Classic one-on-one interviews
Swords at dawn
Many candidates, faced with a one-on-one interview, get the feeling they are taking part in a duel!
Thinking all the power lies with the interviewer is a misguided belief.
You should always remember that an interview is a two-way process of recruiter and candidate learning more about each other. It’s just as much about whether or not they will make a suitable employer as whether or not you will make a suitable employee.
Dealing with different interviewers
Interviewers vary widely in their level of experience, from highly qualified HR professionals all the way down to someone conducting their very first interview. A friend of mine was once interviewed for a position by someone who clearly had never conducted an interview in his life – and she ended up having to turn the tables and lead the interview herself!
Friendly but professionally detached
In any one-on-one situation it’s important to establish a rapport with your interviewer. An interview should be a friendly, professional discussion. You might not enjoy the experience; the other person might not enjoy the experience, but the more enjoyable you can make it, the better the outcome.
Whilst rapport is important, being too intimate or matey with the interviewer is definitely to be avoided. You need to keep a certain professional distance.
Many people instinctively try to be humorous in order to break the ice in tense or awkward situations but jokes are generally out of place at interviews.
BLOOPER!
The candidate who said he smoked weed when asked what he did in his spare time and the candidate who said that a threesome was his greatest achievement most probably thought they were building rapport with the interviewer by being witty and amusing. But did it get them the job? No!
The importance of mock interviews
Undertaking mock interviews with someone you trust is probably the best way to practise your interview technique, apart from sitting through a number of real interviews.
Ask someone to sit down with you for 30 minutes or so and ask you some of the questions we’ll be covering later in this book.
It’s all very well to sit down by yourself and write out perfect answers to all the common questions but it’s certainly not the same as having a real live human being sit opposite you and ask you the questions face-to-face.