Interviewing Demystified

From ERE Net by Pedro Silva  Jun 22, 2009, 5:14 pm ET

For
many people on the job market, the Art of Interviewing seems like a
mystery. That's why I decided to demystify it a bit by offering a few
clues that will hopefully put the whole experience into perspective.
I'll start by looking at a few common words that hold within them a
hidden clues about what it means to join an organization. Keeping these
words in mind will help both recruiters and the candidates they are
working with.

If you look at the roots for the business terms company and
corporation, you find a common theme. "Company" shares its root with
the word for companion, while "corporation" essentially means to unify
in one body. At its simplest, the message that these words intend to
convey is one of coming together. What complicates things is the
purpose for which the members come together. For example, in most cases
it's a lot easier to come together for a party than it is to come
together for something like jury duty. Now let's apply this idea to interviewing.

When most people find themselves in the job market, their first
thought is to get another job as soon as possible. They'll think about
what it means to be a part of the company later. Little do they know
that this mentality is actually doing them a lot more harm than good.
Without intending to, they could be sending out a message to recruiters
and their potential employers that more or less says, "You are just an
obstacle between me and my money." As recruiters, it's in our best
interest to help candidates put their best foot forward and remind them
of what companies are looking for.

What they are forgetting is the fact that the company has needs too.
That's why they hired recruiters. This is important to remind
candidates whenever they are brought in for an interview, and
especially so in this economy. Companies are not sitting around saying,
"Wow! What are we going to do with all this money? Let's find someone
who needs it and give it to them for eight hours of their time a day."
And this takes us to the second word clue - the word hire.

To hire means, "to engage the services of one or more individuals in
exchange for compensation." This means that the hiring company, while
conscious that candidates have certain salary requirements for their
services, puts the actual service part first. That means that
recruiters and candidates should too. When interviewing, one should
always keep in mind that the company is speaking with people because
they believe that they could offer a potential solution to their
challenges.

This understanding is the platform upon which the relationship with
a company begins and is sustained. And ultimately, it is the cardinal
rule for interview success.

Articles about how to navigate through an interview are in no short
supply, but without following this first rule candidates are reducing
their chances for success.

The following tips, when combined with the above understanding, will
enhance the interview experience for candidates and ideally reduce the
interval between interviews and making a placement. Advise candidates
to:

1. Study the website and job description and write down any questions that arise.


2. During the interview, listen for the needs of the company and be ready to discuss how they can offer a solution.


3. Ask the question, "What has been your greatest difficulty filling this position?"


4. Ask for a business card(s) from the person/people interviewing them
   and try to agree on an appropriate timeframe for following up.


5. Offer to open their network to the organization.

Helping our candidates to cultivate these habits benefits all
parties involved. Recruiters are relationship managers and solutions
brokers by trade. So doesn't it make sense to get potential employees
and employers on the same page?