2. HOW THE INTERVIEWER SEES IT
Wisdom, insight and understanding.
This has to become your mantra.
In previous editions, I definedthree parts to the selection process: theapplication(resumes, cover letters, selection criteria), theinterview, andreferee checks.I now believe there is a fourth part. Yoursocial mediapresencecan have a significant impact on how you are perceived in the process.
I will start with the interview. There are many kinds of interviews. Some are formal, conducted by one or more people to a set format, with a list of questions asked of each applicant. At the other end of the scale there are informal interviews, usually conducted by one person, which often take the form of a chat over a cup of coffee.
In between, there can be great variation in the form of interiews. There are interviews with no questions, in which the interviewer simply says,‘You have forty minutes to convince me that you should get the job.’Other interviewers will do most of the talking. Some interviewers know exactly what they are looking for, others are unsure and half-hope the interviewee will tell them. There are skilled interviewers who know how to conduct a fair interview and give each applicant an equal opportunity to show their wares; there are others who have no idea at all how to conduct an interview. There are even times when you have not applied for a job, but your boss says,‘Did you know that Smith over at Plant B is resigning?’giving you a chance to suggest that you would be good for that job.
So I never assume that all interviews are the same – far from it. What is always the same are the needs of each interviewee. Each must make their claim for the position they hope to win in the most convincing way possible, regardless of the form the interview takes. Sometimes this means the interviewee must take some control of the process, either overtly or covertly.
In this book, I have used the ‘set question and answer’ interview to pass on my advice, as it is easier and clearer for both the reader and myself. If your interview is not in this question and answer format, the book’s ideas, techniques and information are still valid, but will need to be adapted to the particular style of interview.
Let’s start by considering how the interviewer looks at things. How would you decide between applicants if you were the interviewer? It’s worth keeping in mind that most interviewers are not able to make a distinction between the best person for the job and the person whoappearsto be the best for the job.
If you have a job vacancy, you first place an advertisement in an online jobs site or a newspaper and wait for responses. If you put your telephone number in the ad, the calls will probably tie up your line for hours, so you state in the ad that you will only accept written applications. There are some jobs where the skills are just not available, and virtually no one applies. There are other jobs where hundreds of people may apply. I feel for people looking for basic administration or unskilled labouring positions that can attract hundreds of applicants.
Let’s say that you have thirty people apply for your vacant position. If you know many people are going to apply you may choose to cut down on the numbers who apply by using a qualifier such as ‘five years’ experience necessary’.Never be deterred from applying for a job bec