[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EfHxwnmFuA&w=560&h=315]

DICETV: Most people miss the simple truth about job interviews: You only need to answer two questions. Are you motivated to do the work? …And will you fit in with the manager and the team? I’m Cat Miller and this is Dice TV. Most people don’t realize your resume is all about getting the initial phone interview. Nothing… else…just... the phone interview. And during the phone interview…you must prove — to a person who does not know the job as well as you do… or as well as the hiring manager — that you have the job skills to do the work…If you prove you are qualified… you will most likely move on to the face-to-face interview with the hiring manager. Face-to-Face Interviews are not about job skills… By the time you hit the face-to-face interview it’s already assumed you have the skills required. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting there in your nice new outfit... A face-to-face interview with the hiring manager is all about showing you are motivated to do the work and that you can work with the manager and the team. Now, there are lots of people, including commenters here on Dice, that don’t get a job they wanted and complain that the hiring manager… doesn’t get that they are super-qualified…and instead hired someone with less (fill in the blank) or the wrong (fill in the blank). Those people miss the point of the face-to-face interview. It’s not about your qualifications. Think about it from the manager’s point of view: If you are a person who wouldn’t work well with the manger… and you won’t fit in with the style of the team. Why would a manager hire you if all she sees is a future with headaches and a ticked-off staff? After all, managers hire you to help achieve their business goals… and that’s hard enough without the burden of someone who doesn’t fit in with management and the team’s problem-solving style. For example, if you’re a go-get-’em hotshot looking for immediate answers, you won’t do well in a culture that’s all about consensus and collaboration. Likewise, if you don’t like a lot of interaction and the management style is a lot of walking around and co-workers dropping into cubes to solve problems…the contact will drive you crazy…not to mention your manager and co-workers. That’s why the face-to-face interview is all about fit…not about qualifications. Your style is neither “right” or “wrong,” it’s simply about whether your style of working fits in with their style of working. If it does, you’ve got a shot. If it doesn’t, you don’t. So let me say it again: In a face-to-face interview, there are only two questions to answer: Are you motivated to do the work… and will you fit into the organization. If you answer is “yes” to both questions, you might get a job offer. This is Cat Miller for Dice TV. We now return you to your regular desktop.