Coping With Your Interviewer's Style

 

Types of interviewers

 

An interviewee has to be mentally prepared to expect anything while facing an interview. For this he/she has to study the different types of interviewers and learn how to tackle their idiosyncratic style of questioning effortlessly.

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Inexperienced interviewer’s traits

 

·         They start hesitantly as they are unprepared

 

·         There is no list of questions to focus on.

 

·         They interrupt frequently.

 

·         No notes are taken.

 

·         Leading questions are often asked

 

·         Some may not talk at all while others talk too much

 

·         They will keep talking telephone calls during the interview, disrupting the flow of dialogue.

 

·         They do not concentrate on what you say.

 

·         They do not know how to close the interview.

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Ball in the interviewee’s court

 

 

As an interviewee, you have to be smart enough to recognize that this type of interviewer needs to be guided by you. The best way of dealing would be to wrest the initiative and present your plus points at the first opportunity without sounding immodest.

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Experienced interviewers

 

They take control by

 

·         Starting on a pleasant note

 

·         They make the interviewee feel at home

 

·         Open ended and relevant questions are included in their list

 

·         The probing is gentle

 

·         They listen attentively, noting relevant aspects

 

·         No phone calls are received while interviewing

 

·         The interview is brought to a close on a pleasant and positive note

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Egoist interviewers

 

·         Love to blow their trumpet

 

·         Not miss the chance to tell you their success story

 

·         Want to find out how much you don’t know rather than how much you know.

 

The best way to deal with egoists is to:

 

 

·         Humor and flatter them

 

·         Never cross swords with them

 

·         Make sure that you emphasize your qualifications and experience

 

·         Summarize your strong points before the close of the interview

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Autocrats

 

Autocrats are recognizable by

 

·         An arrogant gait and posture

 

·         Rough and brusque language

 

·         The immense power they wield

 

·         Their command of the situation

 

The best strategy is to be:

 

·         Submissive without being servile. Give them the commanding position but be firm where it is needed otherwise you will come across as someone who can be kicked around.

 

·         To the point in giving your answers

 

·         An epitome of good manners

 

·         In the correct sitting posture

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Democrats

 

They are the ones who

 

·         Like to start with casual conversation and a little humor

 

·         They will speak and allow you to speak

 

·         Ask open-ended questions

 

·         Listen attentively

 

·         Are open to the views of others even if these are conflicting with their own

 

·         They generally end up becoming your friend

 

·         Pleasant in their manner

 

·         Always well prepared

 

With democrats you can certainly:

 

·         Be free and frank, without appearing cocky

 

·         Contradict pleasantly

 

 

·         Elaborate on any point

 

·         Be at ease regarding your posture

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Laissez-Faires interviewers

 

·         Start the interview virtually like an accident

 

·         Do not follow any list of questions or take notes

 

·         Are friendly and warm

 

·         Unprepared with an air of carelessness

 

·         Make you feel at ease

 

·         Tend to lose direction of the interview

 

·         Close interviews like pleasant meetings, which achieve no purpose

 

Wrest the initiative by:

 

·         Emphasizing information relevant to the job in a systematic, organized way

 

·         Giving a summary sheet telling why you are best qualified for the job.

 

·         Bringing the interview to a smooth and positive close

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The Whiz Kids

 

·         Are experienced

 

·         Too well prepared

 

·         Know a lot and want you to know this fact

 

·         Deluge you with questions

 

·         Laugh gleefully at your ignorance

 

·         Establish their superiority in an indirect cerebral way

 

Deal confidently with whiz kids by:

 

·         Not becoming overawed by their knowledge

 

·         Highlighting your strengths

 

·         Giving frank answers to their questions

 

·         Accepting gracefully that you need to be more informed

 

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First impressionists

 

 

·         They are experts on human personality

 

·         Make up their mind immediately

 

·         Can size up a person in one glance

 

·         Study the character by the shape of the eyebrows, fingers, jaw etc.

 

·         They can assess people by the way they dress, the kind of pen they

 

     use, the way they talk.

 

·         They take a decision, irrespective of the questions asked and answers

     given.

 

·         They know people or think they do

 

If your interviewer is a first impressionist, this is a great challenge as:

 

·         Your interview may go on for an hour

 

·         Your interviewer would have made up his/her mind in the first few minutes.

 

·         You have to be careful right from the time you open the door

 

·         You should try to get inkling about some of your interviewer’s inner thoughts by observing facial expressions and eyes.

 

·         There is little else you can do to tailor your presentation to the requirements.

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