Yahoo Finance What Interviewers of Veterans Are Really Thinking
Many job seekers enduring an interview find their minds wandering to the same question: What is the interviewer thinking right now? Regardless of her body language, voice tone, word choice or questions, the inner dialog of the interviewer seems a mystery to the applicant. Frequently, interviewees read the feedback incorrectly. It is common for a candidate to conclude that the interviewer "hated them" only to win the job, and other times for the candidate to feel as if he had made a new best friend only to fall out of contention.
[See: 8 Important Questions to Ask a Job Interviewer -- and Yourself.]
To understand the mind of an interviewer, one must imagine themselves in their place. Invariably, interviewers are asking themselves some version of these three questions: 1) Can the applicant do the work? 2) Will they do the work? 3) Do they "fit" in our organization? Answers to these questions determine an offer or not. But there are political and psychological factors that complicate this inner dialog when interviewing a veteran.
Can the Applicant Do the Work?
Interviewers look to direct or indirect experience when assessing a candidate's ability to do the work. In some fields, certifications and licenses are clearly required. For example, a registered nurse or a certified public accountant is a yes or no qualification. But for most roles, the ability to do the work is defined through the prism of relevant experience in similar roles. Thus, a store manager will likely have managed a store before or a salesperson will have covered a territory.
With veterans, the challenge and opportunity is to spell out for the interviewer the relevance of military experience. In that example of a store manager, a veteran might point out: "I have not served as a store manager before but I have managed a team of soldiers that is about the same size as a store team. I did so 24/7 under often arduous conditions. I learned the importance of thinking on my feet within the context of organizational guidelines just like you have to do at this retail company."
Note that the applicant must rely on himself to explain the relevance of his experience. He cannot expect the interviewer to do that for him. Likewise, using the format of a specific example followed by some analysis is helpful.
[See: The 10 Things You Do That Turn an Interviewer Off.]
Will the Applicant Do the Work?
The second question that the interviewer will be pondering is one of assessing the applicant's attitude. Most people can fake a good attitude for the course of the interview process. But what about every day on the job? This is where the interviewer will be looking for subtle clues about attitude.
How does the applicant speak about prior bosses and colleagues? Does he or she convey a sense of entitlement or grievance? These questions are critical because almost half of all new hires fail within the first 18 months of employment and most of these are because of attitude, according to a study by Leadership IQ. Luckily, veterans usually possess a whole trove of stories from their service to illustrate positive attitudes and behaviors. Remember the time your platoon hiked 20 miles through the rain to get to the rendezvous point on time? Were you part of the solution or the problem? How can you convey these sorts of experiences in a way that will make sense to the civilian interviewer?
[See: The 8 Best Questions to Ask a Job Interviewer.]
Will the Applicant Fit Our Culture?
Fit is more than the "Do we like you?" question. While social affability is important, good interviewers are also testing for values and priorities congruence. If the company has a "win at all costs" culture in its sales team, will the applicant thrive or whither in such a climate? Is candid feedback the sign of intolerable insubordination or desirable integrity? If the veteran candidate has done her homework through online research and in-person networking, she will know something of the climate and how to make the case for her personal fit.
Veterans experience a unique set of challenges because many civilians harbor stereotypes about military people. They may be reluctant to admit such biases but they may fear that veterans "yell too much" or "only follow orders." There is also widespread ignorance about the nature of post-traumatic stress. But remember that stereotypes can also be positive. It is rare for a veteran to have to make the case that he or she is sufficiently tough, disciplined or selfless, for example.
The culture of the company should not be a mystery to the applicant. He should anticipate fit questions before the first interview and illustrate with facts and anecdotes to make the case. Furthermore, by actively networking before, there should be multiple endorsements coming back to the hiring manager of the candidate's suitability for a given assignment.
The common themes for understanding interviewers are empathy, self-knowledge and preparation. Veteran job seekers need to put themselves into the shoes of the hiring manager or recruiter. Likewise, they need to know themselves and how they come across to others. Finally, it is preparation that will separate the highest-quality candidates from the others.
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