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Ace that Job Interview

Want to Impress an Interviewer? Figure out his "Communication Style", then talk to him in his own language

The following information is adapted from The Perfect Interview – How to Get the Job You Really Want, by John D. Drake (AMACOM, 1997)

If you want to stack the deck in your favor during a job interview, take a tip from the Boy Scouts, and "be prepared." One key way you can prepare is to learn how to gauge an interviewer's personal communication style.

A big part of selling yourself depends on your ability to "read" the interviewer so that you can respond in ways that will make him feel comfortable. This will allow you to "talk their language," by communicating and expressing yourself in a manner similar to the way the interview thinks and expresses himself.

Every interviewer has a communication style based upon the way he thinks and organizes his thoughts. When you are interviewing someone whose communication style is similar to your own, the probability of hitting it off is good; you both speak the same language. When your styles are at variance, difficulties in relating are likely to occur.

The Four Basic Communication Styles:

Activators

  • Have a "do-it-now" mentality.
  • Are the doers of the world.
  • Concerned with end results and what is practical and tangible.
  • Often attracted to jobs in production, professional athletics, or fast-paced work environments.

Feelers
  • Rely on gut reactions.
  • Are perceptive as to the needs of others, often sensing the right thing to say or do.
  • Are people-oriented.
  • Often attracted to jobs in areas such as sales, human resources, and customer service.

Analyzers
  • Are logical, systematic, orderly, and structured.
  • Are fact-oriented.
  • Often attracted to jobs in accounting, engineering, and data processing.

Conceptualizers
  • Are concerned about future events, not the here and now.
  • Think by intuitively linking ideas, rather than by processing them logically and deductively.
  • Are often innovative, creative, and concept-oriented.
  • Often attracted to jobs in strategic planning, academia, and advertising.

Diagnosing the Style of Your Interviewer
Be a detective. Once you are in the interviewer's office, you can start determining his style. Here are the clues to look for:


ACTIVATOR
Desk: Cluttered and disorderly. Likely to be filled with piles of papers. Possibly two phones.

Office: Disorganized; piles of papers everywhere. Wall hangings are strictly business. If paintings are present, they are likely to be highly action-oriented.

Style of Dress: Inclined toward simplicity. May not appear neat because they are so busy. Men are likely to have jackets off and sleeve cuffs rolled. Women dress casually.

Style of Questions: Focuses on results accomplished – what did you do, how did you do it, how much did it contribute to profits? Questions are likely to be brief and to the point.


FEELER
Desk: Personal memorabilia such as family photos and mementos from previous jobs (paper weight, pen set, etc.)

Office: Informal. Often personalized with pictures of family, company golf outing, diplomas, certificates, or famous quotes.

Style of Dress: Appropriate to work setting, but more on the casual side. Not afraid of color – bright dresses or ties are common.

Style of Questions: Likely to spend a significant amount of time in small talk. Will probably ask questions about your relationships with others – boss, subordinates, even family. Likely to show an interest in you as a person, rather than simply exploring your educational or work experiences.


ANALYZER
Desk: Neat and orderly, almost bare, except for calculator or computer.

Office: Rather business like; neat; no frills. Charts and graphs are important giveaways.

Style of Dress: Usually conservative, neat and tidy. Men often will wear ties that are plain or have neat geometric designs.

Style of Questions: Will ask for many facts and figures – what was your grade point average? Your salary in each of your jobs? How much did your efforts contribute to profits? Questions can appear businesslike and perhaps even curt.


CONCEPTUALIZER
Desk: Piled with books, often two piles of reports, side by side, being studied for trends.

Office: Bookcases filled with technical literature. The room may include intellectual toys (three-dimensional tic-tac-toe, Rubik's Cube) and abstract paintings.

Style of Dress: Two possibilities: If the Conceptualizer is fashion-conscious, dress will be trendy or avant-garde. If the Conceptualizer is not concerned with fashion (more typical) dress may appear like that of the stereotypical "absent-minded professor" – things may not quite match, for instance. Dress may be considered a relatively unimportant, mundane issue.

Style of Questions: Centered around your ideas and concepts, particularly about the future, not on the here and now. Typical questions will begin with, "What do you think about…?"

Tailoring Your Communication Style to the Interviewer's:
Remember, a key ingredient in a successful interview is to enable the person across the desk to feel comfortable with you. This is most easily achieved by putting presenting your responses in a way that matches the interviewer's pattern of thinking. All it takes is a quick diagnosis of the interviewer's communication style and a few adjustments in how you present your thoughts.

For example, if you determine that the interviewer is an Activator, keep your answers short and to the point. With a Feeler, expect small talk and try to find a common family or community interest. For an Analyzer, describe your background methodically and chronologically. And for a Conceptualizer, avoid dwelling on the past, focusing instead on future goals.

For more information about The Perfect Interview – How to Get the Job You Really Want and other AMACOM books, click here.


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