Interviewing the interviewer

People responsible for interviewing and hiring should have a prioritized list of criteria that will be used to compare and rank candidates. If you, as a job seeker, know what sort of decision process the person you are interviewing with will follow, you will be in a position to interview much more effectively. That information could provide the edge you will need to beat out your competitors.

Details about the decision process usually are not provided up-front. But I can build a strong argument that, in many cases, it would be beneficial for the interviewer to tell you how the yes/no decisions will be made. This would set the stage for a much more effective two-way interview.

Let's assume that the initial pleasantries are over and the real interview is starting. You have no clue as to how the interview will proceed or how the interviewer will come to a decision. If you are adequately prepared, you can simply ask for that information. A suggestion, "Mr./Ms. Jones, from what I have learned, it would appear that there will be a lot of very qualified people interested in this position. How will you decide on the right one?"

Practice and get comfortable with this kind of question before you try it. Listen very carefully to the answer. Get the entire answer before you start mentally preparing strategy. Address your comments and answers to the issues that the interviewer has identified.

A word of caution - the interviewer may not have a good answer. Many people have very little experience and no training in how to interview. If you ask the question and sense an awkward silence, you may be able to turn it to your advantage. How about "While you are thinking, let me interject that I read an interesting article recently about that very topic. It said that (do your homework and be ready)." It is possible that you could influence how the interviewer will proceed to evaluate you!

Side note - I know that many of our readers have interviewing responsibility. There are some excellent interviewing strategies and tools available. E-mail me if you would like to hear more about your side of the equation.

Tom Whitley and the staff of Management Recruiters of Kannapolis, specialize in recruiting information systems, telecommunications, and networking professionals at both the technical and managerial levels. If you are interested in discussing career opportunities, if you need assistance with your recruiting efforts, or if you have comments about the Career Advisor contact Tom at tomwhitley@vnet.net.

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