January 7, 2013

How to think like a hiring manager in job interviews

• Post a comment |
• E-mail |
• Print
• • Share:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Although it may not seem like it during a high-pressure job interview, hiring managers are only human. They may occasionally give you a withering stare and ask sometimes unanswerable questions just to see how you react, but they are essentially doing the same thing you are doing: Determining whether your skills and personality are a perfect match for the position.

Writing in Fast Company magazine, Corey Weiner, founder of the Jun Group social media mobile video platform, wrote an interesting essay last month about the thought processes of hiring managers, titled "How to Hire Someone You Won't Regret in a Month." Over the years, Weiner gained extensive experience asking and answering questions from both sides of the interview desk. Along the way, he came up with some tips for hiring managers about how to determine whether the job seeker will be a quality hire by "taking the guesswork and intuition out of the process."

I looked over Weiner's sage advice and, with a little fancy reverse engineering, found that job seekers can benefit from these insights as well. To put yourself in the mind of the hiring manager and see the interview process from a new perspective, here are some interview rules of thumb.

1) Never be surprised by boilerplate interview questions. Coming to an interview unprepared and thinking you'll just "wing it" is just as dangerous for the hiring manager as it is for the job seeker, Weiner says. For most hiring managers who have limited time to assess skills, there will be a standardized script of behavior-base questions, he says, such as "Can you describe a time when a crisis arose and you solved the problem?" or "What is your typical working day like?" Interviewees should spend most of their preparation time crafting and practicing well-organized anecdotes about these common structured questions rather than worrying about the rogue "gotcha" queries, such as "What kind of tree would you be?"

2) First impressions can be overcome with the right qualifications. Those who prefer to "go with their gut" on final hiring decisions don't tend to choose wisely in today's data-driven world of decision-making, Weiner says. "It can result, for instance, in hiring individuals who are adept interviewees, rather than rock star employees," he writes. So, interviewees: If you stammer too much or leave too many uncomfortable pauses in your phone interview, don't instantly assume that you've been passed over. If you have the right skills and experience, odds are any qualms the hiring manager had about the initial phone screen can be eased with a more relaxed second interview in person.

3) Transferable skills can sometimes trump experience. Weiner cites research from Wharton showing that inherent traits, such as "intelligence, conscientiousness and integrity" are better predictors of long-term success than relevant industry experience, which can be misleading. "Employers are well advised, therefore, to design questions that measure these traits, rather than falling in love with someone just because they've been in familiar territory," he writes.

The lesson for job seekers? Be prepared in your next interview to demonstrate your creativity, flair for leadership, decision-making skills and adaptability — even if you're just getting your foot in the door.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

• Post a comment |
• E-mail |
• Print
• • Share:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Read more
experience, hiring practices, interviewing, questions, skills