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The Meeting How you present yourself in an interview can mean all the difference between a yes and a no. Confidence and friendliness are essential for putting the interviewer at ease. Yes, your interviewer is nervous, too, and if you can give him or her the impression that you and he are the same type of person, you'll increase the comfort level and your chances at landing the job. It's called the halo effect. If you identify with an applicant, they can do no wrong. Start off with a smile, make direct eye contact, say "Hi, I'm so-and-so, it's a pleasure to meet you," and give them a firm handshake, not too hard, and never too weak. Avoid assuming a subordinate role in the interview process. You're not asking for a handout. The employer needs someone with certain skills, you have those skills, so you have something valuable to that employer. Remember, it's already been determined that you have the skills, or you wouldn't be there for an interview. So relax and start trying to create that halo effect. Back to top What to Do Here are some do's for a power interview, the one that will get you hired. You want to be seen as having four major assets -- confidence, energy, dependability, and enthusiasm. Other attributes you'll want to drive home during the interview are loyalty, honesty, efficiency, pride in work, and concern for the bottom line which is profitability. Do try to learn some of the buzz words that are familiar to your profession. It shows you know your stuff, and helps your interviewer to feel that you and he are in the same club. Do develop an action vocabulary to demonstrate that you are an employee of action. Words like developed, guided, motivated, initiated and others put you in the role of an actively involved employee. Do admire the achievements of the employer. Do be observant to your surroundings and to hidden meanings that the interviewer may have behind his questions. Do attempt to sit next to the interviewer. This will give the impression of you and me against the problem instead of you against me. And do find an area of agreement and use that to build yes's until the interviewer decides, yes, this is the person for the job! Back to top Don'ts The job interview is a mine field of missed opportunities. Should you have done this, should you have said that differently? If you know ahead of time what common areas to watch out for, you'll be able to concentrate on the important aspects of getting that job. Don't be late. This makes you nervous, and leaves a bad impression with the interviewer. On the opposite side, don't wait over 30 minutes for the interviewer (unless you are early). It makes you angry and puts you at a disadvantage. Warn the receptionist when you cannot wait more than 10 minutes more. Don't wear any outer garments, or carry excess items into the interview. Leave your topcoat, umbrella, and other items in the reception area. The less you have to fiddle with, the fewer awkward moments that will occur in the interview. Don't wear sunglasses, this takes away your most valuable means of persuasion -- eye contact. Don't smoke or chew gum, don't call the interviewer by his first name, and don't pick up anything in his office unless asked to. Invading his space is one of the quickest ways of putting an end to the interview, pronto. Back to top The Stress Interview Interviews come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the most daunting you may come up against is the stress interview. This is the kind that most people dread, but if you are ready for it, you'll impress your interviewer. In this kind of interview, the applicant is put into an awkward or defensive position. This is usually a deliberate attempt to observe how you handle yourself in these types of situations. The interviewer may get sarcastic, or put you on the spot, but don't take it personally. Know ahead of time what you will answer to some of the more common questions, and answer the interviewer's questions in a sincere and direct manner. Don't be afraid or pressured into coming up with the answer right away. Your interviewer will appreciate your attempts to give a question some serious thought before you answer. Keeping calm is the key to turning an interrogation interview into an irresistible interview. Back to top Lunch Interview One interview you may encounter is the lunch interview. It could take place in the company cafeteria, or in a nice restaurant off the job site. This type of interview is designed to relax the applicant, and to encourage him or her to talk about future plans and even his personal life. But be on guard. Remember, no matter how friendly the interviewer seems, this is still a business meeting, and you should always be aware of how you present yourself and your ideas. One very telling story of a lunch interview gone wrong is the CEO of a major company taking a prospective employee out to lunch and observing that the man salted his food before he even tasted it. This led the CEO to believe that the man would make assumptions before checking the facts first, and of course, the man did not get the job. Don't be scared of the lunch interview, it's a perfect opportunity to establish the halo effect with the interviewer and to nail that job. Back to top Panel of Committee Interviews When you go to your interview, you may be faced with what is called the panel or committee interview. This is often the type of interview teachers have to face: being interviewed simultaneously by a member of the board of education, the principal, a PTA member, and others concerned with the new hire. If you are involved in a panel interview, you will often be presented with a problem before you start the interview and you will be given 15 to 20 minutes to think how you would handle the situation. You aren't expected to come up with the perfect answer, the panel usually wants to see how you apply your skills and experience to problems you will encounter on the job. Back to top The Group Interviews A group interview is an informal, discussion-type interview involving a number of candidates which is used to select the leading contenders for a critical job hire. The purpose of a group interview is to create an environment where leadership potential and job solving skills can be determined. The interviewer acts as a moderator, presents a problem, and leads a discussion on how that problem could be solved. The interviewer will often have a list of questions about the candidates that he will make notations on as the discussion continues. He will later compare his note on applicants to decide who will come back for a more formal interview. Don't let this type of interview daunt you, just take a lead in the conversation and show that you can think on your feet, and you will be sure to be asked back for a second interview. Back to top Questions 1 Do you think that it is impossible to predict what kind of questions you are likely to encounter during a job interview? Not at all! Of course, questions will vary widely depending on the type of job you are interviewing for, but there are some questions that are commonly asked during an interview. Like the question "Tell me about yourself." Usually the interviewer is asking about your work history, but if you want to be sure, ask whether he wants to know about your experience of your personal life. This question is a golden opportunity to bring out the qualifications you feel proudest of. Another tricky question is "Why are you leaving your present position?" Always put the most positive spin on your answer and never, never say something negative about your current company. You can say that you are looking for more responsibility, new challenges, or even that you want to shift your focus to a more specialized field where your skills can be used more fully. These are just two of the more common questions that you will hear. Prepare answers for these ahead of time, and you'll feel more confident during your interview. Back to top Questions 2 If you prepare your answers to some of the more common interview questions ahead of time, you will feel a lot more confident in the interview, and you will make the impression on the interviewer of a prepared and efficient future employee. Here are some more common questions. What kind of experience do you have for this job? Think of this question as a door opening, giving you the opportunity to brag about your experience and your accomplishments. But remember, the employer is interested in how you can help him, not in what is good for you, so be careful to relate your experience to how it could be invaluable to the needs of his company. Another question is "Can you handle pressure?" Don't just answer yes or no, use this question as an opportunity to elaborate on your skills. Talking about how you organize your time to minimize the stress of deadlines will win an admirer and probably the job.! Back to top Questions 3 When you are answering questions during an interview, always keep your brain engaged, and listen for the hidden meanings in what is being asked. Often the way a question is phrased will key you into what kind of answer the interviewer is looking for. If you didn't listen carefully and gave your standard answer, it could cost you big points. Here are a couple of more questions you can be prepared for in your interview. "Why do you want to work there?" This is your chance to show off all the research you did into the company. But don't drag out articles, or recite statistics about the company, tell the interviewer how your skills fit the problems and projects they are involved with right now. One especially awkward question to be ready for is "What do you consider your greatest weakness?" Don't take the bait and tell all, make your response something that is really strength. For instance, you hate wasting time, or you are overly meticulous about your work. If you know what kind of questions to expect, and you are prepared, you can't help but impress the interviewer in ways that an ordinary applicant would never dream of. Back to top Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA