Articles - Jobnet Jobs Magazine - Tips for successful interviewing

The interview process is a communication. And the most important thing for both parties is to create an environment of easy exchange of information.

Many personnel managers do not like to create stress conditions for the candidate during the interview. My friend Subhra Bose who is a seasoned HR professional says that “creating stress contains during an interview cannot be used to find out how cool a person will be under stress conditions while handling the job.”

In fact the interview process can be most effective if it can lead to a communication or dialogue between the company and the potential employee, which can lead to better understanding of each other.

It you happen to be on the other side of the table, hiring people the probably the first step would be to make a candidate open up.

Interviews are generally not party time, but formal need not mean stiff. So, when you prepare the interview questions, do not pick them up from the bestsellers’ list of Favorite Questions of Personnel Managers (as many of them do).

Create your own questions. Don’t ask,” What do you think are your best qualities that make you deserve this job?” You will get a list of pat answers. Even candidates have a bestsellers’ list of favorite questions of personnel managers.

If you want to head anywhere, ask specific questions. What do you think should be done to improve the sales of the refrigerators in your present job? Do you think by increasing the advertising budget we can improve sales? Is there anything else you can suggest that would help to improve performance?

Because this is not a cocktail party. If you ask – “How are you?” You will probably hear – “I am fine.” “Good weather?” leads to “The rains are a bit late this year”. All this does not help your organization one little bit.

Most candidates will try to impress but, as a discerning recruiter, you know that what will impress is not going to necessarily translate into an impressive work performance.

So however pleasurable it may be, what has to be overcome is the - The honeymoon effect of interviews.

If both parties are tying to impress each other then I suggest -Have many meetings.

When I was a fresher I hated these repeat interviews. I could never get a new dress each time. Neither could I ever get the same enthusiasm or energy the next time.

I once got rejected with a publication house as a fresher. Later I got to know the boss of the personnel manager who rejected me, and I joked about my rejection which happened because I was made to wait for 5 hours after which I was not in my best frame of mind and really irritable. So when we now chatted as equal friends, I wondered why such a famous newspaper company had such a senseless interview methodology.

What I gathered was that, actually, many companies do not know why they do what they do at interviews.

Because most companies have a programme. Every one should beware of it. PR can be a RIP ( Rest in peace ) -- dead

I am not saying the grapes are sour but, I am glad that most companies did not make the mistake of hiring me. I have a real problem about not being my own boss.

For most of us, it is not our best virtue. We happen to be impatient listeners. Especially, if you have gone through taking a lot of interviews, another one is really quite boring. It is really a lot better to space out the interviews, than to put your neo -cortex to sleep with your eyes wide open, only to discover that you hired the most boring guy.

As a hiring person, you have the birthright to invoke a change in the interview process.

You can always frame questions that are short and precise. You can interrupt the candidate, and tell him exactly what you want to know. You can rephrase the question. Anything is better than not listening. You can always justify to yourself that, luckily, the bore you hired is someone you don’t have to put up with in your department but, that is not what You have been hired for. And remember -- Karma always strikes back!

So, put up that do not disturb sign on the door, switch off the telephones, and try to make it as less boring for you as for the face on the other side of the table.

Flexibility, as a quality, is more for your benefit than for the candidate. If you happen to get bored, sleepy or impatient, simply switch your interview technique. What you used in the morning, need not be used during the sleepy, tiring afternoon. Change your interview style, but never confess this to your personnel department. Ultimately, what counts is the communication.

If you fell asleep during the interview, rephrase the question, or, ask more specific questions, so that you are sure that you really know enough to make the right decision. If you cannot remember what you heard while asleep, reschedule a follow up interview.

But do you want to know what they know while you were asleep? No one wants to know what they know after the honeymoon that you cannot remember.

That simply means -- be sharp. If you are asked questions, look before you leap. Trick questions like -What does this company wants in terms of job function? Are you really offering salary packages commensurate with experience? Your claim that your terms will be the best in the industry … please do not fall into your advertising booby traps. Be honest – laugh at your self if you must... but never be embarrassed.

As a parting shot, I want to mention that all research relating to interviews show that people hire people they like. That always remains a point of view.

I once knew a party socialite who invited a candidate for a quick drink and an interview at the airport lounge before he flew out. They liked each other so much that they got drunk and like all one night stands, could not agree on what they agreed on.

So if you are thinking about a good working relationship ….consider the fact that …interviews are not about honeymoons but about marriages. However temporary or short they are, marriages are definitely more satisfying – because they come with a paycheck!

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