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The
One-on-One
by Carole Martin
The one-on-one format is the most familiar and common
format in job interviewing. It's about two people
sitting down to have a conversation. In this case, the
conversation has a particular purpose: To determine
whether there is a natural fit between the interviewer,
the applicant and the job available. Both parties will
leave this conversation with some kind of a judgment.
The interviewer will know whether you can fulfill the
responsibilities of the position, and you will know
whether or not this is the right position, and company,
for you to utilize and expand upon your talents.
The interview begins the second you and the interviewer
initially meet -- this is the crucial nonverbal
judgment. The interviewer is sizing you up: Are you
dressed appropriately? Are you well-groomed and
pleasant? Next, is the handshake -- do you offer a
limp-fish handshake or is it firm and comfortable? A lot
of close scrutiny takes place in those initial moments,
and the interviewer can get a good idea as to how well
the interview will or will not go based on his or her
first impressions of you. After a bit of chitchat or
warm-up, the questions begin.
The conversation will usually begin with the same
request: "Tell me about yourself." The information you
reveal as an answer to this question and throughout the
interview allows the interviewer to get a clear picture
of you, and certain pictures or patterns will begin to
emerge. Each time a new subject is mentioned, the
interviewer may want to dig a little further, and the
picture becomes more focused.
Behavioral questions such as, "Tell me about your
experience with...," give the interviewer clues about
your past experiences that can be applied to solving the
problems of the job in question. You must be prepared to
talk about your achievements and past behaviors and have
examples of the experiences you mention. For example, if
you say, "I am very detail-oriented," or "I am an
analytical problem-solver," there must be examples to
back the claims. Show the interviewer that you are
detail-oriented by providing him with an example of when
your attention to detail positively affected your work.
You should create a list of your accomplishments and
experiences that validate these claims prior to
interviewing.
If you don't immediately offer this information, the
interviewer can probe further. As an example, you might
say, "I have excellent written communication skills."
The interviewer can now follow up on this subject by
asking, "What type of writing have you done?" Or, "Tell
me about a project you have worked on involving written
communication skills." If you aren't able to come up
with good examples, or success stories, there might be a
credibility problem. Saying you can do something and
actually giving an example of when you have done it are
two different things.
Interviewers are attempting to get a picture of your
abilities to perform in the position that is available.
They are also looking to see how you would fit in with
the corporate culture. Sometimes there will be a
succession of one-on-one interviews within the same
company. The process may begin with the human resources
department, then move on to an interview with a
prospective boss, or hiring manager. It may then
continue down the line to other members of a department,
and can sometimes include a CEO.
In each one-on-one conversation, you must be able to
present good examples and tell about past successes.
When this is done, you can leave the interview knowing
that you have communicated a picture that is positive
and accurate, no matter how many conversations it takes.
Include
some examples of 'we' projects---shows that you can work
with and support a team effort. Let your experience
speak for yourself... If they cannot see the results for
themselves based on what you have achieved and
accomplished, then they lose. And, would you really want
to work for a place like that?
Make a list now of key achievement, major
responsibilities and projects that show you are
hands-on...flesh them out with some details and you have
a group of stories to tell. Make the stories concise and
have them illustrate key skills...managerial as well as
skill-related.
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