Top 10 Interviewing Tips

I know a lot of people right now seeking jobs. Some are fresh out of universities, some are fresh out of high school and others are near retirement and desperately seeking career stability. Twice, recently, people have called me for interview tips. I haven’t ever been in Human Resources, but I’m well known for giving loads of free advice…maybe that’s why they sought my input. Regardless, I did what we all should do in such circumstances, I called on a friend who really knows her stuff.

Mary E. Sculley is a member of my Vistage Trusted Advisors group and has more than 25 years of experience including senior executive roles spanning human resources, corporate communications and mergers/acquisitions. Let’s just say, she knows her stuff. The question I put to Mary dealt specifically with phone interviews…often the first stage of the interview process, particularly if you’re changing geographic locations. Here’s what she had to say:

• Listen carefully, as you are now relying on only one sense – hearing.
• Don’t rush…when you are not clear on the question or the direction, ask probing questions.  The interviewer will appreciate your interest in being clear on what they are asking.
• Once again – don’t rush – it is easier to “play” the pregnant pause when you are face to face.  On the phone we are programmed to be either chatty or quick.  Don’t be either.  Play the role of being face to face and try to focus on the nuance of their voice – intonation, emotional tone, timing…
• Be yourself. Be articulate. Speak clearly and concisely but with personality.
• In summary, begin with some “commonality” … lived in a similar geographical area, have a common hobby, common professional experience…this sets the stage for a conversation on common ground.

Here are the Mimi Top Five gleaned from my role as an interviewer and having served on several search committees lately. You’ve heard most of them before…they are still vitally important.

• Do your homework. I was on a panel that had the selection narrowed down to one candidate with whom we were highly impressed. However, when he came to the final round interview, he was surprised to learn that the woman who would be his immediate supervisor—the school district superintendent—was retiring. Now this had been in the Arizona Republic and on the district website for a week, yet we were the ones to tell him. I was trying to cut the guy some slack—flew in from the East coast, probably had a busy week at work, etc.—one of my fellow panelists said, “Mimi, if you were coming to this interview, when is the last time you would have checked our website?” My answer was, “This morning.” You don’t have to know everything, but if the business with which you’re interviewing is in the news and you don’t know it…shame on you. You should also be aware of past news events…if you’re interviewing with Johnson & Johnson, you should know why there’s a connection between Tylenol and cyanide.
• Keep it simple. Just answer the question. Don’t try to deliver information you want the interviewer to have—just give them the information they need. This will also keep you from sounding like a chipmunk on crack. If you’re think you sound brilliant, quit talking while you’re ahead and perhaps the interviewer will think you’re brilliant, too.
• Be well mannered. This means in demeanor and dress. An Executive Director of a well known non-profit share shared that one job candidate for an entry level job arrived in jeans. Another arrived 10 minutes late. Really? Jeans? What that conveys is that you’re most interested in your own comfort. And being late tells me you don’t plan well.
• Ask for the contact information of everyone in the interview. You can ask for this in advance, “Would it be too much trouble for me to have the contact information for the people who will be on the panel?” or as you’re leaving. I’d get it in advance. Why do you need this? Because…
• YOU ARE GOING TO WRITE THANK YOU NOTES! If the organization prohibits handwritten contact, you’re going to send each person a thank you email as follow up. Always. Just to make sure I wasn’t out of date on this, I called Mary Sculley to double check, and she told me this:
  • She especially liked notes that point out a specific highlight of the interview, as it brought it back to the top of her mind as well.
  • When she received the note, she would clip it to the corresponding resume. At the end of the interview, she would toss the resumes of the candidates that weren’t selected with the exception of the ones with notes attached. She kept those on hand as front runners for the next opening.

Good luck in your job searches my friends. Don’t let worry consume you. Worry and fear clog all your channels and make you less approachable, and far less open to the opportunities (not to mention joy) that may be waiting to embrace you when you least expect it.

If you have specific questions or advice, comment here. I’ll call on my team of experts to help you if necessary. Remember…wherever you are, you are in the right place for goodness to grow!

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