I'd like to ask you about

I’d like to ask you about………

Being comfortable with interview questions, answering them and asking them.

We all know that awful moment when the interviewer shuffles his papers looks at you with or without a smile and says,

"You don’t seem to have much experience in accounts, do you?"

"What do you think you can offer us that no-one else can?"

Such questions can be classified as closed, loaded, leading or downright unpleasant if not threatening. It is not always clear why you should be asked such questions. With the abundance of training courses in selection skills and interviewing available you would think it would be a rare occurrence. However it has to be said with the interview still the most popular selection device by far and with the known fact that many managers think interviewing is a skill that just comes with the job such questions will continue to be asked.

Looking at it in another way some managers simply like to place hurdles in front of the candidate to see if they can jump over them. They see the selection process as getting people to jump through hoops, the person who gets through the most in a given time gets the job. Others have "pet’ questions to ask ones they carefully cosset over the years as a prized possession. Often they don’t even have a set answer they are looking for they are so pleased with their question that they will see how you answer it and decide on the spot whether you have got it "right’ or not!

The interview has been defined as a conversation between two or more people with a purpose. The purpose is to gather information on both sides so that each can make their own decision. Remember that they might want you and you might decide against them. It is not a one sided matter. To gather information interviewer and candidate will ask questions and expect answers. However the way the questions are asked will substantially determine how much information is obtained assuming that the information is there for the asking. The question is a very powerful technique, it directs attention, it gives a focus to a topic and it establishes a clear relationship between who gives and who receives information. That technique is available for both parties to the interview and can be used carelessly or with skill the choice can be yours.

Questions of course can be of the closed type requiring yes/no answers only or the open type requiring a more detailed unstructured response. The former are useful to check facts and to establish boundaries when used appropriately. The latter can often follow a closed question to elicit more information. Generally speaking a good balance of closed and open questions will enable a topic to be worked through systematically. This will apply equally to the interviewer exploring your experience and abilities in a certain area, as to you the candidate, exploring the job requirements or the benefits package.

Questions you can expect at the interview

	your reasons for applying for the job
	your experience and evidenced achievements in relation to the job requirements given either in the job advert and/or the job description sent to you
	your expectations from the job and in terms of your career for the next few years
	the remuneration package and terms and conditions you are asked to accept

General principles of answering questions

	Listen carefully
	If you need, re-phrase the question and feed back to the interviewer to check you have understood it correctly. This also gives you time to assimilate the question and consider your answer
	Don’t rush. No one expects an immediate reply so do consider before replying
	Check off the points in turn, say a, b, c and so on or first, second. This will ensure you cover everything and also break up the question in your own mind so you answer it bit by bit and avoid getting lost in the middle. Some people count off the points on their fingers for added emphasis
	Finish a long answer with a summary. This puts all your points in a nutshell at the end and gives you a strong finish for the interviewer to remember. However there is no point in saying too much as the interviewer will not note it all or remember it all. If more information is required you will be prompted and can go on.
	Make linkages so that one answer reinforces another. This will give a strong and consistent theme to what you have to say. Again the summary can be used to do this.

There will always come a time when you are probed in an area where you either do not know the answer or you just do not have the experience. How can you handle this situation? Certainly it pays to be honest and not bluff as sooner or later you will fall on your face and you will have lost a good deal of credibility plus the job. However if you say something like I’m sorry I don’t know, to be honest and then you find yourself saying the same thing to the next question, you will feel yourself going downhill rapidly. One response is to say you don’t know but will find out. Far better is to admit a gap but use the opportunity to say something you have done or can do in a closely related area. This is the "Yes, but…." response. It avoids a negative response and at the same time draws attention to something you can offer. You feel good, you have been honest and you have avoided colluding with the interviewer to beat yourself down.

When the stage of the interview is reached when you are asked if you have any questions the moment arises for you to show you can ask as well as answer. There is no reason why you should not only get a genuine answer to a genuine question but at the same time demonstrate your ability to communicate clearly and manage an information exchange.

The situation could go like this:

"Thank you for the opportunity to ask about the job……"

(good acknowledgement and shows understanding of the interview process)

"I’d like to go back to the location of the job for a moment"

(shows the area of the job you wish to probe and helps the interviewer follow where you want to explore)

"Would most of the year be spent in Jakarta rather than Singapore?"

(a closed question to focus the point to be explored. In fact you are most likely to get back far more than just a one-word answer)

Listen to the answer then check for understanding by paraphrasing or re-phrasing as a summary

"In other words what you are saying is……..is that right?"

(there is a clear understanding on both sides and you have shown you can decide what you want to know, articulate your request and communicate it)

Some key points to remember

	-forewarned is forearmed, you can guess fairly accurately the questions you will be asked why not prepare a few thoughts in advance
	-don’t panic, take your time and check for understanding to give you time to collect your thoughts
	-don’t rush, use the pause to let them take in what you have told them, re-phrase or summarize as you need for emphasis
	-don’t go overboard ie too long an answer, the interviewer will lose the track and you will not make best use of time
	-link back in your answers to previous answers to build and reinforce your case and to present a cohesive argument
	-emphasize as required by repetition and summarizing of key points or by checking off points as you answer them

Mike Saunders is a director of Tiro Consulting Services Pte Ltd, an executive search and recruitment company. He is an HRD specialist with particular interests in competency development, work-based learning and management self-development portfolios.