The Interview Pit

I knew that Doug was well qualified, had a great deal of experience, and, most importantly, was ready to take this next step on his career path. I had watched him advance from a claim adjuster trainee to a litigation supervisor in a very short time. I had to admit, I was curious myself. What had gone wrong? Was this just office politics, the Good Old Boy system, or had Doug simply blown it in the interview?

"I interviewed with HR and I passed a competency exam," he continued. "They wouldn't have let me interview with the claim director if I hadn't done well in the HR interview or on the exam. It must have been the interview with the director."

"Well, tell me about the interview," I said. "I've got a few minutes. Maybe I can help you figure out what went wrong and coach you for the next time you interview for a promotion. What happened during your interview?"

Doug, sighing heavily, said, "You see, I wanted to start off the interview showing the director that I was an aggressive person and not afraid to take charge. I told the director exactly what I would need in the way of resources, staff, and, most importantly, my new salary. I wanted to make my demands and needs for success known right away. I figured that once I got the job, I would never have the opportunity to tell him what I needed again.

"Then, the director asked for my immediate and long-term plans for this branch," he continued. "I told him I wanted to take the first 10 days to get my feet wet, and then I would start my plan.

"He asked me what I thought the assets of the branch were, as well as any areas of concern for the branch," Doug said. "I told him I couldn't answer that question because I have never worked in that branch and I really want to asses the branch after I start working there."

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Because I didn't want him to think I wasn't open minded. What are you writing?"

"Just some notes. Go on," I said. I was gaining insight as to why Doug had not gotten the job. I was hoping Doug would not take my feedback too hard.

Another big sigh from Doug. "He then asked me to talk about my strengths," he said. "I had no problem there. I talked about my accomplishments, qualifications, and experience. I felt like I was on Late Night doing the Top 10 Reasons the Company Should Hire Doug. But then the director tried to catch me in that old trap of asking me to list my weaknesses.

"I said I didn't have any weak areas, and that's why I am the best candidate for the branch claim manager position," he continued. "But he kept pushing by asking more questions about what I thought I could improve upon. He even went so far as to ask me to tell him anything I could remember from my past performance reviews that I was told I could improve upon."

"What did you tell him?" I asked.

"I couldn't really think of anything," he replied. "I mean, I know there has been stuff in some of my performance reviews, but they were either too little to worry about, or dumb things. I just couldn't remember, so I told him I didn't really remember, but if he wanted, I could get him copies of my past performance reviews."

It was the worst answer Doug could have given. Wanting desperately to find something encouraging to tell Doug, I asked, "Anything else?"

"I'm just glad I didn't fall for that trap and stuck to my guns," Doug said proudly. "Otherwise, the director might have thought that I was weak and couldn't do the job. I can't understand what happened; I thought I made such a great impression during the interview."

Learning from Mistakes

Doug had made an impression all right; just not the impression he had hoped for.

Doug had made what I believe are the three most common mistakes that claim people make when interviewing for management positions. Although there are numerous ways to make a bad impression, these examples are my top three:

oStarting an interview with a list of demands.

oShowing up without a plan.

oFailing to identify what you need to do, or have done, to improve yourself.

By starting an interview with a list of demands, Doug was telling the director that he always will see himself as the most important person in the organization. He also is showing that he will not be able to do what is best for the operation or the company as a whole. Doug should have presented any concerns he had about resources or salary as questions when given the opportunity. These could have been framed around his observations and assessment of the position and the operation.

Opening up with demands is a sure-fire way to fail. One interviewee lost a position solely because he asked to be sent to a state-of-the-art training program. When he was asked why, he told the hiring manager that it was so he could be more marketable for the future.

Doug should have remembered that he is the one asking for the job. Therefore, he should have centered the interview on what he could do for the company. The interview is the place to sell one's ability to manage. Doug could have used it to set the stage to communicate with this new boss, which would allow him to be more effective in getting the resources he needs once he gets the job. Demonstrating that his interests lie in what is best for him is something that did not work to his advantage.

The most successful job candidates come to interviews with plans of what they will do when they get the jobs. They come prepared with plans that include observed concerns, improvement steps, success measurements, and goals. Doug should have gone to the interview with the mind set that he was meeting with his new boss on his first day to discuss his plans to improve the organization. This would have made Doug appear more confident and would have demonstrated that he is someone who will identify opportunities and take steps to improve the department.

For example, a friend of mine went to an interview to direct a company that provides services to claim operations. Days before, he had contacted every claim manager he knew from many different companies, and asked them questions about the company he was considering joining. He asked what they liked, and did not like. He asked for suggestions on making improvements. The day of the interview, he showed up with the names of 20 claim managers who all said that they would start using the company's services if certain problems were addressed. He also had some tentative ideas on how he could accomplish those improvements. Needless to say, he got the job.

Taking the time to write out a plan also would have helped Doug prepare for the interview. It would have forced him to think about the position and focus on the issues that would form the basis of the questions he was likely to be asked. Making plans for developing employee strengths, achieving results, or moving the operation to the next level are what managers do. Why not demonstrate this when interviewing for the job?

It would be important for Doug to include concerns, solutions, goals, and measurements in his plan to show that he is capable of viewing the entire picture from beginning to end. I have interviewed many, many candidates for claim managerial positions, and the ones who come prepared with plans to achieve their goals usually succeed.

Failing to identify what you need to do, or have done, to improve yourself is the area in which I have seen many candidates self destruct in their interviews. Many believe that when this question is asked, the interviewer is looking for items to eliminate them from a job, or to have a list of things to fix later. Usually, this is far from the truth. Most interviewers are looking for varied characteristics, such as humility, an ability to be self critical, willingness toward self improvement, a capacity to accept feedback and criticism, and an ability to improve others.

Of all of the possible answers to this question, two stand out as the absolute worst. The second worst answer is, "I don't have any weaknesses." To be a successful leader at any level, one must be able to identify what one does well and what one does not do so well, and be able to say so. Then, even better, to be able to explain what steps have been taken to improve.

The worst answer is, of course, "I don't remember." This tells the interviewer that the candidate is not receptive to feedback to the point of not even remembering what was said to him. It also indicates to the interviewer that the candidate has no intention of changing. After all, how can someone change something he cannot even remember?

The best answer to this question is, "I have been told I don't do this well. So, this is what I did to improve, and it's working."

I have at times had to give feedback to people whom I had chosen not to hire. Once I tell someone that I have eliminated him from competition for a management job because of concerns that he does not accept constructive feedback, I usually hear, "That's not true." It's kind of like the person who, when being told that he has an argumentative personality, says, "No I don't," and proceeds to argue.

Doug sabotaged his chances by falling into all three of these categories, but any one of them could have done him in. I gave Doug the information I have just outlined. The next time Doug goes into an interview, I hope he will know the job, prepare a plan, demonstrate confidence to do the job, acknowledge his weaknesses as well as his strengths, and show that he has engaged in something to actively improve himself.

Actually, I kind of wish I had more time to chat with Doug. If I had, you might be reading about the top six things to avoid.

Ken Sanders is executive vice president of International Insurance Institute, where he directs the Temporary Employee and Permanent Placement division.