Often, there will be several candidates applying for one position. Many of us are naturally competitive and it's natural to want to win the competition and get hired. It's tempting to see the interview as a platform to show off your strengths and engage in a one-sided conversation as you seek to win over the recruiter and earn the job offer.
Repeat after me. My career is not a contest.
You are not trying to win a position, but rather find out if the open position is an ideal job for you. The interview process should be an open dialogue between you and a potential employer to see if you might work well together. If you are currently working, the job interview should be an opportunity for you to determine if you really want to change jobs. If you take a job that is not a good fit, it puts the company in a bad position and prevents you from finding a really great job more suited to your skills and personality.
Here are some ways to make the interview as productive for you as it is for the hiring company:
Be honest. The company's recruiter knows what skills and experience they require. They also have a good understanding of the company's culture. The best thing you can do is be honest so the interviewer can assess if you have the skills needed and are a good fit. Often, it seems that hiring managers and recruiters act as gatekeepers and are more concerned about keeping candidates out. As a recruiter, I can assure you that what companies want most in the world is to make a hire. There is huge pressure to fill open positions and companies tend to err on the side of hiring the wrong person rather than leave the position unfilled. Trust me on this one. Just as the credit card company might not tell you that you really ought not get that increased limit, a hiring firm might not tell you that you aren't right for the job. You need to figure that one out for yourself.
Ask questions. This is the chance to ask lots of questions. Hiring companies like people who ask questions. It shows you are interested and engaged. Ask about the role. Ask how you will spend your day, who you will interact with most, and what the deliverables will be. Ask what the performance management system looks like. Ask what the next logical position would be. Ask how much travel there will be. Ask why the position is open. If you are interested in flexible hours or work from home, ask about that now.
Make sure you meet your potential team members. Some companies have Human Resources do most of the hiring. While HR can answer questions about the position requirements and the general corporate culture, they cannot always tell you everything you want to know. Request to meet with the hiring manager. Ask to meet with someone from the team. The main reason why people love or hate their jobs is the people. It's not unusual to have several interviews with HR, but make sure you know what the team looks like before signing on the dotted line. These are the people you'll be sitting with at 10pm when the project is overdue, not HR.
Make sure your new job is not your old job. Often there are things you do not like about your old job: a difficult boss, no upward movement, a company in financial trouble. Now is the time to make sure you are not going from the frying pan into the fire. If you are joining a publicly traded company, there will be lots of information available. If it's a private company, the interview is a great time to check things out.
Turing the interview process into a two-way dialogue will give you the confidence to take on a new job. When we find candidates getting cold feet at the 11th hour, it's often because they know what their current job looks like and can't imagine the new one. Ask questions until you have a good sense of the new environment. And if you still insist on seeing the job search process as a competition, know that companies are impressed when they see you doing your due diligence. It implies you are through, curious, and have enough confidence in your skills to know that the hiring process is a two-way street.
Happy Hunting!
Nancy
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