The Interview. I've got the Skills and Brains. The Job is Mine! ... Not so Fast!

                         The Interview Matters - Part I

by Brian Connors

Last issue, we explored, in a general manner, the changing times we employees must adapt to, in learning what employers expect from employees in this new, post-recession economy. In this and future articles we'll dig a little deeper, to answer specific questions that job seekers constantly bombard me with. One of the topics that is, surprisingly, most challenging for job seekers, isn't putting the resume together, or even finding the job to interview for; it's the actual job interview. The funny part is that candidates often glaze over when we start to discuss this boring topic. They've interviewed five times before; they've "got it covered." Okay, champ, just a second! I've helped thousands, convervatively, of local IT folks land interviews over the past eight years, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that this seemingly common-sense event is one of the most widely self-destructive parts of the job search. Yet, it is often destructive for the most basic and easily correctable reasons.

I've seen Fortune 500 CIO candidates not send a thank you note. I've seen sweaty-palmed college seniors show up to their Help Desk interview wearing last night's club clothes. How about when John Q. Programmer told the Senior Architect that his design was flawed and that he could do better. Perhaps more generically, how about the endless stream of folks who are "just five minutes late."

Most folks will read a list like the one below and say, "duh Brian, no kidding." Yet, ironically, I'd say at least 50% of interviewees violate several of these "common sense, no brainer" rules to at least some degree. Here are five of ten key points to help ensure a good interview.

• Be on time or early. Allow plenty of time to find the building, park, etc. But do not go up to their suite more than 15 minutes early, and definitely do not be late. And let's be honest, if you allow yourself 15 minutes, you'll be 5 minutes late, so make it 25 minutes!
• Review the job description again the night before. Be prepared to answer detailed technical questions as well as theoretical questions. Brush up on any areas in which you feel you may be rusty or out of practice. Know the company; this is one of the most overlooked topics! Do your homework. Review the company website and be familiar with the company so you are prepared and knowledgeable. Know how the company makes money and how your talents and their IT Department might be contributing to that. Nobody needs an operational cost center in this era of business. How are you adding to the bottom line in this role, in this division/department, etc.?
• Be yourself. As we discussed in the July '09 issue, personality is just as important as the skills. If you are an introverted genius coder ... sorry ... that's not enough any more!
• Be honest. If you don't know the answer, say so. If you have exposure in an area, but not to the depth that they are asking, tell them so. Do not make something up. There's only one person in the room who buys a BS story, and here's a hint, it ain't the interviewer! Say you've never worked with the tool, but then help draw a correlation to a similar tool, and provide detail about what you did with it that was so cool and valuable to the organization. Your right or wrong, yes or no, this or that answer is 10 times more powerful when you bring along a verbal example for "show and tell."
• Always use specific examples of what you have done that relate to what they are asking about. If you do not have the specific experience, but you have related experience, give them an example of what you have done and how you feel it relates.

Next time: Five further points to ensure a good interview!

About the Author

Brian Connors is I.T. Division Manager at AllSearch Professional Staffing. He can be reached at brianc@allsearchinc.com, (410) 560-1702, or at his LinkedIn page.