Opinion: Interview rehearsals eliminate 30-year-old mistakes

Interviews, although more politically correct, contain just as many pitfalls, and interviewees seem to walk into them every time.

I have been on a recruiting/consulting assignment for a major company over the last few months. I interview about 15 candidates a week, and the results are mixed. Some candidates are stellar. They’ve done their homework by reading about the company, preparing questions, preparing examples for questions, studying job-search materials and being alert throughout the whole process. These interviewees make it to the next level and are considered for management positions within the client company.

Then, there are the other ones.

It starts with the first phone call. There are the irritating outgoing messages including those where people think it is cute to have their children leave the voice mail. If you are running a business from your home, leave a businesslike message on your voice mail. If you are on a job search, you are in business.

Worse are the grunting phone answers. Here’s how it goes:

“Hello.” This is said in a growl, which makes me always feel like I have accidentally reached a bar.

“Hi, this is Sinara O’Donnell. I am a recruiter looking for Mike Smith. Is he there?”

“This is him.”

Aside from the bad grammar, this is the opening salvo in a depressing conversation where the candidate acts like I am intruding on his watching “My Name is Earl.”

The other kind of candidate answers like a parolee but then turns into Miss America upon learning that I am recruiting.

Your phone

If you are looking for a job, your phone is one of your most important assets. Don’t waste it with laziness.

There are hundreds of books and articles available that explain how to take an interview in a professional manner. Yet most candidates decide to “wing it.” Winging it is a surefire way to blow an interview.

One of the most common questions is, “Why are you interested in our company?” As an interviewer, I really do want to hear the reasons a person wants to join a particular company. Instead I hear, “It is near where I live.” “I’ve heard good things about the company.” “I’m looking to make a change.” “The job description interested me.”

None of these answers the central question: “Why here? Why now? Why you?”

Any recruiter worth his salt works backwards through a candidate’s history, asking why particular jobs were left. “I was fired.” “I hated my boss.” “Personal reasons.” “I can’t say.” These are reasons that don’t work well in an interview. You probably have great reasons for all of the above, even the firing. But you are not on the psychiatrist’s couch.

Explaining firings

Let’s take the worst-case scenario: You’ve been fired. Face it, most people were fired at one point or another. Having said that, it is hard to get over the blow. You have to get over it before you go on an interview. Don’t go in angry. Don’t go in sad. Don’t go in with a chip on your shoulder.

Go in with your head held high, with your skills evident and your accomplishments in your back pocket.

There are ways to explain a firing. First, you need to understand exactly what happened. Once you have faced the reasons, examine your part in whatever occurred. When you have faced the truth of the situation, take time to rehearse your explanation with a friend or family member. Be pre-emptive in the interview. Volunteer the information in a way that is not pitiful but not antagonistic either: “I was terminated by my last employer. It was a situation where there were misunderstandings and I should have left before it escalated. In any event, I have good references and a skill set which fits in with this position. I would be happy to answer any questions about the situation.”

A month ago, I interviewed a gentleman who said that he quit his job for “personal reasons.” He almost whispered this and then became silent. This terse answer allowed my imagination to run wild. Again, it is better to be open: “The situation in my department was somewhat negative, and I felt it would be better to resign and become part of a real team.” Or “My mother was hospitalized with cancer and I needed to take off four months to take care of her.”

The key is rehearsal. You need to rehearse your interviews with someone else. The first time you explain your firing, your quitting, your whatever, should not be in front of an interviewer!

Of the great books out there, I like “Knock ‘Em Dead” by Martin Yate. He has also written “Knock ‘Em Dead Cover Letters” and “Knock ‘Em Dead Resumes.” Two helpful Web sites are www.careerjournal.com (a free site published by The Wall Street Journal; I’ve written articles for them as well) and www.careerbuilder.com, which is also a job-search site.

One of the biggest barriers to an effective job search is, the conceit that you can wing it. You can’t and you shouldn’t. Read a book and then rehearse.

Sinara Stull O’Donnell is a professional speaker and writer through Springfield-based SinaraSpeaks. She is the author of “Be The Star Of Your Life: Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?” She can be reached at sinara1@sbcglobal.net.[[In-content Ad]]