It’s a shame when a technical person blows an interview.  It makes me uncomfortable because I get concerned we may have missed something in our hiring process.  What if our process caused some great engineer to not get the job?  What if all the skills were there, but we failed to ask the right questions.

Interviews are by and large difficult – for anyone.  The potential employee feels pressure and unnatural.  Technical people may have the most difficulty if their communication isn’t strong or clear.

Here are the five common things that go wrong in a technical interview:

1) Not answering the technical question
For whatever reason, consistent feedback that I get from managers is the technical person didn’t answer the question, which made them get the sense they couldn’t do the job. Managers have to have the feeling the technical skills are there and they feel comfortable with the person.  After all, for a manager, their success is highly tied to the people that report to them.  A level of trust must be established in the interview.  To prevent disconnect, technical people could stop, ask for clarification, and then answer the question.

2) Failed to check In with managers during the interview
Asking questions after you’ve answered – such as, “Did I answer you fully?” is a great way to prevent the pitfall outlined in bullet point number one.  Checking in allows rapport to build and the opportunity for the applicant to re-frame or re-position the message.

3) Unable to give detailed and relevant answers to the technical questions – based off work experience
This is a common blunder in every skill set.  Managers have to understand what you did and how it relates to their open job.  Often questions are answered, but not fully.  Best way to get around this is to answer interview questions by tying back something in your current job or past experience with a similar problem – and how you solved it.  Managers need to understand how you think, how you resolve issues and uncover what level of skills you do have to do the job.  Without that picture, the interview is doomed to not go well.

4) Didn’t bother to brush up on skills prior to the interview to ensure communication would be smooth
If you know the job you are applying for requires SQL and you are a beginner  –  brush up! If you know the job requires Six Sigma skills, breeze through a technical manual.  Have two or three stories in your back pocket to relate to and draw upon your experience to explain a little fuller.  Review the job posting prior to your interview.  Derive your own questions about the job from there.  Even if you think you know it all and are an expert, reviewing a manual will give you language to relate with and explain in a better way to the manager. Can’t hurt – and might just land you the job.

5) Communication
Communication is never about how YOU communicate.  Communication is about relating to the audience at hand.  It’s more about saying things in a way that will allow them to understand – not about getting your point across.  Failure to think outside of oneself, causes disconnect and separation.

After all, isn’t this about getting the job and working together?

The job hunt is never really about you, anyway.

BIO: Elizabeth Lions is a well known author of two business books, “Recession Proof Yourself” and ” I Quit! Working For You Isn’t Working For Me”. Elizabeth has a private career coaching practice and specializes in engineers and technical professionals in career transition.  For more about Elizabeth, her work and passion, please visit www.elizabethlions.com