Opportunities in disguise

Aditha DISSANAYAKE

Remember the job interview Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) faces in the movie “Pursuit of Happyness?” (happiness is spelt with a y in the title). The night before the interview Chris is painting his apartment when the police comes to arrest him for not paying his parking tickets. He spends the night in jail and the next morning makes it in the nick of time to the interview but still dressed in the shabby shirt he was wearing the night before.

The board of interviewers are surprised to see a candidate dressed virtually in rags, inside their smart office but gives Chris a fair hearing. At the end of the interview one interviewer asks “Chris, What would you say if a guy walked in for an interview without a shirt on, and I hired him? Chris thinks for the briefest of seconds and answers “he must have had on some really nice pants”. He gets the job.

Then there is the joke about the businessman who is interviewing applicants for the post of sales manager. He devises a simple test to select the most suitable person for the job. He asks each applicant the question, “What is two and two?”The first interviewee is a journalist. Feeling the right answer is too boring he multiplies it by ten and says “forty “.

The second applicant is an engineer. He pulls out a calculator and shows the answer to be between 3.999 and 4.001.

The third applicant is a broker. The businessman asks him, “How much is two and two?”

The broker gets up from his chair, goes over to the door, closes it, comes back and sits down. He leans across the desk and says in a low voice, “How much do you want it to be?”. He gets the job.

There are also those who are not so lucky. Like the candidate who carried an alarm clock in his briefcase. During the interview the alarm goes off, he takes the clock into his hands, stops it and says “sorry I have to leave for another interview”. Then there is the applicant who had a digital camera in his pocket and who took a photo of the interviewer because he collected pictures of the people who interview him. There is also the candidate who promised to have the company logo tattooed on his arm if they gave him the job.

No more searching Congratulations, you are hired

Most of us, though, are not as many light years away as the above interviewees when it comes to the dos and don’ts of facing an interview. Grilled into us by everyone who hears we have received a letter from the X company asking us to present ourselves for an interview, (from grandma to the lady at the corner shop, to the hairdresser), these tips are mainly about what not to do. “Don’t get late. Don’t wear that awful dress/tie. Don’t bite your nails. Don’t fidget. Don’t slouch. Don’t talk too fast”. (groan, groan) If only this worked!

When you listen to those who sit on the other side of the table, the interviewers, it appears they are not all that bothered about the state of your nails or the coulour of your tie. A young journalist friend I know recalls how a lady had given her a writing assignment without looking at her CV or asking her a single question on what one expects to be asked at an interview, simply because the lady liked her. “Congratulations”, she had said. “You are hired. I know you are the right person for the job. You remind me of me”.

Other employers though, have loftier standards; standards which may vary from employer to employer. Yet, even if every employer has specific things that they are looking for in a candidate, (in the way of past experience and education), they almost always look for similar things too, in the people they interview. Theja Dharmaratne, General Manager, Human Resource and Quality Management Development, Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC, with many years of experience in recruiting staff for his company says one of the most important criteria he looks for in an interviewee is whether he will fit well into the job he has applied for.

This is so because getting the right person for the right job is crucial. “This can be determined by carefully evaluating a person’s qualifications, competencies ,personality ,attitude, past achievements as well as future aspirations “ The applicant’s commitment, dedication, leadership and integrity are also essential qualities to look for. So are ambition and motivation. “Ambitious people are often self- motivated and make big contributions in the company as they work their way up the ladder” says Dharmaratne. “ When I ask candidates what are your plans for the future? Some say they have not thought about it yet while others give a list of their future plans and aspirations.” Invariably the latter get more marks at the interview.

Dharmaratne also says the candidates should demonstrate their ability to communicate effectively and offer satisfactory answers as to why they are leaving their present employers, if they are already employed and what exactly attracts them in the new job and company applied for. “It is also important to assess if the candidate would fit into the company culture at the interview” he adds.

How does one meet these expectations? According to Prasanna Perera, Marketing and Management Consultant, most people do not perform well at interviews because they see an interview as a highly stressful experience. “This is primarily because of a lack of preparation and self confidence. An interview should not be a stressful encounter, but an opportunity to advance one’s career” explains Perera.

“No organization will call you for an interview, if they do not need you” Hence, they need you, as much as you need the job. It must always be a win-win situation for both parties. Keep this aspect in mind always.” He emphasizes.

Perera suggests you should consider an interview as an opportunity and use it to boost your self confidence and self-worth, irrespective of the outcome. “You will always need to market yourself as a person, to succeed in life. Hence, the interview is the “marketplace” to advance yourself.” The mantra of success at an interview, he says is to “plan, plan and plan”.

“Anticipate probable questions and mentally prepare yourself and have the answers ready. For example, why are you applying for this job, what are your strengths and weaknesses, what is your personal vision in life, etc.”

Be honest in what you say but never let down your present or previous employers. “Always have a good word for them, since they have contributed to help you achieve what you have. This shows that you are a person with gratitude and appreciation, which are excellent qualities” advises Perera.

One of the most vital questions asked at an interview is “what are your salary expectations?”. Perera suggests you should never sell yourself short. “In order to answer this question successfully, you need to assess your market worth. One way to do this is to add a monetary value for each qualification you hold and for each year of work experience. Once you have done this, compare it with your present salary. This will give you a good feel on what salary to request. For example if your present salary is Rs. 35,000/00 do not ask for Rs. 70,000/00 (unless in a special situation).” Keep in mind to leave room for negotiation.

He also suggests you should never leave an interview without knowing the next step in the process. “I have personally experienced people telling me, “I don’t know if and when they will call me.” Many individuals return from interviews, not knowing what the future is. You have a right to ask the interviewer, “How do we go from here?”. At least it opens the door to obtaining some feedback on the interview.

Perera has one last warning. “Do not attempt to influence the panel of interviewers in advance. This may go against you and may be looked upon as unfair practice. If you are not successful, then request for feedback, in order to improve yourself.”

He concludes with a quote “Remind yourself, interviews are opportunities in disguise.”

Bottom line. You will not always have the interview of a lifetime. But you will find that the more effort you put into learning from interviews, the fewer interviews you will need before you find a job.

Like James Michener who was not selected for a vacancy at the Library of Congress and who, thereafter, became one of the greatest American writers, if you did not make it last time there is always the next and the next till you will finally arrive at the best career you could ever have had.

Till then, do what Norman Vincent Peale said “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!”

Trust me, you will get there.

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