Interview Success: Active Listening & Staying Focused

By MARVIN WALBERG
Scripps Howard News Service


Volumes have been written about the job interview:

Pre-interview research and preparation.

Proper interview dress.

Promptness -- arrival time.

Body language and interview protocol.

Answers to questions and questions to ask.

Thank you notes and follow through.

All of the above are important -- actually, critical to your success in getting hired -- but, I want to add one more thing: active listening.

You can hear without listening. Just ask my wife! She's been known to say, "I know I told you...you just weren't listening!" Of course, I generally reply, "This is the first time I've heard that, and that could be true if I wasn't listening in the first place.

In job interviews, as well as home life and on the job, you must actively listen in order to properly hear.

In job interviews, you must have a focus -- an agenda -- that you need to get across in order to make your sale; to get hired. If, however, you are more focused on your agenda than the interviewer's questions or remarks, you might miss something critical. Believe me, when an interviewer asks a question, they expect an answer to that question, not a left turn back to your agenda. Answer the question, then make your turn. Listen actively.

I'm sure you know people who are so into themselves that they rarely listen to what you are saying. They hear what they are thinking, not necessarily what you are saying. It's frustrating isn't it? I know people like that and if they reacted like that during an interview, I'd file their resume and keep looking. Employers need people who will listen, hear, and respond correctly and efficiently. You don't want an employer to say, "I know I told you...you just weren't listening."

Approach your job interviews with preparation, dress properly, arrive 10-15 minutes early, don't slouch or fidget, then listen to the interviewer's questions so that you can address those questions. Stay focused on your agency, then follow up with a thank you note.

It's one thing to ask, "Can you hear me now?", but quite another thing to say, "I am listening to you now."

Keep listening...I know you can hear me.