Real Communication An Introduction

Appendix A   Competent Interviewing^515

The Job Interview

In one episode of the TV show How I Met

Your Mother, Marshall goes on a multitude

of job interviews. We see him talking to his

bathroom mirror before each one, at first

saying, “You are confident, energetic,” later,

“You are flexible on salary; you will not cry,”

and finally, “You are sad and beaten down.”

Although you might be able to identify with

Marshall’s roller-coaster of emotions, you

can also recognize that preparing adequately

for interviews will make your experiences

more successful. In fact, most job interviews

involve many of the competent behaviors

you have already learned in this text, from

audience adaptation to language choice to

nonverbal communication (Bloch, 2011).

Being aware of these behaviors before you go into the interview will greatly in-

crease your confidence. In the remaining pages of this chapter, we describe how

job interviews usually occur and offer solid advice on how to prepare for, engage

in, and follow up on the process (Muir, 2008).

Getting the Interview

The first step involves actually getting the interview. This important phase

involves three interrelated tasks: locating jobs and doing homework on the or-

ganizations, preparing materials to be used in the process (the résumé and cover

letter), and building realistic expectations about the interviewing process.

The Job Search

The first element of preinterview preparation involves identifying potential jobs

and then researching the field and the organizations. Although there are many

strategies for locating jobs, your three best sources are likely to be people you

know or manage to meet, placement centers, and discipline-specific job sites.

A great place to start is with family, friends, professors, former employers,

and individuals working in your field of interest. You should also plan to network

(Brazeel, 2009). Networking is the process of using interconnected groups or

associations of persons you know to develop relationships with their connections

that you don’t know. Contact the people you know who work in your field or

who might know someone who does, let these individuals know the kind of job

you are looking for, and ask for suggestions. You can also make new contacts via

social networking services. Use sites like Facebook for more informal networking

and sites like LinkedIn for more formal connections. You also can network effi-

ciently through an organization for professionals in your chosen field (many offer

student memberships). Whichever connections you make, be sure to remind your

contacts of how you met or why you are getting in touch.

TO AVOID having the

same frustrating experience

as Marshall, make sure to

follow the advice here to ar-

rive prepared for your inter-

views. MONTY BRINTON/CBS/Landov

Consider the relational

context in competent

communication (Chapter 1).

It is effective and appropri-

ate to respond differently

to the same question

posed by your doctor, your

mother, your boss and

your romantic partner. How

intimate you are with the

person, your relational his-

tory, what you know about

him or her, and status dif-

ferences between you have

a profound effect on the

interview situation.

Consider the relational

CONNECT

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