Interviewing – The Three Stage Process

Ah, interviewing – you sent out a thousand resumes – well it felt like a thousand anyway - and finally someone called you and now you have that thing you’ve been hoping for – an interview.

Now what? What do you need to do to prepare for this audition? That really is what it is – an audition for a job. I have found that there are three stages to an interview and each one has its keys to success.

Most interviewers make their decision to hire someone on intuition rather than facts. A lot of people will disagree with me on this, but I think that even for those people who are fact oriented, the subtle things make all the difference in those who get hired and those who do not. Much of this is beneath the surface of the interviewer's consciousness but it is still how they make the decision.

What it comes down to is they have a vague, "I’ll know it when I see it", list of characteristics they are looking for and as the interview goes along, they will make a mental check mark next to those things you seem to have and those that you don’t and there will be a tipping point where you go over to the side of getting the job offer or go to the side that says, no way.

Below I have broken it down into three stages and what happens in each and what you can do to pass each stage:

Stage One

The first 30 seconds – Whether we like it or not we are going to be judged in the first 30 seconds whether we are a yes, no or maybe. If we are a yes it’s because for whatever reason we look and act like what the interviewer is looking for and unless we shoot ourselves in the foot in the next two stages we will get a second interview or a job offer. Here are some tips for helping you become a yes in this process.

· You look the part – this means that you dressed for success for this company. This could mean a dark suit, rep tie and wing tips for a man or a business suit for a woman or it could mean something a little more casual if that is the style of this company. But there is a huge disclaimer here on dressing casually. A job interview is a formal affair in the sense that you only get this one chance to put your best foot forward, there are no second first impressions. You need to demonstrate to them that you know how to dress according to the seriousness of the occasion. A job interview is a serious occasion. If you are dressed too casually this will give the impression that you don’t understand the rules of the professional world even if you know that this company has Dress Down Day, everyday. So dress up and show them you have the intelligence to know what counts and when. Of course, always have groomed hair, nails, shined shoes, little or no cologne and simple, classic jewelry for women.

· You smile when the interviewer comes out to the waiting room to greet you and you shake their hand with a firm, but not vice grip handshake. This is especially important area for women, no limp fish handshakes – that could make them think you don’t have good self esteem or that you won’t be assertive when this is needed on the job. Remember, this is a job interview not a tea party – being soft and yielding isn’t the impression you want to make. If you don’t know if you have a good solid handshake then ask a male friend to practice with you.

· You have researched the company and the job. If you know the company and you can demonstrate this by what you say and do in the interview then you are half way there. If you have what they are looking for in terms of skill, talent, education and experience and you believe in their product or service – your attitude says “ I’m good at what I do and we’d make a great team.” then you're probably on the yes side of the interviewers mental checklist.

Stage Two

The “Tell me about you” stage. In this stage the interviewer will almost always ask you about yourself. Here are the tricks at this stage:

· Talk only about yourself in relation to the job - even though you both might end up being from Tuskaloosa, you're there to get a job not bcome buddies, plus you never know, the interviewer might have a long standing dislike of people from Tuskaloosa - better to stay focused on why you are there. Practice by creating a 30 second sort of infomercial about yourself.

· Let the interviewer take the lead and answer his or her questions in a thoughtful manner. Have a few questions of your own so that when the interview asks if you have any you will demonstrate that you prepared for this interview by doing some research. Make them about the job and not too intrusive, remember they will not be telling you anything negative about the company so don’t even ask at this point. It will just make you look like a negative person who is looking for trouble.

· Be someone who can think on his or her feet – what I mean by this is they will no doubt ask you questions you didn’t expect – so don’t have all your answers prepared. Stop and think and don’t worry if there is some silence – the idea that someone has to think before they speak shows they do think – a good quality in an employee.

· Be yourself and be honest – if you are right for the job, in most cases you’ll get it – if you pretend to be someone you’re not, it will show up and intuitively the interviewer will know this.

Stage Three

The close – when the interview is over or almost over, you will get a sense of it by the non verbals that occur – the interviewer will begin to straighten up the papers on her/his desk and so on. This is when you need to make your closing argument for the job. If you are still a maybe this is where you can cinch the deal and if you are a yes, this is where you might lose it if you don’t say directly that you want it. A weak stage three closing could virtually erase great stage one and two performances - so make a solid close. You'll reap the benefits in most cases. Here are some ideas on this final stage of the process.

· Summarize what you have heard about the job and how your experience and skills match it.

· Ask what the next step in the process is and ask for the interviewers business card if they have not already given it to you.

· Tell them you are excited about the opportunity and think you’d be a great addition to their team and would love the opportunity to prove this to them.

· Ask if you can call or email to check up on the process the next week.

· Thank them for the interview and leave

· Go home and immediately write a thank you email.


Those are the tree stages of the interview process and some ideas of what to do to make it work for you. If you don’t get the job then I suggest a review of your last interview and see if you can pinpoint which stage may have gone south. Look for ways to shore up the places where you were weak and to congratulate yourself on the places where you did well. Remember too, that often a job you did not get is one that would not have worked well for you anyway so keep moving forward – it’s the only way to go.

Blessings, Lorraine