April 26, 2001, 3:37 PM — It's still a great job market ever, but techies continue tripping over themselves on interviews, according to Laura Roden, CFO and vice president of finance and administration at Power TV, a Cupertino, Calif., company that develops operating systems and applications for interactive TV.
Having interviewed dozens of techies for both technical and managerial slots, Roden says most candidates make the following interviewing faux pas:
1. Excessive talking combined with arrogance. Many applicants go out of their way to prove how smart they are by talking too much and hardly give the interviewer a chance to ask questions. "Most interviewers understand technology and know what they are looking for," says Roden. "Interviewees are wasting time trying to demonstrate their competence. Their résumé proves they are technically competent. The next critical step for applicants is stepping back, finding out what the job is about and what problems have to be solved."
2. Failing to communicate. The flip side of the above scenario is when the candidate withdraws into a shell and lets the interviewer carry the show entirely. Roden likens getting information from a silent interviewee to pulling teeth without anesthesia. "Unwittingly, silent candidates also come off as arrogant, when in fact they're usually shy and timid," she says. "Unfortunately interviewers don't see the shyness. Instead, they interpret the behavior as that of smug and overly confident candidates who don't feel they need to sell themselves." A failure to communicate creates an unbridgeable gap between candidate and interviewer.
3. Undervaluing your worth. With salaries for most technical jobs at an all-time high, it's hard to believe candidates would price themselves too cheaply. Yet, Roden says they do it all the time. The root of the problem is poor salary negotiation skills. In the course of an interview, companies routinely ask, "What kind of money are you looking for?" The correct approach is begging out of the answer because it's the wrong time to discuss salary. "You're being set up to put a number on your services when a job offer hasn't even been made," says Roden. "If you price yourself too low, the company will get you too cheaply. If you come in too high, you risk making yourself look silly." Correct strategy: Don't mention money. Roden advises, "Let the company make an offer first." Until an offer is made, speak in generalities and ask questions such as "What is the budget (or salary range) for this position?" Ideally, money shouldn't be discussed until both applicant and company know something about each other. The applicant has to know about the job, its importance and how the company values the position. Once the company makes an offer, then it's appropriate to ask for 10-20 percent above that figure, depending upon what you earned on your last job.
4. Overvaluing your worth. It is less common than undervaluing oneself but nevertheless points up a naïveté about what a job is actually paying, says Roden. "Many candidates make the mistake of believing the market hype about salaries." Salaries for IT positions are generally quite good but Roden points out that many widely touted salary ranges are way out of line. "Don't believe everything you hear," says Roden. "Like many other firms, we do our own salary surveys and have a clear idea of what many positions pay."
5. Failing to understand responsibilities of the job. Don't take corporate job descriptions as gospel. Not only do they present glorified snapshots of jobs, they seldom accurately describe what the jobs entail. It's not all the companies' fault either. When running classified ads, companies are forced to reduce a complex job description to 50 words, which is impossible. "Buyer beware," warns Roden. "Many candidates never get beyond a headhunter's or HR person's description of a job. You're setting yourself up for disappointment by believing what you read. It's the candidate's responsibility to dig deeper and find out what a job is all about. It's not only important for his or her own sake, it also helps make a great impression."
Don't be uptight about politely asserting yourself and asking questions about a job. Get beyond the rosy four-line job description and find what you'll actually be doing, who you'll be reporting to, what your daily responsibilities will be, and what is the background and experience of your colleagues, etc. As a final touch, ask to speak to people who are already doing the job so you can find out what a typical day will be like.
In short, the more questions you ask, the better you look.
