Interviewology

November 13, 2023
Career coach Papalia debuts with a helpful if belabored manual “for both job seekers and hiring managers” on how to have better interviews. She suggests everyone embodies one of four interviewing styles: charmers, who “want to be liked”; challengers, who “show their value by questioning”; examiners, who want to play by the book; and harmonizers, who are deferential and want to match their interlocutor’s energy. Examining the strengths and weaknesses of each type, she notes that charmers are “friendly and easy to talk to” but often so focused on being personable that they “forget to talk about their qualifications.” Papalia offers guidance on how each style can improve on either side of an interview; for instance, she suggests that challenger job seekers should take pains not to “lead the interview” with their own inquiries while challenger hiring managers will want to ensure their interviews are conversations instead of interrogations. Client stories offer insight into the four styles, as when Papalia recounts coaching an introverted examiner-style firefighter to focus less on preparing a rigid script of potential answers and instead relax and show some of his personality. Unfortunately, the overview of how to navigate every interviewer/applicant combination of the four styles teeters between exhaustive and exhausting. Still, readers hoping to make a better impression during interviews will welcome the shrewd guidance.