Casual Interview Conversations

You've done it. You've just completed the formal interview for a job, and by all indications, things look like they went well.

Of course, you did all your homework and worked on your body language. You sat up straight, looked the interviewer in the eye, gave professional answers and remembered not to say "you know," or "uh" too much. All in all, you're feeling like this job is in the bag.

Then the interviewer asks you, ever so casually, about whether you saw the big game last night. Hold on. While this may seem like a perfectly harmless way to pass a few minutes before you leave, just another friendly indication that they like you, it may be much more than that. It may be the toughest part of the interview yet.

"Do you like to travel?" or "Do you have pets?" all sound harmless, but what these kinds of questions do is to lull you into a kind of complacency. And that is where you can get into trouble.

"Sure, I saw the game last night," you say. "But the refs were obviously on the take. They were terrible. The crowd should have jumped them in the parking lot."

OK. Now you've just shown yourself to be a) a bad sport, b) overly critical and c) possibly violent. You may scoff and say you were only shooting the breeze, and meant no harm, but to an interviewer who has only known you for less than an hour, the impression left by your remark may not be seen as favorable.

A better answer? "Yes, I saw the game. It was very exciting. Lots of good teamwork out there." Ah-hah! Now the interviewer is left with an impression of someone who appreciates hard work and the ability to work with others.

It's not that interviewers are deliberately trying to trip you up, but it is their job to try and see the job candidate from all angles. That means they try to get a feel for how you would fit into the company culture, how you would work with other employees, or the impression you might make on clients. That's when they usually offer to take you out for a meal.

And this is where some job candidates truly bomb. Ordering a hamburger, french fries and a chocolate milkshake may portray you as having the sensibilities of a 9-year-old. Ordering pasta that you drip on your shirt, or making the waiter jump through hoops to bring you a special order only attracts negative attention. And, of course, the lack of table manners has been a deal-breaker for many candidates since employers feel the lack of etiquette may reflect badly on them with a client.

Conversations turning casual can often be full of pitfalls. Gushing about the "freedom" of going to nude beaches in Europe may not be appropriate, but you can (briefly) talk about the beautiful architecture in Rome or the friendly people you met when traveling to different states. Remember to rehearse your answers about your hobbies and your interests, as well as your job skills. You want to be seen as having a well-rounded life, but one that does not indicate that your interest in "Star Trek" memorabilia borders on the obsessive.

And, you can always use this casual conversation gambit to learn more about the employer. The interviewer who admits that she has no time for hobbies because she is required to work so many hours and hasn't taken a vacation in five years may be telling you that the company plans to work you to death.

Or, the interviewer who drinks too much wine with lunch and then proceeds to bad-mouth her boss may be giving you the clearest indication yet that you might be better off interviewing elsewhere.