The Job Search: Appropriate Interviewing Behavior
Congratulations! The resume that you spent many hours carefully crafting has resulted in a face-to-face interview at a Company that you are extremely interested in. After the adrenalin rush has worn off, you think “OMG, I have to put together a seminar, make travel arrangements and buy new clothes and shoes (well only if you are a woman)”. Although you may think that the hard part of your job search is over; think again….the fun is just beginning.
The fact that you been invited to a face-to-face interview means that you likely possess the knowledge and technical skills required to performed the job that was advertised. The true intent of a face-to-face interview is to determine whether a job candidate has the personality and so called “soft skills” to easily fit in with a company’s corporate culture. Corporate cultures and soft skill expectations vary widely from company to company. That said, it is important to remember that certain types of behavior are expected of ALL job candidates during a face-to-face interview. I discuss a few of these expected behaviors below.
First, regardless of the state of affairs in your personal or professional life, you must always be upbeat and positive. Every person you meet should be greeted with a smile and a comment that goes something like “It is a pleasure to meet you”. Nobody wants to talk with (or possibly work with) a chronically unhappy or negative person. True, there ought to be diversity in the workplace (unhappy people have rights too) but when it comes to a positive attitude it is a requirement in the corporate world. Second, always make eye contact with your interviewers. We are social creatures and not making eye contact may signal to the interviewer that you are either anti-social or lack basic interpersonal communication skills. Further, never interrupt an interviewer when they are asking you a question. Yes, everyone gets excited and wants to show the interviewer how smart they are, but cutting a person off in mid-sentence is not polite nor is it ever appreciated by the person who is talking. Always answer questions directly and honestly. Never exaggerate or stretch the truth (as appealing as it may seem in the moment)….it will likely come back to haunt you in future. Also, do not offer the interviewer more information than is necessary. For example, an interviewer may say “I see that you did your postdoctoral work with Dr. Doolittle at MIT”. An appropriate response to this statement could be something like “Yes, he/she was my supervisor during my 8 years in the lab. An inappropriate response may go something like “Yes I worked with Dr. Doolittle for 8 years and, I have to tell you, it was the worst 8 years of my life because Dr. Doolittle is nuts”. Although Dr Doolittle may actually be nuts, you do not know what the interviewer’s opinion of Dr. Doolittle is and, for all you know, they could be best friends. Which leads me to my next recommendation– never play the name game. What I mean by the name game is illustrated in the following example. An interviewer asks you, “BTW, did you ever work with Dr. Spock while you were working for Dr. Doolittle at MIT?” If you did in fact work with Dr. Spock, an appropriate response may be “Yes, I worked with Dr. Spock on several occasions.” It is never a good idea to share your actual experiences or true feelings (positive or negative) about a person with the interviewer. This is because you do not know what the relationship is between the interviewer and the person whose name was mentioned. In the example with Dr. Spock, it may be that Dr. Spock slept with the interviewer’s spouse (stranger things have happened) a few years ago and saying anything remotely positive about Dr. Spock, in this instance, is highly unlikely to garner you a job offer.
Frequently, candidates either go out to lunch or dinner with company employees who are hosting the interviewing visit. Just because you are no longer talking with these folks onsite, don’t think that you can relax, kick off your shoes and let your hair down. Contrary to popular belief, you are still being carefully scrutinized and evaluated for your social skills and how you might represent the company (if hired) in social situations. That said, follow the lead of your host(s). If he/she orders an alcoholic beverage, then it is perfectly acceptable for you to also order a drink. However, if you tend to “loosen up” after a few drinks (remember; loss lips sink ships) it may be wise to limit or not drink alcohol during the meal. Finally, and surprisingly perhaps most importantly, remember to turn off all electronic devices before you step in the building to begin your interview. In fact, you may want to leave your cell phone in your rental car or briefcase (turned off ) for the entire interview. A ringing cell phone during an interview is a definite “job killer”.
Until next time…..
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!
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The two most popular and well-attended career development seminars that I offer are about resume writing and face-to-face interviewing strategies. Because many of the participants are first time jobseekers, interest is largely and rightfully focused on resume writing. After all, a well crafted resume is an essential first step in any job search. However, if you are lucky enough to advance to the interview stage, you must be aware of the rules, regulations and terms of engagement of the interviewing process.
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