Consider Every Encounter an Interview

Interviews come in all shapes and sizes; formal and informal. So the best practice is to treat every encounter along your job search journey, or your career path, as an interview.

Let me start out by first mentioning a few things about informal interviews. These interview opportunities can come in the disguise of a conversation over a latte at Starbucks, or a brief encounter in the check-out line at the grocery store. They can occur when you are having a casual conversation with a friend or co-worker or someone you have networked to as a result of a friendship or business relationship.

During these conversations:

• inform others that you are on a journey, gathering information to improve your job search strategies. Welcome all ideas and comments.
• share positive thoughts and ideas as you also practice and share, in an informal way, the critical points included in your "30 second commercial."
• don’t assume because this person is not a hiring manager he/she doesn’t need to learn of your talents, experiences, and dream job.
• don’t make the mistake of assuming that since you’ve know this person for any length of time that they somehow know what you’re good at.

Depending on the direction the informal conversation takes, try to learn something about how you can help this person as they are helping you, ask if you can share your resume for their ideas and feedback, and don’t be shy about asking for two other contacts they think you should make to expand your network. Remember, it’s all about networking!

Formal Interviews

Usually the first introduction to the formal process is through a screening telephone interview. Recruiters love this option as it provides a quick way to size you up. So, be prepared – you will probably only have one shot at making a great impression.

Usually the screening interview will take about 10-20 minutes. The recruiter will probably not have a background in your field, so don’t get too bogged down in the details. Be prepared for the call by having your 30-second commercial script handy, as well as your resume and the ad you responded to, if in fact that is how you got connected to the recruiter. The recruiter has a mission – to determine if you’re qualified to proceed further in the hiring process.

It’s important for you to focus on being yourself: professional, interested and credible. Be ready to respond to general questions about your background and interests and the most critical question, "What salary are you seeking?" This is definitely a question you need to be prepared for – too high and you won’t be included in the group asked to participate in the next stage of the process. As much as you can, offer a reasonable range and note that once you learn more about their expectations it will be easier to define a specific amount that is commensurate with the performance they are anticipating.

Following the screening, the employment interview can go in a number of directions, usually dictated by geography and/or culture.

The one-on-one interview usually takes place in person, and is usually conducted by the person who will be the supervisor. However, with more organizations geographically spread out, the one-on-one interview may be conducted through video conferencing. In order to get to this one-on-one you may first have to pass a series of individual conversations with others such as: the HR Manager (looking for fit), a group member (looking for team skills), and/or a colleague in another department you would interface with (looking for customer service skills). Be sure to ask who you will be meeting with when you are called to schedule your interview. Armed with this information you can prepare to answer questions from the perspective they will be most interested in.

One-on-one interviews usually last about 30-60 minutes. Treat these invitations as a time to have an interesting two-way dialogue. Remember, the employer wants to learn more about you, and you should have your questions ready so you can learn more about them (at least three for each person you are being interviewed by). Your questions could address a variety of topics including the organizational challenges you read about while doing research, the competencies they believe are most desired for success in the position, or a description of the manager’s leadership style. Your questions should be addressing information that is not already known to the public. Demonstrate that you did your homework.

Speaking of homework, make sure you are practicing interview questions. You’ll find books of interview questions at the library, and certainly there are lots of questions available over the internet. As you are practicing, please be aware that most employers today utilize the behavioral interviewing methodology. So be sure you have a ‘story’ that you can share about your key competencies, experiences, and values. My book, Position Your Next Move for a Successful Job Search includes an entire chapter on strengthening your interviewing and behavioral interviewing skills.

Depending on the structure of the organization, you may learn that you will be interviewed by a panel. Don’t panic – be ready! Companies often decide to interview by a panel in order to be more efficient with time, or provide you with a taste of their corporate culture. Be confident just like in any other interview – but this time, connect with everyone (usually 3-8 individuals). Here’s where your abilities to win people over will shine. Just like with the individual interviews, have a strong handshake, make good eye contact with each panel member and demonstrate humility. And just like I explained in the one-on-one interviews, each panel member will be looking for an answer to their specific agenda – leadership skills, fairness, team-oriented attitude, technical competencies and flexibility, just to name a few.

Although rare, I do want to mention the group interview. I have a friend who encountered a group interview a few years ago where she was being considered for the Sr. HR Manager. She said it was very stressful. Not only did everyone have to answer questions from a panel in front of the other candidates, they also were put on teams with the other candidates to perform tasks. (Sort of like the HGTV "DesignStar" process.) Be prepared, be yourself and try to learn as much as you can by observing the other candidates. Collaborating with someone who could possibly be taking the job away from you may not seem like a good strategy, but it certainly could indicate that you put what’s best for the company ahead of your own personal gains.

The Next Round

There are other events that you may encounter when interviewing. You might be asked to:

• demonstrate a particular skill set
• participate in a video interview
• tour the office or plant and along the way hold mini-interviews with workers
• complete psychological, work-style preference, and/or emotional intelligence assessments
• join the future boss for lunch or dinner

You just don’t know what the company may have in store for you, so always make it a rule to ask, "Who will I be meeting with, and what is their title?" "What can you share with me about the style of interview I should be prepared for?" "How long should I plan to be on site?" "Do you know if there will be a tour or meal involved?"

You’re probably thinking, I’m not going to ask those questions; I would be totally out of line. But trust me, you would not be. Your competitors will probably be asking these questions and preparing for the situation they now know they will be walking into. Just think how different your confidence level could be if you have this information in advance. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Either they will share the interview strategy with you, or they’ll politely say they can’t. You have one shot at helping yourself be at your best for the interview – take it.

As always, I welcome your comments to my posting. Please share your thoughts below. If you found this article helpful, I’m very happy for you to pass it along to others. Have a great week.

This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO an Executive and Career Coach with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are energized about guiding your strategic job search and assisting with your professional development. Contact Debbie for more information: Debbie@evolutionmgt.com; 770.587.9032.