It's In The Ears
If you thought interviewing was only about answering
questions, you've been missing the point. You've also been
missing an opportunity to gather valuable information.
Listening is one of the skills most underutilized by
candidates. Most people go into the interview thinking and
worrying about how they will answer the questions, and they
forget that they are there to find out about the job and
the company. They forget to listen, observe and read
between the lines.
Ready to Answer Questions
The first candidate, Reena sat answering questions and
waiting for her turn. When asked, "Do you have any
questions?" she was ready and took out her list of
questions.
Sounds like she did everything perfectly. Right? Not quite.
She forgot one thing, and that was to listen. If she had
been listening, she would have heard the emphasis placed on
retention. There were at least three questions asked about
her plans for the future; how long she planned to stay with
the company; why she had only stayed with her last company
two years. If she had been listening, she might have been
struck by the focus of these questions.
"I've heard some concerns about retention in the questions
you've asked me. Could you tell me the turnover rate for
this department/company?"
If she had asked that question she might have found out the
turnover rate was quite high. In fact, that was a big
problem for the company. If she had been listening, her
next question should have been, "Is there a specific reason
employees leave?" She may, or may not, have a gotten a
forthright answer, but she would have been able to make her
own judgment, and observe the interviewer for signs of
discomfort with the question. Observing is another way of
"listening" or taking in information.
Turn up your Intuitive
Another candidate, Jerry, listened when he interviewed, and
picked up the thread of questions pertaining to stress and
long hours.
He asked, "On a scale of one to ten, with ten being high,
how would you rate the stress and pressure levels in this
department?" And then, "Is this the norm, or a seasonal
level workload?"
He had already worked in a "sweat shop" where he was
expected to work 60 plus hours a week. He isn't about to
walk into that situation again. He noticed the two
interviewers look at each other when he asked this
question, and they agreed it was a six. Jerry figured that
must mean an eight or ten, and continued to ask more
questions about the subject. He listened carefully –
reading between the lines. He gathered information he
wouldn't have gotten had he not been on their wave-length
– tuned in and listening. He now had enough
information to make a decision as to whether he wanted to
work for this company, in this department.
Rewards of Listening
When all you can think of is the answers that you will be
giving, you miss a premium opportunity to garner
information about the situation you are about to enter, if
you take the job. The bonus of listening is that you
impress the interviewer by the fact that you have heard
what was said, and sometimes what was not said. The best
questions you can ask come as a result of listening. Turn
up your listening and intuitive skills. Read between the
lines! You'll be surprised at what you hear.
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Carole Martin, America's #1 Interview Expert and Coach, can
give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy
of her FREE 9-part "Interview Success Tips" report by
visiting Carole on the web at http://www.interviewcoach.com
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