In Part I of “Landing the Job” I talked about researching possible employers, preparing your resume, and finding and applying for potential positions. This time I’ll cover what Handshakehappens once you get that call you’ve been hoping for: interviewing, receiving the offer/rejection, and negotiating.

As I said before, the resume’s sole purpose is to get you an interview. The interview is where you get to sell the potential employer on the benefits to them if they hire you. It is also your chance to get into their environment, have a look for yourself, and interview them.

Preparing for the interview phase is crucial. The devil is in the details. You need to be concerned about a myriad of things once you set the date and time of your interview:

  • How do I get there (directions and travel)?
  • What do I wear?
  • What do I need to bring?
  • What will be expected of me? (number of interviews, nature of the interview, any testing involved, etc.)
  • How do I answer the questions they ask me?
  • What questions should I ask them?
  • What should I be looking for as I observe the environment and the people?
  • How do I demonstrate knowledge of this potential employer?
  • What do I do after the interview to follow up?

Now that I’ve probably thrown you into overwhelm, let me reassure you that the single most important thing you need to do in an interview is to be yourself (albeit a professional version of yourself and not the hanging out on a Friday night version, but authentically and genuinely YOU nonetheless). Why is that? Well, as someone who has tried to fake her way through an interview being what I thought they expected of me I can tell you the outcome of such fakery will be one of two things:

1) They see right through it and choose not to pursue you any further (which is a godsend oftentimes).

or

2) You land the job and suffer mercilessly like a drag queen in pumps 3 sizes too small.
Either way it’s a waste of time and energy.

Let me address each of these questions at least briefly.

How do I get there (directions and travel)?

Interviews are nerve wracking. Don’t add to your stress by winging it. Get clear on the directions, any detours, and other travel details. Most importantly, leave yourself extra time. It’s better to sit in your car with a magazine for 30 minutes than sweat it out on the freeway.

What do I wear?

Consider the type of position and dress code of the people in it. Dress as they dress plus a notch above. So, for instance, if it is business casual, still wear a suit to interview. And, wear something that flatters you and is unique to your style, but remember that while you want to be authentic, you don’t want to overdo it on the first impression.

What do I need to bring?

At a minimum, bring the same number of copies of your resume (printed so they look professional on high grade paper – we may live in a virtual society but interviews are still high-touch for the most part) to equal the number of people you are meeting. Add a few extras for good measure. Depending on the type of job you’re seeking you may need to bring additional items (for example: artists usually have a portfolio of their work with them). Don’t be a packrat, but demonstrate professionalism and preparedness.

What will be expected of me? (number of interviews, nature of the interview, any testing involved, etc.)

Find out as much as possible beforehand. Who are you meeting? How many different people are you meeting? How long will the meetings last? Are there any sorts of aptitude or other testing required?

How do I answer the questions they ask me?

Honestly, to the point, and in a way that demonstrates your value as an employee. You will be evaluated on what you say, how you say it, and how you can relate it to the job you’re applying for. There are some great resources on the web around acing the interview. Here’s a few to get you started: “Successful Interviews” and “A Guide to Successful Interviewing”.

Again, this interviewing is an area where it might pay to hire a career counselor, coach, or trusted friend known to be skilled in the interview process. Role-playing is great. I had a colleague who helped me prepare for an interview a few years back who was great. She asked me tough questions and really coached me on how to answer them in a way that is authentic and leaves a positive impression on the interviewer.

Different questions are aimed to measure different abilities of the prospective employee. Remember that it is expensive for a company to recruit and hire someone. And, any employer worth their mettle knows that it is better to hire the right person and train the skills later than it is to hire someone skilled in one specific thing that can’t function behaviorally. The exception to this might be something like brain surgeon, but even then patient and colleague interactions are almost as important.

To get prepared to answer questions you need to be ready for both the “Common Interview Questions” and the “Weird and Toughest Questions”.

Once you’ve thoroughly prepared, let it go. This isn’t a quiz nor will you receive a grade in the end. Do your best and keep the essence and intent of what is being asked (and what the interview wants to REALLY know) and answer appropriately.

What questions should I ask them?

You want to be prepared with a few questions that demonstrate your knowledge of the company as well as a few that will help you uncover more about the company culture and the hiring manager’s personal style.

Check out this site for a few good samples. One thing I would add to their advice is to ask some questions about the person interviewing you (if they are someone you will either work for or with). For example: tell me what you find most challenging and most rewarding about doing this work? What do you like most/least about this department/company/project? While people will only answer so honestly during an interview, it does give you some sense of what is on their minds. And, if you interview with multiple people you can detect trends.

What should I be looking for as I observe the environment and the people?

You can learn a lot about what is written between the lines by watching others. What are people wearing? Do they look harried or calm? Are they upbeat or somber? Do they look energetic or like they could fall over tomorrow from lack of sleep? What are they wearing? What does the work environment look like? Do people say hello and act friendly? Consider yourself like a private detective trying to solve a crime, be very observant.

How do I demonstrate knowledge of this potential employer?

While you want to demonstrate that you know something about the company and their industry, you don’t want to go overboard. Don’t stump the interviewer. I did that once by asking about something from a recent news article and how that was going to impact his department. He was speechless. I’m still not sure whether that was a positive or negative.

To prepare, do a little reading. Check out the company’s website, do a Google search to find out recent news, and read the local paper. Don’t go wild, but do enough to have a sense of what is going on at the company and what some of its challenges are.

What do I do after the interview to follow up?

First of all, thank you cards are a must. Thank them for your time, reiterate your interest in the position, and restate something that you discussed. You should have asked them what their timing was for decision-making in the interview so you should have a sense of what the next steps are and when they will happen. Keep in mind that oftentimes those timelines slip, so don’t take them too literally. Yet, feel free to follow up with a phone call if you haven’t heard anything. I know I had great success at a previous job when I called to follow up. It gave me a chance to reiterate why I was the right person for the job and it demonstrated my proactive nature.

Receiving the Offer or Rejection

If you receive a rejection (these days sometimes you never hear another word), don’t take it personally. Unless you are experiencing a pattern of seemingly positive interviews followed by a rejection, it is best to just let it go and move on. If you are experiencing a trend, it is time to definitely hire a career professional to help you deconstruct what is going on. It could be something as minor as how you answer certain questions that are holding you back. Or, it could be that you’re marching down the entirely wrong career path and the world is trying to save you heartache. Either way, it helps to work with a coach or counselor to get to the root of the issue.

If you receive an offer — congratulations! You stood out from the crowd! You’re not home free, yet though because now it is time to talk details. All those conversations that you couldn’t have before — about benefits, vacation, salary, etc. are now priority one.

First things first – express your gratitude at receiving this opportunity and express how excited you are to come and work there. Then, gather all the details you possibly can about the position and ask for a chance to consider them in detail, letting them know you’ll do it quickly and get back to them with any questions. Set a date and expectations to touch base again but realize that it pays to sleep on all major decisions.

This is where negotiating comes in.

Negotiating

Unless everything is perfect, more exciting than you could ever imagine, with the offer, you will likely find yourself negotiating. Even if it is a fair offer, negotiating is important to maximize your end of the bargain. I wrote about the major impact negotiating can have on your financial life in “How to Ask for More Money”. The numbers will make you stagger.

I have never been one comfortable with negotiating. In fact, the last job I accepted, I was unhappy with the vacation package. It was a step down for me and I was NOT happy. I asked some questions, but ultimately was told “no” with some nebulous excuse. I was advised by a friend to accept the job and then negotiate later once I was in the door. WRONG ANSWER. While you can be successful negotiating once you’re in the door, my vote is to do it up front. Take the time to have meaningful negotiations before you seal the deal. If it seems more appropriate to prove yourself for a few months first, that is fine – set an agreement (in writing) up front that you will reconvene in 3 or 6 months to reopen the discussion. I encourage you to stay strong & get the courage to ask for what you want.

That being said don’t be an ass. If you come to the table being inflexible or uncharacteristically demanding it ends up being a lose-lose for everyone. Remember you always have the power to say “no” to the job offer if you carefully consider the details and determine that it isn’t the right fit for you.

The book “Getting to Yes” is a great guide to win-win negotiating. I listened to the audio book quite a while ago. The point of the book is that negotiating isn’t a battle. It is a conversation in which both parties benefit. If you approach the conversation with the attitude of how can we all benefit, it not only becomes much more productive but also more likely that everyone walks away with what they want.

What if you’d rather eat snails that work for someone else? Stay tuned because in the next part in this series I am going to talk about starting your own business. There is more than one way to earn a living.

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Paula Gregorowicz is the Comfortable in Your Own Skin(tm) Coach and you can learn more at her website www.thepaulagcompany.com and blog www.coaching4lesbians.com .

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