How to deal with tough interviewers
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“The “modest” examiner: Such an examiner, upon seeing the applicant, steps forward to shake hands and exchange pleasantries, making the applicant feel comfortable and happy thanks to this pleasant start, which boosts their confidence as if they were the real master of the place. Actually, this is an illusion. They may seem easy to get along with on the surface, but they are meticulous inside and possess excellent insight. However, their way of expressing themselves always makes you feel comfortable and at ease; they tend to talk to you in an affirmative manner and use praise to observe your reactions. Tactical advice: When dealing with this type of examiner, it is essential to remain highly vigilant and to express one’s thoughts honestly and sincerely. Don’t constantly try to please him, nor be overly arrogant and think you’re something special. Such examiners appear humble on the surface, but are inwardly filled with a sense of superiority; arrogance is what they detest the most. The rigid examiner enters the interview room, and the first thing felt is a chilling coldness. He sat there, showing no reaction to your arrival, as if he was preoccupied with other things. You’re too hesitant to know how to say hello; even if you greet him politely and exchange a few words, he won’t react in the way you expect. He usually doesn’t pay attention to what you’re saying; you might even wonder if he’s listening at all. Facing such an examiner, even the most skilled socializers would feel terrified; as for beginners, they don’t know what to do at all, fearing they won’t perform well. Tactical advice: Such examiners are introverted and rather stubborn, adhering to principles. Their approach to evaluating people is rigid; they never allow for any romantic interpretations. Their understanding of people is based on pure concepts, so the rules and frameworks in their minds are also inflexible. All his experience in job interviews comes from books, and he follows the procedures as well. So, as long as you follow the steps and don’t overcomplicate things, you can win. Experienced examiners: If you get the chance to work with such examiners, you can tell just by shaking their hand. Their fingertips were cold, and the palms of their hands stiff; they didn’t hold your hand tightly, only making light contact, without even curling their fingers. They did everything with great courtesy, flawlessly, but there was a sense of distance hidden behind that courtesy. They never take the initiative to speak, and never easily let others understand their thoughts. They won’t respond directly to what you say; their usual approach is to nod, and once the subject is brought up, they keep their true feelings hidden and refuse to express an opinion easily. Their questions are always loaded with subtext and hidden meanings; layer after layer is removed, yet the core remains unseen. They do not praise people; even when you feel your best, they will use a cold expression to make you feel utterly embarrassed. Tactical advice: When dealing with such examiners, you need to leave a good impression on them – one of calmness and determination, efficiency and effectiveness in handling tasks, responsibility, and reliability. One should always think before acting; when the topic turns to one’s abilities, desires, requirements, and feelings, it is essential to be cautious. It’s better to say less, and if anything is said, it’s preferable to be specific. Vague and romantic ideas are generally not advisable. During the interview, the interviewer will talk to you on various topics that seem unrelated to the job, in order to observe you, assess you, and evaluate you. So you must learn to observe the examiner quickly, understand their way of speaking and thinking, in order to handle various types of questions. Examiners with \"delayed reaction syndrome\" are people who work slowly, taking their time in everything they do; it seems that their efficiency is very low. They also aren’t pleasant to deal with, as if they’re always distrustful of others. They will have you hand in the prepared materials first and have them examined carefully (in fact, they have most likely already seen them). Even after reading it carefully, they still ask questions about the material, as if they weren’t confident either in themselves or in others. Their conversation lacks structure; they digress from one topic to another, and it’s unclear when it will end. Tactical advice: Candidates should keep their temper in check when facing such examiners, speak in a gentle and humble tone, and be patient when answering questions. The questions should be as comprehensive and detailed as possible; any omissions need to be addressed, provide more explanations, and avoid excessive arguing. When listening, one should be a patient and attentive listener, interrupting as little as possible. Even for questions one doesn’t understand, it’s necessary to wait until the examiner has finished speaking before asking questions; or one could say things like, \"What do you think is still unclear? Do you need me to explain anything further?\" One should try to match the examiner’s tone and way of expressing themselves. Under no circumstances should you get distracted or appear tired; with patience, you can impress this type of examiner. “The arrogant examiners: You are likely to encounter such examiners who believe they hold absolute power over others’ fates and deliberately give off an arrogant attitude. Although they speak politely, their gaze is arrogant and devoid of any smile; they often respond with \"Hmph\" or \"Ha\", and even ignore the applicants. Perhaps you’ll feel that such people are the most difficult to deal with, as they can almost instantly destroy all your confidence, because that underlying \"threat\" deeply hurts your self-esteem. Tactical advice: When dealing with such examiners, first of all, don’t let yourself get beaten down mentally; avoid feeling that your self-esteem has been hurt. One can come up with more possibilities: “He must have encountered some problems,” “Maybe he had an argument with his wife yesterday,” “It’s surely because his boss is dissatisfied with him”... In this way, one can pay less attention to his bad attitude. Secondly, it’s necessary to exchange some polite greetings to show your calm demeanor. Speak concisely and powerfully; simply convey the necessary information in a brief manner, without needing to watch his reaction. He might say harsh things; you must not hold it against him or get angry, nor should you confront him head-on. Try your best to stay in a good mood and truly not take him seriously.
The speaker-type examiners: when you meet them, you feel relaxed at first, then nervous, and in the end you don’t know how to react. He talks too much; he can never restrain his desire to speak, taking over your turn in conversation and talking non-stop without any restraint. He possesses both the exaggerated descriptions of a writer and the thorough analyses of a theorist, which is admirable yet lacks focus. He had no interest in asking about the applicants; he only wanted to showcase himself to the fullest. Tactical advice: If you can allow him to express himself freely, it’s best to let him reach a state of self-excitement; in that case, you’ll most likely be hired. So all you need to do is be a good listener and avoid interrupting casually. You must show great interest in his speech, while constantly using your expressions to encourage him to keep talking. Don’t worry about it taking too long; if you have other urgent matters, put them aside first. Your anxious expression will greatly disappoint him, and the outcome will naturally not be good. The unexpressive examiner seemed like a natural mute; he sat there silently, acting like a wooden block, waiting for you to introduce yourself and to find a topic to talk about. In the end, he still had nothing to say, and that’s how the conversation came to an end. Tactical advice: In fact, the examiner remains silent and motionless, simply to observe how the applicant demonstrates their abilities in this situation that requires performance. Feeling extremely fearful and cautious, as if walking on thin ice, such a person naturally cannot handle things on their own and is destined to be eliminated. So be very careful of the traps they set; only those who can change the situation will emerge as winners in the end. The indifferent examiners seemed not to be very interested in the interviews; everything was carried out in a routine manner, in a careless way. They spend too much time on interviews, to the point of becoming numb. Everything was plain and ordinary, so ordinary that it bored him. They are always distracted, their conversations often deviate from the topic; they frequently say things that aren’t sincere. Either they write randomly on paper while listening to you, or they stare out of the window, or else they keep doing this and that non-stop. These behaviors on the part of examiners are purely occupational traits. You might find it novel when meeting an examiner for the first time, but for them it’s something usual – they encounter people full of enthusiasm like this every day. They already know all the tactics to deal with you: how to learn about your family background, your professional skills, your temperament and personality, your way of behaving, and how to reject you. Tactical advice: Stimulate his sense of novelty to leave a particularly deep impression on him.