During job interviews, be natural, forthright

By Andrea Kay
April 26, 2007
andrea@andreakay.com

What do they want to hear? That's the question most everyone asks to prepare for a job interview. The "they" is the prospective employer, and the question is the wrong one to pose.

Asking it recently sent a talented, bright and highly experienced 45-year-old woman with an excellent work ethic to her knees. When we met, she was hesitant to talk about herself, unsure of what to say and doubted whether her solid 20-year career history would matter squat to a potential employer. No wonder. She had been consulting the so-called wisdom of a book and trying to memorize the "right" responses to interview questions.

What did she learn? To question herself and her worth. When I asked her a general let's-get-to-know-each-other question like "What can you tell me about yourself?" she froze.

"I know I'm supposed to talk about something, but I can't remember what the book said," she told me.

She had resorted to the book after numerous interviews in which she hadn't been offered the jobs. Her confidence was waning.

"What do they want to hear?" she asked me.

Certainly not some meaningless gibberish, I assured her.

The real question she -- and you -- should be asking is: What do you want them to know? What is it about you that an employer needs to know to form a crystal-clear picture of why you're the most qualified for the position? The person the company can't live without. The one they'd be crazy not to hire.

Here's what to ask yourself to figure that out:

• What do I do so well that can help this company meet its goals? What skills have I honed that they can rely on?
• What knowledge do I have that this company can depend on to meet its goals?
• What is it about my personality that leads to more productivity and cooperation with others?
• What type of reputation have I developed that makes others want me around?
• What do I do to stay in tune with the problems of this industry?
• What have I done in the last year to go beyond what's expected of me?
• What's my philosophy about the work I do?
• Why am I interested in possibly working at this company?

No matter what question you hear, if you can discuss those things, don't you think an interviewer would get a pretty good picture of why you are a strong contender? Wouldn't you feel more confident about yourself and prepared for the interview?

Of course, you need to say these things in a clear, concise way. So think through how you would talk about these points. But make it natural. Remember, this isn't about saying things you're supposed to say, but about conveying ideas you believe in and want others to know.

Your goal isn't to regurgitate a bunch of canned, made-for-interviewing responses. It's to be real and share information relevant to the interviewer. Quit fretting about "what they want to hear." Make them awestruck by sharing what you want them to know. You'll be prepared to tackle most any question with measured bravado. And interviewers may hear just want they want to hear: That quite possibly, they have found what they're looking for.