Interviewing the Interviewer
A good interview is more off a conversation compared to a set of interview questions and answers and I would add once your are in a flow of a conversation, you will feel comfortable asking the interviewer your own questions, which means you don’t have to wait until you’re asked “do you have any questions for me?”
This article is about gaining rapport and trust early in the interview, which will give you the confidence to ask your own questions throughout the interview, highlighting your confidence and professionalism to the interviewer. I would also add once you start asking questions, you will be interviewing the interviewer, which will give a more informed discussion when deciding whether or not to accept the job offer.
Research
First research the company and the job position, as often the position title can vary in duties depending on the organisation you work for. You need to make a list of what is important to the company, what skills, qualities and experiences the organisation requires. Even more importantly what are the company’s’ values, beliefs and company mission? – this information is easy to locate through the company websites and especially for large organisations on online forums.
Questions
As you are asked questions, you can answer your interview question relating to your researched list of requirements – in essence you will be speaking the company language.
You will start to see a lot of nodding as the employer agrees with your view point (as it will be the same view point the company takes) this will quickly lead to good rapport
Once in rapport, you can start to ask the interviewer questions, first on their requirements as this is something the company will feel passionate about and will answer freely
While asking the company requirement questions, slip in a question you would like to know the answer to, the interviewer will freely answer these questions.
Having a Conversation
By answering and asking relevant questions, the interview will naturally turn into a conversation, often with the interviewer taking a second to look back at the next question (which they forgot to ask due to the conversation) and then saying out loud something similar to “OK, erm actually you have already answered this one..” this unconsciously will re-enforce to the interviewer that you are the right person for the job.
Job Offer
Obviously with a large amount of rapport and the employer believing your values and work ethic are that of the organisation, you are likely to be offered a position. Unlike previous interviews where you answer a set of questions, selling yourself – this interview has been a conversation, where the interviewer has openly answered your questions, this has now given you a more detailed picture of the company (you will already have an overview from the research you undertook) You now can make a more informed choice if you want to work for this particular organisation, as you will agree there is nothing worse then starting a new job and hating it within the first few weeks, I would also add using this technique will secure you more job offers giving you the option of organisations to work for.
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