Interviewing
Types of Interviewers
In my previous blog postings about interviewing, I’ve discussed job interview preparation, typical interview questions and how to handle them, and various interview formats. The one variable which I have not yet addressed is the individual interviewer and how different interviewer styles might affect your interview and suggested strategies for dealing with each situation.
Much of my own career was as a freelancer and I have had something like fifty jobs in the course of my career. Considering that I was not accepted for every job that I interviewed for, I therefore have had hundreds of job interviews, encountering a number of interviewer styles. You may be prepared for all the possible questions, but a lack of awareness of interviewer styles could adversely affect your performance. In an ideal world, all hiring managers would be highly skilled at conducting an effective job interview. They would ask focused and intelligent questions about your work-related competencies and experience while providing you with a solid understanding of the company and the position. However, you might have noticed that this is not an ideal world. Unfortunately, not all recruiters and hiring managers are good at interviewing; some may have been pressed into service against their will and others may just not like doing it. Regardless of the type of interviewer you encounter, there are tactics to maintain your composure and leave a positive impression.
The 8 Types of Interviewers
(and Strategies to Handle Them)
1. The Robot
I’m not referring to a real Robot but rather a human being who does not deviate from the script. This might be the result of a company policy to ask every candidate the exact same questions to ensure fairness or it might be someone who lacks social skills and creativity or is just disengaged. Sometimes this person might write down all of your answers as you speak.
Your Strategy: Answer all of the questions as fully as possible because you will not get follow-up questions as you would in the normal flow of a conversation. You can distinguish yourself from other candidates not only with the quality of your answers but with the questions you get to ask at the end of the interview.
2. The Talker
Instead of interviewing you—this person is busy talking all about themselves and other items which have little relevancy to the position.
Your Strategy: Don’t try to interrupt but seize any opportunity to get the interview back on track to your qualifications and skills for the position. You may need to utilize the thank-you letter to fill in the gaps of your qualifications which did not come up during the interview.
3. The Distracted Interviewer
This individual might be engaged on their Smart Phone taking calls, checking emails, texting and maybe even hunting for Pokemon, in addition to interviewing you. They might be trying to handle some work or personal crisis.
Your Strategy: You can’t confront the interviewer about it so you just need to ignore it and plow ahead. If you’re overhearing something that sounds like the interviewer is dealing with a real crisis, politely offer to reschedule.
4. The Unprepared Interviewer
This person seemingly has not looked at your job application materials and may even be unfamiliar about the position you’re interviewing for. I once encountered a situation where I was asked a number of questions about my managerial style even though I had not applied for a managerial position. I realized afterwards that I had been interviewed for the wrong position.
Your Strategy: Even if many of the questions can be avoided if the interviewer just glances at your resume, answer every question fully and without showing any annoyance. Use any very open-ended question like “Why should we select you?” to highlight your fit for the position.
5. The Newbie
This interviewer may be very new, inexperienced, nervous, and intimidated. There might be awkward pauses as the interviewer tries to figure out what to ask and how to absorb and remember your answers.
Your Strategy: Take pity on the interviewer. Everyone has a first day on the job. Knowing in advance the points that you want to get across about yourself will help you to control a disjointed interview. Maintain your poise. Don’t let the interviewer’s nervousness transfer to you.
6. The Pressurer
This interviewer intentionally puts you under pressure by dispensing with small talk and acting unfriendly. He or she might barrage you with questions and trick questions hardly giving you a chance to answer. This type of interview might be used for highly pressurized positions such as in consulting or customer service, or it could just reflect the personality of the interviewer.
Your Strategy: Stay on your toes, remain calm and cool, and answer with confidence. Pause before each answer as that will allow you to collect your thoughts and slow down the tempo. Demonstrate that you can handle the pressure.
7. Inappropriate and/or Illegal
The interviewer asks any questions that are meant to reveal your age, race, ethnic group, religion, marital status, current or future pregnancy plans, disabilities, sexual orientation, and arrest records. (There are relatively few exceptions, depending on the job requirements, where some of the above issues may be asked about and are legal, such as asking a candidate for Rabbi if he or she is Jewish.) This is unlikely to happen in larger organizations with experienced HR managers, but it is still an issue to be aware of.
Your Strategy: If an illegal question is asked, the “interview police” are not going to burst into the room and arrest the interviewer. Also, it is not illegal for you to answer an illegal question if you feel comfortable doing so. You might choose to answer by addressing the concerns behind the question such as: Do you have young children? “I have no child-care issues that would keep me from effectively carrying out this job.” Personally, if I was asked an illegal question at a job interview, it would probably be a red flag for me that I would not want to work for that organization.
8. The Pro
Under most circumstances, you will be interviewed by an intelligent, experienced, engaged, skilled, prepared HR professional or manager whose only interest is to select the best possible candidate for the position. You will answer questions that gauge your strengths and fit for the role, your past experience, and your enthusiasm about doing the job. You will have ample time to answer and also ask questions at the end of the interview.
Your Strategy: Reread the job description carefully to refresh your memory as to what they are looking for, and review the documents you used to apply for the position. Think of the points that you want to get across about yourself in the interview. Anticipate the questions and strategize and practice your answers. Think of illustrative stories that you can tell that demonstrate your ability to do the job and put you in a very good light. Think of at least four questions that you can ask the interviewer at the end of the interview about the company and the position. Going full circle to my first blog posting about interviewing: do arrange for a practice interview with one of the career advisers at the Office of Career Planning & Professional Development.
How to Ace the Job Interview from Home— Emily Seamone and Don Goldstein
Even before the current Covid-19 crisis, companies and organizations were using remote job interviewing techniques. These have traditionally included phone interviews and interviews that utilize video conferencing platforms such as Skype, Zoom, WebEx, and GotoMeeting.
A more recent innovation is that of video interviews in which candidates are interviewed by artificial intelligence (AI) bots. With social distancing abounding and most people working from home, the use of all of these remote interviewing techniques will become more and more prevalent.
Interview Preparation
Preparing for any interview, whether it’s in-person, or by any of the remote methods listed above involves the following:
1-Re-read the job description because that is going to provide you with the road map for what questions are going to be asked.
2-Do some research about the organization. Read their website and LinkedIn page not only to gain information about the organization’s products and/or services but also to understand the organization’s culture and how they view their mission and goals
3-Review all material such as your resume, CV and cover letter that you used to apply for the position.
4-Think about the points that you want to get across about yourself in the interview. This is a proactive strategy that allows you to have more control of the situation and therefore reduces stress. You will always get questions which will allow you to get your points across.
5-Prepare illustrative stories that address the job description and put you in a good light. Stories and examples are very powerful and are remembered by interviewers. They are very hard to think of on the spot, so prepare them in advance and look for the opportunity to tell the story.
6-Anticipate the questions and prepare answers. Most interviews will start with some form of “Tell me about yourself” so you want to have a short, fluid answer ready that will provide a strong, positive first impression. You in can practice interviewing by booking a Remote Mock Interview appointment with one of our career advisors. (Place link for appointments)
7-At the end of the interview, you will be asked if you have any questions for the prospective employer. The worst thing you can say is: “No, I don’t have any questions,” because that will be perceived as a lack of preparation, interest and intellectual curiosity. Ask questions that you couldn’t have learned yourself through research and anything that is of genuine concern to you (not including salary as that usually negotiated after receiving an offer).
The Phone Interview
In the past, the phone interview was often the first-round screening interview which would determine whether the candidate would be selected for an in-person interview. It was generally shorter than an in-person interview, often 30 minutes. Under present day social isolation circumstances, the whole interview process might be conducted by phone and webcam.
It is important to know how long the interview is scheduled for, because you will need to gauge the length of your answers to fit the available time. Seek a private place with no distractions and use a land line if possible. If that is not feasible, make sure you’re in a spot with good service and decide in advance with your interviewer who will call back if the call is dropped.
One of the advantages of the phone interview is that you can have your resume and notes in front of you as long as it doesn’t sound like you’re reading. You might have your computer open to the company website. Listen carefully to each question and if you didn’t hear or didn’t understand, it’s better to ask the interviewer to repeat or clarify the question than trying to guess. Try to sound enthusiastic and avoid long pauses because the interviewer may think that you’ve finished your answer.
Webcam Interview Preparations
Test your audio and visual equipment and the platform that you will be using. Decide if you will be using headphones and check those as well. Make sure that you have all of the links. Check your lighting and background. Make sure the background is not cluttered or distracting. Tell everyone whom you share a space with that a webcam interview is going to be taking place. Make sure that you are eye level with the camera so that you will not be looking up or down. Position yourself so that the camera focuses on your head and the upper part of your torso.
The Webcam Interview
Prepare to get on the platform 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. Turn off all automatic notifications (for example email and social media). Dress appropriately, the way you would dress for an in-person interview. When the interviewer is talking, it’s fine to look at the screen but when you are speaking, look into the webcam which simulates eye contact. Be mindful of your posture and body language. Sit up straight and don’t fold your arms. Be sure to smile when appropriate and sound enthusiastic and energetic. The questions you will be getting are the same ones that are asked in a phone or in person-interview such as:
--Tell me about yourself
--Why are you interested in this position?
--What are your greatest strengths?
--What is your weakness or an area that you need to improve?
--What are your long and short term professional goals?
--Tell me about a time that you hit a roadblock in your work and how you got past it?
--How do you organize your day? How do you handle pressure?
--Why should we hire you?
--What are your salary expectations?
--Questions that are specific to the job you are being interviewed for.
(Place link to website from Slide #15 of the presentation)
The Video Computer/AI Interview
This is the “brave new world” of job interviewing. It is similar to the webcam interview except that you are not interacting with an actual person but rather with a computer/ Artificial Intelligence. The most popular platforms are Hire Vue, Interview Stream and Spark Hire. The way it works is that once you are selected for an interview, you will be sent a link or a website or be asked to install an app. When you trigger the start of the interview, you will be given a practice question, and your recorded answer will not be seen by the company. Take advantage of that opportunity because it will give you a chance to see how the platform actually works and it will get you into the momentum of answering questions. You will then be told how many questions you will be getting and how long you have to answer each question. Generally, you will be given 30 seconds to prepare your answer and 3-5 minutes to answer. A countdown clock will appear on the screen and you press a button when you are finished with your answer. Sometimes, you may be given the option to re-record but usually not. The questions are asked by a pre-recorded person or appear in written form on the screen. Some of the question may require a written rather than a spoken answer but there are no time limitations on answering although there are word limitations. There may be multiple choice questions as well but these are generally used to collect factual information about the candidate.
There are a couple of ways that the video recording can be reviewed and evaluated. First, a human being such as an HR recruiter or a hiring manager can review the video when they have time in their schedule, and can easily share them with other decision makers. In the second instance, the recorded questions are evaluated by Artificial Intelligence algorithms to evaluate candidates’ facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, speed of delivery and use of keywords. The latter, as you might imagine, is not without controversy.
I believe that this format of interviewing will be used more and more by companies and not only because of the Covid-19 crisis. It allows then to save time. They don’t have to watch the whole interview, if they determine early on that the candidate is not a good fit for the position. They can watch the interviews according to their own time schedules and can re-wind and re-play an answer. They can share the videos with colleagues. It may prove to be a fairer system because every candidate is fielding the same questions. However, if AI intelligence is making the decisions there is certainly a potential that it could be misused to reinforce biases. This is something that we can’t control. What we can control is our preparations and doing the best possible interview in any remote format.
Post-Interview Etiquette
With the phone and webcam interview, if you don’t have it, try to ascertain the names and email addresses of the people who interviewed you. Send a thank you email within 24 hours of the interview. Express your continued enthusiasm for the position and provide any additional information that you might not have mentioned in the interview.
A thank you note for the Video/AI Interview is a bit trickier. If you know who posted the job description or set up the interview and it’s not just the tech person, address the note to that person. If you don’t have that information do some detective work to try to ascertain who the manager is for that position.
As always, evaluate your performance. Did you have difficulty with any of the questions? What could you have done better? Remember, the more practice and the more actual interviews that you do, the better you get at it.
(To access our recent Webinar on interviewing from home—go to (place link)
Stay safe and healthy at home.
The 5 Most Dreaded Interview Questions
In my last blog post, I wrote about the reasons to do a mock interview at the Office of Career Planning & Professional Development. Today’s post deals with some of the hardest interview questions for students seeking non-academic positions.
You can find some basic advice about non-academic interviewing in our job search basics guide. We also have multiple webinar recordings about the job interview process. Finally, if you’re interviewing for a faculty positions, check out the advice about interviewing in our academic job search guide.
The good news about difficult interview questions is that that after some practice, they can actually become pretty easy.
The 5 Most Dreaded Interview Questions
(and How to Handle Them)
1. Tell me about yourself
Answering this question makes an important first impression. Stumbling can set a bad tone. Know what you want to say and practice that, and you’ll introduce yourself in a clear and concise way. Limit your answer to 1-2 minutes: it’s an ice-breaker and there’ll be follow-up questions. Start with what you’re doing right now and then work backwards. Summarize your job or internship experiences, courses or projects, and skills that are most related to the position. Even though you’ve rehearsed your answer, deliver it conversationally.
This response is often called your elevator pitch with the imagery being that you can introduce yourself in the time that it takes the elevator to reach your floor. (Of course we’re not talking about going to the top floor of the Empire State Building or descending from the 8th to the ground floor of the Graduate Center at 5:00 p.m.) Your response can also be used in all sorts of networking situations and career fairs.
2. Why are you interested in our company and this position?
You can’t say, “Because your company posted the job opening.” Instead, do some research to discover what’s special about the organization. Its website and Linkedin page are good sources of information and demonstrate how the company views itself. If someone who works or worked for the organization told you great things about it, definitely refer to that in your answer. You’re interested in the position because it will allow you to utilize the skills that you learned at the Graduate Center. The development of your skills and your personal success are a win for the employer as well.
3. If you had to say you have a weakness or an area that you need to improve in—what would that be?
This tough question trips up many candidates. Here, the interviewer wonders how insightful and objective are you about yourself. Here are several ways not to answer the question: Never point out a personality flaw such as, “I just can’t get up in the morning. Don’t expect to see me here before 11 a.m.” Don’t disguise a strength as a weakness: “I’m a workaholic. I’m going to be here 18 hours a day.” Don’t point to a flaw that’s intrinsic to the position: “I’m sure I could be a great receptionist but I really don’t like people.” Don’t choose a ridiculous or unrelated weakness: “I don’t know how to fix cars.”
Here’s how you might answer: Choose a deficiency that’s not far-fetched but not mentioned in the job description. For instance, if the job description doesn’t mention public speaking, you could say (if it’s true) that you’re somewhat nervous speaking in front of a large group of people. If you’re a non-native English speaker, you could mention your English: you’re not telling them anything that they can’t hear for themselves. Whatever you choose, show how you’ve worked on the weakness so that it’s not much of a problem anymore: “I did a class presentation this term and though I was really nervous, it came off very well” or “As you can see I’m not a native speaker, but my English is much better than when I arrived in the U.S. I’m still improving by ____.”
4. What salary do you expect and/or require?
This question shouldn’t be asked in a job interview. Salary should be discussed and negotiated when a job offer has been made. However, interviewers sometimes ask it and it’s important to be ready: a low number can sabotage your future salary and a high number can take you out of the running. Before the interview, research going rates for the company and the position and articulate a realistic salary range that you’re comfortable with. There are a number of websites like salary.com, payscale.com, and glassdoor, where you can find this type of information. If you know someone in the field, you can ask what he or she thinks is the average salary. You’ll derive the best answer to this question from research and can present it in this form: “I would be satisfied with a salary of between $_____ and $______.
5. Why should we hire you?
This question often comes towards the end of the interview and it gives you the opportunity to summarize your strengths and make your case. Here, it’s okay to repeat your qualifications and to add in strengths that did not come up. Though you might be tired at this point, it’s important to keep up your momentum and finish strongly. Final impressions are as important as first impressions.
After this question, you are usually given the opportunity to ask the interviewer some questions about the position and the company. I’ll address this important and complicated part of the interview in my next post. Stay tuned!
What You Can Get out of a Job Interview (Besides a Job Offer)
In my last blog post, I wrote about the most difficult job interview questions and how to handle them. In this post, I’ll also be dealing with interview questions, but these are the questions that you get to ask the interviewer. Towards the end of most interviews you will be asked if you have any questions. This is a critical point because the worst thing that you can say is “No, I don’t have any questions.” That will be viewed as a lack of engagement, preparation, and intellectual curiosity and will have as much negative impact on the outcome as showing up late for the interview.
Leaving a Good Last Impression
In my last post, I said the “tell me about yourself” question is critical because it’s usually the first question and sets the tone for the all-important first impression. No less important is the last impression, and that’s what hangs in the balance with your inquiries. You should make the most of this opportunity to determine whether this position is a good fit for you. Have at least three or four questions ready to be asked, such as:
What are the ongoing or new departmental projects that I would be involved in?
Are all the projects team based? Does the team stay together or is it put together according to the project?
Walk me through a typical day?
What is it like to work here? What is the culture of the organization?
If I’m selected, what would be my top priority over the next few months?
If I’m selected, what more could I do to prepare before starting the job?
What is your timetable for making a decision? When might I expect to hear from you again?
Do not ask about salary or benefits, as those are issues that will be negotiated should you receive a job offer. Also avoid asking for what type of candidate they are looking for or for feedback on your performance.
The Benefits of Job Interviews
Even if you don’t get a job offer, you will have gained something valuable by going through the interview process: the more interviews you do, the better you get at them. You become known to the organization. You might apply there again, or perhaps the person they selected won’t work out. Whatever the outcome, don’t get down on yourself. You should evaluate your performance and try to learn what you can do better next time. But remember you can have a great interview and still not get the job—maybe there is an inside candidate or maybe they really liked you but there was another candidate that they liked just a little bit better.
If the job interview is on the employers’ premises it’s a great opportunity for you to observe the environment. Does the atmosphere seem to be high paced and high energy or relaxed or even comatose? What is the physical layout? Are people in offices, cubicles of some form of shared public space? Do the employees appear to be happy and friendly? How are people dressed? Does it seem like a diverse staff? Do they appear to be LGBTQ friendly? Also consider how the interview was handled. Did it start on time and were they well prepared? Did they ask any illegal questions? That in itself may be a red flag.
Up until now, I’ve been talking mainly about face-to-face interviews. In my next post, I’ll be writing about different interview formats such as phone interviews, webcam interviews, and pre-recorded video interviews and how to prepare for each of these.
Illegal Job Interview Questions and How to Handle Them
You might go your whole career and never be asked an illegal job interview question. But it does happen and because it’s so rare, candidates might not even know they are being asked an illegal question or how to handle it if it does happen.
There are three basic legal frameworks that come into account when discussing illegal job interviewing questions. They are Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This law extends to the hiring process as well. The other federal laws that come into account are the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. There may also be fifty sets of state laws that deal with this issue and a number of exceptions, gray areas, and issues of interpretation so today I’m only going to be addressing these laws in their broadest and most usual applications.
Here is a list of broadly agreed upon interviewing questions that are illegal and shouldn’t be asked:
1-Do you have children?
2-Do you plan on having children?
3-Are you pregnant?
4-What kind of childcare arrangements do you have/need?
5-Are you married?
6-Who do you live with?
7-What does your spouse/partner do for a living?
8-What was your maiden name?
9-Are you a United States citizen?
10-Where were you or your parents born?
11-What is you native language?
12-What religious holidays do you celebrate?
13-What is your height and weight?
14-Do you have an illness?
15-Do you have a physical or mental disability?
16-Do you use drugs, alcohol or smoke?
17-What is your sexual preference?
18-Have you ever been arrested?
19-How old are you?
20-What year did you graduate from high school?
21-How long do you plan to work until you retire?
In my very long career, the only illegal question that I ever recall being asked was #21 and in a slightly different way. I was past 60 and I was asked:
Q-If we hire you, how long would you plan on staying?
My Answer: I have no plans to retire
I just want to make clear that this did not happen at the interview for my current position at the Graduate Center.
As you can see, the answers to these questions can be used as a basis to discriminate against candidates. However, just because they are illegal, does not mean that they can’t be asked and it is not illegal for you to answer the question. The Illegal Interviewing Police are not going to swoop down and arrest you and the interviewer. There is a legal remedy of filing a complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but it is hard to prove, takes a ton of time to process and the remedies are very mild, so most people are not going this route.
In developing a strategy, it is important to try to understand why an illegal question or questions are being asked.
1-It could be the company is trying to uncover information that actually could be used to discriminate against you. In that case, for me this would be such a red flag, that I would not want to work for that company.
2-It could be that the interviewer is unaware that a particular question is potentially discriminatory. Maybe it’s a start-up without an established HR department or an interviewer who has been pressed into service because the regular person is out sick. In that case, you might try to discern the reason behind the question such as:
Q-Do you have little children? What childcare arrangements do you have for them?
A- I don’t have any obstacles to carrying out the requirements of the position.
Another possible answer could be that you are not comfortable answering that question.
3-The interviewer is just breaking the ice and making chit-chat. This circumstance is particularly applicable to the Campus Visit of an Academic Job Search. During that visit, it is customary that the candidate will have a number of one on one sessions with other faculty, administrators and even students. There could be a question like:
Q-What does your partner do? (The person may just be curious or might even be trying to be helpful to find a job for your partner)
This might look to be very innocent and the person who asked it might not even perceive that this meeting is part of the interview process, but if the questioner has any input to the eventual job hiring decision, it is an interview, no matter how informal.
A- I’m not totally sure what my partner will be looking for, but if I do get the position, I would love to speak to you about job possibilities for my partner.
There is a legal exception to what I wrote above and that is called Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ). It is a legal mechanism that is a defense against discrimination only when age, sex, religion or national origin is an actual qualification to perform a job. A good example would be that in a job interview for a position as a Rabbi, it would be perfectly legal to ask if the candidate is Jewish.
As a job candidate you also have a responsibility not to offer any information that could be used to discriminate against you. Do not talk about your wonderful children; do not mention that you go to church or which bible you read; do not talk about how great you feel even though you’re 60. You get the idea. You might not only be hurting your chances, but you may be putting a well-meaning HR person is a uncomfortable position.