Interview Technique/Questions

[GingerBeerMan]

120 degrees. no working out, thats. the answer x

I got 240. Who's right?

 

[Seasider78]

Lets have some more of this type of thing at interviews!

From personnel today


CIPD supports 'ice-breaking' dance tactics at B&Q job interviews, despite union fury
Tuesday 09 January 2007 08:22

Dancing at job interviews has been backed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), despite furious trade union protests.

GMB officials have threatened to dance outside B&Q stores in protest at the DIY chain asking job applicants to bop along to a Jackson 5 track.

The Norwich B&Q store was recruiting store-based staff and described the dancing as an "ice-breaker" that went down well with most applicants.

The union said asking potential employees to dance to disco classic Blame it on the Boogie over tea and coffee before answering formal questions was "demeaning and irrelevant".

But, in a surprise move, the CIPD insisted the dancing was a clever way of judging the personalities of the interviewees - and backed an increase in the practice.

Nicola Monson, CIPD research associate, told Personnel Today: "Companies are beginning to look further than just the skills and competencies to do the job. This is a creative and innovative way of checking that people have the right attitude to fit in with the company's culture. Other HR staff could definitely take lessons from this."

But the GMB insisted it would fight firms asking interviewees to dance. "If they don't stop this nonsense then we will stage singing and dancing demonstrations outside their shops," a union spokesman said.

A B&Q statement said: "This practice is not a formal part of our recruitment policy, but our stores are encouraged to make sure candidates are relaxed before the interview process."

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

How would you respond if the job interviewer was nude?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4091636.stm
Not sure if this is standard practice for jobs within translation services...

 

[Kumquat]

https://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/article/example-interview-questions/

Just wanted to say thanks for this. Got an interview tomorrow morning and the info on here and extra links in it to more advice have been great for preparation.

 

[albionite]

Just wanted to say thanks for this. Got an interview tomorrow morning and the info on here and extra links in it to more advice have been great for preparation.

No probs.... Good luck !!

 

[Northstander]

When they ask if you have any questions...do not ask how much sick leave do I get?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Just wanted to say thanks for this. Got an interview tomorrow morning and the info on here and extra links in it to more advice have been great for preparation.

Good luck mate! And good luck to any other NSCers with interviews tomorrow. I suspect you have the aptitude and the mad skillz for the job, just speak with confidence and intent and see where the chips fall.

Is it fundamentally WRONG too boo other candidates? Chant "who are ya?" at them with venom and gusto. Or "who ate all the pies?"... reel off the classics.

 

[Kumquat]

Good luck mate! And good luck to any other NSCers with interviews tomorrow. I suspect you have the aptitude and the mad skillz for the job, just speak with confidence and intent and see where the chips fall.

Is it fundamentally WRONG too boo other candidates? Chant "who are ya?" at them with venom and gusto. Or "who ate all the pies?"... reel off the classics.

Cheers fella. You're bang on about the confidence and intent thing. Just getting myself in the mood.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Cheers fella. You're bang on about the confidence and intent thing. Just getting myself in the mood.

Rightly so, and in my opinion, don't be afraid or ashamed to admit how important you think the interview is, or how much you want the job. Passion and desire is far from a negative.

Deffinitely mention the supportive girlfriend too, settled homelife is important as well.

 

[Creaky]

I do interviews with one aim; to find out what someone is like and what key skills they bring. I've done nearly 60 this year and to make them interesting my aim is to make sure I "work the person out"

In choosing the successful candidate I consider:
- What's best for my team. It's unfair on everyone (including the new hire) if I don't pick the best candidate.
- What training they need to be able to do the role?
- Will they fit in with my current team (personality-wise, and are they bringing key skills that we need?)
- Will they be easy to manage (manager's are busy, so anyone time consuming however talented is a drain. Are they reliable, will they be in on time, will they take any absence?)
- Do they have the aptitude to learn the job and systems?
- Do they have the right attitude to do well?
- Are they likeable? Naturally we warm to people, and influences can be swayed on this alone.

I ask general questions at first to find out more about them, and to relax them. This is because I believe most people perform better relaxed. There is no real right or wrong answers in this I would say, but sometimes people aren't right for the job and hiring them is bad news for both of us. Sometimes of course they say stupid things that do harm their chances (like supporting Palace for example). I ask questions about CV's, in particular looking at their job history to find out why they left their old company and why they want to work for my company. People that know who we are and what we do get bonus points. As do people who I genuinely believe want a career with us.

I can 100% say that sometimes I'd rather take on someone without the skills with a desire to be there, than someone who has the skills but doesn't show they really want it.

Then I ask competency based questions to see if they have experience doing what I need them to do. Which should be clearly defined in the job spec and I would expect them to demonstrate they have done the required skills in previous jobs. If they can't show the skills, it's a risk for me to hire them. Some things you can't teach, so I have to know that it's there.

Best advice to give your friend:
- Listen to the question, and then answer it. Don't spiel off ready prepared answers that don't fit the question as I'd mark that as poor listening skills.
- Don't waffle and talk too much, if the interviewer wants to know something they'll ask it. So don't tell the interview what you think they want to hear, let them ask you. Anyone can only pay attention for so long before they stop taking the words in. Common issue is people feel the need to fill silence. I often do 4-5 in a day, so I can tell you for a fact it is not a good thing.
- Depending on the job show personality. Is the job interacting with people? If so, then interviewers are looking for people who can do that. Looking like you can't hold a conversation ain't going to cut it if the job depends on it.
- Show keenness and willingness to learn to at all times. Show the interviewer that you will be easy to lead and willing to work hard. People won't hire anyone who looks like they are only in it for the short-term as there is very high costs and time in training new people, so I'd always choose someone who I think will stick around. That "where do you want to be in 5 years" is asked for that reason.
- Watch the interviewers body language, they will naturally look engaged or nod if you are saying what they want to hear. If the eyes are glazed, stop talking. Most importantly, if people are writing notes of what you say it's a good thing, if they aren't writing anything, you are saying the wrong thing so stop.
- Positive body language at all times. Shake hands, maintain eye contact and SMILE as much as possible. Don't focus on one person if there are two people there, look at both. Both have an opinion at the end and you want to win them both over. Even if the other person is just scribing they will make an opinion of you.
- Stay calm. Think of it as a chat about yourself. Nerves will destroy you and it won't go well. Smiling helps with the nerves too. Similar vein, don't caffeine up before hand as you can look a bit mental.
- Bring water or ask for some (I always make sure they have plenty). Nerves dry your throat out but more importantly If you are asked a tough question and you need a few seconds, have a slow sip of water. This is more like a natural pause and gives you time to think.
- Ask questions at the end. Relevant ones. Like "what are the measures of success". It shows that you want to do well.
- Dress smart. It doesn't look like you made an effort otherwise. I recently interviewed someone not wearing socks. They were out of the running on that alone and really needed to prove themselves. (they still got the job as it happens, as they showed they had the key skills but it could have gone badly with another interviewer)
- Find out about your interviewer if you can. What do they like? i.e. if they like football talk about it. Common ground generates a bond and likeability. True story, a colleague of mine spent 45 minutes talking about horses and got a promotion, even though she was a complete ****-tard and evidently could never do the job. As I said earlier, likeability counts.

Hope that helps.



You have not been charged for this information.

Some very good advice to which I would add just one thing - RESEARCH

Any interviewee should find out as much as possible about the company and the job they are applying for. As an interviewer I found there was nothing more off-putting than a candidate who hadn't taken the time nor effort to do this - it is just as important for the applicant to be sure the position is right for them as it is for the company to be sure the person is right for the position.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Some very good advice to which I would add just one thing - RESEARCH

Any interviewee should find out as much as possible about the company and the job they are applying for. As an interviewer I found there was nothing more off-putting than a candidate who hadn't taken the time nor effort to do this - it is just as important for the applicant to be sure the position is right for them as it is for the company to be sure the person is right for the position.

How much research would you expect a candidate to do? I agree it is improtant, but my difficulty in the past has been keeping it relevant, and knowing what to focus on. What would you suggest?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

All I'd add to the above is to ask loads of questions. You've got an interview, they're already impressed by your CV and all the time you're asking them questions, they can't be asking you potentially tricky questions. Always worked for me

 

[yxee]

How much research would you expect a candidate to do? I agree it is improtant, but my difficulty in the past has been keeping it relevant, and knowing what to focus on. What would you suggest?

Broad perspective: what the company or department sells, to whom, their market share, their competitors, recent relevant news stories, and maybe a personal opinion on the future of the industry as a whole (challenges, oppurtunities, etc.)

Narrow: what the day-to-day work of the job involves, list of important skills, the size of the company/office ("so what's the advantage of working in a large workplace?"), personal career goals relevant to the company, etc.

If you're not asked (or told) some of these at a first interview, and you had difficulty finding out, ask them at the end. You might find the inside perspective helps you answer a tricky question later down the line.



IMO it's worth putting the time in if you're serious. 1 hard-worked application is better than 500 speculative CV copy/pastes.

 

[Creaky]

How much research would you expect a candidate to do? I agree it is improtant, but my difficulty in the past has been keeping it relevant, and knowing what to focus on. What would you suggest?

Depends on the size and type of company as well as the position being applied for - at the very least I would expect them to know about the broad history of the company, its declared aims, customer base and competition. As regards the position then I'd expect the candidate to be cognisant of the job description as advertised and where there was any doubt about this to have relevant questions ready.

The internet has made this type of information readily available and at some stage during the interview the candidate will almost certainly be asked a question where knowledge gained by this type of research will help.

 

[mistahclarke]

All I'd add to the above is to ask loads of questions. You've got an interview, they're already impressed by your CV and all the time you're asking them questions, they can't be asking you potentially tricky questions. Always worked for me

don't do this if I am interviewing you

Personally I interview 3 people for every job going based on the CV's. To be successful you only have to be better than the other 2. I don't ask tricky questions, I ask questions that I wanted answered as something is niggling me. If I don't get to ask it I consider it a risk to hire you. You don't want risks factoring into a hiring decision.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

don't do this if I am interviewing you

Personally I interview 3 people for every job going based on the CV's. To be successful you only have to be better than the other 2. I don't ask tricky questions, I ask questions that I wanted answered as something is niggling me. If I don't get to ask it I consider it a risk to hire you. You don't want risks factoring into a hiring decision.

Odd turn of phrase there.

There's always an element of risk in 'a hiring decision'

 

[Kumquat]

Rightly so, and in my opinion, don't be afraid or ashamed to admit how important you think the interview is, or how much you want the job. Passion and desire is far from a negative.

Deffinitely mention the supportive girlfriend too, settled homelife is important as well.

:0) Just picked this up. The interview went ok, but not quite well enough. I did get the " what's your biggest strength?" and "what's your biggest weakness?" questions. For the first I answered "I'm supremely talented" and for the second "ask my girlfriend. None"

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Spud's NAILED it

 

[mistahclarke]

Odd turn of phrase there.

There's always an element of risk in 'a hiring decision'

there is always an element of risk indeed. Any most successful candidates are the ones with the least risk, who have proven they can do the job in the past. So you don't want to add to your risk factor. Risks based on people who interview far better than they actually are is unavoidable.

What I mean is if I don't get the chance to ask more on something that's bothering me, then it can add to the balancing of risk in my decision making.

made up example entirely - if someone says they want to leave their current job as they are unhappy, then I'd want to know more. Why? What drives it? If it's the management structure, what it is as my company may have the same rules. If it's lack of progression, then is that person expecting a promotion within 6 months?

If I don't get to ask, I may assume far worse than it actually is.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

there is always an element of risk indeed. Any most successful candidates are the ones with the least risk, who have proven they can do the job in the past. So you don't want to add to your risk factor. Risks based on people who interview far better than they actually are is unavoidable.

What I mean is if I don't get the chance to ask more on something that's bothering me, then it can add to the balancing of risk in my decision making.

made up example entirely - if someone says they want to leave their current job as they are unhappy, then I'd want to know more. Why? What drives it? If it's the management structure, what it is as my company may have the same rules. If it's lack of progression, then is that person expecting a promotion within 6 months?

If I don't get to ask, I may assume far worse than it actually is.

Fair enough

Point of genuine interest: You seem to be omnipotent in an interview situation where you're hiring; how do you think you'd do against a panel of interviewers that weren't you?