What is the interviewer looking for?

"Find out what is important to the interviewer!"

    The interviewer has a great job if he or she is the hiring manager. He's the boss. She is responsible for lots of things in the department and only one is interviewing. However, this is not the primary task in their job description. Some hiring managers, in fact most, really don't like interviewing and do it reluctantly. They have deadlines to meet and project status meetings to attend and budgets to get approved. Interviewing is an additional task on top of everything else they have to do.
    So why are they interviewing candidates? They have work that isn't getting done and they need to hire someone that will cause the least number of headaches possible. That's what they're looking for: someone who can solve problems without causing problems.
    Now you have to realize that the interviewer is interviewing anywhere from three to six people all with similar skills and abilities. That's right--everything being equal there really isn't any difference between you and the other candidates. You may be stronger in one area, but someone else is stronger than you in some other area. You don't know what specifically the interviewer needs.
    This is a sales problem. You have a great product and others have great products also. The buyer has a need and not everything your product offers will solve the immediate problem they have. So you need to discover what their top priorities are. How do you do this when you cannot come out and ask them what their biggest problem is?
    In the interview the manager is in the driver's seat and therefore in control of the meeting. It's normally a bad idea to take over control of an interview. People just don't like someone taking over, not government leaders and not interviewers. So you need to listen and observe. Answer their questions directly and briefly and watch their reactions to your responses.
    During the interview they will ask you a common question: "Tell me about yourself?" (For examples of how to answer this question go to link) You need to answer the question and observe what the interviewer reacts to. You may notice a subtle nodding when you describe a skill or ability that you possess. He is communicating to you that this is something he needs in a new hire. She may ask you straight out, "Tell me more about that." This is a real strong indicator of specific interest or a need. Once you realize one or more of these "tells" you can follow up with a success story that elaborates on their need which will distinguish you from the other candidates.   
    This is what good sales people do when they customize their product offering to the customer. You can do the same thing in an interview when you realize what the interviewer is looking for.