Successful In-Person Interviews

Dear the Import/Export Compliance Manager,

I read with interest your blog post concerning how to succeed in phone interviews.  What about in-person interviews for import/export compliance positions?

Hunkered Down In Huntsville 

Dear Hunkered Down,

Although all of the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s advice from the phone interview can also apply to the in-person interviews, you can do so much more in the latter to differentiate yourself from the other candidates.  Below are the areas that the Import/Export Compliance Manager thinks are the most important.

First and foremost, you need to realize that the interview starts the moment you enter the premises.  The interviewer may be in the lobby watching you walk to the building.  They will be evaluating how you are dressed and how you carry yourself.  They may be watching you as you interact with the receptionist (or they will hear about it afterwards from them).  They will feel the firmness of your handshake and evaluate you based on how you look at them (in the eye, down at the floor, etc.).  Every single moment you are in their line of sight will help form the total picture of you. 

Now, that may sound intimidating.  However, keep in mind that the CEO, if you ever walk into a meeting with her, will probably be doing the same thing.  Just who is this person who is telling me that we can’t actually ship our product to Burkina Faso without a two month delay for an export license?  You want to project professionalism, i.e. that you have your act together.  An interview is the exact same way.    

One way to be able to achieve this level of professionalism is...practice, practice, practice.  Practice going through an interview.  Multiple times.  With difficult questions.  The harder the better.  The more difficult your practice, the easier the real thing should be.  Even better, practice public speaking.  Yes, The Import/Export Compliance Manager has written about this before.  Why?  Because becoming competent at public speaking has many other benefits, not least among them being more confident thinking on your feet and talking about something on the spur of the moment.  It’s at this point that the Import/Export Compliance Manager will make another recommendation for Toastmasters, International, which was the organization which helped him out many years ago.

As you practice the interview, be sure you know yourself backwards and forwards.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, it’s one thing to know yourself and it’s quite another to talk about yourself in a way that is truthful, with a sufficient amount of detail and in a way that also sells you as the best candidate for the position.  Practice talking about yourself.  Make sure you have a rolodex of stories about yourself that can be used to answer many questions.  Every interviewee should be prepared to tell stories about overcoming a major obstacle, learning a very difficult subject, achieving a massive goal and getting along successfully with a difficult person or group of people.  There is an enormous difference between saying “I get along great with difficult people” and “Let me tell you about when I finally broke through with so-and-so”.  Also, the best stories are the most recent ones.  What you did five years ago might be great, but an interviewer may wonder why you don’t have anything more recent to speak of.

Let’s also talk about dress code.  The Import/Export Compliance Manager’s father told him that it is better to overdress for the interview than underdress.  Maybe that’s a problem for a position in an R&D department where people wander around wearing aqua socks and Bermuda shorts, but not for the field of import/export compliance.  Wear business professional attire.  You are trying to project an air of professionalism, so dress the part.  The only exception to this is if you are specifically told not dress up, such as when the Import/Export Compliance Manager had an interview with a start-up company at a sports bar (he still wore khaki pants). 

In addition, listen closely to the interviewer.  Sounds trite, right?  Well, if the interviewer asks you a question and you don’t directly answer it, that’s unprofessional.  If the interviewer gives you a timeframe in which to answer the question, such as two to four minutes, taking six minutes is unprofessional.  Watch the body language of the interviewer.  If they are reacting badly to a joke you told (try not to tell jokes unless you are reasonably certain you will get a good response), stop telling jokes. 

Bring a professional-looking binder with a notebook and writing utensil in it.  Remember that not only are the interviewers trying to find out about you, you are trying to find out about them.  If they are taking the time to explain certain things about the job and the company to you, take notes, even if you have a steel trap memory.  It is a sign both of professionalism and a sign that you are taking the interview very seriously.  The notes will also help you later on to remember parts of the interview and thus, if you get called back for another round of interviews or get the job offer, you can make a more informed decision regarding what to do. 

Even if the interview is not going well, remember that you need to see it all the way through.  First of all, your impression of how the interview is going may be incorrect.  Secondly, you never know when you are going to meet these people again, whether soon for another round of interviews, as new co-workers or in ten years when you are both at different employers in different positions.  One of the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s best contacts and old friends in the field of import/export compliance was one of his interviewers for a job. 

When the interview is over, look the interviewer in the eye, shake their hand and thank them very much for their time.  If you think you still have a shot at the position, you may ask when you may check back with them on your status.  Comments such as “So, when do I start?” are, in the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s opinion, very, very dangerous to make.  In addition, the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s recommendation is to always refer to yourself, if talking about the being in the position, as “If I were the successful candidate, I...”  Again, this is very professional and definitely will not give the air of unjustified confidence.

As with the phone interview, The Import/Export Compliance Manager cannot recommend sending a thank-you note enough.  Physical mail is more personal, but an e-mail will suffice.  Send it out that night or the next day.  A simple note such as “Thank you for taking the time to interview me for the position of ______.  It was very nice meeting you and I look forward to speaking with you again” will go a long way.  In the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s experience, few candidates take this simple, candidate-differentiating step.  It is yet another example of your professionalism as well as your courtesy.

If you don’t hear back within two weeks or the timeframe told to you by the interviewer to wait for feedback, the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s opinion is that a follow-up e-mail would not hurt at all.  As with the thank-you note, it shows you are still interested (and available).  You don’t know what is going on behind the scenes and, who knows, your e-mail may be what keeps you in the mix. 

To beat a dead horse, the Import/Export Compliance Manager highly recommends What Color Is Your Parachute? as a guide to successful interviewing for any type of positions, since there are so many other psychological aspects to it that can’t be discussed in a blog post.  The more you understand the interviewer, the better you will do.  Best of luck to you whenever you need find yourself in the interviewee’s chair!