When Good Interviews Go Bad
by Barry Davis, Senior Consultant and Director of Career Services
It's bound to happen sometime. The law of averages says that most of us, sometime in our lives, will have the "Interview from Hell." You know - the one where you "crash and burn," where you have difficulty remembering your last name, your degree, even why in the world you got out of bed that morning! This could be caused by a surly interviewer (hey, they have bad days, too), a pressure interview with killer questions, a free-floating, stream of consciousness conversation (are we going anywhere with this?), a scathing diatribe against the company or the former person in this position (yes, this does happen at times ) - maybe all of these and more!
Maybe we're just overstating it a bit, but we can guarantee that this is how it will feel. Assuming that sooner or later you will find yourself in such a situation, here are some suggestions to help you to prepare for the "Interview from Hell."
Be sure you are on the same page as the company before you get there. To the best of your ability, confirm all of the details of the interview before going. Exactly what position will you be discussing? To whom will you be speaking? Believe it or not, we have clients who found out during the interview that the position they were interviewing for had already been filled and the interviewer was just conducting a fact-finding session. Of course, you also want to confirm the location and drive time, spend some time researching the company in advance through the internet, contact your networking contacts and compare other sources. Allow adequate time in advance of the interview to "drink in" as much of the atmosphere as you can, including checking out the parking lot, waiting room, employee interaction, personal work areas, artwork, etc.
Don't lose heart, you may be doing better than you realize. Reading the interviewer, including body language, eye contact and vocal inflection, is not an exact science. Your interviewer may be taking medication for allergies. Perhaps he needs new glasses. Maybe she didn't listen to her parent's advice about good posture. If you start to feel that you're not connecting, you may begin to press to o hard to make up lost ground or simply give up and complete the interview in a half-hearted thank-you-for-your-time way. In essence, by deciding (whether you are correct or not) that you are not interviewing all that well, you may start to take actions that guarantee that the interview will go from bad to worse.
Use your questions and answers to make your points.
Guided questions and responses can aid you in making your points, demonstrating your qualifications and potential contributions to the company, even if the interviewer does not ask for specific information. Respond to his questions with short, results-oriented answers that demonstrate your abilities.
Remember the difference between features and benefits.
Features are simply a "laundry list" of what you bring to the organization. Benefits are how these abilities will contribute to the company. Demonstrate the benefits in your answers. Consider asking questions like, "What do you see as the key qualifications necessary for the best performance in this position?"
We also recommend using a strong clarifying question sometime near the end of the interview. Here is a good example (feel free to use your own words): "Ms. Interviewer, based on what you are sharing with me regarding this position and my skills and experience, I see an excellent fit between your needs and my qualifications. Are there any areas of concern you have regarding my candidacy that we should discuss in greater detail?" We recently had a client use his version of this question to identify a critical area that the interviewer had failed to emphasize earlier in the process. He was then able to revisit this part of the position and clearly demonstrate his "benefit" to the company.
Be a strong closer.
FInish the interview with professionalism and confidence. Use the question noted above to get a sense of any concerns the interviewer may have. Ask what the next step in the process is, when you can anticipate hearing from them. We recommend asking for permission to follow up. Get names (check spelling), correct titles and addresses (email or snail mail), and follow-up with a short thank-you note, stating your appreciation for the experiences and emphasizing your enthusiasm and interest in the position.
Follow up as if it were your best performance ever.
Follow through on your commitment to check back with them. Allow for some "slippage" in their time frame and then call if you hear nothing. Stay in touch until the decision has been made. Use some discretion in contacting the company, but don't let them forget about you and your excitement about joining their team. A technique we recommend (if the time frame becomes protracted) is to give them an "out," advising them that you will not be following up if the position has changed or if the opportunity no longer exists. If they do not take you up on your offer, they have just given you permission to continue to touch base until a decision has been made.
Regardless of the outcome, learn something. If you are not hired, seek feedback on your candidacy. Why were you not the final candidate? What were the critical criteria that identified the "winner?" Many companies will provide you with some useful data on your performance and marketability. This follow-up process allows you to achieve positive visibility with the company one more time while assisting you in understanding the quality of your candidacy and the professionalism of your presentation. Companies sometimes hire the wrong person, so the position may be open again and your candidacy may be reconsidered.
Ok. Now you're ready. Get out there and interview!
Barry Davis, MS, CTC, MCDP, is Head of Career Services and a Senior Consultant at LMA Consulting Group. He is a Certified Talent Consultant and Master Career Development Professional. Contact Barry at 717.509.8889, ext. 226 or via email bdavis@lmaconsulting.cc.
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