Acing the Job Interview: Be Influenced

Tony Beshara recently published a book aiming to assist candidates to do well in their respective interviews ("Acing the Interview", Amacon 2008, 288 pages). I gave it a quick read, since books like that, to be quite frank, don't keep my attention as best as others.

But I wanted to compare what he thought were the keys to candidate's interview success versus what we espouse here at Venator. And in truth I was largely impressed with his advice and critique of the interview process both from a company and candidate perspective.

To summarize some of Beshara's major points he mentioned that a job search in hugely stressful, candidates need to do as many interviews as they can to practice, anticipate questions you will be asked and prepare accordingly and lastly don't think that a job interview is a conversation between equals--you need to sell and prove yourself before you can think that.

But one thing stood out throughout the pages: a candidate's likeability is more important than your qualifications.

I couldn't agree with this more. Why? Don't you have to have basic necessary skills to be able to do the job? Won't a company not look at candidates that meet basic job requirements first?

The answer to both is yes, but that still doesn't get you hired. The end all of any interview process is likeability.

I was listening to a Stephen R. Covey talk (yes, I do "sharpen the saw" every now and then) on my way into work today and he mentioned something in context of helping people with what he calls their own "self affirmation" that holds true to the interview process I think.

He said, "To influence you must be influenced."

When a candidate is sitting in the interview chair and he or she knows that they have the skills to do the job the candidate will often make the mistake to "brag" about their abilities and will oversell their strengths ad naseum.

If a person is to eventually get the job they believe they are so good for likeability will be the determining factor and he or she will achieve that "likeability," as Beshara calls it, by doing what Covey describes as the key to influence: being influenced first.

How does one be influenced in the interview process? Maybe an example is required to answer this question.

Jane is a strong VP of Marketing candidate that is interviewing for another similar role with a strong and viable company. She's very capable, studied at Wharton and Stanford and has an extensively impressive track record at each of her prior companies.

In a final lunch meeting with the CEO of the hiring company it's her goal to get the CEO to commit to offer the job and begin the compensation negotiation phase.

In doing so begins to wax eloquent about her range of skills, her track record, her abilities to lead and motivate as well as her desire to get the job. In most cases this would seem normal, as many say in the interview process that a person has "close the deal" in such circumstances.

But the "be influenced" model that Covey would consult would say she's asserting herself a little strongly and I would agree with this perspective.

What I believe Covey would recommend is that she first seek to understand the CEO's hiring goals, plans and concerns if any. Allow the CEO to lay out his or her concepts on what is important for the role and also ask what will make this role most successful individually and in context of the company at large.

Another phrase useful here would be: "Seek first to understand before being understood."

Instead of opening up her impressive resume in front of the CEO at the outset Jane needs to be first "influenced" by the CEO. She needs to learn what the CEO will ask of her in this role and what she can do to help him be successful. By so doing, she's affirming his role as CEO and her manager while also showing genuine intelligent interest in the job opportunity--both keys to likeability.

If she does this first, don't you think she'll have an even better position to discuss her vast array of skills from?

To influence, Jane must first be influenced in the interview process. In my experience, this is how one gains Beshara's likeability and eventually, this is how a person will get the job they are after.