organization and its culture.
The
more free-wheeling and relaxed the interview conversation is, the
more comfortable you and your interviewer will be. You will be more
memorable. You will be in your power. Go ahead and break the old rule
that says you must sit silently and wait for your interviewer to
speak first!
Here
are three ways to start a conversation with your interviewer as you
sit down in the interview room (rather than waiting for him or her to
start the interview):
Thanks for inviting me. I'd love to hear about your history with the company! (Almost everyone likes to talk about themselves, and doing so will also make your interviewer more relaxed)."
"You must be busy with [a project you read about on the company's website, or a recent news item]."
"I'm glad to meet you! I'm interested to hear about your role, if you've got a moment to share."
You
are not trying to take over the conversation and control it, but
rather through your friendly and open manner to give the interviewer
social permission to put the script aside. Interviewers across the
U.S. and around the world tell me that they're dying to get off the
script but that most candidates are trained to followed the scripted
approach.
Most
candidates dare not disrupt the traditional interviewer/candidate
dynamic -- but I hope you will!
Of
course, there are other interviewers who would rather die than give
up their interview script. They love it. They swear by it. They write
to me to defend the stupidest interview questions you can imagine.
God
bless them. They are on their paths. Your job is to spot people like
that and steer clear of them. If you get a bad vibe from the people
you meet on a job interview, it's a signal from Mother Nature. Don't
take the job.
Here
are ten interviewing rules you can break now -- and you must, if you
want to get as much out of a job interview as you deserve to get.
1.
Break the rule that says you have to sit across the table from the
interviewer, hands folded and back straight, and crisply answer each
question before going quiet and waiting for the next question.
2.
Break the rule that says you have to wait for a predetermined spot in
the interview agenda -- typically near the end of the interview -- to
ask questions. If your question is organic to the conversation, ask
it when you think of it.
3.
Break the rule that says you have to keep your answers strictly on
point like an oral exam in school. You can always answer a question
with a quick story, even if it's not a story-type question like,
"Tell me about a time when..." If the interviewer asks you
how long you've been using Excel, for instance, you can tell a story
about how you used Excel to rock the house. Then you can ask the
interviewer, "How will the person in this job use Excel?"
The
interviewer may not know the answer! Their question "How long
have you used Excel?" was a dumb question because they were only
collecting data points like "One year," "Two years,"
and so on. That won't help them decide which candidates truly
understand Excel. Your story, by contrast, will stand out in the
interviewer's mind.
4.
Break the rule that says your interview demeanor should be
deferential and meek. If you are naturally meek, go ahead and meek
your brains out. If you are not meek and you feel stupid trying
to play a meek character, don't do it. Only the people who get you,
deserve you after all.
5.
Break the rule that tells you to keep quiet about an energetic
disturbance in the room. Sometimes a job seeker goes on an interview
and realizes that the job is a terrible fit for them. They'd hate the
job, but they don't say anything. They are trained to stick it out
through the whole interview, even if they are scheduled to meet three
or four different people.
You
don't have to do that. You can name the elephant in the room. It's a
great thing to do.
You
can tell the person you're with, "It's fantastic to meet you,
but it's obvious that this isn't the right role for me. I hate to
waste your time. What do you think we should do?"
They
might say, "Don't worry! If you are game, we'd love to keep
talking with you because we always have different job openings
becoming available. Does that sound okay?"
Speak
your truth. Don't stay silent if there's something that needs to be
said. You will open up the energy by speaking up, and you and
everybody around you will benefit.
6.
Break the rule that says you have to tell the interviewer whatever
they want to know. Don't give away personal information like your
current salary, your managers' contact info or your marital/parental
status just because the interviewer asks for it. Anyone who has taken
a mojo crushing job before will tell you that there are worse things
than other month of unemployment. Walk away from organizations that
don't respect your privacy.
7.
Break the rule that says you can't take a pause. If your conversation
goes on and on, go ahead and ask for a quick break. Get a drink of
water or a cup of tea or coffee. It is easy for interviewers to
forget that a candidate may have been sitting in dusty rooms for
hours.
8.
Break the rule that says you must wait around in windowless
conference rooms while people figure out what to do with you. Break
the rule that you must overlook any impoliteness on the part of your
interviewers, be infinitely patient with an organization's
incompetence and put up with bad treatment. You don't have to do any
of those things.
You
can get up and leave the interview if things get really bad.
When
you enter the interview facility, keep track of your location
relative to the exit, no matter how many twists and turns you take.
Also, do not hesitate to ask anyone you see, "Where is the exit,
please?" rather than wander around in a strange building trying
to escape.
9.
Break the rule that says you must try to be the applicant the
interviewer was expecting to meet. Sometimes, you'll be in an
interview conversation and see a flick of surprise mixed with
disappointment on the interviewer's face.
Sometimes
there is even a flash of irritation on the interviewer's face, as
though they are thinking, "How dare you walk in here not being
from the person I envisioned?"
You
may see the interviewer's face change when you answer a question
differently than they expected you to.
That's
fine. Don't make a course correction. There is nothing to correct.
Let your interviewer get the learning Mother Nature wants him or her
to have. You are already more memorable for not having been the
cookie-cutter candidate the interviewer pictured in their mind.
That's
a victory!
10.
Above all, break the rule that says the interview is a dog and pony
show during which you, the applicant, get to prove that you are
worthy of employment.
A
job interview is a two-way street. You are checking the organization
and its representatives out as much as they are checking you out. If
you feel insulted, dismissed or treated badly at the interview,
things will not get better once you get the job.
Take
heed of red flags, and take off!
A
job interview is nothing to dread. You have no one to impress.
You
are you, and you are awesome. The people who interview you may
appreciate your brand of jazz or they may not. Who cares what they
think? They are bit players in your movie.
The
right employer for you is out there. You will know when you meet
them.
In
the meantime, focus on the amazing path you have already followed and
the many people you have helped. It will be easier for everyone to
see your awesomeness when you feel it yourself!
Yours,
Liz
Liz Ryan is CEO/founder of Human
Workplace and author of Reinvention
Roadmap. Follow her on
Twitter
and read Forbes columns.
Liz's book Reinvention Roadmap
is
here.
No comments:
Post a Comment