Entries from September 2009 ↓

5. Vary the pitch or tone of your voice more than you normally would. A slightly higher pitch will communicate excitement, agreement, or enthusiasm. A slightly lower pitch will relay that you are about to make a very important point. Let your tone go up and down a little bit more
that normal. It will keep the interview from sounding stale, as well as keep you feeling enthusiastic and excited about what you’re saying.

6. If you like, you can put a little stuffed animal or picture of someone you love near the phone and look at it while you talk. It will make you relax and feel like you’re talking to a friend. It will also fill your voice with warmth. Remember, whether it’s the supervisor or a CEO who is interviewing you, that person has feelings, just like you.

In fact, 60 percent of interviewers you will talk to have never been trained at all in interviewing. Hundreds of interviewers have confided in me that they actually feel nervous, incompetent, or stressed when conducting interviews.

A little warmth in your voice, generated by looking at something cuddly, funny, or someone you care about, can go a long way to soothing the “rattled” nerves of some interviewers, thereby making the whole tone of
the interview more relaxed for you as well.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

What if you have an interview over the phone? You may be using the same words to communicate your answers, but you will need to pay extra attention to how you communicate warmth and enthusiasm. Here are a few strategies to use when you want your phone interview to have the same impact as being faceto- face:

1. Stand up while you’re talking. You will breathe more deeply, and your voice will sound fuller.

2. Smile. Yes, smile! Professional salespeople are trained to use this technique so that they actually sound friendly and cheerful (even if they’re really not having a great day). When you are smiling, an interviewer can “hear” your smile in your voice.

3. Listen extra carefully. Since you can’t see the interviewer, be sure you understand what he or she is asking. It’s okay to ask an interviewer to repeat the question or to say, “I understand that you are asking me
_______________________. Is that correct?”

4. Keep your answers less than 90 seconds long. You won’t be able to see any visual cues, so it’s wise to keep answers to a reasonable length so as to not let the interviewer become distracted or bored.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

You might take a moment to put your hand to your chin and comment: “That’s a really good question. Hmm . . . let me see. I haven’t thought about that one lately.” This stalling behavior is perfectly tolerated by the interviewer because you are letting him or her into your thinking process. And, after all, you are human, and so is he or she! Interviewers don’t necessarily expect you to answer on a dime.

Some questions require a moment to reflect. As you use this time (rather than panicking), allow yourself to take a deep breath or two. It’s also okay to allow your eyes to roam or glance down at the floor, at a window, or to a picture on the wall.

Extensive research in how our brains access information tells us that sometimes it is necessary to look to the side, up, down, or even “into space” for a moment in order to give the brain access to stored sensory cues. These cues help us construct what to say next. Ninety-nine percent of the time you can trust your brain to come up with an answer.

If you can’t think of anything relevant to say at that moment, the following answer will keep you poised, while at the same time showing that you are willing to take initiative:

ANSWER: You know, that’s such an interesting question. I think the answer deserves time for some research. Can I look into it this evening and call or send an e-mail with my answer first thing in the morning?

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

Now is the time to use your inquisitiveness to ask openended questions, gained from your research, that give you information while at the same time flattering the employer. The following is a list of some good questions to ask:

• What is the company’s 5-year plan?
• What is the company’s mission?
• Is the company culture more on the casual or more on the formal side?
• What would be the ideal candidate for this position?
• What is the typical management style?
• What would be some of my duties in the first year of employment?
• What are some of the new products, services, or improvements in the works for next year’s production schedule?
• What do you [the interviewer] like most about working at the company?
• What are some of the organization’s proudest moments or most unique accomplishments?
• What do you think I can personally do to drive this company to the competitive edge?

Much later, when you are in the negotiating phase, you can negotiate for a parking space. For now, keep your questions open and general.

Stalling and Accessing
In some cases, there may be a question for which you just cannot recall the answer. You’d be surprised at how clever your brain is if you just give it a little time to process and access a response.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

As for disabilities, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the only way that it is legally feasible to ask a question about physical or mental disability is the following:
QUESTION: Do you have any physical condition that would prevent you from doing this job?

Your answer should be no, unless you really are aware of something that would prevent you from doing that particular job. You may have a bad back or a trick knee or suffer from depression or diabetes, but if it doesn’t affect your job duties as described, you need not mention it. The rest is between you and your doctor. You are not obligated to reveal any disability that doesn’t directly impair your job performance for a particular job you are seeking.

The question “Do you have a disability?” is illegal.
It may be answered by a simple no.

Questions to Ask the Employer
There comes a time, usually near the end of the interview, when the employer will ask you if you have any questions about the company or the position. However curious you feel, now is not the time to ask whether you get an assigned parking space or whether you get an office or a cubicle. Those are real concerns, but not at this point.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

You know by now that a stress question is designed to make you defensive, angry, nervous, or doubtful. The best way to deal with the stress question is to remain calm and answer it in the best way you know how. Therefore, C would be the optimum choice in this example.

Illegal Questions
Ninety-five percent of interviewers will not ask you illegal questions. But some—because of ignorance, inexperience, or uncharitable motives—may ask you indirectly or directly about your marital status, number of children, arrest record, physical or mental disabilities, race, religion, sexual preference, or ethnicity.

You have a legal right not to discuss these issues. One of the best ways to get around the discomfort of these types of inquiries (other than getting up and walking out the door) is to respond as follows:

ANSWER A: Excuse me, but I’m not sure I understand. Could you please rephrase the question?

That alone will usually stop the interviewer in his or her tracks. If he or she asks again, you can say:
ANSWER A: I’m not sure how my marital status would have any bearing on my ability to carry out my job responsibilities. Could you please clarify that for me?

Or . . .
ANSWER A: Does my race have something to do with the job description? I don’t think I understand the question.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

“There, you have it,” he says, and smiles. There is an uncomfortable silence in the room. One of the scientists sits back in her chair, hands folded over her chest, frowning. Another seems to look confused and is shaking his head back and forth. The third comments, with a distinct tone of disapproval, “You mean, that’s all? Aren’t you going to draw the rest of it?”

In reality, the drawing is perfect. The job applicant knows it’s right, but wonders why the other scientists don’t seem to think so.
“Why don’t you take a few moments to finish it?” the woman says.

With what you now know about stress questions, which of the following do you think is the best response?

ANSWER A: [defensively] There’s nothing wrong with that! Any eighth grader would know how to draw a simple normal cell! Perhaps you’ve forgotten that I have a Ph.D. in biochemistry and have been published over two dozen times, not to mention that I have lectured throughout the world on the topic of cell biology.

ANSWER B: [nervously] Oh . . .uh . . . I’m sorry. You mean you want me to change it? Sure, okay. I’m not really good at drawing. Maybe you can’t tell it’s a cell. I must have forgotten something. It really is a poor drawing. What a mess! Sorry, I’m sure it’s not what you’re looking for. Should I try it again?

ANSWER C: [calmly] That’s the way a normal human cell looks to the best of my understanding.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

There is a particularly insidious variety of stress questions that is usually asked in technical engineering or scientific interviews but that could very well also be used in other fields including, but not limited to, the social sciences. Technical stress questions, as I call them, are not really questions. They’re more like little assignments. Their purpose is to put the applicant under a good deal of pressure. They may arise in an interview with an individual or in a panel interview. Let’s take a look at one scenario to see how such a question typically arises.

Abdhur Khatik has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and is applying for a staff scientist’s position in a biotechnology firm. Abdhur did well in his first interview with the vice president of the company, and he has been invited back for a group interview with three of his fellow scientists. They’re about halfway through the interview when one of the interviewers says, “Mr. Khatik, would you be so kind as to go to the white board and draw a picture of a normal cell?”

To Abdhur, this request seems ridiculous and simple-minded. Isn’t it obvious that someone with a doctorate in biochemistry would know something so elementary as how to draw a cell? Nevertheless, he follows directions and deftly constructs a diagram of a healthy cell on the white board.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

Another thing to remember here is that this is a stress question. It’s not designed to specifically gather information about weaknesses. It is designed to throw you off balance. With that in mind, all you have to do is answer calmly with perhaps a smile or a little chuckle, as if you are shrugging it off.

Sometimes stress questions are very bizarre and seem not to relate to the interview at all:

QUESTION: Why is there fuzz on a tennis ball? Either of these answers, said with a smile, would be fine:
ANSWER: Good question.
ANSWER: That’s certainly one to think about! Other, fairly silly questions that are designed to make you think they are “deep” and to throw you off are:
QUESTION: What’s your favorite color, and why?
QUESTION: If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be, and why?
QUESTION: What’s your favorite animal, and why?

If the interviewer asks you these questions, you can at least be assured that he or she is considering you as a serious candidate for the job. You really can’t win with these questions, other than to say:
ANSWER: No, I don’t object to testing of any kind.

If you do object to being tested, you might want to look for some other target companies that do not employ these practices. In Chapter 10, you’ll be able to read an entire interview, from start to finish, so you’ll get an excellent idea of how stress questions (and their answers) fit into the larger scheme of things. You’ll also get a sense of the flow and rhythm of the entire conversation.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job

A word of warning, though: Many interviewers have heard this
supposed weakness so many times that you might risk coming off
as unoriginal if you use it. Here are two other possible answers to
this question:

ANSWER: Some people have asked me why it is that I try so hard to get along with everyone. I just like to feel that we’re all working in a team environment where people need to like and respect each other. I think
that when a team really gets along well, they’re also more productive.

ANSWER: I’ve been told a few times that I’m just too much of a perfectionist. Yes, it’s true. I do make it a practice of checking my work at least once or twice to make sure that it’s absolutely accurate. When working in a medical lab, I have to stay on top of every detail. If the cost of knowing tests have been done correctly takes a fraction of a minute more, that’s a small price to pay when someone’s life could depend on it.

Even if the preceding answers sound a little twisted, they are better than bringing up real issues like not being able to follow directions or having hostile relations with coworkers. If you bring up weaknesses of that nature, you are surely going to invite the interviewer to probe further into the problem.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job