Objective

This brief is designed to prepare you for any interview in any situation that you might face in your professional career.  This approach to managing the interview process has evolved as a result of 20+ years experience in the job search experience from recruitment professionals.  The intent of presenting this approach in written form is to save you time in interview preparation, as well as provide a reference document for your professional file.  While I believe that this approach is tremendously effective, I caution you that it is not Gospel, nor does it guarantee success.  Your professionalism, personality, attitude and a little luck are needed to maximize your success in interviews.

Premise

The Four Point Interview Agenda is based upon the premise that most companies do not know how to conduct an interview, nor do they really know how to effectively judge talent.  I want you to enter every interview with the mind set that you want to improve your odds of success by helping your prospective employer make a better selection right there in the interview.  You can best do that by being responsible for guiding that meeting to your best advantage and by TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED.

Preparation

There are several things that you can do in preparation for the day of your interview:

Grooming and dress are important for every interview.  Your goal is to make your looks in an interview a non-distraction.  A few days before the interview, assess your need for a haircut, shoeshine, dry-cleaned suit, pressed shirt or dress.  Plan your attire so that you are dressed conservatively (some would even say “Dress for a Funeral”), or dressed appropriately to mirror your employer’s situation.  It is OK to call the prospective employer to ask about appropriate attire for interviews.  Your default dress, in the absence of permission for casual attire, is “dress for a funeral.”  Additionally, plan any accessories or props that you intend to bring to the meeting.

Understand the logistics for the day of your interview.  Get a specific time and place for the appointment, write down contact numbers and agree to an action plan for any problems that may arise.  Keep this information in a place that you will not forget on interview day.

Review your work history (especially the work that is most applicable to the prospective employer) for at least 1/2 hour.  We often forget important accomplishments and experiences in the heat of the interview.  A good way to do this is to take out your most recent resume, and with a pad of paper, take notes on what you believe will be most important to our prospective employer.  You may even want to take these notes with you.

Research your prospective employer.  Tap into the Web, library and any other contacts to learn as much as you can about your prospective employer.  Write down relevant questions you would like answered about your employer and bring those questions to the interview.

Interview Attitude

In interviewing, Attitude is Everything.  Prospective employers sense immediately the ATTITUDE THAT YOU ARE WEARING in the interview.  Mentally, you need to put yourself in the right frame of mind for your meeting, a frame of mind that reflects confidence in your abilities and enthusiasm for your potential role with your prospective employer.   Remember that you are at your interview because they need help, and in most cases you are MORE THAN QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB.

The Four Point Interview Agenda

The Four Point Agenda gives you effective control of your interview, while making the your prospective employer believe that he/she is in control.  Additionally, this agenda gives you a simple roadmap for your meeting that you can easily remember while in the "heat of the battle."  Of everything in this document, remember the four agenda items listed below, and try to achieve each of these items.  If you do, you will have a successful interview.  Here are the agenda items:

1.  Find out what they are looking for
2.  Tell them what you have that they are looking for
3.  Get them to agree that you are what they are looking for
4.  Find out what steps remain between you and a job offer

The Why and How of the Four Point Agenda

What follows is the logic behind the Four Point Agenda, as well as tips on how to execute these agenda items.

1.  WHY do you want to find out what they are looking for?  It is good to let the employer talk first, and by asking them what they are looking for, you get them to talk first.  You are showing concern for their situation by asking them what they believe they need.  You are also setting them up to be ready to listen to you when you are ready to present your skills.  Additionally, you are getting them off of their agenda and taking control of how information flows in this meeting.  This is very important in a meeting where the employer’s interviewing skills are not strong--you avoid flawed techniques (checklist questioning, heavy technical questions, irrelevant "favorite" questions, etc.) that have been adopted over the years.  Finally, YOU ARE GETTING THE ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ!!!  If they tell you what they need, you can adjust and package your answers to address those needs and position the prospective employer to make a commitment right there in the meeting!

HOW do you get them to tell you what they are looking for?  It is really very simple and non-threatening---Ask them!  Open your meeting with a statement like “Before we start with your questions, Mr. Employer, maybe you could share with me what it is that you are looking for in a candidate?”  Develop a line of questioning that identifies the nature of the position, problems or issues that have surfaced for this position, what is the employee’s role in the organization, key projects in the upcoming year, the skills that the employer believes that they need or what they believe is a successful profile for an employee.  Listen carefully to their answers. This information will give you an opportunity to determine what skills that you possess that can be of most use to the employer.

2.  WHY do you want to tell them what you have that they are looking for?  Because this is what the employer really wants to find out!  Additionally, if you take the lead on answering this question, you will further avoid the prospective employer's potentially inept navigation of the meeting.

HOW do you tell them that you are what they are looking for?  As they are finishing describing what they are looking for, break in with a line that begins like “Based on what you have described I believe that my skills can be of great service to your organization-----and the following experiences apply to your situation...” Then describe the projects and experiences that apply to your prospective employer's situation.  Include what roles you performed, what skills you developed, what business issues you resolved, and any particular accomplishments in your experiences that you believe differentiated you from others in similar roles.  Remember to avoid company internal terminology and acronyms that might confuse your prospective employer.  Try to also avoid talking about what you like or dislike--this tends to get you in trouble.  Keep focused on their requirements and how you fit, and your presentation will be fine.  If you don’t have a lot of work experience, focus on skills and accomplishments that you believe best fit into your prospective employer’s needs.

3.  WHY do you try to get them to agree that you are what they are looking for?  This is the key reason that you took the interview in the first place!!  Most people fail to seek this agreement, and lose out on opportunities as a result.  You want to do this for five very good reasons:

1.  First, by trying to find out if they believe you are what they are looking for, you are subtly expressing interest in the position, and people want people who are interested in the work.
2. Second, you are getting the employer to use more than their thoughts about you.  If they verbalize interest in you, it is more difficult to back away from you than if they just thought they were interested in you.
3. Third, you are uncovering hidden objections or obstacles that could prevent you from winning the job.
4. Fourth, you can clarify any miscommunications in the interview.
5. Fifth, and most importantly, you are putting your prospective employer into a Decision Making Mode that they try to avoid (especially when they are interviewing others)----If this happens, you close out your competition before they get feedback or even get to interview.

HOW do you get them to agree that you are what they are looking for?  This is tougher than any other agenda item, but if you are "on your game", you can effectively transition from telling them what you have to asking them how you fit their needs.  As you are winding down in your description of your experiences you can say something like “Those are my experiences in a nutshell---based on what I have told you, how do you believe I fit your needs?”-----or something very similar.  You need to develop a line of questions that address if you fit, how well you fit, how you stack up against competition, what might be missing or needs improvement, as well as any missing items in your background that are required for the position. You want to leave nothing to chance, but more importantly, you want your prospective employer to make all of the little decisions that will enable them to make the BIG ONE--that is that YOU ARE THE EMPLOYEE THAT THEY NEED.  If they indicate that you are "too forward" or you are "putting them on the spot", counter with the statement "I am asking only because I am so interested in the position, and want to ensure that I have clearly communicated my capabilities"---This should put your prospective employer at ease, and generate the answers that you want.

4.  WHY do you need to find out what steps remain between you and an offer?  Because it helps you to manage to any outstanding issues and timing before you start working with your new employer.  Also, it is one more reality check with regard to your prospective employer’s interest in you.  A lack of specific answers is an indication that you did not do your best on the interview, or there is a real competitive alternative.  If this happens, go back for more information from your prospective employer about what they really think about your qualifications or their interest in you.

HOW to find out what steps remain between you and a job offer?  Very simply, ASK!!   When they indicate interest in you, respond with something like 'Great, what steps are left to accomplish before you can make me an offer?'  Develop a line of questions to find out who else needs to be involved in the decision, if there are any requirements of you before they can make an official offer of employment, or any other issues to be resolved before a start date can be identified.  These questions are reasonable in that we all need to plan on a transition from one situation to the next, so your prospective employer should not be alarmed at this line of questioning, especially if they are interested in getting you started.

Final Pointers on Interviewing

Most of you are instinctively doing SOME of what is recommended in an interview.  I am recommending that if you consciously focus on using the Four Point Interview Agenda, you will dramatically improve on good habits to date, make a more professional impression on prospective employers, and most importantly, you will close out your competition and win the better jobs available in the marketplace.

I would like to believe that all interviews could be directed in an orderly fashion as I have laid it out in this brief, but that is not always the case.  If you are in an interview where you cannot direct the activity as I prescribe, don't panic-----just remember the four agenda items and take an opportunity to ask at least about agenda item 3----Are they interested in you?  This is really all that is truly important!

Avoid directly answering questions that are quantitative in nature.  Expand your answers into a qualitative vein.  For example, if you are asked how long you have worked with a particular tool or perform a particular function, expand beyond the number of years to indicate your capability with the tool or function so that the employer understands what you can do rather than be focused on a number.

Attack checklist questions with questions.  For example, if you are asked if you have experience with a particular product, do not answer just yes or no-----Ask why they want to know, or why that experience might be necessary.  Chances are that the employer is looking for a tiebreaker, and you don't want to lose on an opportunity just because you have not worked with the right word processor (or any other tool, for that matter).

Interviews should be fun learning situations, especially if you are prepared.  Do not take them so seriously that you cannot relax in the meeting.  Set a goal to enjoy the experience of meeting a potential future employer as your minimum, and you will not lose.  Do not forget, however, that you will have the most fun when they invite you to work for them.  Good luck!

Prepared by Mike McKeown, (Class of 1980), Genesis Micro Solutions, Inc.