When clients get a call for a job interview I strongly suggest that they work with me for practicing their interviewing skills. There is so much riding on how well you do in an interview that most underestimate its real importance. They also think that merely working hard on giving the right answers, especially in their area of technical expertise, will get them the job offer they are seeking.
Wrong!
Although one reason for an interview is to check you out and to evaluate the depth of your knowledge in the technical—or management—area of the job you are seeking, the main reason is to evaluate how well you fit in with the culture of the company and how well you work with the team that is part of your working group in your potential place of work. I say this because many of my clients, who come to me after an interview, bragging about how well they answered all the technical questions that were posed to them, are flummoxed by the rejection they get when the recruiter calls them and tells them that they have found a “stronger” candidate. I have to explain to my clients that “stronger” does not merely mean a candidate, who has better knowledge of that particular area, but it means someone with a better fit for that job.
Let me explain:
There are five factors that are important in a selection process as a result of a job interview. They are listed below with the percentage weight assigned to each:
Technical (or managerial) expertise (30%)
Chemistry and Compatibility (25%)
Attitude (25%)
Risk (10%)
Salary (10%)
The percentages for each factor are anecdotal based on my personal experience with thousands of data points. Let us look at each factor and what they mean to you and your interview.
- Technical or Managerial Expertise: This is the main reason a company is hiring you—your expertise. So, if you are going in for an interview as a Marketing Analytics expert in the consumer web business, make sure that you are equipped with the latest knowledge of that area.
- Chemistry and Compatibility: This item has to do with how well you get along the hiring team, and the hiring manager in particular. Although there is no set way to prepare for this item, using some of the psychological principles of body language, communication (eye-contact, for example), and confidence (not cockiness) can help you better deal with some of the issues that can come up on this front. Having a conversational exchange, instead of subjecting yourself to an interrogation, also helps on this front.
- Attitude: This item takes on the same weight as the previous one. Attitude is important because it will project you in a way that will amplify your positive attributes. Having an upbeat attitude in an interview creates a positive energy during the interview process, which can help you overcome some of the glitches that are inevitable in any interview. Projecting a positive attitude is important in acing an interview.
- Risk: This is a factor that a hiring manager is concerned about. This risk can stem from your not staying at the new company long enough to make it worth their while to offer you a job. Recruiters and hiring managers look at this risk based on your chronology (and gaps) from your résumé. They look for both, the risk of inertia (staying too long) and risk of job-hopping (not staying long enough at one place). In the case of one client, who was at a consulting company for almost 10 years a young high-tech company withdrew its original offer when that company’s CEO felt that the candidate had stayed at one company too long, and was hence risk averse.
- Salary is an important factor when all else is equal. If your salary is too low at your current place, the prospect employer may find you not ready for the level of responsibilities that the open job offers. If it is too high then they may be unwilling to match it, or wonder if you will stay in the job after accepting a lower salary.
The above factors are not all-inclusive, but provide a good glimpse of what factors go into making a hiring decision. Knowing how these factors play out in a job interview may help you present yourself in the proper light so that your chances of getting that job offer are protected. There are also ways to deal with some of these factors by being aware of them and then by neutralizing them with specific strategies.
Good luck!