Page 76 - 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions

45 Key Interview Principles 69

34. Focus on the interviewer‘s needs.

Assume that most interviewers need to select someone who will fit
into their organization well in terms of both productivity and
personality. You must confirm during the interview that you are
both a productive and personable individual. You do this by
stressing your benefits for the employer and handling well the ques-
tions and small talk so that in the end you will be evaluated in the
most positive manner possible.

35. Focus on exchanging useful information about each
other rather than just on getting the job.

Keep in mind your objectives and goals. Remember, both you and
the interviewer need to acquire information that will best assist
each of you in arriving at a proper decision. If you focus all your
answers and questions on malung a “good impression” so you can
get the job, you will probably be very nervous and make mistakes
along the way. Take it easy and focus on what you should really be
doing - giving and gathering information that can be used for
making a decision. In your case, you need information on the job,
employer, and organization. Is this really the place you want to
work? Will it be right for you? The employer also has similar ques-
tions about you.

36. Emphasize the positive.

You want both the content of your responses and the manner in
which you phrase your answers to be positive. As you talk about
your previous employer(s), try to cast them in as positive a view as
possible. After all, if you talk negatively about a former employer,
the prospective employer will assume that someday you’ll talk that
way about him. If you bad-mouth your former company, the
employer will expect that one day you’ll do the same to his. If you
have only negative remarks about your co-workers, he must ques-
tion your ability to get along in his organization as well. In other
words, you have little to gain - and much to lose - during the