THE PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW

Agency versus direct application

This chapter will cover interviews with a prospective employer. By this we are referring to interviews with the actual organisation or company, not with an agency or head-hunter. This may of course be the first interview for you, if you have applied to the company direct and not gone through a recruitment agency or head-hunter.

You may have applied to the company for the job in response to hearing about it from an external source – i.e. an advertisement in the newspaper, a magazine, or even online. Alternatively you may have applied direct to the company asking whether they had any potentially suitable vacancies (applying ‘on-spec’).

The only real difference in meeting an employer at interview is in how much information you will have. Usually, if you have applied via an agency or head-hunter, they will have briefed you to some extent (and often very comprehensively) about their client, the company, the job itself and any relevant personalities. If you have applied direct you may well not have any of this information, but try not to worry, and certainly don’t let that put you off – remember, the information given to you by any agency is only second-, or even third-hand. It isn’t always accurate, and the employer should understand that you may have limited information.

Making a decision

Regardless of how you arrived here, this is your first interview with the employer themselves – the first time you will be meeting someone from the company concerned. The purpose of this interview for both parties will always be to decide whether or not to progress your application any further. That means both of you! The employer is trying to decide whether to progress your application, and you should also be assessing whether or not you would really want to work there.

Let’s face it, work is somewhere you spend a large percentage of your waking time, so don’t waste time pursuing jobs that you wouldn’t want to do anyway. Job-hunting is a time-consuming process. You only have so much time you can allow for interviews, especially if you are currently working and have to take time off for interviews without your current employer knowing. You certainly don’t want to waste precious time interviewing for jobs you don’t want – although a little practice if you haven’t been interviewed for a while might be a good thing!

Assessing the ‘fit’

So this first interview is really a little bit like a blind date – assessing whether there is a potential ‘fit’ between the two parties. It may be that the employer really liked your application or CV and thinks you may be right for their role. It may also be that they aren’t sure about your suitability at all, but they wanted to meet you in person to evaluate your application and expand on the experience in your CV. If you return for subsequent interviews, this would indicate that they are interested in you, and are trying to decide whether or not they should hire you.

Personnel or human resources (HR)

In some companies, personnel or human resources (HR) interview first. In others, they interview as one of the last steps in the recruitment process. In some companies they don’t interview at all. Just be aware of this – the next chapter deals with personnel or HR interviews.

THE BALANCE OF POWER

In this situation, the balance of power is actually about equal – it just doesn’t feel like it! Given that you and the employer are both assessing each other to some extent, the balance of power is actually fairly evenly distributed. What changes the balance of power is how badly you want/need the job – how badly you want to progress to the next stage. The more you want or need the job, the more the balance of power shifts to the employer.

Sometimes, we get into an interview and feel very under-confident – perhaps the interviewer is giving you signs that they feel you aren’t right for the job, or perhaps you just feel very nervous. In an interview where you feel under-confident, it can often be useful to remember that you are checking them out as well. This can make you feel a lot better and more confident. You do have some power – after all, they need someone, and you are both available and interested – and also perhaps ideal for the job!

MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION

Positive impressions

Physical impressions

Dress smartly as always. All the advice from Chapter 1 on the usual things, such as arriving on time etc apply here.

Interest and enthusiasm

Be clearly interested in the company. This is where you will be working if you get the job, so appear interested and enthusiastic about it. Even if it isn’t the most exciting job in the world, the employer wants to know you aren’t wasting their time, so be positive.

Subtle factors

Be nice to everybody! It is so easy to be focused on the interview that you forget to be pleasant to the receptionist or security guard; or you barge into a lift full of people, in a hurry to get to the reception area or interview on time. You never know who people are, or who can see and hear you. From the moment you enter the building you may be under scrutiny, so think what feedback might result. Treat everyone with the respect you give to your interviewer, wherever in the company you encounter them.

Keep a positive attitude

Don’t be yourself – be yourself giving your very best performance on a good day! This doesn’t mean being totally positive, but don’t dwell on failures and negative experiences, even if asked. Focus on positive elements of your personality, CV and experience, and if you are asked to give a negative answer, such as to give an example of a decision you made and later regretted, or a weak point, make these work for you too.

Answering negative questions

Sometimes interviewers ask you to describe a failure, your greatest weakness, or a negative experience in some way. Always do this when asked, and don’t say ‘I can’t think of one’ as this only sounds glib and evasive. Let’s face it, everyone makes mistakes, so it sounds suspicious if you suddenly can’t remember any of yours! Give the appropriate answer or example, but end on a positive note. You can always end on a positive by mentioning what you learned from it, how you improved/changed because of it, or even what you now know you need to do differently next time. It’s good to think of a few things beforehand that you can discuss, such as weaknesses and failures in the past that are now resolved. That way, you always have a ready answer.

Preparation

For most employers, how much you have prepared for an interview is a guideline that shows how keen you are about the job. Preparation also increases your confidence – it makes it easier for you to feel ready for whatever questions they ask. Never go into an interview ‘cold’ – i.e. unprepared.

If nothing else, taking some company information with you shows that you have taken the interview seriously.

So how much preparation should you do? Basically, imagine that every employer you meet will ask you, ‘So what do you know about the company?’ and prepare accordingly – you won’t go far wrong.

Research

There are a number of sources of information on the company:

• Recruitment agencies may be able to brief you.
• Careers services.
• Local libraries.
• The company personnel department – phone and ask them if they have any company literature, as you are coming for an interview.
• The Internet. Try search engines, which enable you to search for up-to-date news on companies by name.

ESSENTIALS TO GET ACROSS

Let’s think this through. If an employer found you were missing skills or experience he or she needed, you wouldn’t get the job. That would not be your fault, it’s just that you aren’t a good fit for that particular job’s requirements. But excluding not having the skills/experience necessary, the main reasons for employers not offering candidates the job can be a little surprising.

The interviewer’s three main concerns

Reasons for not hiring a person can more often than not be based around what we could call the interviewer’s ‘three main concerns’. They may not even be aware that they are concerned about these things – they may be totally unconscious worries. These are:

1. Do you really want the job?

Because if not, they are wasting their time and possibly losing other candidates by pursuing you.

2. Would you fit in?

Because if not, things might go wrong and cause more problems.

3. Would you stay?

Because if not, they will have to go through this recruitment all over again in a few years or even months.

So assuming that you do have the skills for the job, you need to convince the interviewer that you want it, you would fit in well and you’d stay a reasonable length of time before looking for pastures new.

Do you see how you can maximise your chances of doing well by making sure you address these three concerns?

Addressing the three main concerns

Basically, employers are reassured by candidates who exhibit these three things. Many interview questions reflect these three areas of concern, although the reason they are asked may be entirely different. Yet the answers you choose to give may give the interviewer a picture of someone who doesn’t want the job very much, who might not fit in, or who wouldn’t stay. This can lose you the job.

For example, a fairly common question is; ‘where do you see yourself in five years’ time?’ Interviewers seem to ask this to see whether you are ambitious or not. Many candidates, not wishing to appear unambitious, say, ‘in a much more senior role.’ Now there’s nothing wrong with this answer, but it all adds to the impression the interviewer may be picking up about concern three – whether you would stay.

Another example would be if you are asked ‘why are you looking for a new role at this particular time?’ This is probably asked because they are trying to see whether you have any negative reasons for moving – i.e. you’ve had a bad appraisal, or you’re worried about your company declining. By responding with something like, ‘I’m in no rush really, I’m happy where I am, but would like more of a challenge so I thought I’d test the market’ you are raising concern one – do you really want the job?

At one time, a common interview question used to be ‘so if we offered you the job, would you take it?’ That’s very much testing concern one, isn’t it? The only correct answer is ‘yes; from what I’ve heard so far I’m very interested’ or words to that effect. ‘I’d have to think it through’ on the other hand, although a perfectly valid answer, may well blow your chances of being offered the job or taken through to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Now that this question isn’t used as often by interviewers, don’t think that the concern isn’t there. Try to impress upon the interviewer that you would accept the job if offered it. It certainly can’t do you any harm to give this impression