Page 87 - 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions

80 Nail the Job Interview!

you can expect you will be asked about that. Again, you anticipate the
line of questioning and think through possible responses. You want to
consider how this is likely to be viewed by the employer and then what
your strongest response - honest, but not stupid -would be.
Most people find it useful to practice an interview. This can be done
with a spouse or friend, but if you laow someone who conducts hiring
interviews as part of their job, you may want to ask them to help you
through a practice session. By talking through your responses to at least
some of the questions you expect to be asked, you both get a sense of the
areas of questioning where you need to reconsider your strategy as well as
gain confidence in the areas where you feel good about your answers. The
more times you can engage in practice sessions - ideally with different
people conducting the interview - the more confident you are likely to
feel.
You also might want to tape record your answers to possible questions.
Listen carefully to how you answer each question. Do your answers
conform to our principles of verbal com-
munication in Chapter 4, especially
you do not want to using good grammar and avoiding voca-
give memorized or lized pauses and fillers? Do you sound
confident and enthusiastic? If vou use a
"Ginned" responses tape recorder, you will get diiect feed-

to questions. back on your verbal performance. You
will be able to compare your responses
for evidence of improvement.
As you practice, however, keep in mind that you do not want to give
memorized or “canned” responses to questions. You are developing
strategies for formulating types of responses for communicating certain
ideas. You should not be concerned with replicating the actual words you
use to communicate these ideas since the words you use will be somewhat
different each time you respond. You want to become comfortable with
the thrust of the message you want to convey, but do not try to say it the
same way each time. The response itself must remain spontaneous. If you
give what sound like prepared, memorized answers, you will not male a
positive impression on the interviewer.
Though your preparatory research has answered many questions you
may have initially had about jobs in your field as well as the hiring
organizations, you will no doubt have more specific questions as you get