Interviewing Styles: Should You Learn Them?

There is much talk about Interviewing Styles: Thework - jump in and sell yourself. That doesn't mean
Directive Interview, The Behavioral Interview, Thetalk non-stop, but you don't have to sit there and be
Stress Interview, The Qualifying Interview, The Thisuncomfortably silent for long periods of time either.
Interview, The That Interview. Articles outline differentEase the awkwardness. Help him out. Lots of holes?
styles, list typical questions for each and tell you howGracefully and professionally answer some of the
to prepare for them, as well as suggesting appropriatequestions you were prepared to answer, even though
answers.he hasn't asked them. He may not know how to
That's all well and good, but there's an obviousinterview very well.
question here that begs to be asked: how do you(Face it, NO ONE - except maybe a human resources
KNOW which style you'll encounter? When you phoneperson - should have a lot of experience interviewing.
to schedule the interview, do you ask, "Oh, by the wayIf they do - they either can't keep a job....or they can't
Mr. Interviewer, what interview style do you use? I'dkeep employees!)
like to study that one and ignore all the others."?If your first interview is with human resources, often
I absolutely endorse asking questions that you need tothey can be crisply black and white, detail oriented, and
know the answers to (when it's the appropriateby the book. Don't let it throw you. If you know
time)......but THAT question is obviously an exception!yourself and what you're looking for, you've done your
So do you study all of the styles? Memorize everyresearch on the company, and you've thoroughly
question that applies to each style and all theprepped yourself for the interview, you're much less
recommended answers to prepare for each one?likely to get flustered.
And when the interview begins, you say to yourself,Mirror their style, but don't drown your personality.
"AHA! It's The Abstract Theoretical Look SidewaysSOME human resources people are adept at giving
Style!" and then you know exactly what to say andyou enough rope to hang yourself - so don't be lulled
do.into a warm cozy camaraderie. Watch their visual
What if you missed a style? And you find yourselfcues - which can be subtle. Follow your instinct, but
saying "What the heck style is THIS? I don't recognizefollow their lead. They're screeners, but in that sense,
it! HELP!" Which completely throws you off and youthey are also decision makers.
bomb the rest of the interview.Don't waste your time memorizing styles and how to
Worrying about interviewing styles is ridiculous. Not onlyhandle each one. There ARE different interview styles,
is it too much information to memorize, but it's also ajust as there are different types of people. The hiring
waste of time. An interview is nerve-wracking as it isauthority's interviewing style is usually a reflection of his
without worrying about which style you're going topersonality. Stay aware of what's happening at the
encounter.moment, what you're saying, what you're learning, and
The interview is about the company and how yourhow you're feeling about what's taking place.
presence will benefit them. The preparation (with theThe more you've done your homework in accordance
exception of your company research) is aboutwith what I've suggested, the more relaxed you'll feel.
knowing who you are and what you're looking for. It'sThe more relaxed you feel, the more confident and in
not about the company or anticipating their interviewingcontrol of your answers you'll be, and the less likely
style.you'll be to worry about interview styles and types.
Interview preparation is an absolute, non-negotiable,When you know your background and who you are -
unequivocal must, but preparing by learning differentthe hows and whys and whats - you're also less likely
styles is not. That's why your interview preparationto be blindsided by an unexpected "type" question.
needs to be focused on learning about yourself, listingSo before you interview, it is imperative for you to give
questions to ask, forming your answers tosignificant thought to:
fundamental interview questions.• Why you chose your current field
You prepare by focusing on yourself because you are• What environment you work best in and
seeking your perfect job. You want to have thewhy
power to decide if you want to return for another• What your personality traits are
interview instead of giving that power away. You want• Why you liked and didn't like your previous
to be in control of your future.jobs and what you learned from them
An interview is a sales process. The product is,• What your skills and talents are
essentially, you. And you need to be real about who• How you've handled diverse situations and
you are, AND be prepared enough to interview well.what you might have done differently, or why what
Do THAT properly and the style you encounter isyou did was effective - be able to back it up
irrelevant.• What you've accomplished in your previous
Interviewing is 85% prep and 15% common sense.positions and how those accomplishments contributed
Sometimes it does involve a bit of mirroring, but again,to the success of the department and the company
some of that is common sense. Do it without losing• In what areas you feel you need some
your individuality. For instance, if the interviewer iswork or polish
chatty, longer answers are okay. If the interviewer is• Where you see yourself going and how
crisp and serious, keep your answers focused and onyou plan on getting there
the topic.• Why you chose to leave one company to
Occasionally you'll run into an interviewer who wantsgo to the next
to make you sweat. You feel as if you're under aIn addition to knowing the answers to the above topics,
bright light - they're grilling you, and you might as wellyou need to think about the most appropriate way to
have been fingerprinted. There's no need to get allphrase those answers AND how they relate to what
worked up (besides, they WANT you to). If that's hisyou've learned about the company from your
interview style, what do you think it will be like to workresearch on line or at the library.
for him?In fact, some of the topics on the above list you should
The answer to that should calm you down. You won'talready have given thought to before you began your
care what he thinks, because you probably won't wantjob search. If you don't know who you are, what you
to return. Good money? Eventually you'll hate yourwant, in what circumstances you perform best and in
boss, then you'll hate your job, then your life will be hell,what circumstances you don't perform well at all, what
because the salary won't be worth it. Short drive?type of management style helps you to flourish and
Eventually you'll hate your boss, then you'll hate yourgive back to the company, and what the goal of your
job then your life will be hell, because the drive willnext job is - you won't know what you're looking for,
STILL be too long - you don't want to go where you'remuch less be able to recognize it.
driving. Great advancement promised? After howPut effort into making sure you know who you are
long? How many people have held that position in theand what makes you that way. Know what you've
last 6 years?accomplished and what contributed to those
If you want to work for a control freak or someoneaccomplishments, what motivates you and what turns
who needs to appear tough and all-knowing, you'veyou off. Spend time learning about the company with
found the place. If he's rapid firing questions at you,whom you'll be interviewing. Make a list of questions to
hoping to trip you up, let him feel important . Finish thebring with you, and know what kind of answers you're
interview and then cross the company off your list.looking for. Be able to address issues by showing how
Another interviewer might leave you thinking "What'swho YOU are will benefit THEM.
UP with this guy?" He seems sort of at a loss as toThen it won't matter what style you encounter. You'll
what to ask you. His questions are all open ended andbe comfortable with any style you meet. And when
don't seem to have any firm direction or point. Just usethey want you to come back for another interview,
common sense. You've done your interview prepyou can decide if you want to....or not.