Four Ways to Adjust to Your Interviewer

Companies and individual hiring managers have varying interviewer styles. When you encounter an unanticipated style during an interview, it sometimes catches you off guard. Learn to adjust your tactics and complete a successful interview with these four tips.

The Aggressive Interviewer

Complex interview questions, short sentences and challenging candidate answers are all indicative of an aggressive interviewer style. This interviewer wants to impress you with his professionalism and assess how you handle stress. In response, take a calm approach. Keep your cool by maintaining a calm voice and body language. Breathe deeply and take a few seconds before you answer a question if needed. Remain confident and accept the aggressive interviewer’s challenge by giving a great interview that highlights your best attributes. Remember that the aggressive nature is not personal and don't become angry.

Conversational Interviewer

The conversational interviewer's style creates a relaxing environment. She commonly offers you personal information and discusses her own experiences regarding the job and the company. To ace the interview, adjust your style to become an active participant. Ask the interviewer questions throughout the interview to make the interview a real conversation. Just remember to avoid getting too relaxed and remain professional. Hiring managers want to see that you adjust to the environment of the company well.

The Disinterested Interviewer

If the interviewer looks at the clock throughout the interview or does not ask follow-up questions, she may simply have a disinterested interviewer style. There are multiple reasons for this style, and all are usually unintentional. Perhaps the interviewer is busy, simply does not like conducting interviews or already has a candidate in mind. At this point, adjust your style to one of conciliation. Carefully consider whether you even want to work at a company that supports this interviewer style. Make sure to use eye contact and ask questions. Offer to reschedule the interview if necessary.

The Sales Pitch

A hiring manager that spends much of the interview giving you talking points about the company or the position is employing a sales pitch interviewer style. This interviewer spends so much time selling the job that you might even start to think you have the job. These interviewers want to excite all prospective candidates to want to join the team. Change your interview responses to mirror the interest and excitement of the interviewer, but show more restraint. Don't get too comfortable and think that you already have the job. Prove that you deserve the position and respond with a professional style that also mimics the excitement of the interviewer. Try to ask questions about the company to show engagement.

There is more to an interview than just the interview questions. In each interview, the interviewer’s style changes the way you respond, but thorough preparation beforehand will give you the confidence to adjust to any situation. Remember to look at the interview as a way to gauge what work life is like at the company, and use the style of the interviewer to discover if the company is the right fit for you.

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