In Transition: Interviewing With The Hiring Person

In Transition: Interviewing With The Hiring Person



The Hiring Person Is Key

Yes, the hiring person is key to your getting the job you want. This is the person that will actually decide you should be hired and which position/job you will fill. You may interview with several people in succession, they may be part of a hiring committee, which is not unusual in well run companies or there is more than one position open without your knowing it. In that case each of the people you talk with, may be a hiring person. In either of these situations you should treat each person you talk with as though they were a hiring person.

In a large organization with a Human Resources department, you will be told that one or several people will interview you. Ask the Human Resources person what role each person is playing in the selection process. In a small organization, less than 25 or 30 employees, at least two people will interview you, the person you will actually report to and the top person in company. Both will have a budget salary number, the top person will have the power to exceed it, for a person both of them decide can really help the organization.

The Day Before The Interview

The day before the interview, review what you plan to accomplish for them after you are hired. Then practice the interview speaking out loud, in private looking at your self in the mirror, or looking at a doorknob, as I do when preparing to speak to a TV audience via the camera. Better yet, do it live to a friend that will say nothing in response to your questions but will silently note your body language, posture and conviction in your tone of voice. Do this once, if with a friend, discuss her/his observations, then wait till evening and practice it one more time, then quit and get a good nights sleep; this because you do not want to memorize it; which would kill its effectiveness.

In the morning tell yourself that you really are a great person, manager, salesperson, or whatever, dress professionally, and particularly, check your shoes. Clean and shined, if appropriate. Do not overdress; you should have noticed the basic dress code of the place on your test visit, now dress just slightly above that level in a way you are comfortable with. You have to be comfortable on this sales call.

The Interview

Yes, this is a sales call, you are the salesperson: The product you're selling is the results they will receive after you come on board. This is exactly what every successful salesperson knows: that the prospect is buying the results that will be possible with the product being purchased. The salesperson educates the prospect on the results, why they will happen and how the salesperson will make certain they happen; this is the essence of every discussion between a sales person and a potential buyer. In the book, The Perception Of A Difference, there is a story that ends with the buyer saying,

"Six weeks ago I didn't know I had a problem and now I'm buying the solution. You know what inventory is. Most of the salesmen I see don't know what it is when they are standing on it. You are one hell of a salesman, a professional. I'm glad you called on me."

The salesman had done his homework about the company, before the first call. You have done the same in your research of the company, its needs, and how you can help it reach its goals. On the first call he had asked enough questions to confirm that he could produce results the company needed. On this second call he presented the results, which would be obtained with the product he was selling. You are going to do the same in your job interviews. Note I said interviews, not interview.

If you will only be interviewed by one person, plan on two interview discussions with that person. On the first be prepared to ask enough questions to fill the gaps in your research. These questions, which I will give you, will accomplish two very important things.
1. They will make the person want to talk with you again.
2. They will make the person glad they talked with you.

This is key to every sales call and you are selling on this call. The person must think or say, "I'm glad you called on me."

If Human Resources said multiple people would interview you, the answers the first person gives you will prepare you for the meeting with the next person. Each one must be glad they talked with you, after you shake hands and leave. This is key; it means they will be glad if you are hired.

They will be glad, because the questions you asked, created new ways of thinking about their work and created insights in their minds. They liked your attitude, the way you dressed and presented yourself, and they liked the fact that you listened to their answers, took notes and did not dominate the conversation; this told them you would be a good person to work with. Can you think of a better result from your first visit?

If you think this is a crazy way to interview for a job, your wrong, If you think this is totally different from what many other job counselors have told you, you may be correct, at least on the surface, but if you read this blog over again and really think about what it says, you will find that the other job counselors have told you much the same, in a different way. Why different? Because most of them have not been involved in a big ticket sales situation, as the lead salesperson. This sale is Big Ticket; the results will be worth every penny they pay you.

I have already written the next blog, with the questions you ask in the interview/first call. I've done this and given it to Bill Austin, who posts them for me, so you will not be delayed if something happens to mess up my schedule, as was the case the last few weeks.

Thanks for reading this, your comments, agree or disagree, are welcome.

Wes
Wesley W. Zimmerman
wes@perceptionofdifference.com