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Taking Charge by Setting the Tone

Guest post by: Holly Murdoch

Article Overview: How many people confide in a friend that they have butterflies in their stomach before an interview? Almost everyone you know? You probably understand just what they’re feeling because you’ve had the same experience.

Taking Charge by Setting the Tone

You prepped for all the questions you thought the interviewer might ask, you rehearsed in front of the mirror, you did your research about the company. But still, be honest, you're feeling nervous or unsettled about how that interview is going to go and how someone will judge you.

I would like to suggest that there's another way to approach the interview process, and it's simply knowing how to interview wisely. Wise because you take charge of the interview instead of the other way around. Think of it as wise versus prepared. Prepared is what I just discussed above. Wise is knowing how to "control the room" by creating a more relaxed and comfortable environment in which you'll be talking to the interviewer.

When you set the tone in the room and approach the interview with confidence, having a conversation about your talents is so much easier. The easiest way to think about this is in terms of your asking questions. You just need to learn the job interview questions and answers that put control and ease into your hands. Then try to use them in your meeting. Here's the secret of it all: the more the interviewer talks, the more h/she believes it was a great interview and the more interested in you the interviewer tends to be. Asking questions is a powerful tactic. Once you introduce enough of your own questions, you actually level the playing field and consequently reduce your level of stress. The wise part of all of this is your intention to create a "relationship" instead of a situation infiltrated with hierarchy.

The best questions for you to ask are about the company, its culture, and the expectations for filling the new job. Interviewing wisely, remember, is about dialogue that positions you as an inquisitive, informed and accomplished person who has options and ideas. You might pose questions such as: "What kind of person would succeed well in this company?" Or, you can ask more specifically about the job in question with an inquiry such as: "Who in this department will be making the final hiring decision, and what is your time frame for that?" Your goal is to show your knowledge and interest. And to make you the wise candidate for the job.

Written originally for w2wlink by Amy Dorn Kopelan, Co-Creator of The Guru Nation.

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Article Tags: advice, business, career, professional, women



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