Preparing (too much?) for an Interview

I received an interesting article from ERE today: Trying To Put Lipstick on A Pig?

In it, Jerry Land offers some great advice to recruiters about effectively preparing candidates for interviews and how over-preparing a candidate might actually be detrimental to the interview process and ultimately the candidate’s career.

One entertaining example:

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I once had a client who asked each of the candidates I recruited the same question, "How can you get exactly four gallons of water using only a five-gallon jug and a three-gallon jug to measure?"

I don't believe the interviewer was expecting an answer; instead, he wanted to see the response to this difficult question. If the candidates were prepared, the interviewer would not have been able to evaluate the candidates for who they really are.

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(More of my thoughts on Odd Interview Questions)

I think the author makes some valid points about providing an unfair advantage by sharing too much in the interview prep, and I agree with him that providing general advice is the best way to go.

Here is some of what we tell candidates when preparing for an interview:
The purpose of any interview, from the candidate’s perspective, should be to determine what is missing while the position is unfilled or what problems the company is looking to solve by filling this position. Throughout the interview, candidates should pay close attention to clues what’s missing and then address how he or she can provide the solutions.

There are common themes in all interviews, and it is wise to think in advance about how to answer these basic interview questions:

Why are you interested in the job?

What can you tell me about yourself?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Describe major accomplishments and discuss responsibilities in previous jobs.

What questions do you have?