The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “What are three tips for nailing a job interview?” is written by Kevin Chou, CEO of Kabam.
Job interviews go both ways. Employers certainly need to probe, but exceptional candidates know how to manage the overall interview process themselves. Kabam has beefed up its studio management team over the past year and I had the opportunity of interviewing many of the top candidates. Three of them—Nick Earl (president) and Aaron Loeb and Mike Verdu (senior vice presidents)—gave the best interviews imaginable. Why? Because they managed the discussion rather than settling on a question-and-answer session led by me. Here’s how.
From the moment we started, Nick conveyed deep knowledge about the industry and Kabam’s place in it. He asked penetrating questions about the company’s weaknesses—some to the point of discomfort for me. Additionally, Nick listened carefully to my points of view and then challenged my assumptions with keen insights. He was not afraid to ask the tough questions or confront the status quo. Mike arrived with an equally strong sense of confidence. He was never shy when talking about his considerable achievements, but also balanced the discussion with a humble assessment of his weaknesses. And lastly, Aaron portrayed an inspiring amount of enthusiasm, energy, and passion.
These interviews taught me three important things about the interview process:
Be aware of your reputation
Direct references are obvious; employers will sometimes seek back-door references to tell the real story. Whereas a direct reference might say “he’s a good manager,” a back-door reference might say, “his staff didn’t always respect his delegation skills.” Candidates should understand that their reputation and accomplishments speak louder than answers in a job interview. You should know that daily interactions with everyone around you–including those junior to you–may affect your opportunity to land that dream job down the road.
Make it mutual
Both parties should use the interview to determine if there’s a mutual fit. Candidates should never be afraid to ask tough, smart questions–they make you stand out in the sea of applicants! You’ll also make a better decision, should you get multiple offers, about who you want to be your manager.
Research the company
A deep understanding of the industry and the job function is surprisingly rare among candidates. Even though it can take additional time to do your homework, you’ll be surprised how much you will shine compared to those who didn’t put in the extra effort. And show your excitement for the position!
領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力內(nèi)部網(wǎng)絡(luò)是邀請(qǐng)最有智慧、最具影響力的商界人士及時(shí)回答職業(yè)與領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力問題的在線社區(qū)。本期我們的問題是“搞定面試的三條建議是什么?”以下是Kabam公司CEO周凱文的回答。
求職面試是一個(gè)相互了解的過程。雇主肯定需要調(diào)查求職者，但出色的求職者也要知道如何控制整個(gè)面試過程。在過去一年，Kabam公司增強(qiáng)了工作室管理團(tuán)隊(duì)，我有幸面試了許多優(yōu)秀的求職者。有三次面試經(jīng)歷給我留下了難以磨滅的印象。這三位求職者分別是尼克•厄爾(總裁)、艾倫•羅布和邁克•弗度(兩位均擔(dān)任高級(jí)副總裁)。為什么這樣說?因?yàn)樗麄兂晒Πl(fā)起了討論，而沒有讓面試成為由我主導(dǎo)的問答式對(duì)話。下面是面試的具體情形。
面試剛一開始，尼克便表現(xiàn)出對(duì)行業(yè)及Kabam行業(yè)地位的深刻了解。他詢問了一些關(guān)于公司缺點(diǎn)的尖銳問題——有些問題甚至讓我都感到不舒服。此外，尼克認(rèn)真傾聽了我的觀點(diǎn)，然后用敏銳的見解對(duì)我的假設(shè)提出反駁。他并不害怕問尖銳的問題或直面現(xiàn)狀。邁克也有著同樣強(qiáng)烈的自信心。在談?wù)撟约旱闹匾删蜁r(shí)他從不會(huì)感到害羞，但同時(shí)他也會(huì)用謙遜的態(tài)度評(píng)價(jià)自己的缺點(diǎn)，使談話不會(huì)走上極端。最后，艾倫表現(xiàn)出的熱情、精力和激情讓我深受感染。
這三次面試讓我學(xué)到了面試過程的三個(gè)重要方面：
要清楚自己的聲譽(yù)
直接推薦的好處是顯而易見的;但雇主有時(shí)候會(huì)通過秘密的推薦來找出真相。比如，直接推薦可能說“他是一名優(yōu)秀的管理者，”但秘密推薦可能說：“他的下屬對(duì)其授權(quán)技巧有時(shí)略有微詞。”求職者應(yīng)該清楚，他們的信譽(yù)與成就比在面試中的回答更加重要。要知道，你每天與周圍所有人，包括下屬的互動(dòng)可能影響你在未來能否得到夢(mèng)想的工作機(jī)會(huì)。
將面試變成雙向互動(dòng)
面試的雙方應(yīng)該通過面試來確定雙方是否合適。求職者不應(yīng)該害怕問尖銳、聰明的問題——這樣做能讓你在無數(shù)求職者中脫穎而出!而且，如果你得到多份工作邀請(qǐng)，這些問題也可以讓你做出更好的選擇。
調(diào)查潛在雇主
令人意外的是，很少有求職者去深入了解行業(yè)和工作職能。盡管了解潛在雇主與行業(yè)可能需要你拿出額外的時(shí)間，但當(dāng)你與那些沒有付出額外努力的人坐在一起的時(shí)候，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的表現(xiàn)是多么搶眼，連你自己都會(huì)感到吃驚。此外，這也可以顯示你對(duì)這個(gè)職位的熱切之情!
