JOB INTERVIEWS
Techniques most Candidates Fail to Use when Interviewing for a Job.
My partners at Cardgigs are payments industry recruiters with more than 45 years of combined experience. We often discuss the hiring process in general because we always look to improve the workflow of Cardgigs.com. One of our recent conversations pertained to why some candidate excel in job interviews while others fail miserably. It was explained to me that many candidates don’t know that there is an actual “science” to job interviews; there is a specific technique. Some candidates have this technique down, some partially exude these techniques because of past experience, and others think that job interviews are best performed by the seat of your pants.
Rick Slifka shared this information with me and told me that everybody needs to know this information before they can fly through any job interview.
Numerous studies indicate that while your skills and achievements are important, 90% of the hiring process is emotional, i.e. “if I like you, I will hire you.” Thus be careful at being perceived as being hostile or negative about a previous employer or carrying significant emotional baggage. This is a red flag for your interviewer – emotions like these makes “liking you” difficult. Instead, perform these techniques for the win:
1. Early on in your conversation take a moment to ask these four brief questions all sequentially. Listen very carefully because they set the tone for your responses to every single question you may be asked after that:
a. “I've reviewed the Cardgigs position profile but would like your own description of the position.” – This will give you an understanding of the exact landscape as it is perceived by the interviewer.
b. “Describe the characteristics you want in this person.” – Instead of babbling on about your own values and character, find out up-front what’s desired, so you can streamline your responses later with this information in mind.
c. “To be successful, what must be accomplished?” – Don’t be afraid to ask this simple question – it sets a tone that you are intent on achieving success, and gives you the answer on how to achieve it as understood by the interviewer.
d. “What are the desired results and objectives that I will deliver to the company?” – Understand clearly what your role entails, and what the expected results are from your position.
2. Armed with this information, you are now well positioned to respond to all questions you will be asked. Focus your answers on the information received on the four questions above – even questions like “What did you do in your previous job?” can now be leveraged to underscore desired results and achievements at your new position, as opposed to ramblings of non-sequitur information.
3. You’ll know when the interview is over. You will probably be asked if you have any other questions. A good way for you to end is a form of the following: "Thanks for your time and candid insight. I am very interested in being a member of this Team. However, it's important to me that everything we discussed was correctly interpreted. Therefore, based on our conversation did you hear anything that concerns you about my ability to be successful?” or “Are there any unclear discussion points that I’ve not adequately addressed?” Say nothing after this ‘closing questions’, simply listen carefully and answer any ‘objections’ by focusing on the answers of the four questions above.
There is additional information on ‘objection handling’ which I will touch on in the next weeks. In the meantime, get to know this technique and use it wisely when entering the interview office.
Source: Exec-Links