Is Anyone Nervous?
Typically, I start off a Job Search Club interview preparation session by asking whether anyone is nervous about interviewing. The question is usually followed by widespread nervous laughter and a show of a few hands. Our discussion at a typical session should be helpful to you as you are preparing for an interview.
Richard: Is there anyone who is at least a little bit nervous about interviewing?
David: I'm not sure that I have the right personality for interviewing. How should we act at an interview?
Richard: David, you've just touched on a major myth.
The Myth of the Right Personality
There's no such thing as the ideal interview personality.
Whatever personality you have is as ideal as you need. The key is to be yourself at your best. Enthusiasm, for example, is a very positive personality characteristic, but this does not mean that there is some predetermined Enthusiastic Personality. You can communicate enthusiasm in many ways during an interview. However, your enthusiasm will show best if you:
Have done your homework by thoroughly researching the firm? Ask well-thought-out focused questions. Make an effort to 'sell' your candidacy to the firm by demonstrating why you should be hired.
You will then reflect the time and effort you have put in preparing for your interview, not external behaviors that you put on during your interview.
Don't worry that you're not Mr. or Ms. Right and don't try to be someone you're not. You exist; Mr. or Ms. Right does not. You at your best will succeed at your interview.
Gabrielle: Well, I'm concerned that my mind will just go blank at the interview.
Richard: Remember that it's not very common for a person to go absolutely blank at an interview. But suppose you did. You could simply indicate that the job means so much to you that you're really nervous and aren't sure you have a good understanding of the interviewer's question. Then ask the interviewer to repeat the question. You might say something like this: "This job means a lot to me and I'm very nervous. I'm not sure I understood your question. Would you mind restating it?'
One of the things to remember is that, at an interview, everybody is nervous, including the interviewer. Don't be nervous about being nervous. If you feel that nervousness is interfering with your interview, you don't have to hide the feeling. For example, you could say to the interviewer: "You know, [interviewer's name], I'm really nervous. This is one of my first interviews and I really want this job. I hope that my nervousness won't get in the way of our interview." Acknowledging your nervousness may even make you feel more at ease.
Robert: My concern is related to Gabrielle's in a way. I'm concerned that
I'll say something foolish.
Richard: Robert, what is the worst thing that could happen if you did say something foolish?
Robert: Two 'worst things': I wouldn't get the job, and I would feel foolish among my friends afterward.
I told Robert I was glad he had raised this point because it troubles many students. They go through the interview hoping they won't say anything foolish. Their worrying diverts their energy from their main goal-to move toward a job offer by getting invited to a Site Visit.
Richard: It's unlikely that any one thing you will say is going to destroy your interview. The interviewer evaluates the entire interview before making a recommendation about inviting you to the Site Visit (or second interview).
Remember that only two people in the world will know what you say at the interview--you, and the interviewer, who won't care after he or she finishes evaluating you. What you say will not be plastered around your favorite gathering place or published in the campus newspaper.
In the worst case imaginable, you won't get the job--and let's not exaggerate the implications of that outcome. You'll be disappointed but still alive to interview with other firms.
Gabrielle: Richard, I have a more fundamental problem. I don't have any relevant experience.
I told Gabrielle that she had just identified the No Relevant Experience Myth. Like most people, you have not done during college the kind of work you want to do after college. In fact, you probably couldn't, because a college degree would have been required.
The No Relevant Experience Myth
Remember that the interviewer, like the original resume reader, is trying to predict, based on your past and present, whether you would make a good future employee. The difference is that the resume reader had only a piece of paper to work from. The interviewer has you in person.
Your goal, then, is to bring out those characteristics that would be useful to your prospective employer. We have seen that the key to using your work experience is identifying your Positive Characteristics-for example, what you have demonstrated, achieved, and learned in part-time and summer jobs (of whatever kind) and extracurricular activities. If you can show those characteristics, it is secondary whether you gained them at a typical survival job or at IBM. In brief,
- Show what you can bring to your next job;
- Remember that the significant thing about your past is what it predicts about your future.
The Only the All-Stars Can Play Myth
Terri was in some distress when she came to see me. She was getting ready for an interview and was stuck on an exercise I had given her-namely, to cite three examples of her persuasive ability and three examples of her leadership. 'I've never sold anybody anything and I've never been a club officer/ Terri said. "What can I say about persuasion and leadership?'
Terri could have helped herself by viewing the situation this way: 'Let me think of examples of my persuasive ability and leadership. I know that a good source of things to look at is what I've been doing on my part-time and summer jobs, in the dormitory, and as a club member. Let me make some lists.' Looked at this way, the question doesn't require any particular work experience or elective office, and that's the point I wanted to make for Terri.
I asked Terri about her student aide job in the admissions office. 'Nothing spectacular' she said. I agreed, but 'spectacular' isn't the issue. I narrated my dialogue with Terri to the JSC group.
Richard: Describe a day in the admissions office.
Terri: Well, people come to me and ask questions about the school. Sometimes they're a little hostile and ask about campus security and the impact of the budget cuts.
Richard: What do you do then?
Terri: I tell them that I've been here for three years and feel very safe. In terms of the budget cuts, they've caused some problems, but I've still been able to get every course I needed.
Richard: How do the potential new students react?
Terri: They generally seem to feel more comfortable with our school. I know that because they start to ask me the kind of questions you ask when you're seriously considering attending a certain school.
Richard: Did you persuade them to be more open-minded about the school?
Terri (with a smile): Yes; I guess that's an example of persuasion, isn't it?
The lesson Terri learned was that you don't have to be an all-star to have demonstrated important skills and abilities. In many cases, what you've done in common situations will favorably impress an interviewer. But it's your job to identify the examples.
Hector then asked me a classic student question:
Hector: Richard, you've been telling us to go into the interview wanting the job offer. But I don't want to be dishonest-I don't know what I really want.
Richard: Hector, I admire your honesty, but it would be more constructive for you to view the issue in its proper context. The issue, properly understood, is not 'This is the one and only job I want.' You only need to feel that this is a job in which you have some serious interest. You might want many jobs before you find one that is offered to you and accepted by you.
Many students find this suggestion helpful: At an interview, focus your answer on what attracts you to that job. This does not preclude you from being attracted to other jobs as well. Presented that way, you are being honest with yourself and the interviewer. Honesty is not monogamy at the interview stage.
To put interviewing in a social context, your interview is more like having a first date than suggesting to someone that it's time to get married. You are saying 'I think you're cute,' not 'I love you.'
Alice raised her hand and asked, 'How will I know if I've answered the interviewer's question?'
I told Alice that this might seem like a prodigious problem, but it really isn't.
Richard: Your answer should be brief-say, five or six sentences. Long answers lose impact, get off the subject, and bore the listener. If you have any doubt that you've answered the question, ask the interviewer rather than sitting there with the doubt. You could say, simply, 'Have I answered your question?' or 'Would you like me to tell you more?'
Robert, anthropology major, said he wanted to ask a related question.
Robert: Very often, I don't know how I want to answer a question. It's embarrassing to sit there going 'umm.'
Richard: Robert, that's a good point. Now imagine that you're at a business meeting and someone asks you a question. Would you just jump in with an answer? Would you pause a moment to reflect?
Robert (pausing): I think I would pause for a moment. No one expects you to react like a real-time computer at a business meeting. A businessperson should reflect a moment to think, so the response will be concise and meaningful.
Richard: Exactly; remember that a job interview is like a business meeting between equals. Pause for a moment to collect your thoughts. You might say something like: "That's a good question. I'd like to think about it for a moment.' Identify for yourself a few points you want to make, and then proceed with your answer. A pause will make your answer better organized and more forceful. It will not make you seem dim-witted or uncertain of yourself.
Alice said she had a related concern. 'I'm worried that I won't say what they want to hear.' I thanked Alice for introducing The Duck on the Ceiling Myth, which plagues too many students.
The Duck on the Ceiling Myth
When you enter your interview room, look up to see whether there's a duck on the ceiling. Let me tell you why. Some years ago, Groucho Marx, one of the greatest comedians of the twentieth century, hosted a quiz show called 'You Bet Your Life.' Before the quizzing began, Groucho would give the contestants a brief interview about their jobs, where they came from, their families, their hobbies, and other topics from their personal lives. The contestants knew that Groucho had picked some common vocabulary word-- let's say 'kitchen'--and designated it as the special word of the evening. The audience knew the special word, but the contestants did not. Groucho attached the word to a stuffed duck that was hoisted to the ceiling at the beginning of the show. If a contestant said the 'right' word, the duck came down from the ceiling and the contestant won a few hundred dollars. The audience had a great time watching for the contestants to say the 'right word.' The duck usually stayed on the ceiling.
Groucho's show was hilarious and had a nationwide audience of loyal fans. But there is no duck hanging from the ceiling at a job interview! There is no predetermined right (or wrong) answer that the interviewer is expecting to hear. The interviewer wants to hear what you have to say and will evaluate your response on its own merits.
There are two additional reasons for not expending mental energy in trying to guess what the interviewer wants to hear.
- If you try to read the interviewer's mind, you will undercut a key aspect of your mental preparation-the sense that an interview is a business meeting between equals. Don't turn the interview into a half-hour of guessing what someone else wants to hear; know what you want to say about yourself that would make you a good employee.
- You will jeopardize the interviewer's confidence that you are giving honest answers if you try to anticipate what he or she wants to hear. Honest answers come from your own feelings and experiences, not from what you imagine is in someone else's head.
In the beginning, the Creator considered how best to fashion humans. There were many things to take into account-muscles, circulation, growth potential, and spiritual development. The Creator also determined that humans' very structure would be a lesson in how to do things right. Therefore, the Creator determined that humans should have:
Two ears: to emphasize the importance of listening;
A brain: placed deliberately between the ears to help humans think about what others were heard to say;
A mouth: for speaking, but only after hearing and thinking first.
The Creator looked upon humans and saw that they were good, especially for interviewing. And thus it is that became an interviewing creed for all time.
David asked about a subject that troubles students far more than it's worth. 'What about dress? I read that 'Dress makes the person,' but I don't have a lot of money. What do you suggest?'
I told David that he could learn to dress without distress.
The Dress Is Critical Myth
If you are a man, wear a suit (dark is best, light is OK), a shirt (solid blue or white makes it easier to match your outfit), a tie, socks, and shoes. You don't need to find out what the Power Tie of the Year is. Just have a clean tie that matches your shirt and suit. If you are a woman, wear a skirt and blouse or a woman's suit. Be modest-you're going to a business meeting, not a dinner date. These simple rules are sufficient. As a placement director, I have sponsored 25,000 interviews, and not once has a student who followed these simple guidelines hurt his or her chances at an interview. Once, an interviewer remarked that the way a candidate dressed helped her get a second interview.
You cannot score points by the way you dress. If you dress as I have just indicated, you will neutralize the issue, which is the most you can hope for anyway.
When you are actually in a profession, certain standards may apply. After you join a particular firm, your wardrobe may change. Until then, be neat, clean, and professional. Anything more is not necessary.
Hitches and Glitches
Don't destroy your chances by looking unprofessional. Blue jeans, casual slacks, and sneakers are out; so is scuba-diving equipment or attention-grabbing attire. If your dress is casual, Modern Day Student style, the interviewer can assume either that you are not serious about the job or that your elevator doesn't go to the top floor. Be serious or be unemployed.
The Learner's Permit Myth
Bill asked me a good question that helped clarify his purpose at the inter-view-to move toward a job offer by getting invited to a Site Visit.
Bill: If the firm is learning about us at the interview, shouldn't we be learning about the firm as well? Richard: That's a good question, Bill. You may learn something about the firm at your interview, but that's not your objective. Your objective at your interview is to progress toward a job offer. All your energy should be directed to that goal.
There are four good reasons why trying to learn about the job should not be your goal at your interview:
- You should have learned about the firm through your research before your interview, as a basic part of your preparation. If your interest is to learn about the firm during your interview, you are liable to be less thorough in your research about the firm beforehand. That approach could be fatal to your chances.
- If you make learning about the firm an interview goal, you will tend to evaluate the job while you are still in the interview. The job hasn't been offered yet, so an evaluation at this point would be meaningless. Besides, if you try to evaluate the job under the stress of an interview, you won't be able to make a sound judgment anyway.
- You should be selling your Positive Characteristics, not trying to learn, at an interview. Learning tends to be a reflective, almost passive, activity for many people. That attitude will usually work against you at an interview. You should be proactive and enthusiastic, to get the job offer.
- You can ask anything you want about the job or the firm after the offer is in your hand. At that point, you can ask questions and evaluate the job in a calm and thoughtful manner.
Alice, an accounting major, objected to something I had said. "How can you tell us that an interview is like a business meeting between equals? Isn't the employer in the driver's seat?'
I told Alice that her question was important for debunking the Ten-Foot-Tall-Interviewer Myth.
The Ten-Foot-Tall Interviewer Myth
Larry, who was not a JSC member, came to my office one Monday in a state of agitation. His first interview was scheduled for the next day. I asked him how he felt. 'It's unfair,' Larry told me. I wondered what was unfair; had I done something wrong?
'No, that's not it. I've worked so hard for 3/2 years, in part because I wanted a good job. Tomorrow, I have 30 minutes to make the guy from Tool co happy. He could ruin my life by giving me a thumbs-down.
I told Larry I thought he was exaggerating the importance of one interview for his whole life, but, more to the point, I still wasn't sure exactly what was 'unfair.'
'Look,' Larry explained, with his hand stretched two feet over his head, 'this corporate guy can look at me and decide whether I get a job.' As Larry said 'me,' his hand indicated a height below his knees.
Now I had the picture: the Student Pygmy against the Corporate Giant. I gave Larry two pieces of advice:
- Get the situation straight. An interview is not even a contest, let alone a joust to the death. It's a business meeting.
- There are no pygmies or giants at your meeting. There are only actively involved people participating as equals.
The interview is being held because both you as a job seeker and the firm as an employer want to see whether there is a good match between you. If there is, the firm may offer to give you a salary in exchange for your labor. This is a business meeting about a business deal. If the firm makes you an offer, you may accept it-or reject it!
