Step into my office and bring your Social Security card

The Decider says the economy is hot, but I'm running into more and more people whose jobs are either being eliminated or they're being outsourced. In my own company, new owners are starting to cut jobs. I suppose they're trying to help save as much money as they can in order to pay for their new acquisition. Anyway, I'm starting to look at he employment sites and employment forums to try to get an idea of what's going on out there. I've been lucky enough to be in my current job for over 15 years, but I'm still too young to retire, unless I can find a way to live on $205 a month. It seems like things haven't changed all that much. The HR people (personnel, as we used to call them) still ask the same formula-like questions. Here is some advice from somebody on Craigslist that makes a lot of sense to me. I agree that if you keep the HR person talking, you have a better chance of getting the job, if only to distract them from asking dumb questions.

Try this on your next interview 05/02 14:43:29

Go into your next interview on a mission to get your interviewer to tell you what challenges the company faces (or your potential department faces) and only then try to weave in your history as it relates to solving their problems. This is the right way to talk about your history.

I teach candidates the way to tell if you "win" or "lose" an interview is by figuring out who does most of the talking (assuming they are answering your questions about the business and not just talking about the weather). There is a funny about social interactions. The more time you spend listening and asking questions to someone, the smarter they will think you are. The more you talk and they listen, the more bored your listener gets. They mentally start thinking about their grocery list. Keep them talking and you win.

Your interviewer will obviously have questions you have to answer, but even these questions give you an opportunity to follow up with another question. Make the discussion about the business and not about you and you win because your interview will really stand out. It's really that simple.