Conducting a job interview is no walk in the park



Conducting a job interview successfully isn't all about you. Of course the employers opinion on you is crucial. The way they approach the process and carry out the interview will have a big impact on what you need to do to achieve interview success. The better you understand their perspective the greater your chances. Its time to really think about the person sitting across from you and the rigours of conducting a job interview.

Have you ever given a thought to the poor interviewer? They are probably feeling the following:

Under pressure

They are looking to fill a vacancy because a need has been identified within the organisation. Your opportunity is their problem. Time and money spent searching for a suitable candidate is time and money being lost. Every. Single. Day.

What if you were responsible for a decision that would cost the company thousands over the next year? A decision that would be highly visible within the organisation and would have an impact on the performance of everyone involved? Yep, that’s how they feel.

Tired from screening

Imagine poring over many many CV’s looking for the few candidates who stand out. The few who have made the effort to apply the rules of how to write a CV. Its pretty tiresome work, but it has to be done. You can bet when they find someone who looks suitable (that’s you) they are pleased. In the interview they know if you do not succeed it could well be back to the drawing board. Never forget this. They want you to win them over!

Keen to get back to their real job

Those carrying out the CV screening are aware this whole process is costing time and money by the second. On top of this they are keen to get back to their real job, safe in the knowledge they have found the right person. In many cases the person/people interviewing you will be part of the management team. Their job is to manage, which doesn’t necessarily make them particularly good at identifying talent, let alone conducting a job interview. These types of interviewers are better served by using a more structured interview approach, guiding them through the process and making sure they tick all the boxes. However this may not be the case and in my experience the smaller the company the more likely you will face an unstructured interview.

As I’ve said many a time on this site, interviewing is a skill, and this works both ways. I’ve come across many a manager who was hopeless at both giving interviews and candidate selection! Its your job to help these interviewers to the conclusion that you are the right candidate. Help them, help you!

To do this of course, we come full circle, back to the fundamentals of interview success; knowing what employers want, then knowing how to give it to them. And that, is all about you.

Click here to learn about what employers are looking for

Find out the keys to making the interviewer believe in you by presenting yourself like a winner.

Return from conducting a job interview to interview tips


Return to interview tips home