Elements of a great interview.

#book excerpt

Disclaimer : The blog does NOT help techies that do NOT know their tech.

Intro

Ask any interviewer why they chose one candidate over the other. They will tell you about qualifications and experience. They will also have a list of skills needed for the job.

But research shows interviewers are deluding themselves. They are swayed by a mysterious and powerful force.

Data shows that only one important factor plays a role:

Did the candidate appear to be a pleasant person ??

●Folks who made an effort to smile / maintain eye contact.

●… who talked about topics not exactly related to the discussion. But of interest to the interviewer.

A comment about coffee turned into a 15 min chat. Like, how the interviewer was a coffee aficionado. And had a 2 lakh rupee coffee machine at his house.

Job was offered to me.

●… who sincerely tried to praise the organization. Keyword – sincerely.

In other words – a pleasant person.

Studies demonstrate that going out of one’s way to be pleasant is way more important. More than qualifications and work experience.

PS : Ass-kissing is different from being pleasant.

How about black-spots ??

What if one has some weak areas ? lack of experience, unimpressive performance or less than stellar credentials ?

Again, data shows that – people who present their weaknesses in the beginning do better. Admitting weakness is seen as a sign of openness.

Think about it for a second. A person who admits his failures would have the strength of character and integrity. Therefore, the person would NOT intend to mislead us.

For an interview, I completely forgot about the schedule. And was working on something else. Later (having kicked myself on the bum) I wrote back the following:

The interview was re-conducted.

I just realized that we had a discussion today. Was in a production issue, and completely forgot about this conversation. Lost track of my time ..

This is completely my fault. And I apologize.

Would we be able to reschedule this to another day ? If so, I’ll be grateful. If not, I understand. Thanks.

Admitting one’s weakness, a person becomes likable. But again, openness or pleasantness have their limits. ( I wrote the mail back in within the hour, not after a week )

Glories and Victories

I’ve been in many interviews where the candidate opened up with their glorification. It’s kinda a showoff.

Again we have studies. A person is more likable when they mention their accomplishment towards the end.

Think about it – if someone mentions their strengths too soon, then they seem boastful. However, if they let their strengths emerge naturally, they are seen as modest.

Kids – wait to let the person know that you single-handedly saved the day.

Blunders

So, we’ve been pleasant, open, and modest. But what if I forgot the time complexity of binary search ? or something similarly silly ?

Again we have data. We overestimate the impact of a mistake.

Meaning, our mistakes seem bigger to us than they really are. This is also called the ‘Spotlight effect’ in psychology.

Excessive responses might actually draw the interviewer’s attention to the mistake.

So, if appropriate then acknowledge the mistake. And move on as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Wrap up …

These are the elements of a great interview …

Likeability is more important than achievements and experience. So,

●Look smart; groom yourself well.

○Wear a collared shirt

○Shave

●Listen sincerely

○Ask questions based on what you hear.

○Maybe repeat something back that the other person said. Lets them know that you were really listening.

●Give a genuine compliment

●Talk about non-work related stuff.

●Smile and maintain eye contact.

Don’t hide weaknesses

Instead, bring them out in the beginning. This will give you a credibility boost.

Wait to share achievements

This lets the interviewer know that you are modest.

If you make a mistake

Don’t overreact. Acknowledge if appropriate, then move ahead.

Excerpts from the book – 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman