SNL That Biz

I had an interview today.

I have another one in an hour. Don't worry though, it's a phone interview.

I'll tell you this. Some interviewers are good and some are bad. Some just sit there. The most awkward thing is when you have finished answering a question and there are like 3-5 seconds of silence.

That happened to me today. About 10 times. I would finish answering a question and the interviewers (there were two) would just sit there staring at me. I almost wanted to look behind me and check if there was someone over my shoulder.

Did they expect me to talk for ten minutes for each question? I would give my answer, or my little anecdote and they would just sit there. Part of the problem might have been that one of the interviewers was friendly and one was a robot.

They had a sheet of paper where they asked predetermined questions. They read them straight. It was awkward. Some of the questions it seemed like they didn't even know the answer. I think that one of the reasons that it was so awkward was because the friendly lady kept waiting for the robot lady to speak. I'm guessing that the robot is a bit more talkative when she gets to know someone.

Granted, it wasn't a bad interview. They asked me a question or two that they probably thought I couldn't answer. Stuff like: What is a grant. I nailed it. Go me.

Here's the thing though. The best interviewers are the ones who talk to you and ask you questions in a normal voice, in a normal tone and in a normal manner. It's perfectly fine to have a guide as an interviewer. But use that sheet of paper as a guide, not as a script. Improvise a little bit.

Plus, it looked like they had never read the questions before, so they didn't quite flow.

I'm just saying this stuff for the potential interviewers out there. Now I know what I don't want to do.

The best interviews that I've had were the ones where the interviewer had a conversation with me. So, that's what you should try to do.

That's what I tried to do today. I tried to steer them away from their script. It worked in a few instances. I tried to look them in their eyes and tried to get them to respond back to me in a conversation. I used a conversational tone.

A conversational tone is what you will use in most all settings. Conversations tell you so much more than a formal interrogation ever will. Also, instead of predetermined answers to questions, as an interviewer you can actually focus on what the interviewee is saying.

Also, many of those pamphlets and books lie to you in regards to what the interviewers will ask. Many of them will ask maybe two or three of the questions that you are prepared for.

I'm waiting for someone to ask me about my strengths/weaknesses. In the four interviews I've had so far, nobody has asked me those.

If I'm ever an interviewer, and I'm sure I will be someday, I'm totally not going to ask the questions that they tell you the interviewers will ask. Why?

Because then I can see how someone will:

-perform under pressure <-Great YouTube Video
-adapt
-use body language

And hey, aren't those more important than figuring out someone's practiced answer about their weaknesses (that are probably actually strengths) or strengths (that are just the opposite side of their "weaknesses")?

Go job!