Interviewing: The Basics

Interviewing: The Basics

Employers look for employees because they have a NEED. Don't
mistake that the interview is about you – it is really about their NEED.
You need to sell yourself as the right person to satisfy that need. Sure,
you may have great experience, but WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM?

Managers hire people in order to make their own job easier. How are
you going to make the Hiring Manager's job easier? How are you going
to make the Hiring Manager look good in THEIR boss's eyes? You need
to make your skills, experience, and education relevant to THEM and
their needs, goals, and situation. After every statement you make to
the Hiring Manager, you need to at least mentally add " … and this will
make your job easier because …" or " … and this will make you look
good because …"

Imagine the Hiring Manager asking "… so how would that benefit me
and my needs?" Make your answers and examples relevant to THEIR
needs and communicate how hiring you will benefit THEM as well as
the company.

If Managers hire based on their needs, then you are going to have to
uncover and reveal their needs in order to come up with answers that
will get your hired. Remember that every time a hiring manager asks
you a question, YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO ASK A QUESTION
OF YOUR OWN. Questions are a great follow-up to a winning answer.

Early on in the interview you should use your own questions to
uncover the hidden needs of the Hiring Manager so that you can tailor
your answers and attitude to show that you understand their needs
and that YOU are exactly the perfect person to solve those needs.
Please see the section in this Guide on "Questions to Use to Uncover
the Interviewer's Hidden Needs."