Career Cube Blog

There are articles that discuss different interviewing styles and advise job seekers to learn them in order to be properly prepared to face whichever one they encounter.

This is absurd. There’s neither value nor benefit to it. Memorize every question and the recommended answers that apply to each style? And when the interview begins, you say to yourself, “Aha! It’s The Abstract Theoretical Look Sideways Style!” and you know exactly what to say and do. An interview is nerve-wracking enough without worrying about which style you’ll encounter.

Your interview preparation, which is an absolute must, is about you, not the hiring authority’s interviewing style. That’s because the interview is about the company and how your presence will benefit them. So your preparation should focus on what you’re looking for, knowing your capabilities, listing questions to ask, and forming your answers to fundamental interview questions. Selling yourself to the company is how you ace the interview. It’s how you retain the power to decide if you want to return. Do this properly and the style you encounter is irrelevant.

Interviewing is 85% prep and 15% common sense, and that includes occasionally mirroring. For instance, if the interviewer is chatty, longer answers are okay. If the interviewer is crisp and serious, keep your answers focused and on the topic. If he seems lost, jump in there and sell yourself. How they interview tells you something about who they are. And sometimes that’s enough.

Say you run into an interviewer who uses a behavioral style and throws some stress technique in. He wants to make you sweat. You feel as if he’s grilling you, and you might as well have been fingerprinted. There’s no need to get all worked up (besides, he wants you to). If that’s his interview style, what do you think it will be like reporting to him?

Probably brutal. If you want to work for a control freak or someone who needs to appear tough and all-knowing, you’ve found the place. Good money? Eventually you’ll hate your boss, then you’ll hate your job, then your life will be hell, because the salary won’t be worth it. Short drive? Eventually you’ll hate your boss, then you’ll hate your job then your life will be hell, because the drive will still be too long - you won’t want to go where you’re driving. Great advancement promised? After how long? How many people quit because their boss was a jerk?

If he’s rapid firing questions at you, hoping to trip you up, let him feel important. Finish the interview and cross the company off your list.

If your first interview is with human resources, sometimes they’re crisply detailed and attempt to intimidate you. If you know yourself, what you’re looking for, and have done your research, you’re less likely to get flustered. Others are adept at giving you enough rope to hang yourself, so don’t be lulled into a warm, cozy camaraderie. They’re screeners, but in that sense, they’re also decision makers.

There are different interview styles, just as there are different types of people. The hiring authority’s style is usually reflective of his personality. Stay aware of what’s happening at the moment, what you’re saying, what you’re learning, and how you’re feeling about what’s taking place. You neither need, nor want, to please everyone you meet. Instead of falling all over yourself to make the grade, be objective and pay attention to what information you’re gathering and whether it corresponds to what you’re looking for in your perfect job.

The more you’ve done your homework, the more relaxed you’ll feel. The more relaxed you feel, the more confident and in control of your answers you’ll be, and the less likely try to gratify the performer of a specific style.

Put effort into making sure you know what your skills are, what gets you excited about going to work, and under what type of management style you flourish. Know your accomplishments and how they relate to what the company is looking for. Be aware of what motivates you and what turns you off. Spend time learning about the company with whom you’ll be interviewing instead of trying to prepare for an interview style you can’t possibly anticipate.

Finding your perfect job is about being real about who you are, not trying to respond in a favorable manner to someone in hopes that this will endear you to them and give you a better shot at the job.

Because when you’re real about who you are and know what you’re looking for, it doesn’t matter what style you encounter. You’ll be comfortable with any style you meet. And when they want you to come back for another interview, you can decide if you want to….or not.

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