What Type are You?
by Eric Celidonio
Interviewing types can be grouped rather simplistically as
"Friendly" or "Stern" and or
"tell-me-about-you-types" and
"Let-me-tell-you-about-me-types."
The friendly interviewer can often work in much the same way as the friendly cop:
make you feel very comfortable in order to get you to say something overly
revealing or inappropriate. Don't take the bait. Likewise a stern interviewer
might take more of an aggressive approach by putting you in an uncomfortable
position to see how you react.
Of course these character
and temperament types are a little
melodramatic and most often you will see variations of the above. Knowing and
adjusting to your interviewers style is a good way to keep yourself grounded
during an interview. This may mean loosening up a bit for the friendly
interviewer and tightening up for the stern interviewer. As a variation to
this, whenever you can identify a common behavior mode for your interviewer,
exploit.
Did she mention she likes cats? Did he say he goes Salmon Fishing? Do
you see a golf picture on his desk? Did you notice an Aruba Pen holder on her
desk? Having some background information is to your benefit but if you
don't have it beforehand you can often surmise quite a bit using the Keep alert to cues that might tip you off to
these personality traits this is also known as cold
reading. A woman’s scarf for instance may be a cue that she’s
expressive; a man’s drab, conservative suit might be a tip that he’s
reserved. Did the person start firing
off work related questions? That’s most likely a direct person. Did the person
ask you something non-job related? This is a cue to an indirect person.
If you
can recognize who you’re
dealing with and meld to that person, you'll be putting yourself at a subliminal
advantage. Conformity to personality type
demonstrates true versatility and adaptability. Keep your identity intact but
maneuver toward the personality type you are dealing with. This is a commonly
used sales tactic and it definitely puts the odds in your favor. If you can
leave with your interviewer liking
you your chances are
good even if there are more skilled candidates.
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