Interviewing: The Basics

Employers look for employees because they have a NEED. Don't mistake that the interview is about you – it is really about their NEED.

You need to sell yourself as the right person to satisfy that need. Sure, you may have great experience, but WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM? Managers hire people in order to make their own job easier. How are you going to make the Hiring Manager's job easier? How are you going to make the Hiring Manager look good in THEIR boss's eyes? You need
to make your skills, experience, and education relevant to THEM and their needs, goals, and situation. After every statement you make to the Hiring Manager, you need to at least mentally add " … and this will make your job easier because …" or " … and this will make you look
good because …" Imagine the Hiring Manager asking "… so how would that benefit me and my needs?" Make your answers and examples relevant to THEIR needs and communicate how hiring you will benefit THEM as well as
the company.

If Managers hire based on their needs, then you are going to have to uncover and reveal their needs in order to come up with answers that will get your hired. Remember that every time a hiring manager asks you a question, YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO ASK A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN. Questions are a great follow-up to a winning answer.
Early on in the interview you should use your own questions to uncover the hidden needs of the Hiring Manager so that you can tailor your answers and attitude to show that you understand their needs and that YOU are exactly the perfect person to solve those needs.
Please see the section in this Guide on "Questions to Use to Uncover the Interviewer's Hidden Needs."

act in terms of what is right. Demonstrate that you follow through and actually do what you say you will do.

Commitment: This is your capacity for becoming dedicated to your work. You should demonstrate a strong belief in what you do.

Demonstrate that you are willing to make a sacrifice for people when appropriate because you are a COMMITTED person. Show a strong responsibility and commitment to not only the Hiring Manager and the
company, but even more importantly, to customers and clients.

Work Orientation / Stamina: This is your capacity to handle mental intensity and hard work. Indicate the high tempo and speed at which you work, and your capacity for endurance. Show that you invest the
TIME and ENERGY necessary to get the job done right the first time consistently.

Interpersonal Skills / Charm: This is your capacity to know how and when to get things done with people. Show that you are outgoing and charming, and that you are especially effective in this regard when
you have an objective in mind, or need someone to do something. Demonstrate that you have an intrinsic need to win the approval of others, fit in, and get along. Show that you have the ability to build quick relationships with people.

Discipline: Demonstrate that you have inner standards that make you both predictable and productive. Show that you enjoy the responsibility of planning and carrying out your own schedule. Indicate
that you can motivate yourself to work on a task until completion.

Competitiveness: This is your drive to be better than others. Show that you like to compete and have the desire to win, and show the maturity of knowing how this benefits everyone.

Focus: This is your ability to determine what is important, set priorities for tasks, and maintain direction. Show that you understand how to set short and long-term objectives, and how to intelligently
schedule these objectives so that you hit your goals and complete tasks on time.

Big Picture Thinking: This is your ability to see the big picture, and not get bogged down in the minutia of small tasks. Demonstrate a tendency toward project closure. Show your ability to see "the real
goal" and what it takes to get there.