Facing the Promotional Interview – Part 9
Written by John on November 26th, 2008
PREPARING FOR THE OPENING
Once you have been seated in the chair near the interview table, it is time to begin the next portion of the interview – - the opening. Normally, the board will attempt to put you at ease (if that is possible with a blood pressure of 340 over 270, a mouth full of cotton, and sweat cascading from your face), and try to get you talking by asking you a simple introductory question. The opening or introductory type of question is normally similar to the following examples:
- Overview your qualifications.
- Summarize your background.
- Explain why you want the job.
- Describe where you have worked.
- What is the position you are interviewing for?
- Give us an overview of yourself.
If you have had the opportunity to take a prior interview, do these questions sound familiar? Although the preceding questions are similar and straight forward, they subtly accomplish three unique objectives:
- They help a candidate relax by talking about a subject the candidate is most familiar with. Therefore, one of the best methods to initially assist a candidate to relax and start talking is to give a candidate an opportunity to discuss something about the candidate.
- The interview board members have given the candidate an opportunity to talk about two items that must be discussed during an interview. Those two items are (1) what is the position you are interviewing for, and (2) what are your qualifications for the position?
- The opening portion sets the standard for the balance of the interview. Either you are prepared and start on a confident, high note, or you flounder around and try to improve during the interview (which is not highly recommended or easily accomplished).
As emphasized in the past several articles, there are four impressions you will make on the interview board members before you are asked your first question. As a result, you should be fully prepared to take full advantage of those four initial impressions. Similarly, with a prior knowledge of what general type of question you can expect during the opening portion of an interview, you should also be totally prepared (definition – - you have prepared to the point that you are confident, enthusiastic, and ready) to answer the question that has been asked. Unfortunately, this is the portion of an interview where most candidates either strike out or do not utilize a golden opportunity to its full potential. Although a simple straight forward answer to any of the aforementioned opening questions is commonly utilized by 99% of interview candidates, this same 99% of interview candidates will also either fail of ineffectively incorporate the following considerations with their answer:
- Overview the new position you are interviewing for.
- Overview your qualifications for the new position.
- And most importantly, relate your qualifications to the position you are applying for.
Although the concept we have been considering may sound simple, few candidates understand and utilize this concept. Therefore, let’s consider a method you can use to confidently and effectively start your interview and simultaneously begin to set the standard for the balance of your interview. Remember, opinions are formed in a short period of time and if there is an opportunity to place yourself “ahead of the pack”, use it! Therefore, let’s use every available opportunity to enhance these two perspectives.
Based on the concept that an interview board will ask you a typical opening question similar to the questions we have previously discussed, let’s “dovetail” two additional perspectives with the opening question. First, before you ever sit down in the “chair” and answer the first question of your interview, you must spend an essential amount of time in preparing your response to any of the typical opening type questions (unless you are comfortable in “winging it”). How do you do that? If you take a class in English or report writing, you are always advised to make an outline of your subject before writing a report. Applying the same principle, you should first make an outline of your responses to typical opening questions. The outline can then be expanded and “fine-tuned” to yield your desired finished product. Additionally, the main points of an outline can be easily reviewed in your mind while responding to a question and minimizes forgetting key points.
Secondly, if the interview board must ask you about the position you are applying for and your qualifications for that position during the interview, let’s take some initiative and incorporate the concept of simultaneously overviewing the position you are seeking, your qualifications for that position, and answering the question that has been asked.
To accomplish this seemingly difficult task, we will consider (in our next article) a method to develop an opening statement (which is a difficult portion of an interview), and ensure that you overview and relate your qualifications while answering the opening type question.
