Consider this month’s column to be one of those “clip and save” articles if you’re not presently in the job market, as it is a list of do’s and don’ts for any job interview in technical industries such as those covered by Happi. It is intended as a short refresher rather than as an exhaustive treatise on the interpersonal dynamics of an interview.

My feeling has always been that it is possible to be overprepared for an interview, which can sometimes be just as damaging as being under prepared. By studying books that go into canned responses to interview questions, you may find yourself looking a bit too “plastic” for the professional on the other side of the desk. It’s usually HR staff who are the first to spot this kind of obvious over-preparation, as they’ve read the same books with titles like “100 Snappy Answers to Tough Interview Questions.” These are intended to give you a leg up, but all they do is put some other person’s ‘best answer’ into your head. Really, the best advice anyone can give you is to be yourself. Honesty, openness, and transparency fare much better in the interview environment than rote memorization.

An interview is an opportunity for you to learn as much about the company and the people involved as they will want to learn about you. Obviously, taking this opportunity seriously means that you will do adequate research on the company in advance and go into the meeting prepared to talk about how your skills and abilities can benefit them. It is a good idea, though, to avoid those canned or phony responses. If, for some reason, you end up in a position which started out on a false premise, you may find that it ends up being a disaster for your career. Good interviews are the ones where you walk away with the feeling that the company is a place where you can stretch and grow, with all of that built on a great personal chemistry with the team.

Don’t Lose This List!

Here is a list of items that should be reviewed before you interview. My go-to guide includes some items that readers will see as very basic. Take these seriously, as well. Keep in mind that each one of these suggestions has been known to make or break a potential career opportunity. You would be surprised at how many 10-and-20-year veterans leave interviews without an offer after having blundered on the basics!

• Be alert but comfortable. Use animation with hands, eyes and head. Lean forward slightly in your chair while listening, and maintain a healthy share of eye contact. Don’t be a statue, your body should have a general attitude of “attentive interest.”
• Smile and laugh when appropriate. Keep in mind that smiling people are seen as individuals who are human and who have confidence in themselves.
• Don’t make extensive notes during an interview unless the interviewer suggests that you write something down.
• Treat everyone in the company with the same level of courtesy. You may just interview with that person cleaning lab glassware later in the day!
• Walk into the interview with a confident, upright posture. Shake hands firmly with all who offer, giving your name first.
• Remember that telling a joke during an interview, no matter how hilarious, is rarely in good taste. One sales manager whom we sent out reported back that his favorite joke was so well received that the vice president of marketing had him repeat it three times to others. When he didn’t get the offer, we learned that the client didn’t feel he would take his responsibilities seriously.
• Find out early what the interviewer is interested in and then talk about it. If they start asking you lots of questions about your abilities in category A, don’t continue talking only about category B. Your job is to spark an interest and maintain it.
• Avoid speaking in a monotone. Normal conversation has people varying the tone and volume of their voice as they speak.
• Remember that the interviewer may be just as uncomfortable as you. Rather than concern yourself with your own insecurities, try concentrating on the person in front of you. Make the interview go smoothly for her and you will find that you’ve conducted a great interview. Honest smiles and a friendly approach will help.
• Write a synopsis of the interview immediately afterward. Also, make certain to provide prompt feedback to the recruiter or human resources person that set up the visit. Don’t forget that the person who put the interview together is involved throughout the entire process.
• Get the names, with proper spelling, of all the people you interview with over the course of the day. Better yet, get their business cards.
• Avoid controversy like the plague.
• A well-placed pause after an important question is worth its weight in gold. This “thinking pause” doubles the value of whatever your answer might be. Obviously, you know what your five year goals are even before going into the interview, but it is still better to pause and reflect briefly before responding.
• Never say anything negative about a previous employer or a former colleague. This is such basic advice and yet people do it all the time. No griping allowed!
• If there is a skeleton in your closet of some sort, get the answers to concerned questions sorted out in advance. Resumes always have some sort of glitch that will be probed. For example, the graduate degree that took eight years to complete, or the job change after six months.
• Often you will have an opportunity to meet future peers in an organization. No matter how they are introduced, assume that everyone you talk with on interview day is going to be involved in the decision to hire. Often, those “candid” questions that get asked in these circumstances make it back to the hiring manager.
• Salary questions usually come up twice, once when the company asks (and needs to know) your present salary and secondly, when the talk gets serious and the discussion turns to your salary expectations for the position. When you hear that question on expectations, or something similar, you’ll know that the negotiation has begun. If it feels too early for that sort of conversation, tell them that. But, if they are only asking for more clarification of your present salary, then help them out. Since one small lie will disqualify you, don’t consider pumping up your salary! On the other hand, don’t give the company just the present salary without advising them of details like your bonus, or your stock options, a pending pay raise, etc. Clue them into the entire package, for it is this figure that they need to consider when making you an offer.
• Don’t be overly concerned with details, such as how many weeks of vacation you’ll get, when the personnel department starts to rattle off the company benefits. You can get specific answers to these questions when an offer is made.

‘Knockout’ Factors

Here are 10 “self-induced” factors that can disqualify an applicant. These come from my discussions with company hiring managers after interviews. Clearly, the number one reason you might be knocked out of the competition for a particular job is that you are not technically qualified to do the work. However, since a great number of individuals leave interviews after having brought on the negative results themselves, here are a handful of the ones we hear most often:

• Attitude problems. Brought on by negative overtones in questions. Or a “What can you do for me?” posture.
• Questions. Failure to ask appropriate questions about the job responsibilities, or failure to ask any questions at all.
• Concerns about money. Questions regarding salary coming up early in the conversation, or a perceived attitude of being available for the best offer.
• Negative comments. Comments about past employers or colleagues.
• Sharing Proprietary Experience. A willingness to discuss areas of prior work experience in too specific detail.
• Career goals. Lack of a definite set of career goals or a seeming lack of direction for the future.
• Communication style. Inability to express thoughts and communicate clearly.
• Lack of enthusiasm: No apparent interest in the firm. Interest and
• enthusiasm holds the personal chemistry of candidate and company together.
• Afraid to admit weaknesses. This often shows up as a tendency to inflate knowledge about a particular subject.
• Lack of preparation: This shows up in the individual’s limited knowledge about the firm, in a poorly prepared talk if giving one, or in the questions asked at the end of the interview.  

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David G. Jensen
Founder and Managing Director of CTI Executive Search
[email protected]
928-274-2266
www.careertrax.com
 
David Jensen is the founder and managing director of CTI Executive Search, a unit of CareerTrax Inc, a leading search firm working in the life sciences. Previously, he had been a managing director at Kincannon & Reed, a 30-year retained executive search firm where his company, CareerTrax, had been a contractor. In 1985, Jensen founded and was CEO at Search Masters International (SMI), a top executive search practice working with biotechnology companies, which was sold in 2001 to a $4.4B human resources service firm. Prior to 1985, Jensen had established a life sciences practice for Govig and Associates (Phoenix, AZ).