Could Your Next Job Interview Be Like This?

A Relaxed Job Interview

My clients have found these tips helpful in staying calm, well, calm enough in a job interview. I post all 12 tips as my PsychologyToday.com article today.

A Workover: She Has Lost Her Motivation to Look for a Job

On my NPR-San Francisco radio program,  I do Workovers: Callers call in with a career problem.

I've been posting edited transcripts of Workovers that might interest Psychology Today readers. 

Today's is my exchange with a woman who has lost her motivation to look for a job.

Making Your Job Interview More Effective, More Ethical, and Less Stressful

A job interview can be made more effective, more ethical and less stressful. My PsychologyToday.com article today explains how.

Days of Our Work Lives: An unvarnished look at work today: Part II: Susan's Saga. Episode 11: The Job Interview

Days of Our Work Lives

Part II: Susan's Saga  

Episode 11

The Job Interview

In the previous episode, over a romantic first date, Ben helped Susan prepare for a chat about a possible job as an academic adviser at a college. 

She had an outsized fear of public speaking and in driving to the interview, she had been able to remain calm--well, relatively calm--because the director had said, "I'd be pleased to chat with you about a possible job over a cup of coffee." "Chat," "coffee." Those were nice, unintimidating words.

But when she walked in, there were four people sitting on one side of a conference table, her worst nightmare come true.

The director said, "I thought I'd ask the assistant dean and a couple of the academic advisers to join us. Have a seat. Coffee?"

"Sure." The only thing Susan really was sure of was that she was dying, absolutely dying. She tried to calm herself, "Deep breath, deep breaths. There always are other jobs. There always are other jobs." 

"Well Susan, tell us something about yourself." She couldn't believe it--the exact question she and Ben rehearsed! And slowly, her terror subsided.

Most interviewers aren't pros at it so they rely mainly on stock questions. So it wasn't surprising that many of the questions were those she had prepared for, like, "What's your greatest strength and greatest weakness?" She resisted giving the stock BS answer: "I tend to take my work too seriously but I'm working on dialing it back a little." Instead she said, "Well, I've never been an academic adviser before. I like to think I could do it because I did well working with the middle school kids but do you think someone like me could do the job?" The integrity, the non-desperation, was more impressive than any BS answer. 

They did ask a few questions she couldn't have prepared for, for example, "Your biggest challenge will be dealing with the many students we admit to college who frankly aren't prepared for college work. Most of them end up dropping out. How would you do academic advising with such students?"

Her first thought was, "Why would you admit students you know are so likely to fail, costing them money and time they could have more wisely spent, not to mention the assault to their self-esteem?" But she realized that would endanger her chances of getting the job while not changing the university's admission policy. So she just said, "Baby steps. All I can do is help them come up with smart baby steps and be encouraging without being dishonest. Does that make sense?"

Standard interview advice encourages you to exude confidence. But too often that appears like phony bravura. Honesty trumps overconfidence...at least with the sort of employer you'd want to work for. 

She had another challenge to her honesty. An interviewer asked her, "What would you say to a student who says, 'Why do I need to learn about the symbolism in Milton's poetry, about stochastic processes in chemistry. I'm from the inner city. I want to go going back to my community to be an accountant. Isn't there more important stuff they could teach me?"

She was afraid to give the stock answer, "A liberal arts education prepares you for life." Not only is it a cliche, she wasn't quite sure she believed that learning about the symbolism in Milton's poetry teaches you more about life than say a course in conflict resolution. She decided to strike a middle ground: "There is truth to the idea that a liberal arts education prepares you for life but I'm afraid if I said that to a student, he'd blow me off. So I'd probably say something like, "I understand. Might it help, as you're taking these courses, to ask yourself, 'How the hell could I apply this to real life?' Actually some of it does."

Throughout, remembering how important chemistry is, Susan did smile appropriately, was enthusiastic, and asked a couple of questions that showed she had thought about the job. And she used a technique she used when coaching singers: As you're singing, look one audience member pleasantly in the eye, then someone a little to the right and so on. Susan did that with the interviewers and often, they smiled back at her. Chemistry! 

At the end, the director asked, "Do you have any other questions?" Susan didn't ask a standard question like, "When will you let me know?" That would make her seem desperate. Nor did she ask a question that suggested a less-than-great work ethic like, "How much vacation will I get?" 

Instead she was deciding among three: "If I were to be an outstanding employee, what would you hope to see in the first month?" "Every workplace has its cultural norms. What sort of person fits best here?" and "Anything make you hesitant to offer me the job?" She decided on the latter. She thought, "If he raises an objection, I have a chance to counter it. If he says that nothing makes him hesitant, it concretizes his commitment to me, making him more likely to offer me the job."

His answer, "I guess nothing is making me hesitant. He turned to the other interviewers. They all shook their head---no objections. "Well then, I say we offer you the job right here." They all smiled--including, of course, Susan. "It's only part-time and the contract ends at the end of the school year but the pay isn't bad: $22 an hour plus benefits. What do you think?"

"I think, yes!"

The next episode is HERE.

Days of Our Work Lives: An unvarnished look at work today: Part II: Susan's Saga. Episode 10: The Dinner

Days of Our Work Lives

Part II: Susan's Saga  

Episode 10

The Dinner

In the previous episode, Ben gave Susan quite the lesson on how to reduce her procrastination. But more potent than his tips was his suggesting they postpone their first date--his coming over for dinner--until she felt she made progress on her job search.

Well, the next week, Susan job-searched-up a storm: She wrote custom-applications for the ten best-fit jobs she could find on the superjob sites: Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com. She looked at local colleges' websites--She pictured herself happiest working on a campus, especially as an academic adviser. Alas, she found nothing on-target so she defied herself and phoned the director of academic advising at each college. And lo and behold, at Central Washington State University (where she had taken that impenetrable Excel course,) the director said, "We'll be posting a position for an academic adviser. It will only be part-time/temp, but if you like, I'd be pleased to have you come in for a cup of coffee."

As soon as Susan got off the phone, she called Ben: "Dinner is served."

Of course, the dinner's first minutes were awkward. They'd have to be, even  if she wasn't a new widow and he hadn't just broken up with his girlfriend. It is rather unusual for a woman to--for their first date--invite a guy to dinner. 

But they relaxed more quickly than either of them predicted. Part of it was that he had been tutoring her, part was that they had an obvious topic of conversation: her upcoming job interview, but the biggest part was that they somehow felt magically compatible. They couldn't explain it but they both felt it. But they both knew that the place to start was to talk about the job interview.

Ben began, "You sound really excited about the job."

"I am but I'm terrified about the interview."

"Remember, I'm always having to work on contract. That means, every few months, I have to go on another string of interviews. So I've read a zillion articles on interviewing, even Marty Nemko's.  ;-)  And I joined Toastmasters, which made me much more comfortable talking in front of people, and actually, I met someone there who got me a job. But there's no time for that now."

Susan asked, "So what are the most important things you've learned about interviewing?"

"It basically comes down to three things: First and maybe most important, create chemistry."

"How do you do that?"

"It's hard to say but the obvious really helps: have good eye contact, smile when it feels natural to do so, err on the side of being positive, and be enthusiastic. For example, ask a question or two that shows you read the job description carefully."

"What else?"

"Have ready a few one-minute PAR stories that would impress that employer: some problem you faced, the impressive way you approached it, and the positive result."

"But I don't think I've done anything that would impress him."

"Everyone has. Think."

"Well, how about this? I had a singing student who was thinking of dropping out of college. We talked a lot and I was very patient. Finally he told me it was because his girlfriend broke up with him and he couldn't bear to run into her on campus."

"That's a perfect story!"

"And the third thing I need to remember about interviewing?"

"You can't anticipate all the questions but be prepared for two. The first is the question you're most afraid he'll ask."

"I'm afraid he'll ask why I left my previous job. I can't tell him I was accused of creating a hostile environment for gays."

"You were acquitted."

"Acquitted or not, he won't take the risk of hiring me."

"If you tell him the whole story, all that detail will make clear that you did nothing wrong. And unless he's a silly guy, he'll really appreciate that you answered honestly rather than making up some stock BS answer. Honesty may be the most important ingredient missing in job interviews."

"And in society. Deep down, all of us crave integrity."

"Susan, if he sees integrity in you, he'll see your telling him as a net plus."

"What's the other question I should be prepared for?"

"Some version of "Tell me about yourself." 

"Do I start with where I was born?"

"No. Take one minute to tell the pieces of your life's chronology that would convey that this job is a logical next step for you. Wanna try one?"

"How's something like this: I always liked college and really appreciated my academic adviser. He was very helpful in steering me to the right courses and majors. Then more recently, I worked with at-risk kids and spent quite a bit of time advising them and I loved it. So I was really excited when you invited me to come talk with you about a possible academic adviser job here."

"Susan, you're amazing!" He looked into her eyes the way Rory had. But this didn't feel like a technique. This felt real. 

He leaned over toward her but she got scared. "Ben, I think it's time to call it a night."

"I understand. Will you see me again?"

"If next time, you'll let me come see your place."

With thoughts of Ben and the interview tomorrow, she couldn't sleep.

The next episode is HERE.

Will You Shine in a Job Interview?

We're never as engaged in reading material as we are when we read a test question.  So of late, I've been making my USNews.com posts a quiz.  Today's is Will You Shine in a Job Interview?

Job Interview Hail Marys

Let's say there's good news and bad news. The good news is that you've landed a job interview. The bad news is that you suspect you're a longshot candidate.

My USNews.com post today is Interview Hail Marys: high-risk/high-payoff interview strategies.

Hiring Wisely

I've been career coach to many job seekers. Ironically, that has made me a bit sympathetic to the employer, who has the difficult task of trying to differentiate the best candidate from the most primped one.

And the two may be inversely correlated: To land a job, weak candidates may feel they have to gorgeously gift-wrap their package. In contrast, strong candidates may feel that they can land a good job just with a good resume, cover letter, and interview.

Especially in this job market, many job seekers are pulling out all the stops: They submit White Papers, proposals, sales prospect lists, etc. They hire interview coaches who literally put words into their mouths--for example, a wordsmithed explanation of  their "lay off" or employment gap. And interview coaching often includes video: microanalyzing everything from the person's posture to tone of voice to how well he hides his terror when asked a probing question.

And those are the relatively honest job seekers. Studies find that almost half of resumes contain "creative writing," often crafted by a resume writer who not just embellishes credentials but makes the candidate look like she writes, thinks, and organizes better than she really does, attributes that are important on so many jobs.

So what's an employer to do? Hiring is among the most important decisions: It affects the quality of products and services as well as the coworkers' lives. And God forbid things if don't work out: It's often harder to get rid of an employee without incurring an expensive, stressful legal claim than to rid a fleabag hotel of fleas.

So as a token of penance for all the job seekers I've helped to seem better than a more worthy applicant, HERE is how I recommend employers select their employees.

A Gentler Approach to Job Intervewing

The previous post offered solid advice on how to convert an interview into a job offer but it requires a quite assertive and competent person. The following approach offered by Becky Washington, career services coordinator at Portland Community College, may be less intimidating yet still often effective. She writes:

"You gotta sell yourself!!" That's usually core to most career advice, but if you're not a salesy type, that advice may simply make you want to curl up in a ball.

Here’s my alternative: teach and learn. In a job interview, your mission is to teach them about yourself so they can see how you fit with the job and the organization. And use the interview to learn. Learn about the company and the job--you'll be able to ask intelligent questions when the interviewer says “Do you have any questions for us?”

Some of my favorites are: “What is the best part of the job" “What is the worst part of the job?” and “What makes someone successful in this job?”

Techniques for Turning Job Interviews Into Offers

This is the strong article on converting a job interview into an offer. It appears in the current 5 O'Clock Club newsletter. I italicize and bold ideas I think are crucial and not-obvious.

Four Techniques for Turning Job Interviews into Offers

by Nancy Karas

Here are four fundamentals to keep in mind to ace the interview:

1. Learn as much as you can about the organization and the position.

Before the Interview:

Research the company in as much depth as you can. What are its goals and mission? Who are its competitors, and how is it faring in the present economy? Is the industry expanding or shrinking?

What are the primary issues and challenges it may be facing?

During the Interview:

Be proactive in asking questions based on your research: you want insider insights on the problems, issues and challenges.

Share examples of how you have handled similar situations, showing how you can apply your experience and talents to address the issues and create viable solutions.

Let the hiring manager feel that you are there to help and find solutions.

Keep this in mind: you may often be able to help define the job description, as you show the manager how you can help solve the needs of that department.

Find out why the desk is empty. Was there someone in this position previously? Is it a newly created position? What happened to that person? Was he or she promoted or laid off? If the person didn’t work out, what qualities were missing that were needed for this job? What qualities would the ideal candidate bring to the job?

2. Learn as much as you can about the hiring manager and the HR people who will interview you. Move heaven and earth to get the names and titles of the people with whom you will be meeting. If you don’t know—and neglected to find this out when the interview was set up—call back to find out. The Internet may be your best friend in this endeavor. You are likely to find a lot of information on LinkedIn, and a Google search may turn up unexpected details. Years ago, I interviewed for a position with a large company in Northern California. Before the interview, I did my homework, researched the company and the HR Manager I was scheduled to meet with. I looked her up on LinkedIn and learned that she was very involved in a local charity for special needs children. I researched the charity too. When we met, she was not friendly. In fact she was extremely cold to me and seemed really annoyed that she had to meet with me. Somehow I needed to break the ice and find a connection between us—or this interview was going nowhere. I decided to break the ice by talking about the charity. I told her—and this was no lie, said just for flattery—that I was a big fan of all their efforts and if I were to relocate to this area, I would love to contribute to the organization and become a part of their volunteer staff. I mentioned to her that I had done some volunteer work for similar organizations. This topic provided us with a common bond. It told her something important about me. She began to warm up and she was far more receptive to me as the interview went on. In this more congenial atmosphere, we were able to discuss the position and the needs of the company—and how I could address those needs and present solutions.

3. Ask about Your Competition and Your Weaknesses

You really do want to find out how you stack up again others, and if the hiring manager has reservations about you. And yes, you can ask! Near the end of the interview—if not before—do some probing. Ask the hiring manager or the HR team if they have identified any candidates who are a good fit for the position. You may also ask, “Where do I stand as a candidate in comparison to the other candidates?” You also want to know how close they are to making a decision. How many people have they interviewed, and how many are scheduled after you? But above all, you need to find out if they have any reservations about you: “Is there anything about my background that would make you hesitant to hire me?” All of this information can help you as you prepare your follow-up.

4. Send an Influencing Letter

The real work—turning interviews into offer—begins after you have left the interview. The key is brainy, strategic follow-up. This continues the process of building a relationship with the hiring manager. You want to dispel any doubts about your suitability, and influence the decision-makers. It’s up to you to make the case that you are the right candidate for the job.

Most people send a simple thank-you note, but this will have little impact. An influencing letter is one of the most important components of the interviewing process and The Five O’ Clock Club Methodology. You don’t want to leave the decision in their hands. In your letter you may be able to smooth over anything that did not go well during the interview, and answer questions that left you tongue-tied. Demonstrate again that your credentials and your interest in the position make you the right fit for the job. Send a proposal along with your influencing letter to show the manager that you are already thinking about how their needs can be addressed. This will surely set you apart from the competition.

In your influencing letter:

Address the hiring manager’s needs.

Suggest solutions and submit a proposal, based on what you learned during the interview.

Dispel the concerns and doubts that the hiring manager may have had about you.
Show more interest and competence than your competitors!

Are you afraid that this all will make you appear too desperate, or that you will be perceived as a pest? Five O’Clock Club research has shown that this is not the case. Most candidates don’t follow up at all. If they do, they send the standard thank-you note and make one phone call to inquire. Such calls are commonly not returned and no real information is gained. Calling the hiring manager’s office to follow up after an interview is not a good idea. It doesn’t provide you with that golden opportunity to further influence and connect with the person. Sending an influencing letter is the right way to go—then make a follow-up call because there is something new to talk about! Don’t wait for the job offers to come to you. Follow these The Five O’ Clock Club techniques and go out and get them!

My 90-Second Video on the Job Interview

Ahead-of-the-Pack Job Interviewing is one of a series of 90-second career musts videos I did recently as part of my work as Contributing Editor for career matters at U.S. News & World Report.

Be the Last Person Interviewed

The temp agency Robert Half reported research that the last person interviewed gets the job far more often than any other. So, when you’re offered an interview, ask for the last slot. That may be the easiest way to boost your chances of landing a job.