The New World of Job Searching -
Part 7 - Interviewing
By Robert Skladany, RetirementJobs.com Chief Career Coach
You've sent out resumes and applied for numerous job openings. If you're fortunate, you receive an acknowledgement, and then, most often, a long period of silence follows. And then it comes - an email, phone call or voice message (seldom a written letter anymore) - "can we talk about your interest in our job?"
No message invokes such elation, and such anxiety. So many applications, maybe even interviews, with no success.
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In today's economy and with highly automated, some same dehumanized, employment processes, just receiving an interview is a cause for excitement and celebration. Sure, this is the call all job hunters waiting anxiously for, but now what?
The Initial Phone Conversation
Increasingly, employers may first want to speak with you on the phone. The call may be as simple as confirming your interest and continued availability or it may be a rigorous screening interview. Often, it may be simply to schedule an in-person interview.
If the employer want the initial interview to be over the phone, don't feel obligated to launch right into the conversation unprepared. You don't want the recruiter to think you have just been sitting waiting for their call. It's perfectly fine to say "I don't have the time for a lengthy conversation right now but would be available ("later today" or "perhaps tomorrow morning").
Take the time to ask some questions and get your bearings. When you call the employer for the first time, be prepared with several questions:
What did you find of interest in my application?
Who will I be speaking with?
(Get their name, title, address, phone and email)
How much time will be needed?
Will there be tests or on-the-job trials
(i.e. Text editing, keyboarding, business math, etc.)
Where and when will the interview take place?
What's the appropriate attire?
(Always "dress up" even if told "it's casual)
What is the interviewing and screening process?
What would you recommend I do for preparation?
If you are working with a recruiting firm, you may be learning of the interview request through your contact there. This will be your "middleman" in dealing with the employer. This can speed or impede the process, and it can certainly be more frustrating that if you could handle the arrangements yourself. It's one of the downsides of working through a recruiter. Regardless, be sure to ask the same questions.
The Interviewing Process - What to Expect
The interview process can vary widely based on industry, occupation, employer and position. Generally, the higher paid the job, the longer and more rigorous the interviewing and selection process:
Hourly Wage Positions (administrative, clerical, manual labor, skilled trades, personal service, or technical): Be prepared for a "phone screening" interview followed up by an in-person interview at the employer's facility. The interview could include skill, capability and "personality" tests. (More on "personality" tests below) You may interview with a Human Resources recruiter, your potential supervisor and possibly co-workers. It would be unusual to be asked to do follow up interviews, but it could happen.
Salaried Positions (professional, senior technical, sales, supervisory, or managerial): Expect a lengthier phone screen and interview schedule including follow up interviews at a later date. There could be some knowledge and skill testing and an increased likelihood for "personality" testing. You could encounter "panel" interviews with two or more people on the employer's side of the table. This could be for efficiency or to gauge your ability to speak to a group.
Higher-Paid, Salaried Positions (senior professional, upper-management, or executive): You should expect rigorous, lengthy and repeated interviews spanning several visits. There is not likely to be any skill or knowledge testing but there is a higher likelihood of "personality" tests to gauge your "fit" with the culture and style of the employer.
Interview Preparation
Whether an initial phone interview or an in-person interview, you must be prepared. If you haven't done it yet, learn everything you can about the employer, the position, the people you will talk with and the industry including their major competitors.
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Use the internet to search on these topics. Go to the employer's website and study every page. You will likely pick up some information, even language, you can talk about in the interview - and recruiters are impressed when you have obviously made an effort to learn about them.
Prepare questions you want to ask during interviews. Focus on positives such as "Will I be able to use the wide range of my abilities in this position?" or "I see from your website that you encourage internal advancement - would there be opportunities for me to grow with you?"
Personality Tests
Some employers use standardized testing to evaluate personality, personal attributes and even behaviors. (At the extreme, some employers use handwriting analysis.) There are often no absolutely "right" answers to such tests. Be honest, be yourself, but most importantly, think what answer the employer would prefer. I'm not suggesting you misrepresent yourself, but given a choice, give the most socially acceptable answer
Interview Day
The big day has come. Focus on the basics:
Rest - Get plenty of rest and eat well before the interview - maybe a little exercise the day before
Dress for Success - Be well-groomed and well dressed. Dress "one click" above what the employer tells you is appropriate attire. Now is the time for that new suit or outfit. If you look sharp, you'll feel more confident - and it's a difference that will impress interviewers.
Promptness - Get there early! Never be late or "just in time"
Interview Notebook - Prepare a small three-ring binder with material about the employer, extra resumes and your questions. Don't go in with a big bag or briefcase, lunch bag, newspapers or other "stuff". Simple, efficient and organized is the sense you want to convey.
Work Examples - If appropriate, bring a portfolio of your work
Job # 1 - Connect with the interviewer! Don't jump into the interview. Find a topic or small talk to get at ease with the interviewer and vice versa. Ask them something about their background - it can be very flattering.
"Would You Like Something to Eat?" - If offered a beverage, it's most polite to accept (and it slows things down a little). If having a meal during an interview, pick something easy to eat and never, never an alcoholic drink.
Know Who You Spoke With - Don't leave the interview without the name, title, address, phone number, email or every interviewer, even people you meet briefly. Ask for a business card.
What's Next - At the end of the interviews, ask "what's next?" What is the process, what else might I expect, how long will it take?
The Tough Questions
Older job seekers are often anxious about age-related questions. Well, if you got the interview, there probably going to meet you and despite your best effort to come across as age 39, it's time to face the music. My advice? Be proud of your age, your lifetime of achievement and wealth of capabilities. Be prepared for these classic unsettling questions:
Do you think you're overqualified? - Don't get huffy! Explain why you want this job and will not jump to a more challenging or better paying job. Again, get back to capabilities, knowledge, skills and achievements.
How old are you? - It is legal to ask this question. Answer it plainly and with pride. Same applies to "When did you graduate from school?"
Why do you want to work? - A popular question. Tell the recruiter precisely what your motivations are to secure this job and state the number of years you plan to work (ideally at least five to seven or longer).
Why are you unemployed? - Be ready to answer this. The best answer is always "I am looking for growth" or "our company had a staff reduction" or "I took an early retirement package and want to do something new." If you were terminated, answer truthfully but carefully.
What pay are you looking for? - Answer with something like this. "I am certain you have a pay structure and you are concerned about internal equity. I am confident that if you make a reasonable offer, I will be inclined to respect the proposed salary." If they repeat the question, tell them your lowest acceptable salary - consider yourself stuck. The alternative is to say "I believe it is premature to talk about pay level.
Are you in good health? - This is an illegal question. If you have a visible chronic illness or disability, let them draw their own conclusion. Focus on your motivation, stamina and energy.
Follow Up
Following the interviews and tests, the most important thing to do is to be persistent. Here are a few ideas:
Thank You Notes - They are not old fashioned or silly. Send a brief thank you note stating you appreciate the chance to interview and would very much like to get the job. Perhaps an email would be more appropriate and they'll get it more quickly. But do it promptly.
Follow Up Contact - Reach out to your primary contact at least once each week until someone tells you to stop. You have to walk a fine line between being persistent and being a pest - but employers no reason to pay attention to candidates who are silent after the interviews.
Send Along Something New - Forward an article of interest or an email mentioning something of importance that you failed to mention. Be persistent, and be creatively persistent. The most powerful thing you can say is, "I want this job!"
Robert Skladany is a Human Resources consultant, executive, educator and author. He has focused his career on the issues of mature and retired workers and the particular value they bring to the workplace and to employers in search of stable, productive and positive employees.
