Handling Tricky Interviewers

Interviews are always tricky. That is why we need guidance with handling them. Interviewers are tricky people, more often than not. They assess you as a person more than they assess your knowledge. Those are the tricky ones. How do you deal with such people?

There are three Cs to keep in mind when you attend an interview, tricky or not. They are confidence, control and clarity. You must have confidence in your knowledge of the subject as well your capability to cope with questions that you may not be able to answer. Control follows confidence. When you are well prepared, you are in control and you can take charge of the interviewers. Clarity is important if your confidence and control are to have any value. Have a few key messages and explain them with a clear voice and as less as a jargon that you can use.

Take your time to answer even if the interviewer is pushy. Address the question that is being asked and acknowledge it. That is right, but this is what I think or I would not look at it that way. Do not leave your answer at that point. Continue with what you think is the right answer. Do not make up an answer if you do not know the right one. A tricky interviewer would catch you in a second. What you can do is to provide alternate answers that are related to the question asked.

A dicey interviewer would ask questions like, What do you have to say about your current firm/boss? or What would be your reaction be if we fired you? or What would you do if your boss acted in an unreasonable manner in the face of a problem? Such questions cannot be answered in a direct manner. Make sure you do not foul mouth your current boss or the firm. Also you need to have a comfortable body language that exudes calmness. Do not express frustration and anger with the current job, even if you feel that way.

What we must keep in mind is that the interviewer is more concerned with you as a person than for what you know. What you do not know you can learn. You must show the desire to learn and to grow. Ultimately, that is your trump card in handling tricky interviewers.