Interviewer (hiring manager) have unconscious questions to be answered by each candidate

  • Unconscious questions: achievement, process, creativity, relationships, aggressiveness, likeability
  • Managers aren’t even aware of asking the unconscious questions

Four types of managers:

  • Power tripper: disorganized and uninformed
    • Extra hard on candidates to prove their own intellectual prowess
  • Defensive croucher: Motivated by fear
    • Mediocre managers, fear people could do their jobs better
  • Method man: Relying on the latest interviewing trend
  • Rogue agent: following a secret agenda
    • Who haven’t had specific interview training
    • Base the interview on untested logic or idiosyncratic factors
    • One bad experience with someone from a certain background → generalized that experience to all people with that background

Eight step plan: REAPRICH [ch1]

  • Results
  • Energy
  • Attitude
  • Process
  • Relationships
  • Interview the interviewer
  • Close the interviewer
  • Humanity

Critical Commonsense Interview Preparation: [ch2]

  • Who will be interviewing you?
  • Background of the company? Competitors?
  • Who will you be working for and with?
  • Polish up CV
  • Dress nearly and professionally
  • Be on time
  • Ask for business cards
  • Send thank-you notes

REA in REAPRICH: Results, Enthusiasm, and a Positive Attitude [ch3]

  • Result: differentiate you from everyone else
    • Get a collection of 6-10 achievements you’ve had that you can list in 90 second or less
    • Projects ahead of time and under budget? Developed a system? Overachieve in athletics?
    • Don’t wait for invitation to speak of results
  • Energy and Enthusiasm: People sometimes get jobs based on energy and charisma alone
    • Energy and excitement you bring to the start of the interview sets the tone for the rest of your meeting
    • The outward presentation
  • Attitude: Speaks your inner landscape
    • The intrinsic motivation
    • Managers want you to show grit, tenacity, focus and delivery
    • “No jerk” policy (Jack Welch)

Process explains how you achieved your results. A good manager will think about how your process may work within the context of his own job [ch4]

Relationships: [ch5]

  • You’re able to build them: Can you play nicely with other people?
  • Sustain the relationship or whether you’re someone who burn bridges
  • You’ll bring new and beneficial relationships to other company (customers, suppliers, vendors, or others)

Interviewing the interviewer: Prepare a minimum of 2 questions, preferably 4-5 to ask the hiring manager [ch6]

Time to demonstrate a depth of expertise or knowledge that may go dper in probing the manager’s mind

  • Tell me about some of your most successful people. What’s made them great?
  • How can I help your team? What is the best way my skill could add value?
  • If you hired me today, what would you have me help you and your team within the first 3 months?
  • What are great things about this company that I would only hear from you and may not find in my own research?

Avoid leaving negative emotional state, do not ask for negative news [ch6]

  • If the manager brings up a negative topic, respond as briefly and neutrally as possible and move on
  • Focus, listen, and maintain eye contact

Closing the interviewer: ask for the job [ch7]

  • Closing is a familiar concept in sales, you’re selling yourself to a potential employer
  • Closing process can happen on 5-6 levels, it’s a process, not a moment
    • You want that person to move you forward to the next step
      • “Can you tell me about what happens next in our process?”
      • “Are you recommending me for hire?”
      • “Are you going to offer me the job today?”
    • If noncommittal: “Are there any areas in my background concern you?”

Keeping it real: The importance of humanity [ch8]

  • Interview finish in 30-35 mins
  • Something interesting in the picture (boating, karate, etc.)?

Bibliographic data

@book{
   title = "Cracking the Code to a Successful Interview",
   subtitle = "15 Insider Secrets from a Top-Level Recruiter",
   author = "Evan Pellett",
   year = "2016",
   publisher = "Blackstone Publishing",
   isbn = "978-1-4417-0053-7",
}