WHY ARE MANHOLE COVERS ROUND?

How to assure the proper fit during the interview process

By Rich Ream
Managing Partner- RMC Associates
Appeared in Information Today

With qualified candidates in short supply throughout the information industry, the hiring process and the art of the interview have become more critical than ever for both the client and the candidate. The stakes are high on both sides of the interview desk, with the cost of a mistake intolerable for both parties.

All these considerations come together in the fateful moment of the interview. Now this isn't so bad when a recruiter or human resources person conducts the first interview. You may even be lucky enough to find the following:

•  The position to be filled has been adequately defined in terms of responsibilities, reporting relationships, and company culture.

• The qualifications needed by candidates in terms of skills, education, experience, and personal attributes have also been defined.

• The interviewer will actively seek to reduce stress and tension by offering some small talk up front or by giving valid compliments related to past accomplishments, etc.

If your company doesn't do any of the above, you have just dramatically reduced your chances of success. In today's hot job market the companies that value people, and that radiate a professional image and a caring environment, are the ones that the outstanding candidates will choose.

So let's get back to the interview with the pros. They will ask you where you see yourself 5 years from now and you will have the perfect answer. (Hint: The safe answer here contains a desire to be a team player and a true professional.) Regarding promotion, you should note that it depends on whether you're working with a manager and peers who can help you grow. Or you can say that you "always find that firsthand knowledge and experience open up opportunities not obvious at the outset. Based on my understanding of the information center's role within XYZ Information, Inc., I expect exciting opportunities for growth will be plentiful. Next question?"

The Awkward Start

Ah, life should be so simple. The fact is, while you may have a preliminary interview that goes in a somewhat predictable manner, assuming success you will have the opportunity to interview with potential peers and subordinates whose nerves may be nearly as jangled as yours. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the opportunity to have that interview with the "inexperienced interviewer." You will immediately recognize this situation when one of the interviewers gets your name wrong and no one provides a courteous correction. Next, coffee is dribbled and the pagers ring. Then you realize after 10 minutes that Jane, the marketing manager, thinks she is interviewing a marketing assistant rather than a business-market researcher. Well, you get the picture.

There are several things you can do in this situation. True, many people suggest that silence is golden, but c'mon, there are limits. This is where some well-practiced career sound bites can really come in handy. One way to get things moving is to say, "You're probably wondering what experience I've had with ..." or "I understand that you're looking for a person with an M.L.S. and at least 5 years of research and information center experience. When I was heading up the energy team at ... we used a variety of research tools, including both internal and external sources, to reduce MTD (mean time to decision) by ..." The key is you must be prepared to relate your background to the task at hand through compelling stories of accomplishment. Along the way, you must also be prepared to make sure that you are on track. This can be done by asking questions like: "John, you may have a different definition of 'good manager' that differs from mine, so would you mind clarifying what you mean?" or "Would it be valuable to know more about my experience with ...?"

Silences, tentativeness, and the lack of a directed interview can also be part and parcel of peer interviews from managers outside of the hiring department. Typically, the higher the position you're seeking within an information management research center the more likely you'll be interviewed by people outside your own department. Clearly, if you're interviewing for a director-level position, a chief technical officer, or even a systems librarian/Webmaster, you will be working cross-organizationally more often than not. Remember that the managers of sales or finance are likely to have very different concerns and interests than your future boss. Your mission is to always probe for the interviewer's "hidden" agenda and the important needs that don't appear in a job description. Here's where you can be quite direct. For example, you could ask the following questions:

•     "What is most important to you regarding the person that will be hired for this position?"

•     "What did the incumbent need to learn, but may not have fully appreciated?"

•     "What gains respect in this company more than anything else?"

Remember, by directing your responses to what is important to the interviewer, you'll have an edge over your competition.

About Those Questions

Here is a sampling of interview questions and even a few suggested responses. We might as well start with the lollapalooza-if you're crisp when answering these you have nothing to fear:

• "Take me through your important job moves, tell me what caused you to select the next position, and describe your alternatives at the time. As you assessed each new position, what did you decide was most important to get done, how did you go about it, and what were the results? Oh yes, and what did you learn from each change?"

• "How do you think you may differ from other applicants for this position?" (Hint: Your style, character, and experience are all fair game here.)

• "Tell me about yourself." -Do not take this as an invitation to have a defining moment of sharing. You need more information! Ask, "Is there a particular area of my background that would be most relevant to you?" Ultimately, whatever your response is, be sure that it has some relevance to your professional endeavors. Your response can highlight behavior or experience outside the work environment that speaks volumes about your ability to communicate or be a team player. This isn't a question that can be answered off the cuff. Take some time in advance to think this one through.

• "What is the last book you read," or, more likely, "Describe the three Web sites you go to most often outside of business-driven needs."

• "If you had your own company what would it do?"

• "Your resume shows that you have been with one company for a long time with little advancement in title or responsibilities. Tell me if I'm missing something."-OK, this is a tough one. Again, anticipation comes to the rescue. You need to analyze why this state of affairs does exist and rehearse your response out loud. At all costs, the trick is to not sound defensive or come off as "the victim."

• "Tell me about a time you were given a task with specific instructions and you chose not to follow those instructions."-Here the interviewer is interested in identifying initiative and learning how you reason out a situation.

• "What is your definition of time?"-A bit like the manhole cover question, (the answer to which appears at the end of the article) the interviewer wants to know how well you think conceptually. Do you get flustered easily? How well do you think on your feet? There isn't always a right or wrong answer.

Both hiring managers and candidates alike will find these tips useful. In both roles, the interview process will ideally bring to the surface transferable skills, personal and professional strengths, and that intangible core character set that make for the ideal fit.

Job seekers should keep in mind that "the story" has to have a beginning, middle, and end. Telling a vivid story is much more memorable than just reciting what you have done, but it takes some practice. You also need to be prepared to ask specific questions regarding the industry, the company, the position, and the opportunity. Finally, you need to make doing the job your interview goal. The interview is not where you go to learn more about the job nor is it a fact-finding mission. You must be prepared to control the interview and demonstrate your ability to do the work. When ending, you always want to ensure that there aren't any questions or concerns that haven't been addressed, and always ask, "Do you believe I can do this job well?"

By the way, manhole covers are round because any other simple geometric shape could fall through.