10 Qualities of Exceptional Interviewers

I read this article today about qualities that a hiring manager should have in order to make him/herself more capable of hiring the best candidate for their position.  As with many articles that are geared toward the manager's side, this one has some lessons that you as a candidate can take with you.  Here are a few...

* you’re not hiring a position: You’re hiring a result

I have said this before, but it cannot be repeated enough...  Do your homework.  Every business is hiring someone because they have a need.  Find out what that is (as best you can).  Also, gear your interview preparation to be results driven.  Rather than saying something like "I worked with Microsoft Excel to keep inventories of product", say "I maintained inventories of over 300 products using tools such as Microsoft Excel in order to ensure proper quantities of stock on hand."  You're not telling them anything new, you are simply showing them that you not only acquired skills, but you also had active, real results to show for it.  Always, always be results driven.  Results are what separates the proactive from the reactive.



* ensure candidates can come prepared

This is something almost no interviewer does.  I don't know why, but many feel they simply need to tell you when and where to show up, and let you figure out the rest on your own.  When I was a teen, my father taught me to tie a tie.  He introduced this to me by saying he was going to 'teach me something every woman should know, because most men don't' (and boy howdy, was he right.  How in the world do so many men not know how to do this?). 

So, I am going to teach you something every candidate should know, because most interviewers don't... BE PREPARED.  Ask questions.  When you schedule an interview, you need to follow this checklist: 

1. Date and time - Add this to your calendar immediately
2. Location (address, building, suite, conference room, etc.)  Get it all, so that if the people you check in with don't know, you do. You don't want to be late because no one knew where you were supposed to be.  Map your route. Have this available so that you are not flustered day of.  Be familiar with where you are going
3. Check-in information - who do you ask for?  Where do you go?  Make sure you have this written down somewhere easily available
4. Parking information - this is something so many people forget to talk about.  If you haven't ever been to this place, you need to know how and where to park your car.  Will there be a fee?  A meter?  Construction?  These are things you need to know
5. The full names of ALL people you will be meeting with
6. If they are expecting you to prepare anything or bring anything (presentation, resume, portfolio, etc), and how many copies
7. Answers to any other questions you have - I add this because sometimes we get called for positions that have vague descriptions, more than one opening, etc.  The more you know, the better prepared you can be



*do more research on the candidate than the candidate does on the company

Take this as a challenge.  Assume that your interviewer will be more prepared than you are.  It is always a good idea to know as much as possible about the company, and about the position. Get this information from wherever you can.  But don't stop there.  Get to know the interviewer(s) as well. You have their names, check them out.  Look for them on LinkedIn.  See if there is information about them on the company website.  Google them.  Knowing where someone else is coming from can help you understand the type of answers they will respond to.  For example, if an interviewer has a background in the legal realm, you may want to emphasize confidentiality, ethics, etc when you meet.  Take notes.  Most employers will allow you to bring these into the interview.  Even if they don't, you will have better recall if you have written it down. 

Most importantly, KNOW YOUR RESUME.  I can't tell you how many people I have seen asked a question about something that is on their resume, and have them draw a complete blank.  You should know every bullet point on your resume, and be prepared to answer any and every question that might come up.

Lastly, do not wait until the last minute to prepare your documentation.  Get a packet together with everything (at the very least, you should have a resume for each interviewer and one for yourself) days before.  Review this packet once or twice before the interview, and adjust it as you see fit.  PROOFREAD anything you will give the interviewers.  Typos are embarassing, and you might miss them the first, second, third, etc. time you read these things.