JCOnline - The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

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The best phone call you'll receive when you're looking for employment is the one that offers you the job. The second-best phone call is the one that invites you for a job interview! Your resume did its job-it earned you an interview opportunity. What should you do to make sure you come across as the best candidate for the job? Job Choices spoke with staffing professionals at major organizations to learn what they expect from job seekers in the interview. Here's their advice on how you can ensure a successful interview and earn another phone call-this one offering you a second interview or the job!

Our Panel of Experts

Alan Baker Title: Manager, Worldwide University Relations Organization: Dell Computer Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of portable desktop and client server personal computer systems and other computer-related products. Richard Beatty Title: President Organization: Brandywine Consulting Group, an outplacement consulting firm for major corporations. Beatty worked in human resources for 30 years and has interviewed thousands of job seekers. He is the author of several career books.

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JCOnline - The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

Jill Niebieszczanski Title: College Recruiter Organization: Comerica Inc., a multi-bank holding company with operations in Michigan, Illinois, Texas, California, and Florida. Gary Slettum Title: Employment Manager, Corporate Headquarters Organization: Kemper National Insurance Company, provider of property and casualty insurance and risk management services. Mike Woginrich Title: Campus Relations Representative Organization: Mervyn's California, a department store with locations in 16 states that specializes in apparel for the family and decorative home fashions.

Studying for Your Interview

Before you walk into an interview, do your homework. The staffing professionals interviewed here unanimously agree: The most important step you can take to make a good impression on an interviewer is to research the company and be knowledgeable about it and about the job you're seeking. Learn as much as possible about the organization's products and services, general business strategies and values, target market(s), plans for growth, and key challenges. Alan Baker prefers that students learn about his company ahead of time-not just by looking at an annual report but by making a concerted effort to learn through on-campus activities sponsored by Dell. Like many companies with active recruiting programs, Dell attends career fairs, sends information to the campus career services center, and holds recruiter and line manager presentations with faculty and student groups the day before on-campus interviews take place. Dell also makes a video and computer diskette available to students to learn about the company and its opportunities. "I can't tell you how much it turns me off when I'm 20 minutes into an interview and a candidate asks me, 'What does your company do again?'," said Baker. Similarly, Gary Slettum considers knowledge about Kemper a big plus for candidates. "If they know about us and they know what our business is, that shows they are serious about insurance as a career," he told Job Choices.

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JCOnline - The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

In addition, obtain a copy of the job description, if possible, and review it prior to the interview. That will help you identify which skills are important to the job; consequently, you'll be better able to relate your experiences and skills to the position. "When students don't know what they're interviewing for, it eliminates their chances at a second interview. 'I like to shop' is not a good answer when I ask them about their interest in retail," said Mike Woginrich. Mervyn's also supplies company information on computer diskette, and Woginrich can spot right away those who have taken the time to look at the information.

Making a Good Impression

Remember the television commercial with a line that went something like, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"? Such is the case with a job interview. That's why you need to arrive early for your interview, dress appropriately, offer a firm handshake, and make good eye contact with the interviewer. Typically, initial interviews are designed to help interviewers choose candidates to be interviewed at a later date by the manager who will do the actual hiring. "With the first interview, we're mostly looking for how candidates will fit Comerica, and we're looking to see if they should be considered further," Jill Niebieszczanski said. Niebieszczanski asks candidates about their previous work experience, even if it's limited to a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant. "I want to know what they learned from working there. If it was their first job, I want to know if they learned to be on time, to be a team player, to be a leader...I ask them about extracurricular activities. What was their most favorite and why? Obviously, there are no right or wrong answers to these questions," said Niebieszczanski. Slettum also questions students about their past experiences in work and extracurricular activities. "If people respond in such a fashion that it appears they have difficulty working in team situations or if they mention issues of interpersonal conflict, that pretty much guarantees they won't be asked back," said Slettum. Baker and his campus interviewers start off their interviews by confirming details from the candidate's resume. Next, they ask students about their experiences. "We will typically ask students to give us examples of situations where they were allowed to exercise leadership. We'll probe that information. We also ask for situations where they exhibited a strong degree of problem-solving ability in group situations," said Baker. What are they listening for in students' responses? Most often, Baker told Job Choices, they
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JCOnline - The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

want to see if students' experiences reflect skills that Dell wants in its employees. Sometimes information comes out that is noteworthy and worth pursuing further. For Dell's nontechnical professional hiring, the interviewer is looking at how trainable people will be based on their past experiences and interpersonal skills. Baker also likes to hear direct answers to his interview questions. "Some people will wander all over because they don't have a good answer; others are just bad communicators," he said. Woginrich tries to assess candidates' flexibility, openness to learning, and ability to work in a team environment by posing questions about their past experiences. "I may ask, 'Of all your roommates you've had during school, who was the toughest to live with? What did you do to make the situation better?' or 'Tell me about a decision you made and how it affects you today,'" he explained. In all cases, you want to answer interviewers' questions as confidently and positively as possible. The key to performing better in interviews, according to Richard Beatty, is to think about the questions you will be asked before you're in the interview. "If you were the employer, what would you look for in a candidate? What are the key functions for which you would be responsible in this job? What are the key problems you are going to have to solve in order to carry those functions out? About 80 to 90 percent of any interview is focused on whether candidates have certain knowledge, whether they can apply it, and whether they have applied it to similar problems in the past," said Beatty.

Turn Negatives Into Positives

Throughout the interview, the employer is typically on the lookout for your flaws or reasons not to hire you. How will you respond if a hiring manager or interviewer asks, "What are your weaknesses?" or "What would you like to be better at?" As you think about how to answer interview questions, keep in mind you should always accentuate the positive or practice "damage control." You want to avoid creating a negative impression of your ability to do the job or fit in with the company. Beatty's suggestion: "Never make an absolute negative statement about yourself. Don't say, 'I tend to be overly detailed.' Instead, say, 'Some people might describe me as being overly detailed.' Then, hang a positive anchor on that statement. 'Some people might describe me as being overly detailed, however others would tell you that I'm unusually thorough, and when I tell them something they know they can bank on it.'" Other techniques you can use to answer questions that seek negative information include citing a weakness that is not related to the job you're interviewing for or discussing one that the interviewer is aware of because it's apparent from the information appearing on (or not
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JCOnline - The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

appearing on) your resume-such as a less-than-stellar GPA. These aren't easy questions to answer cold, so practice for them ahead of time.

Listen to This Advice

Think the interview is a forum for you to talk about yourself nonstop for an hour or so? Wrong. You'll score points, said our staffing professionals, by demonstrating good listening skills in the interview. "Students should remember that an interview is both getting and giving information. In addition to their verbal communication skills, they should work on their listening skills," advised Slettum. He added, "Silence in an interview is not bad. Sometimes less experienced people hurry to get an answer back to the interviewers. I want students to make sure they think about the question and take their time in giving a good answer." Listening is also an extremely important skill to Baker. "If I have something I want to tell candidates about the job, the position, the company, and all they want to do is tell me about themselves, it's clear they do not have the listening skills," said Baker.

Bring Your Own Questions

"Do you have any questions for me?," asks the interviewer of the job candidate. "Um, no, I guess not," the candidate responds. Sound familiar? If you've ever given such a response, then you, like this candidate, lost the opportunity to impress the interviewer. Always be prepared to ask thoughtful questions. It demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in the company; moreover, you need to ask relevant questions to learn whether or not the organization is one you really want to work for. "Candidates should ask as many questions as they can. [Taking a job] is a big life decision and they need to know as much as possible about the organization, just as the organization wants to learn about them during the interview," said Woginrich. Keep in mind, however, that some kinds of questions just aren't appropriate, especially in the initial interview. "Students should be wary of asking questions about certain aspects of the company's compensation program-salary, vacation, retirement benefits. When they ask about money right off the bat, it makes me wonder what is more important to them, the money or the

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opportunity?," said Baker. If the organization uses second interviews as part of its hiring process and you're called back for one, plan on asking questions there, too. It's likely that, at the second interview, you'll meet with a whole new cast of people, including the hiring manager and higher-level staff members. They will probably ask you more-detailed questions; this is your opportunity to direct more-detailed questions at your prospective employer.

Don't Let the Door Hit You...

Most job candidates are intent on making a "lasting impression," on making themselves memorable to the interviewer, on setting themselves apart from the rest of the candidate pool. Staffing professionals discussed incidents that made lasting impressions on them-the wrong ones. One student brought an agent with him to negotiate with the interviewer. Too bad there wasn't anything to negotiate after that move! Other candidates, recruiters report, have started crying, making themselves and the interviewer pretty uncomfortable. Then there are those candidates who used profane language during interviews. That behavior makes the wrong kind of statement. Yet another way candidates can make the wrong impression is in their appearance. Indeed, blue hair and nose rings will be memorable, especially when the interviewer is deciding who will not be asked back for a second interview. There are better ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd: You can be sure to make a good impression on an interviewer by following up promptly after the interview. "Students who have followed up with a typewritten note expressing interest in the position and thanking the interviewer have always made a good impression. Thorough follow up, when it's requested-if I ask for transcripts, for example-is a necessity," said Baker.

A Few Words Before Showtime

As you prepare for a job interview, learn about the company you're interested in and be prepared to explain why you want to work for that company. Recruiters look for enthusiasm and motivation when they speak with you. In most instances, lots of people can do the job you're interviewing for-it's your responsibility to convince the

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interviewer that you're the person who is more motivated, more capable, and more committed to the job and the overall goals of the organization. The best way to be convincing is to know yourself. How can the skills you've learned from your work, classroom, and extracurricular experiences benefit the employer? When you have the answer to that question, you'll be better prepared to handle your interviews with ease. Editor's note: This article originally appeared in Planning Job Choices: 1997.

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