Job Shop: Control Your Interview

Woodland Hills (myFOXla.com) - Rochelle Burgess teaches at Chapman University in Irvine and has a company called Innovative Partners in HR and Leadership.

She says a useful twist in interviewing for a job is knowing how to control the interview when you are the interviewee.

She’s here to tell viewers how to do that… even though the person conducting the job interview has all the questions.

Question:
Tell me, how can the candidate control the interview when the interviewer has all the questions?

Rochelle's Answer:
Even the best of us can get nervous and become inwardly focused in a job interview. We think it is all about us – when in fact it is more about the interviewer’s wants and needs, and how to help them meet their challenges. So I have 3 tips today and they all start with BEING PREPARED.

First, focus on them, not you. Take extra copies of your resume, “just in case” you meet more people. Find out as much as you can about the Company and the department you are interviewing for. Study their website. Be prepared to ask your own questions. Show that you’ve done some homework, and that you’ll fit right into their culture.

Question:
What kinds of questions would you ask the interviewer?

Rochelle's Answer:
Ask each interviewer something about his own role in the department and his biggest challenge and where he needs your support -- people love to talk about themselves and it shows you are a good listener. You’ll also learn valuable insights for the next interview.

Second, have several success stories ready. Pull out examples of how you’ve made a difference and solved similar problems for other companies. Make those stories short, specific and compelling – and relevant to supporting what the interviewer said he needs.

Question:
What does a success story look like?

Rochelle's Answer:
Here is the key to success stories - Tell about the problem, the obstacles you had to overcome, the actions you took, and then quantify the results as much as possible, in dollars, percentages – anything with numbers attached to it.

And third - always describe your weaknesses as your strengths taken to the extreme.

Question:
What would be an example of a weakness?

Rochelle's Answer:
For example, if your weakness is attention to detail, you might say that you are so good at seeing the big picture, or the strategy, or developing the overall plan, that you’ve learned you must also pay attention to details along the way. Make it sound like you are intentionally overcoming the challenge, and the challenge is because of a strength. If they are as good as I am at doing reference checks, they will uncover the weakness. So be prepared.

Even if you are not the most qualified candidate for the position – you can be the person they remember, and who they want on their team.