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During the Interview

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After a diligent job search, you’ve finally been called for an interview. Now what? Well, now you impress the socks off your interviewer by making your best first impression, preparing for and anticipating different types of questions, preparing questions of your own, and following up after your interview.

Making a Good First Impression. Salina, who works in the nonprofit world, interviewed a candidate who came forty-five minutes late to the interview. To make matters worse, he explained his tardiness by noting that he had to “run home” to get his mom to help him with his tie. Later, Salina had a phone interview with a young woman who didn’t bother to ensure that she had adequate cell phone reception, meaning that the question “What did you say?” dominated the conversation. What these candidates forgot is that the interview begins with the very first impression, even before the questions are asked.

In any interview, both verbal and nonverbal behaviors contribute to a good first impression. Thus, control the things you can at the outset. Give yourself plenty of extra time to get there, so that if something comes up (traffic, a stalled train) you’ll still make it on time. Have your clothing ready ahead of time. If it’s a phone interview, find a quiet place where you can talk undisturbed.

During the interview, do your best to control your nervousness so that you don’t appear hesitant, halting, unsure, or jittery (Ayers, Keereetaweep, Chen, & Edwards, 1998; Tsa, Chen, & Chiu, 2005). As with all competent communication, you should adapt your behavior to be both effective and appropriate. Specifically, sit or stand as the other person directs; lower or raise your voice tone, rate, and pitch to fit in with the tone and pacing of the other person (DeGroot & Gooty, 2009). Also, limit gestures so that you don’t distract the interviewer from your words—and relax enough to express genuine smiles (Krumhuber, Manstead, Cosker, Marshall, & Rosin, 2009; Woodzicka, 2008). If you practice with an understanding friend (or even record yourself), you can identify your positive behaviors and minimize any distracting behavior before you go into the interview situation.

Anticipating Common Questions. To discover whether there is a potential match between an applicant and a position, an interviewer typically explores five areas of information as they relate to the specific job:

Ability. First, based on the résumé and the interview, questions will assess your experience, education, training, intelligence, and ability to do what the job requires.
Desire. Second, questions will focus on your desire or motivation to use your abilities to do a good job by exploring such things as your record of changes in jobs, schools, and majors; reasons for wanting this job; knowledge of the company; and concrete examples of prior success that indicate your drive to achieve.
Personality. The third area involves an assessment of your personality and how well you are likely to fit into the position and the organization. Questions are designed to discover your personal goals, degree of independence and self-reliance, imagination and creativity, and ability to manage or lead.
Character. A fourth area of judgment is that of character, learning about your personal behavior, honesty, responsibility, and accuracy and objectivity in reports.
Health. This is a sensitive topic in interviews; certain questions about your health and medical background are illegal. But if a health issue directly affects your ability to do the job in question, the interviewer may ask. For example, if you are applying for a position at a candy factory, the interviewer may ask if you have a peanut allergy because you would be unable to work in a plant where peanuts are processed.

Some examples of frequently asked interview questions are offered in Table A.4.

Table A.4 Common Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself. What led you to choose your particular field (or your academic major)? Describe your level of satisfaction with your choice.
Describe what you understand is required in the position you are applying for. Summarize your qualifications in light of this description.
Why do you want to leave your current employer? or Why did you leave your last employer?
Describe the place/city/surroundings that would be your ideal working environment.
Tell me what you know about our organization that led you to be interested in us.
Give me a specific example of something you learned from a previous work experience.
Describe your ideal working day.
Describe the job you’d like to be doing five years from now.
Describe a time when you demonstrated initiative in your employment (or volunteer) position.
Tell me about a time when your willingness to work was demonstrated to your supervisors.
Describe your strongest attribute with an example of how it paid off.
Tell me about a recent project that didn’t turn out the way you wanted. What did you do to try to make it work?
Describe a time when you worked through a difficult coworker situation.
If I gave you this job, what would you accomplish in the first three months?
Are there any questions that you want to ask?

Dealing with Difficult or Unethical Questions. “What fictional character most clearly reflects your outlook on life?” This is an actual question that an interviewer asked a colleague of ours some years ago when she was applying to college. To this day, she remembers the question because she panicked—not because she lacked an answer, but because she wasn’t expecting the question. An interviewer might use such unexpected questions to seek insights into the way candidates view themselves or to judge how well they think on their feet. Some questions are simply tricky—they offer a challenge to the interviewee but also a great opportunity to show one’s strengths.

Source: Greco (1977). Used with permission.

Other questions are more than just difficult; they are unethical and sometimes even illegal. Questions that have no direct bearing on job performance and have the potential to lead to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, and marital or family status are illegal in the United States. Although an organization whose employees ask illegal questions during employment interviews can be subject to a variety of penalties imposed by the federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), such questions continue to be asked, and applicants must consider how to answer them. Stewart and Cash (2011) suggest five tactics you can use to respond to illegal questions. By answering briefly but directly, tactfully refusing to answer, or neutralizing the question, you respond without giving too much information or inviting further inquiry. You can also consider posing a tactful inquiry—that is, asking another question in response—or using the question as an opportunity to present some positive information about yourself. These five strategies are outlined in Table A.5.

Table A.5 Tactics for Responding to Illegal Questions
Tactic	Sample lllegal Question	Sample Answer
Answer directly but briefly	“Do you attend church regularly?”	“Yes, I do.”
Pose a tactful inquiry	“What does your husband do?”	“Why do you ask?” (in a nondefensive tone of voice)
Tactfully refuse to answer the question	“Do you have children?”	“My family plans will not interfere with my ability to perform in this position.”
Neutralize	“What happens if your partner needs to relocate?”	“My partner and I would discuss locational moves that either of us might have to consider in the future.”
Take advantage of the question	“Where were you born?”	“I am quite proud that my background is Egyptian because it has helped me deal effectively with people of various ethnic backgrounds.”

Asking Questions of Your Own. Of course, the interviewer should not be the only person asking questions in a job interview. A candidate for any job should arrive at an interview prepared to ask thoughtful questions about the position and related career paths within the organization, as well as about the organization itself (Johnson, 2010). These questions should indicate that the applicant has done solid homework (your preinterview research and preparation can shine here) and is able and willing to do a good job for the company.

Source: Stewart & Cash (2011). Used with permission.

Avoid saying things like “I really don’t have any questions right now” (even if you don’t have any questions), which might imply disinterest. Likewise, try not to focus on questions about your own compensation and benefits, such as “How much vacation will I get?”—at least not at the first interview. Instead, try to pose thoughtful questions that show your interest while enhancing your understanding of the position and the potential for your future. Be prepared to ask such questions as “I noticed in your annual report that you are developing a new training program. If I were hired, would I be in it?” and “If you were sitting on my side of this desk, what would you say are the most attractive features of the job?” And when the interview is ending, be sure to ask what to expect next, such as “What is your time frame for filling this position?”

Following Up After the Interview. You should continue to demonstrate good manners once the interview is over. Thank the interviewer, as well as anyone else you have met within the organization, as you leave. Follow up immediately with a written or e-mailed note of appreciation. Thank the interviewer not only for the interview but also for the chance to expand your knowledge of the organization and the industry. Put in writing how excited you are about the chance to work with such a dynamic organization. Send along any support materials that you discussed during the interview (perhaps a writing sample). Since few interviewees remember to send additional materials and thank-yous, you will certainly stand out.

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