By Diane Dolan-Soto, CSW
(January 1996)

The winning interview is often thought to be the one that gets you the job.

According to social worker and management consultant Karen Metzger, the winning interview is the opportunity that you make the most of. Ms. Metzger, who specializes in career transition and executive coaching, recently presented a dynamic and engaging discussion on "The Winning Interview". The presentation was organized by the Chapter's New Initiatives Committee.

Ms. Metzger outlined three major themes of the winning interview: (1) taking the opportunity to market yourself, ("Every time you've sought to influence a boss, a colleague, a friend-anytime you influence how someone sees you-you're marketing yourself.") (2) making interviews interactive, and (3) being prepared.

To this Ms. Metzger added:

Give the "Whats" and the "So Whats"; make the implicit explicit: don't assume your resume speaks for itself; offer your experience, skills and accomplishments; reveal your positive attitude and energy.

The "Whats" are your accomplishments, which are timeless: The project you initiated, or the staff you managed, yesterday or whenever, is still your achievement. The "So What" is the what about you the interviewer/pros-pective employer would be getting. Just because you were promoted from staff to supervising your own co-workers and did so successfully, "so what?". The "so what" is that you have the ability to take on and meet new challenges, you have the skill of team building and you have the capability to engage others even in challenging circumstances, supervising your prior co-workers, and-this is the point of the so what-you can do this for the company that hires you!

According to Ms. Metzger, the interview should be interactive. "Remember this is a process...and what you bring to the process influences the outcome," she reminded her audience.

One way of showing your interest is by being prepared: Be comfortable talking about yourself; have an overview statement; practice responses to typical questions; avoid memorization; research the company and individuals; and own your own experience and convey it through your stories.

Try to determine what is being asked in terms of the prospective job. If the interviewer asks you why you're leaving a position and the reason is that you don't like the way your agency is run-answer in a work related manner. One possible response: "Every organization has a culture; for me at this time this one is too rigid. I work better in an environment that is more flexible."

Remember that an interview is a meeting, a collegial exchange, and a process. Be prepared, be flexible, be positive. "Don't take the defensive. Take an affirmative and positive approach," Ms. Metzger concluded.