Hey YouTubers, Jennifer Tardy here.
Your career success coach and we're back for our weekly tool and tip on YouTube.
I'm so excited that you decided to take this journey with us today, because today we're
gonna talk about how to interview conversationally.
Now, I know that that sounds like an oxymoron because I know that some people think there's
no such thing as being able to have a conversation during an interview.
But I'm gonna challenge some of those myths and I'm gonna share with you why.
So, don't miss any of the tools, don't miss any of the tips, stay through until the very
end to make sure that you capture all of them.
And as always if you like this video, then tell us that you like the video and tell us
why.
And subscribe to the channel so that you can always, always see the new videos that stay
coming.
So.
Let's jump right into it.
My personal opinion is that interviews are way too structured.
Way too structured.
As a matter of fact organizations are trying to find ways of becoming a little more structured,
not because of the candidate experience, but just to make sure that our interviewers are
feeling confident and competent, and secure as they are conducting the interview.
That they're feeling confident in their ability to assess the people who are actually interviewing.
But, me personally, I feel like they're becoming way too structured - specifically for the
job seeker.
So you as a job seeker, you can kind of take control back during those interviews.
Something else to note, is the reason why job seekers like yourself probably don't feel
that an interview is conversational is because you feel like they're supposed to be doing
all of the interviewing.
They're supposed to be the only person asking you questions.
But one of the things that you should be able to find confidence in is that interviews are
a two-way street.
You should be interviewing the organization to see if there's a fit for you personally,
just as much as they're interviewing you to see if you are a fit for the organization.
So take back some of that control.
Pull up your seat to the table, because you want to know as much about them as I'm sure
they wanna know about you.
Alright.
So, going back to this whole conversational interviewing.
This should be a two-way conversation and what it means is yes, have a few questions
prepared.
Always have some questions prepared in your back pocket, but at the same time follow the
conversation happening.
Follow their questions and then interject another question to them.
So if they ask you a question about some of your strengths and weaknesses, it is completely
acceptable for you to come back in and say "While we're on this topic, I'm really interested
in what the reputation is like for this department.
How are your clients - whether they're internal or external - how do they view this department?"
And if they're asking you another question about some of the challenges that you've solved
in your past, it's completely acceptable for you to come back in and ask a question related
to that interviewer's top three challenges.
So, "while we're on that subject, may I ask what are the top three challenges that are
on your mind today that someone in my position could come and take off your plate immediately?"
You see how that works?
It's not scripted.
It's just your interest in the actual position, and you're being engaged enough during that
interview that you have a question for them and it's so natural that no interviewer is
gonna say "hold on, no.
You're not supposed to be asking me questions.
I'm supposed to be asking you questions."
So you're not gonna run into a moment like that.
So don't wait until the very end of the interview to ask a question.
Ask them throughout.
The more your interview becomes conversational, the more your interviewer begins to see you
as a person.
As opposed to a candidate.
And you want them to be able to humanize you, and see you as a person over a candidate any
day.
The more comfortable both of you feel, the more you feel less nervous.
The less nervous you feel, the more confident you feel, the better you show up for that
interview.
And that, and it all equals great things.
Also being conversational during an interview shows that you're enthusiastic because now
you're engaged in this conversation.
You have to be because you have to follow it in a way that you can ask some really thoughtful
questions.
It shows that you're enthusiastic, that you're engaged and, as I mentioned before, it just
makes things seem more natural and it gives a more natural feeling.
Here are a couple of disclaimers that are also extremely important for you to know.
Number one.
Don't bogart the conversation.
Do not jump in and say "Wait, no.
I have this question!
I've gotta get my questions in!".
Do not bogart the conversation.
Allow it to be natural just as you would any interpersonal conversation.
Find the pause.
Then ask your questions.
Number two.
Don't come with a slew of prepared questions because odds are it's not going to flow in
the context of the questions that are already being asked and answered in that moment, too.
And number three.
Don't make your questions SAT questions.
This isn't a standardized text for the interviewer.
This isn't your way of trying to show that you're smarter than the interviewer.
So make sure that these are just natural questions that you would, that anyone would really care
to know about the process, about the company, about the person who is interviewing you.
Got it?
So, all in all make sure you remember that it's a two-way exchange.
Come with a couple of pre-prepared questions, but they're only to keep in your back pocket.
Ask thoughtful questions.
Remember that it makes you appear engaged, enthusiastic, and it makes things look just
a little more natural.
And you'll see then that there's a psychology behind all of this because the more your interviewer
is talking and talking about things that make them feel good, the more that they're gonna
walk away from the conversation thinking, "Hm.
This was a good conversation."
And when they think about you, they think about you in a positive light, and you always
want them to think about you in a positive light during the interview.
I hope this information has helped you to prepare for your next interview.
If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
And tell me - in the comments section - tell me something that you've done to create a
conversational interview on your end.
I'd love to hear about it.
As always, join us for more weekly.
We are here every Tuesday, just come on back.
You'll see you new videos posted.
So until then, Black Career Success is the place to be.
I'm Jennifer Tardy, your Career Success Coach and I'll see you soon.
Take care!