Interview: It's a two-way street

Have you ever considered how curious the interview process is? Ever thought about how imperfect and unscientific it is? For example, while in many cases an interview is conducted by a professional, often it is not. Many interviewers do have qualifications and experience, but it is not a requirement. There is no prerequisite for an interviewer to pass an exam or be accredited in order to be allowed to interview.

Like the Nike advert says, they "just do it".
In spite of the potentially flawed interview process, is there anything that you can do to increase your chances of succeeding at interviews? The good news is, yes, there is.

Because, "It is not always the best candidate who gets the job; it's the candidate who knows how to land a job that gets the job." Or more specifically, for those preparing for interviews, "It is not always the best candidate who gets the job; it's the candidate who knows how to succeed at interviews that gets the job."

In Part One of our feature on succeeding at interviews we focused on three topics:
- Being well-prepared to answer interview questions
- Dealing with personal issues that could affect your performance
- Turning a negative into a positive

In Part Two we will be looking at:
- Understanding and managing common interviewer personality types
- Observing the two-minute rule
- Asking powerful questions

Understanding and managing common interviewer personality types
People are different and interviewers are no exception. Another way of succeeding at an interview is by subtly managing the interviewer, according to the interviewer's personality type. In fact, the interviewer's personality type has a direct impact on the way he or she conducts an interview. It determines the style of interacting with candidates, particularly in communicating and asking questions. Understanding this is important for candidates who must be prepared to handle or "manage" the interview, no matter what the interviewer's personality type.

The most common personality
types are:
- Impersonal and austere
- Warm and friendly
- Busy and distracted
- Puzzled and confused
Let's examine these personality types, their characteristics and how they can be spotted, how they are likely to conduct the interview, and how a candidate should manage and respond to each.

Impersonal and austere
This person will exhibit some of the following characteristics:
- Not very welcoming
- Appears cold and almost clinical
- May struggle to smile
- Makes you feel awkward
- Adopts a formal, almost military approach
- Lacks interpersonal skills
- Appears defensive and clipped
- Sees you as a "candidate", not
as a person
If you are a candidate, a meeting with this type of interviewer can be formal and very structured, following a pre-determined list of questions which the interviewer is unlikely to be diverted from, even as a result of the answers to questions.

It is not likely that this type of interviewer will try to put you at
ease, instead feeling that it is part of the interview process to "put you
on the spot" by asking awkward, difficult or even "trick" questions.

The interviewer wants you to respect his "rank" and to understand that he or she has the ultimate power to give you the job (or not).

It is best not to take his style personally but to realise that the interviewer uses this approach with all candidates, and probably even in private life! Try to humour the interviewer with a smile or even a light-hearted comment.
Listen to the questions carefully and give answers that are short, concise and to the point. Be yourself and demonstrate that you are not put off by the formal and military style
of interviewing.

Warm and friendly

The characteristics you are likely to find with this type of interviewer are:
- Welcoming
- Chatty
- Smiling
- Making sure you are comfortable, being served with tea or coffee
- Interested in your journey to the office
- Interested in your family
- Making small talk about the weather, traffic, parking

If you are a candidate meeting with this type of interviewer, this interview is likely to be somewhat like a social occasion. The actual questions related to the job may not come until well into the interview because the interviewer is genuinely interested in you, your family and your interests.

The danger is that this type of interviewer could get so carried away that the majority of time allocated for the interview is used for unrelated matters rather than in examining what you have to offer.

If this is not managed, while you may go away with a warm fuzzy feeling and happy that you have "survived another interview", the interviewer will go away with insufficient information to make a judgment or report to senior management about you as a candidate.
The key to succeeding in this sort of interview is to carefully watch the time.

After perhaps one-third of the interview time has passed you should look for a way to "take over" the interview indirectly, perhaps referring to your CV and asking whether you could explain the skills and experience you have to offer, and your understanding of the job.

It's helpful to see an interview as a marketing opportunity; failing to use your marketing time profitably may result in your not being chosen for
the job.

Busy and distracted
This type of interviewer finds it difficult to focus on one thing at a time and projects a feeling of self-importance. You may observe the following behaviour:
n Has not chosen a private location for the interview
- Allows the secretary or others to interrupt during the interview
- Answers phone calls during the interview
- Has limited eye contact with you
- Reads e-mails as they come through on the PC or BlackBerry
- Sees you as an "event" that has to be fitted in to a busy schedule
- Gives the distinct impression that he or she only has limited time to "deal" with you
If you are a candidate and find yourself in an interview with someone who is busy and distracted, handling the interview may be extremely challenging.

This type of interviewer can appear rude, and having prepared for an interview, you may feel insulted that the interviewer does not consider you a priority.
The way to handle this interviewer is to make sure that you recognise that this is how the interviewer conducts his life, not just your interview. You should not show your annoyance at the unprofessional approach, either by your words or by your body language, but if the situation becomes intolerable you can say that you can see that this may not be a convenient time as the interviewer seems very busy, and ask whether it would be possible to re-schedule the interview at a more convenient time.

Puzzled and confused
Have you ever been interviewed by someone who is puzzled and confused? This interviewer leads his life in a confused state. He is probably puzzled how he gets to work, how he gets home, and confused about how to get through the day. Telltale signs are:
- Looks confused or has a puzzled expression
- May not remember that he had scheduled an interview with you
- Thinks you are somebody else
- Not sure which job you are
applying for
- May not have read your CV
- May not even have your CV
The key to handling this interviewer is to "take the responsibility" for his puzzlement or confusion. Rather than showing that you are annoyed or even amazed that he doesn't have a copy of your CV or doesn't understand it, you take responsibility for it.

Always be prepared with extra copies of your CV.
If he doesn't know which job you have come for, you could say, "I appreciate that you must have many candidates to interview. The job that
I have come for is X." If he doesn't understand something written in your CV, say something like, "I can understand how this is not clear. May I explain it in more detail?"

Observing the two-minute rule
Another way of succeeding at interviews is to understand and observe the two-minute rule which is, "If it can't be said in two minutes, it shouldn't be said at all."

The idea behind this rule is that if someone asks you a question, you have up to two minutes to give your answer before they start to lose interest. When your two minutes are up the interviewer may ask you to continue and you have another two minutes. But remember that if you only use 30 seconds of that two minutes, you have lost a minute and a half of good marketing time.

Asking powerful questions
What you leave on the table at an interview can mean the difference in success and failure. For example, it's important to have powerful questions to ask during the interview and to leave them lying on the table. Questions like:
n Is the company expanding and will there be opportunities to progressively take on more responsibilities?
n Could you give me an example of how someone with my skills and experience has progressed in the company over the last few years?

- Do you provide training for self-development and career progression?
- Does the company have a coaching or mentoring programme?
The tips and suggestions in this two-part series have helped my clients succeed at interviews. Hope they work for you as well.