As important and nerve-wracking as the job interview is, it is also nothing more than a business transaction. Interviewers are trying to get the best candidate for the job and organization, and interviewees are trying to get the best job and organization for themselves. So this is the best advice I can give to job candidates after they prepared a resume, crafted an application message, and secured recommendations: Treat the interview like a business meeting. Here is how.
Conduct yourself professionally. Greet the interviewer with a smile, show a professional range of emotion, and use tactful, positive language. Listen intently to the interviewer. Show interest by taking notes. Maintain culturally acceptable eye contact.
Answer for yourself. Turn the interview toward where you shine the brightest. Let the interviewer know your strengths and turn your weaknesses into strengths. Maybe you are a good writer and a weak presenter. Let them know through examples you are a good writer, and tell them you see the job as an opportunity to cultivate both your writing and presentation skills.
Get them to answer for themselves. The interview might be taking place in an ideal location unrelated to where you will work, and the actual work area might not look as nice. Do not be shy about asking to see where you will be working. These days, depending on the job, ask if a work-from-home option is available, if that matters to you.
Know the range of questions. The questions are too varied to consider in a brief blog post, but understand they can be related to your persona (What was your best/worst boss like?), work (Have you delivered presentations/prepared analyses/led teams before?), education (Do you have any further education you wish to pursue?), employment objective (Why do you want to work for this firm?), or career (Where do you want to be in five years?).
Ask questions yourself. You are interviewing them too. You should know what questions you want answered. They too will be related to the company’s persona (What does the company/department value most in an employee?), work (What is the first thing that needs the attention of the person you hire?), education (Will the organization support my pursuit of a degree/advanced degree through time or money?) employment objective (How is the management’s philosophy reflected daily?), or career (Do I have an opportunity to grow professionally?).
Beware of leading or loaded questions. Try responding to a leading question (What is the right way to handle that situation?) or a loaded question (Don’t you think that’s unfair?) by asking the interviewer politely to rephrase it or placing it in a proper context yourself. Of course, avoid asking leading or loaded questions of your own!
