Interviewing through your ears

NEW YORK - Nov. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Interviews are popularly known in general as being a question and answer session, and this is pretty much regurgitated by many so called professionals. It is fairly given that you will either find or be told to practice your answers to popular interview questions during your interview preparation. Most job seekers heed this advice and do so accordingly, yet still a vast majority of interviewees fail to get past the initial interview. So how can a widely accepted practice result in so many bad interviews? Basically, to answer that question, it’s because it is in fact so widely accepted that it no longer has any value. Interviewers are not impressed by “canned” responses to their questions as they are looking for candidates that stand out, not parrots who all sound alike.

Avoid Squawking
To learn how to stand out and not sound like a bird trying to sing sweet nothings into the interviewer’s ears, you need to learn how to interview. That in itself is an entire process, but we will stick to one item that will definitely help you in staying on track during the interview. One of the biggest issues when you begin to sound off at a question that you have prepared for, is that you can sometimes over prepare for it and give long winded answers which may be off target. If you have been preparing to answer the sky is blue and the interviewer asks you what color the sky is when it happens to be raining, you’ll come across awkwardly and may have cost yourself the interview. The best way to avoid this scenario is to wait and listen to the questions the interviewer is asking.

Hear before you steer
Paying close attention to the interviewer during the interview can give you all that you need to steer them in the right direction. You already know who you are and you should know how to present your background, so set aside trying to anticipate the questions and give canned answers. Stay attentive, listen to the questions and figure out what exactly the interviewer is trying to gain from you. Take a moment and think about how you can answer them directly while promoting yourself through your experience and accomplishments. Your ears are you most powerful weapon during the interview if used right.

Interviewing through your ears is vital to answering the interviewer directly; giving them the information they need to move you forward. The interviewer’s pace, tone, emphasis, and overall quality can tell you a lot, especially if they are interested in what you are saying or if they are bored. It can take a long time to learn how to gauge all these things, but if you aren’t doing it, then you are putting yourself at the disadvantage. With the right application of listening and giving the direct information, you can steer the interview into success.

Listen up!
Interviewing successfully is a multifaceted skill that can’t be gained overnight as it takes lots of practice and patience. However, there are many elements that even if put into use minimally can greatly change your chances of succeeding. One of those key elements is learning how to listen and really hear what the interviewer is saying and asking. Thinking you can prepare for an interview by role-playing questions and answers will only make you sound as generic as the next person using those same tactics. You need to show you understand what you are being asked and can answer accordingly and it is this prime time that you should promote yourself through your experience. You won’t convey that if you are sounding off like a parrot.