Spinning The Table
Back to Blogs
It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the expression “As pleasant as a job interview”
Think of the last conversation you can remember really enjoying. Maybe it was this morning over breakfast or it could have been weeks ago in a bar after work.
Who were you with and what were you talking about? Were you talking to someone whose opinions you respected and discussing something you cared about?
You might have hundreds of interactions with other people every day but have only one or two memorable conversations. The difference between them – Engagement.
It works the exact same way in job interviews.
Picture a hiring manager with a morning of interviews ahead of them. Let’s call him Nigel. You may expect Nigel to be looking forward to meeting all these bright, enthusiastic candidates (he’s a great manager after all) but chances are he isn’t. And why would he be? Four hours of asking the same questions and getting largely the same answers would be enough to drive anyone up the wall. How is he going to choose between a group of equally qualified people who all have the expertise needed for this position?
The person who will get the offer is going to be the one who stands out from the crowd. The person who makes Nigel remember them positively. They won’t do this just by having good answers prepared but through engaging him in the interview and raising his interest. They will turn the interview from an interrogation into a conversation by asking good questions throughout and by finding out themselves exactly what Nigel is looking for and what he is offering.
“They will spin the table”
Nigel has a problem he needs solving or he wouldn’t be looking for a new employee. Maybe he has an exciting new project coming up or maybe he needs someone to sit in front of the door to stop the draught. Either way, you won’t find out unless you spin the table and really get to the bottom of Nigel’s needs. If he has a problem that you have experience in solving then you can discuss it and all of a sudden the interview is going in a much better direction. If he has a draught-excluder issue in which you have no interest then that’s ok too, at least now you know and you need not waste any more time with the process.
There is no rule that says you have to wait until the end of the interview to ask questions (and if they tell you to do so it is a fairly good indicator of how they will treat you if you take the job!). Nigel doesn’t just want to run down the checklist in front of him then usher you out the door. He wants to know that you care about the position and that you’re interested in the company. You need to understand his problem and help him solve it.
So spin the table and get your interviewer talking. You’ll engage them in the meeting, learn more about the company and hugely increase your chances of walking away with the job.
If you would like more information on interview tips or are looking for a new position please call us on 01-4744600 or send your CV to reception@sigmar.ie
