Justine is one of Chris' Spring 2012 Professional Speaking students at Carnegie Mellon. Here she writes about job interviews.
What we have is a failure to
communicate: Job Process Step 1
The interview. The gatekeeper to the world of potential
employment and necessary threshold from the purgatory of writing endless
applications, cover letters and resume submissions. Why is that for many job seekers hours and money
are spent on courses, career forums and literature that reiterate ways to find
the Holy Grail response for this 10 to 30 minute session?
Silly Interview, a Monty Python sketch depicts an awkward and
off footed job seekers attempt to woo his recruiter. A comedic exchange ensues but what is most
obvious is that neither the recruiter nor, the applicant successfully
communicates with each other where the applicant does not get the job. According
to Random House Dictionary, the word interview refers to a “formal meeting
where one person questions or evaluates another ”[1]. The evaluation process is realized by the
applicant’s capacity to respond adequately in the perspective of the potential
employer. By definition this tactic
fails to fully accomplish the true mission or purpose of the recruiting
interview process.
As unrealistic as thinking 20
questions can evaluate the potential of a mate, pure rote responses offer
recruiters little insight into the capabilities of the candidate. How often does speed dating really work? True,
interviews are a common strategy and are not going anywhere quickly. It is however well within the power of the
interviewee to dictate the quality of the evaluation. Which lead to this burning question: why does
the interview have to feel like an awkward first date?
Solution: the interview should
be conducted as a conversation. When two people engage in a dialogue, ideas
and experiences are shared. Both
speakers have the opportunity to express and articulate viewpoints. Conversations allow the interviewee to create
a lasting impression on the recruiter and vice versa. Both companies and prospective hires want to
find the best match for their improving their bottom lines, whether
experiential or fiscal. Candidates that
are remembered (at least positively) tend to move up in the job pool. In the instances where the applicant is not
selected, recruiters sometimes go beyond their “normal duties” to suggest them
for other positions within the company.
A connection has the potential to go further than the simple 20-question
evaluation simply because the interviewee, is for that brief time, connected to
the recruiter. As the saying goes, great
relationships often begin with great conversations and who does not hope to
have that in their work environment. A
10-minute interview is the perfect place to start one. Conversation is key! END
[1] Random
House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/interview?s=t)
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