What The Interviewer Wants To Hear

Interviewing is always going to be a box-ticking exercise to some extent, as the interviewer will be looking for you to say the right things that are needed to satisfy the criteria they have been instructed to evaluate you on.
As was discussed in the sections How to ACE the interview, Professional Rapport Building, and Assessing Interviewer Mentality, the interviewer will be assessing you on specific criteria set out by their employer or client. This can pertain to any number of different areas such as problem-solving ability, leadership style, technical capability, analytical and reasoning ability, creative thinking, persuasive ability, customer focus, decision-making aptitude, or taking the initiative, to name only a few. What that means for you as the interviewee is that there are always specific areas your interviewer will be listening for, or looking to prioritise, over others. Because of this, a large part of the success you’ll have in any interview comes down simply to what you say and how you say it. This is also the reason why many people, whether they interview well or not, regard the interview to be a fickle and to some degree an unreliable process, as it doesn’t necessarily come down to experience or qualifications, rather it comes down to the conversation you have on the day, and whether or not the interviewer likes what they hear. Essentially, it means that what you say, or what you don’t say, largely determines whether or not you will be offered one of the most important things in your life

While some people feel right at home in an interview setting, talking to their interviewers with ease and creating the best impression of themselves quite naturally, others don’t have this same ability. Even although they have the skills and expertise to do the job, nervousness always seems to get the better of them. These types of people struggle when they go for interviews, and they always find it difficult to talk about themselves openly and get the best points about themselves across. Because of this, they are less likely to be offered job openings ahead of other, more outgoing, candidates. It’s for reasons like this that you’ll often hear the sentiment expressed that it’s not fair some people get looked over for positions just because they don’t interview as well as others

If we evaluate why one group of people does well and the other doesn’t, it’s because the first group is able to effectively present themselves to the interviewer. Not only because they are able to hold an effective conversation with the interviewer, but because they are able to touch on key points that the interviewer is listening for. In essence, they are able to effectively tell the interviewer things that they are listening for and want to hear

The other category of people is not as successful, not because they don’t have equally good, if not better, experience and qualifications. It’s because throughout the course of the interview, they are much less effective in presenting themselves to the interviewer. Even more importantly, throughout the conversation, they’ve failed to touch on aspects that interest the interviewer most. These are areas an interviewer is actively listening out for as they have been flagged as key aspects for performing the role by the employer

As was covered in previous sections, your interviewer will, based on the instructions they receive from their employer or client, be assessing you in specific key areas. It certainly goes a long way if you are able to demonstrate how your individual qualities and past work experience make you ideal for the role. Essentially though, no matter what skills or experience are required, the biggest part of your success in the interview comes down to whether the interviewer likes what they hear or not. While you can certainly refer to the job description in the first instance, and while you can also reference helpful areas like our Core Competencies and Must Have Interviewing Skills section that will help shed some insight on these things, unfortunately, unless you possess the exact assessment sheet your interviewer will be using, THERE IS NO WAY FOR YOU AS AN INTERVIEWEE TO KNOW EVERYTHING YOUR INTERVIEWER WANTS TO HEAR.
However, even with this being said, there are definitely a few hard and fast rules you can follow that will greatly increase your chances of winning your interviewer over and will greatly improve how you present yourself in the interview. Remember, there is not one specific thing that does this, rather, it’s the overall direction of the conversation itself

WHAT THE INTERVIEWER WANTS TO HEAR

Enthusiasm
Show enthusiasm. Showing enthusiasm is a highly desirable trait for any interviewer. Part of the interviewer’s job is not only identifying someone with the right skills and qualities to do the job, but also someone who has a genuine desire to perform in the role

Telling the interviewer it is a lifelong dream to work for that company is one effective tactic. For example:
‘Ever since I finished university it’s been a lifelong ambition to work for 1234 limited (your company). I want to work for an organisation where I know I’ll be making a difference, in a role that defines the commitment to the work that I do. Even although my opportunity came with another established industry provider, I think your company is an inspiration and I’ve followed it closely ever since I started in 2008. As a leader in the aviation industry, I think your merger with 5678 airlines in 2019 has only made you stronger as a company. I know having researched your company before that you think of your employees like family, and strive to ensure they enjoy a great work-life balance. Inspite of the challenges we’ve faced in the industry recently, you’ve also taken great steps to ensure you’re treating your customers fairly. I can think of nothing I’d like more than to grow my career with such a forward-thinking and dynamic company like yourselves’.

Telling an employer you’ve always had a natural inclination to work in their specific industry is also a very effective tactic. For example:
‘I feel I’ve been lucky in that ever since I was small I’ve always known what industry I’ve wanted to work in. We were doing a module on multimedia in our world awareness class. I was really fascinated by the subject, I don’t think I’d ever paid so much attention to anything before, and ever since then, I’ve always known I wanted to work in broadcasting. So as you can imagine, I’m really excited to be here to discuss this opportunity with you today’.

Enthusiasm can also be conveyed through wording and tone of voice. When asked questions, using these as opportunities to express your enthusiasm, or throwing in short anecdotal examples during the conversation that reinforces your desire to perform in a given role can be highly effective ways of doing this

For instance, if we consider the following statements, and the differences in how they are worded;

– ‘I applied for this job because I’m interested in it and believe I can perform it well.’

– ‘I was very excited to learn about this opening. I realised very quickly whilst reading through the job description that I had all the skills and qualities necessary to excel in this role. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to tell you why this is and to show you how much I’d love to be a part of the team’.

There is a notable difference in the quality and detail of the two statements provided. One is flat and sounds very generic. The other, is a lot more detailed and sounds like it comes from the heart. Making enthusiastic comments is not something you should do throughout the entire course of an interview, or they will start to sound insincere and begin to detract from the overall conversation with your interviewer. However, 2 or 3 carefully placed comments, particularly at the start and towards the end of an interview, is something your interviewer will certainly take note of

Honesty
Effectively answering the ‘tell me about one of your weaknesses’ questions, or one of the many variances of this that often comes up during an interview, is one of the best ways you can convey honesty

When asked what they value most in the people they interview, one of the responses interviewers always give is honestly. While this trait would be a natural choice anyway, from the interviewer’s perspective, it is essential so they can be sure their making the right hiring decision

As an interviewee, what this means is that you want to be honest, but not necessarily too honest. Keep in mind that the interviewer will factor in and evaluate everything you say whether it’s good or bad. When we consider any negative aspects of a background or past work history, or any other negative aspects that might have an impact in the interview, it’s normally a shrewd tactic to prioritise positivity over honesty to give yourself the best chance of success as possible against the competition

In many interviews, one of the questions you will commonly encounter is the ‘tell me about one of your weaknesses’ questions. While there are a few variations on this, it is specifically asked to see how open you are being, and gives you the perfect opportunity to show how honest you are.
For example:
‘I used to be very honest to the point of being blunt. While honestly can be a great thing, I learned many years ago that if I word things differently, I can still be just as honest and open with people and get much better results from them in the process. By adding a little extra tact and finesse to my approach, it’s made a massive difference over the years, and it’s made me much more effective at dealing with customers and subordinates’.

Although it may not seem like it at first, there are usually different ways to present difficult or negative facts in a more creative or constructive way, while still being honest at the same time.
(Remember that there are normally dozens of candidates like you, all interviewing for the same job. The interviewer is accountable for every hire they make, so even if the interviewer thinks you’re a good person and knows you have the skills required, there’s still no need for them to take a chance on you when they can easily choose another candidate who has had no past problems)

Loyalty
Another major trait any good employer will look for is loyalty. This is a trait that goes hand in hand with reliability, and it’s always a good guess that your interviewer will be actively assessing you on this during an interview. Aside from the costs, time, and inconvenience it takes to hire new employees, someone who is loyal will usually be more reliable, be less prone to have sick days, will have a better work ethic and will produce a better quality of work overall

The best way to convey loyalty is by simply talking well about previous employers or past job duties throughout the course of the interview itself. This means things like talking positively about current or previous employers and bringing up the great experiences you’ve had with them whenever the opportunity arises in the conversation with your interviewer. This can include talking about the overall term of the employment itself, talking about times where you’ve come through for an employer, or expressing dismay at leaving a previous job. Even if you didn’t part on the best terms, it’s still an easy thing to focus on other positive aspects about the job such as how much you’ll miss working with old colleagues, or focusing on the pleasant experiences you’ve had with customers in that role.
For example:
‘I had many fruitful years working at ABC limited and I’ll never forget the time I spent there, they were a top company to work for. The environment was excellent, the people were great, and the decision to move on wasn’t one I took lightly’.
Or:
‘I’ll especially miss the great experiences I had with my co-workers. Over the years working together we developed a special bond, and while I’m going to miss that, at the same time I’m looking forward to doing it all over again with brand new colleagues’.

Reliability
Every employer needs reliable people working for them. Every employer also understands the importance of having employees they can rely on to perform their roles effectively. That’s why telling, or showing, an employer how reliable you are is always a sure way to score big points in any interview

It’s a bit more difficult when pointing out specific things you can say to reinforce this however. It really depends on the conversation you’re having with the interviewer at the time, so the best way to convey this is to rely on behavioural based interview examples to recall specific instances of this where asked

Positivity
This is a cardinal rule for any interview. Keep everything positive

You have a very short time to make a favourable impression with the interviewer, as by its very nature the interview can be a fickle process. The interviewer will be left with a favourable impression of those candidates with whom they’ve had positive and interesting conversations with. It makes your interview a lot more difficult if you bring up negative points, not least because it’s the interviewer’s job to investigate these by asking following-up questions. If you bring something negative up, or phrase something in a particularly poor way, the interviewer will usually follow-up with additional questions, and you’ll find a greater percentage of the conversation you have with them will go towards covering negative aspects of your background, instead of focusing on why you’re the right person for the role

Tailoring Your Responses
This last action comes through knowing the job description well. By far the vaguest of the actions on the list, it simply involves tailoring your responses to interviewer questions (especially open-ended ones) in a way that matches the skills and qualities needed to perform the role. Unfortunately, there is no set way to learn this; it’s simply about effectively reading your interviewer and matching their style and tone while still coming across as genuine and honest at the same time

This last action is all about having good familiarity with the job description. For instance, if the main points of a job description state that the role requires someone who, ‘is well presented, with excellent communication skills, and an ability to motivate a highly energetic team’, you would naturally emphasize these skills about yourself. In open-ended questions about yourself you might emphasize your smart style of dress. When asked to describe duties with previous employers, you would take care to emphasize skills and qualities where you exhibited first-rate communicative abilities, and follow through with specific examples of times where you were able to motivate a group of subordinates or colleagues