The interview stage is the most important part of the job-seeking process; this is the point at which you first present yourself and gain some understanding of the other party. You’re trying to make a good impression and present yourself in the best light, while at the same time learning as much as you can about the other person. As the company is determining whether you are the right candidate, you must do the same type of analysis. The company must analyze whether you are worth investing in; any human capital resource expenditure must be looked at by the company in terms of its return on investment for paying you $100,000 or more. You must do the same analysis and make the same determination: Will working at this company give you a long-term return in terms of career migration path, quality of life, and the opportunity to learn and work with others in a stimulating environment?
As an executive, it’s not just about money. The number one reason people stay at companies is the environment and the people they work with. Money is the easiest area to figure out. Other areas take much more time, and are often the most critical. Just as the company has prepared interview questions, so should you. If one of their hires does not work out, the impact on the company is not nearly as great as the impact on you if you end up leaving because of a mismatch.
In order to identify whether the work environment and career path opportunities are a good fit, you need to do some advance work, such as researching the company via printed and on-line resources and accessing your network of colleagues and friends, who might provide greater insight into the company’s culture, business philosophies, and overall health. Once you’ve gathered this information, you may find yourself more positive about the opportunity, or you may find that you need to probe further.
Another valuable effect of preparation is that it enables you to plan how to position your skills and experience during the interview. As you research the company, look for specifics that you can tie in to your background—for example, how your industry contacts or sales-channel knowledge will add value to the sales and marketing area, or how your engineering training and experience on previous development projects will augment their current teams.
A less discussed but important component of the preparation process is being ready to observe and interpret the interviewer’s body language. First, it’s helpful to understand the parameters of your interview, for example, the time allotted, whom you will be meeting with, and their backgrounds. Once you’ve gathered this information and are engaged in the interview, you can gauge your connection through direct or indirect eye contact.
Does the interviewer constantly look at her watch or glance at her computer screen?
Does he fidget in his chair, shuffle papers?
Is this the interviewer’s personal style, or do you need to do something to re-engage his or her attention?
An effective tactic to re-engage a distracted interviewer is to ask a question that relates either to something he or she said or to an area that is in line with your investigative research. This approach draws the interviewer’s attention back to the discussion. If you fail to draw the interviewer’s full attention back to your discussion, this might be indicative of his or her personality, or it might indicate that there is a disconnection, which you must take into consideration after the interview.
Once you have prepared the key points that you want to address, you will be more focused and confident during the interview process because you’ll have defined goals of what you want to achieve.
No comments:
Post a Comment