THAT AWKWARD MOMENT

Even the best-prepared interviews don’t run exactly to order, and there are all kinds of questions that can throw you. Hopefully you won’t be too thrown by predictable questions which you can handle with ‘lifeboat answers’ (see Chapter 12). There are, however, moments in an interview where you might think things are not going your way. This chapter outlines how this happens, and what you can do about it.

As a general principle, if you are thrown by a particular question don’t try to answer when you are already on the back foot. Ask what underlies the question. So, for example, if you’re asked ‘Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist?’ and you don’t know how to pitch your answer, say something like ‘Before answering that it would be helpful to know what level of detail is required in this job.’

YOU CAN’T THINK OF AN EXAMPLE

The most common area where people get stuck is when they are stumped by a question. If that happens, play for time: ‘I’d like to match my experience as closely as possible to the job, so could you give me a little more insight about what this role requires?’ If you can’t think of an example from your working life, think about something taken from your life outside work. If you still can’t think of an answer, say so rather than improvising badly. Then let it go; the moment has passed – if you keep thinking about what you were asked five minutes ago your attention will be in the wrong place. Next time prepare matching evidence more carefully.

YOU’RE STILL THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID 10 MINUTES AGO

Stuart McIntosh has reminded me of the lovely French expression – l’esprit d’escalier – the witty comeback you think of too late when you have left the room and are half way down the stairs. It is usually accompanied by regret (‘if only I’d said ...’), and a feeling that things would have gone better if you’d had the right words available.

This is potentially useful in hindsight to help you deliver better answers in future conversations. In the room itself this kind of thinking distracts you from the task in hand. It’s like a Formula 1 driver always thinking about the last bend – your attention needs to be on the next piece of track.

Promise yourself that you won’t be distracted into analysing your performance during the interview. Do that and you are not properly in the room, but watching yourself, critiquing your answers – plenty of time for that afterwards. Before you go in, say this aloud: ‘During the interview I will focus only on the question I am answering.’

In the room focus only on what is going well, listen to what you are saying right now, rather than reflecting on what you said five minutes ago. Candidates who self-check all the time don’t work hard enough on the relationship in the room, and are the ones who often say ‘Can you repeat the question?’

YOU THINK OF A BETTER ANSWER LATER

As the interview progresses you might think of a better answer to an earlier question. Don’t get too distracted by this – give your attention to the current question, and don’t blurt out new information which is unrelated to the current topic of conversation. If you are convinced that a better answer might tick a box which the interviewer is uncertain about, make a quick judgement call. Will your answer score points, or get you into difficulty? Don’t risk going back over old ground if your new answer won’t survive probing. If you think it’s important, ask permission towards the end: ‘Earlier you asked me about X. I’d like to add ... ’

YOU SAY NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF

We have already established that negative information sticks. Sometimes an interviewer is still thinking about it when you have moved on to another topic. However, research undertaken by Daniel Cable and Virginia Kay, published by London Business School in 2011, indicates that candidates who were honest about their failings at interview did better in the long run than hired applicants who tended not to mention any negatives. Interestingly, those who revealed shortcomings were happier and more successful in their new jobs, felt a stronger commitment to their new employers, and received more favourable performance evaluations from supervisors after a year in their new jobs. This report concluded that the best recruitment decision would be to rule out candidates who disclosed no shortcomings.

Balance this against a 2010 feature in Harvard Business Review by Todd Rogers and Michael Norton which records that ‘People who dodge questions artfully are liked and trusted more than people who respond to questions truthfully but with less polish.’ Credibility is about how details are presented. The overall answer seems to be to combine both honesty and proficiency – give polished answers, particularly about times where things went wrong.

Career management specialist Zena Everett writes: ‘Employers want to see that you are flexible, can learn and adapt. Acknowledge how you have learnt from your mistakes. When you describe past achievements, it’s good to say what you would do differently next time: “At the end of the project when we reviewed how each stage had gone, we agreed that we should have stepped in as soon as we realised that the supplier wasn’t communicating effectively and confronted their account manager earlier.” That’s not admitting a weakness, but demonstrating self-awareness, the ability to learn and to take constructive criticism. Also, that you have learnt on someone else’s payroll so can hit the ground running when you join the new employer.’

YOU CRITICISE A PAST EMPLOYER

This flaw is generally best avoided, but if you have done it you have two strategies available. First, immediately say something positive as a counter-balance. This shows that you are capable of seeing the big picture, and seeing things from an organisational perspective. Second, when you are talking about another job or employer, make sure you are as positive as reasonably possible.

YOUR ANSWER DOESN’T SOUND AS GOOD AS IT DID WHEN YOU REHEARSED IT

This could, of course, be because you are under-rehearsed, but sometimes your well-prepared answer doesn’t get the audience reaction you want. Interviewers are not always open in their reactions; you may be doing very well indeed, but the interviewer’s professionalism means that little is being given away. Don’t be put off: the same interviewers who appear detached at interview can be the most enthusiastic about your qualities afterwards.

However, a lack of response may reveal that you haven’t put enough suspense in your story – you’ve described an achievement without showing the size of the challenge you faced. It might be because your story is still too long, and the interviewer is switching off part way through. In any event, don’t change your strategy. Deciding half way through an interview to start cutting out material or improvising new stories is a bad idea.

Your background research needs to focus on the language that the employer is currently using to describe tasks, performance and success. Think also about the energy levels in your answers (see advice for introverts in Chapter 6). Don’t just unpack your experience, learn how to sell it.

YOU’RE ASKED FOR BETTER EVIDENCE MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE JOB

Hopefully you will have done the right kind of matching when preparing, but it’s always possible to misinterpret information (or the job documentation may not give away the employer’s true wish list). Don’t be put off by requests for more information on job fit – they are buying signals (you’re close to the target) and it’s much better to get the prompt now rather than negative feedback afterwards. If it’s a competency-based interview you may have spoken about the right events, but not used the right language. If you are challenged to offer examples which are more closely related to an employer’s needs, ask a question before diving in: ‘Can you tell me a little more about what you’re looking for?’

YOU’RE THROWN BY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR LONG-TERM CAREER PLANS

Sophie Rowan, author of Brilliant Career Coach (Prentice Hall, 2011), believes that employers ultimately buy into authenticity, which for her is much more than matching yourself to a set of competencies. It’s about having a coherent story about your career as a whole – who you are, what you have to offer, where you see yourself in the future and how that fits the organisation and the role. Sophie’s advice is to ‘have a career purpose – choose your next career stage rather than your next job’. Authenticity, therefore, isn’t just about sounding credible, it’s about having a clear and valid reason for taking a particular role; the job on offer should sound like the best natural next step in your career path.

Zena Everett draws on her hiring experience: ‘Recruiters want to see that candidates have demonstrated control and ownership of their career path and that their reasons for wanting to join the organisation are based on a clear career strategy. Their career objectives should dovetail with the organisation’s strategic objectives and the objectives of the role.’

A classic question that could put you on the back foot is ‘Where do you want to be in five years’ time?’ Clichéd answers usually involve arrogance or over-optimism. No organisation can really predict what its key players will be doing this far ahead, so talk about personal development rather than ambition. A good strategy is to shorten the timeframe: ‘I don’t know where I’ll be in five years, but within a year, I hope to win several large accounts.’

YOUR INITIAL ANSWER NEEDED A SECOND LINE OF DEFENCE

Chapter 16 on probing questions outlined the difference between first level questions which look for surface detail, and second and third level questions which probe detail or credibility. Anticipate difficult areas by building lines of defence around issues that you know will be probed. So, for example, you might have left your last job because you were under-employed. Your first line of defence is simplicity, and a short but positive answer: ‘I moved on because I wanted more of a challenge.’

Hold your second line of defence for where an interviewer says ‘I’d like to know a bit more about that ...’ Here you will give a more developed but equally balanced answer: ‘I had learned as much as I could in the job and my employer was reluctant to expand the job any further, so I decided it was time to look for something which would stretch me, and this job ...’. Taking your answer from your past (your experience) to the present (the job under discussion) is always a good move.

THE INTERVIEWER SEEMS TO DISAPPROVE OF YOUR ANSWER

While interviewers often give little away, early signals that you are not delivering the right kind of material are helpful indications that you need to change strategy. Don’t make this a challenge (‘I don’t seem to be giving you what you’re looking for’ or ‘You’re not asking about my experience of X ...’). If in doubt, ask – seek a recap of what the interviewer is looking for, or ask ‘Would it be helpful if I talked about ...?’

THE INTERVIEWER LOOKS BORED

If interviewers see a lot of people, they get bored, sometimes quite easily. That’s why it’s important to be memorable, and to be memorable you need to be interesting. Spinning tales rather than dumping information makes all the difference – strong candidates are often very entertaining to listen to. It’s difficult to suddenly switch this on in the room but energised language gets the interviewer’s attention as much as energised behaviour – consciously use words like ‘exciting’, ‘success’, ‘challenge’ or ‘buzz’, or try saying ‘There’s quite a good story behind this one ...’

An interviewer has got to enjoy you. Experienced recruiter Melanie Moore says: ‘I interview 5–10 people a week and it is the ones that are honest, interesting, friendly and open that I enjoy the most. I have to “sell” these candidates to companies and so I need to trust what they say and enjoy meeting them.’

YOU DON’T GET TO THE TOPICS YOU FIND IT EASY TO TALK ABOUT

I am indebted to my colleague Kate Howlett for this one. Remember the hot and cold game you played as a child? Shouting ‘hotter’ when someone got close to the hidden object? Play the same game in interviews. Give short answers to negative questions, and longer answers to positive questions, so you control the amount of time given to positive information. It’s your job to take the interview to a ‘hot’ place every time you can.