Interviews are always nerve-wracking for introverts, even for the most confident and prepared among us.
What if I stumble on my words? Am I answering the question the right way? Ug…I should have said this instead…
But here’s a little secret: the manager interviewing you is nervous too.
I know, because I’ve interviewed dozens of people and was always a little uncertain. And it’s not because I’m an introvert!
Read on to discover why, what questions we’re asking ourselves, and how knowing these questions can help you shine in your next interview.
Introduction
Hiring: In a Nutshell
Before we start, let’s review the high level steps a manager goes through when hiring.
This will help you step into the mind of the hiring manager who is interviewing you.
Needs Assessment
This is where the manager identifies that they have a gap on the team (in skill or capacity), articulates what that need is, and gets approval to hire.
Marketing & Recruitment
Here, the manager creates the job description, markets the position to their network, and also canvases their network for potential candidates.
Candidate Screening
In the screening process, the manager reviews resumes, interviews candidates, and performs background checks on the candidate.
Offer & Acceptance
Once the manager has selected their candidate, they create the job offer, get it approved, extend it to the candidate and enter into negotiations of the offer details.
The Candidate Screening Process
Since this blog post is about the interview, we are in the Candidate Screening part of the process.
The manager identified weeks ago that they needed someone like you to join the team.
They spent time marketing the job posting and going through a mountain of resumes to figure out who they want to interview.
And you’ve already made it through one of the hardest steps in the job search process: convincing the hiring manager that you’ve got enough of what they need to actually speak to you face-to-face.
My Background
In the span of 6 years, I created and staffed two teams at one of Canada’s largest P&C insurers.
And because both teams started out small (my first was myself and 3 others, and my second merely had 2 others), the risk to the team’s productivity and culture was extremely high if I brought in the wrong person.
At best, the wrong person could make the rest of the team feel like they were doing more work than the new person.
At worse, they could create more work for the rest of us, throw us off our momentum and destroy the magical team culture we had created.
As much as I wanted to bring in someone amazing, the risk of bringing in someone terrible worried me more than ending up with someone who was average.
That fear is felt by any contentious manager and is what leads us to these 3 questions we ask ourselves.
(And if you’re wondering what happened to those teams…the second one grew from the 3 of us to a team of over 25, and was one of the most desirable teams to join).
Question #1: Will They Do The Work?
What we’re really asking
It seems like a weird question, but all managers have heard the horror story of another manager hiring someone who didn’t end up doing the work.
And if they’re unlucky, they were the one to hire that someone.
So although the whole process is to find the right person to do the work, the “doing the work” part is sadly not guaranteed.
Why it scares us
This part is obvious–we’re hiring because we need you!
The team could have too much work and needs an extra person (or more) to help
Or there is a critical skill or background the team is missing to be able to get their work done well.
In either case, the risk of hiring someone who’s in it for the paycheque, not the work, is always looming over our heads.
What to do about it
Assuming you really do want to contribute, demonstrate to the hiring manager how you have done the work before or can help the team.
Don’t be shy with the details either–when someone gives us vague answers or only talks about what their team did, we question if they really did the work.
It’s also helpful not to bring up the salary the first time you speak with the hiring manager.
Ideally, you would ask the recruiter about it before your interview with the hiring manager.
If, for some reason, there is no recruiter involved, wait until there is a job offer to be discussed.
When the first question we get at the end of the interview is “how much does the job pay” (even before questions about the work or the team), all of our alarm bells go off.
A good manager will make sure you’re paid fairly. Trust that they will take care of you–and if you don’t have that trust in them, think about if you really want to work for this person.
Question #2: Will They Get Along With The Team?
What we’re really asking
Team fit is a huge factor in our hiring decision.
It’s not (hopefully!) that you need to be exactly like everyone else on the team, but you need to at least fit in with the team culture.
For example, I know of teams that just want to get the job done and not question how or why. This is not a team for me, or for anyone who likes to challenge and innovate.
In another example, I once interviewed someone who mentioned multiple times that they looked forward to learning our processes.
Although they had amazing experience, I ultimately chose another candidate because we had no processes (our team was too new!). I worried that they would need processes to thrive, he would not be setup for success and his need for process might drive the rest of us crazy.
Why it scares us
Even if most of the work you do is independent, like testing or serving customers, you at some point need to interact with your team.
Managing problems between team members is one of the things that takes up more of a manager’s time than they want to.
It’s also no fun at all, and no one likes to be part of that experience.
The last thing we want to do is bring someone onto the team who won’t get along–or even just “vibe” differently than the rest of us.
What to do about it
Most people don’t like my advise for this one, because it doesn’t guarantee them a higher chance at landing the job.
My advise is: be yourself.
I know it’s tempting to try to show that you can fit the team culture so that you can land the job, but trust me, it’s not worth it.
As hiring managers, we’re not trying to find a reason not to hire you.
In fact, we walk into every interview hoping you’re going to be the perfect person for us.
But if you’re not the right person, it’s better for you to wait for that right fit to come along.
Because do you really want to go through the job search process again in a few months because you either can’t be yourself or can’t fit in with the team?
So if you’ve ever been tempted to “fake it ’till you make it” with your personality, I urge you to reconsider. Your experience and personality will fit somewhere better, I promise.
Question #3: How Much Work Will They Be For Me?
What we’re really asking
A manager has 3 jobs: helping their managers with their work, helping their customers (internal or external) with their needs, and helping their team succeed.
In order to do all of those things, we need to hire someone who can alleviate work that we and the rest of the team can’t do without them.
So the question is really: “Will they do more work for me than be work for me?”
Why it scares us
We all know that your success is part of our work, and many of us got into management because we want to help you succeed.
But what we don’t want is to hire someone who takes up a disproportionate amount of our time.
I once hired someone who did a fine job, but constantly required my attention. It got to the point where they were the only employee I thought about off-hours–not a good sign, or fair to my other team members.
So whether we’re aware of it or not, while we’re interviewing you, we’re wondering if hiring you means you’ll get the job done…or become a second job for us.
What to do about it
This is a tricky one because “more work” looks different for every manager.
You could say the exact same thing in the exact same way, and one manager could say you’re too independent and the other one could say you’re too needy.
My advise is to listen for cues from the manager of how involved they get with their team, and where they focus their time.
Questions like “what is the biggest challenge your team faces right now?” or “I’d love a snapshot of what a typical day is like for you” can give the hiring manager the chance to share what occupies their mind right now.
If they talk about supporting the team, you’ll know they like to be more involved.
But if they talk more about their work, it’s likely that they will be more hands-off and appreciate someone who can leverage the team or their own capabilities before going to them.
Leverage your observation skills as an introvert and use them to communicate that you’ll be the right amount of work for them.
In Summary
Just as you’re nervous about showing that you’re the right person for the job, the hiring manager worries that they might hire the wrong person onto the team.
Although landing a job is important, so is landing the right job, onto the right team, reporting to the right manager.
Ask and listen for cues from the manager about the team culture, their management style and the work that needs to be done. This can help you adjust your responses to show them that you are the right person for them.
Just make sure you’re being honest with them–and yourself!
