INTERVIEWING WELL

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INTERVIEWING WELL

• Claiming your power in the interview process

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Measuring Success

• A successful interview both the interviewer and
  the interviewee gain accurate information and can
  make an informed decision about the fit between
  that job and that applicant.
• Sometimes success means you dont get offered the
  job. Sometimes it means you dont accept a job
  offer. Sometimes your name gets passed on for
  other opportunities. And sometimes the fit is
  really there.

3
Interviewing is

• A two-way street. You are interviewing them just
  as much as they are interviewing you.
• Think of yourself as a professional, an equal
  partner in this interview, looking for a good
  outcome for both you and the organization.

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From your experience

• What are some challenges youve faced as an
  interviewee or an interviewer?

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Seeing through the interviewers eyes

• Why is this position important to the
  organization?
• What skills do they really need?
• What problems are they trying to solve?
• We have forgotten what creates a job a problem
  to be solved or a benefit sought. Denise
  Bissonette, Beyond Traditional Job Development

6
Knowledge builds confidence

• Learn all you can about the organization and the
  challenges they face, through internet research,
  news sources and conversations.
• Get a good job description before the interview
  and/or a detailed discussion of job
  responsibilities early in the interview so you
  can address key points directly in your answers.

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Exercise 1 Fieldstone Alliance Program Assoc

• What is one of the challenges this organization
  might be facing?
• What are key skills for this position?
• What are the primary duties?
• What is one question you would ask if you were
  hiring this Program Associate? Why would you ask
  that?

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Guide the interview content

• An interviewer controls the flow of the
  interview, but the interviewee controls the
  content. H. Anthony Medley
• Know what you want to say about your match to
  this position and fit it in whenever appropriate.
  

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Interview essentials

• Prepare answers to common questions in advance
• Have problem-action-results stories ready to
  illustrate key skills and personality
  characteristics

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Interview essentials, cont.

• Listen as much as you talk. Make this a
  conversation.
• Dont be afraid of silence. Slow down. Pause
  when you need to.
• Be professional from the moment you walk through
  their door until you leave.
• Be careful of using humor.

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Types of interviews

• One-on-one interviews
• Panel or group interviews
• Phone interviews
• Videoconference interviews
• Presentations or other demonstrations of work
  skills
• What are the communication barriers and
  advantages to each?

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Exercise 2 Group Interview Challenge

• You are an MPP graduate interviewing with an NGO
  for a country administrator position in Central
  America. You have field experience and you are
  fluent in Spanish.
• You are being interviewed by a panel of 3 people.
  There is clearly tension in the room and the 3
  of them are asking very unrelated questions.

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Group interview challenge, cont.

• Suddenly, one interviewer switches to questioning
  you in Spanish. From their expressions, you can
  tell the other 2 dont speak Spanish.
• How do you handle this?
• What does it tell you about the organization?

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Beware of self-judgment

• Judgments cause tension. It is the judgments we
  make about ourselves that keep us from relaxing.
  H. Anthony Medley
• Dont make assumptions about the interview or the
  results. You only know your own reactions.

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Take responsibility

• If you are a partner in this interview, then you
  are responsible for some of the questions.
• Well-researched questions show interest,
  knowledge, initiative, professionalism.

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Asking your questions

• Filling in gaps in information from the interview
  or your prior research
• Exploring organizational culture issues that are
  still unclear
• Exploring special challenges that this
  organization faces
• Clarifying the hiring process and deadlines

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The questions we ask shape our destiny.

• Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.