Email me your question at dgentry@gentrysearch.com
North and South
Dear Dr. Deborah,
I was in the middle of a job interview that started off well, but suddenly turned south and ended not long after. Is there anything I can do to get an interview back on track if it starts going badly?
Dear Turned Around,
You certainly aren’t the first person to have experienced something of this sort. It’s not difficult to discern that look the interviewer has when on the surface they’re paying attention, but you know they’re really just debating whether to get the chicken or turkey sandwich for lunch.
You know when an interview begins to go down the tubes it’s due to either you or the interviewer and the more quickly you can distinguish who is at the root, the more quickly you can get the interview back on track.
For an interview, make sure you’ve done your homework on the company, use your listener ears for the interviewer, and clearly answer all the questions. It’s a good idea to practice before the interview and carefully consider what you want to come across to the interviewer. If the interview is over in five minutes, you can probably point to yourself as the cause of the problem.
However, some interviewers harbor unconscious biases and make snap judgments or they lack the skills in handling an interview. If you know the interview is going poorly and you see your dream job going down the tubes, don’t be afraid to act assertively in the manner of a New Yorker hailing a taxi, though not in an aggressive, threatening way. Take time to express your thoughts to the interviewer, tell them something significant about your work experience that hasn’t been covered yet, and your competency for the job. Asserting yourself demonstrates how you would act on the job and reveals good self-esteem and confidence. Take charge of your future career!
I was invited to apply for a job at a university. It would have been the perfect job for me, working with students in admissions. I prepared for the interview for a week, had a detailed binder full of information in my researching other schools’ best practices. I did practice interviews, had a list of questions to ask, and studied the backgrounds of everyone in the department. I was ready to engage in an interview.
When the person I thought was going to interview me came out to get me, she brought me into a room full of people sitting all around the table. A panel interview! She never told me!
This would be my first job, an entry level job. Each person fired questions at me while others took notes. After fifteen minutes of my head swiveling back and forth talking as fast as I could, I thought, great, now it’s my turn. Nope. Interview over, headed to the door.
I left terribly disappointed because I never got to tell them anything about why I thought I would be good in the job.
How should I have handled this better?
Sincerely,
Frustrated in Dallas
Dear Rope-a-doped:
You certainly were “ambush interviewed”. I don’t agree with panel interviews and especially for an entry level job that’s overkill. Interviewers like them because they can all see a candidate at once thereby saving time. If they decide to hire someone and they don’t work out, no one person is to blame. Everyone held hands.
But to your question, next time you are confronted with a “gang interview” as soon as you see them, try your best to initiate some control. Do not feel compelled to answer each question quickly. Take your time. And in pacing your answers, get in a question now and then….or tell them something else you want them to know after you answered the question before they can fire off another one.
If you want to try and get some input into the process even after the interview, be sure to write to each person who was on the panel. Let each one know at least one specific idea that you have about how you could contribute to the team.
Reading how you prepare so thoroughly, I don’t think this culture was for you anyway. You’re an independent thinker and don’t need to be in an organization of lemmings.
FYI, Ali won the fight using the Rope-A-Dope strategy, let his opponent wear himself out, then went for the K.O. Try this next time.
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The Career Transition (CT) Group Meetings are always free and a way for those in Career Transition to meet, network and learn about the job search process. Monday at Our Lady Of Perpetual Help (OLPH): 8151 Poplar Ave, Germantown, 7:00 AM
Monday---
Memphis Finance and Accounting CT Group [MEMFA-CT] McAllister's Deli: 7710 Poplar Ave Germantown at 2:00 PM
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The Bob Reilly Group: Church of The Holy Spirit, 2300 Hickory Crest Dr Memphis at 6:30 AM
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