Monday, September 28, 2009
Should an interview be practiced and rehearsed, or should it be natural and fluid? As it turns out, the correct answer is "both". I've long argued that an interview is nothing more than a conversation between two people, and an article that appeared today on Monster.com backs up that viewpoint.
I often say that an interviewer is simply looking to make a connection with a great candidate; the article says that an interview is like gardening. That's an odd analogy, but let's go with it:
Let's imagine you're a gardening fanatic, and you're at your local greenhouse. You're picking out the perfect hydrangea when you strike up a conversation with a fellow green thumb. The two of you hit it off instantly, comparing notes about the best time of year to plant, ideal fertilizing and watering techniques, and other tricks about getting your tomato vines to grow and your petunias to blossom. Before you know it, you're late for dinner at home, but the conversation was so engrossing that the time just got away from you.
Think about that conversation for a minute. You probably didn't think about it in these terms, but you were completely prepped for the conversation; after all, you spent years learning about gardening and could hold your own in the conversation. You were happy to find a friendly person who shared your passion. You imparted some knowledge and picked up a new thing or two.
You can do the same thing in interviews.
Just like any good conversation, you need to be relaxed, be confident, and be yourself. The Recruiting Director is usually not going to ask you random, obscure questions (although occasionally they'll throw you a curve ball, just to see how you handle the unexpected). Instead, they're going to ask about your jobs, experiences, accomplishments, and background. If it's on your resume, you need to be prepared to speak about it intelligently.
Every interview should be a natual, fluid conversation that you are well-prepared to participate in. Memorized, "canned" answers are never going to get you a job, particularly not in this market. And please, leave the "ummm's" at home.
For more information on interviewing, check out the full article at Monster.com and my advice for answering some of the toughest interview questions in our Free Advice section.
Of course, if you want to brush up on your interviewing skills, JobBound can help -- check out our Mock Interview service for more information.
Posted by Brad Karsh on September 28, 2009 at 04:57 PM
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