Employers say they still have trouble finding good people. Just what do they mean by good people? In general terms, people who stay on the job long enough and are productive enough for the company to realize a profit form its investment in them. It costs a lot of money to recruit, hire and train new employees today. When a new hire doesnt work out, the employer loses a substantial amount of money. As a result, employers are adopting or experimenting with new approaches to interviewing. Its important that you learn to recognize and adapt to the different interview philosophies in vogue today. You also should realize that despite the different interviewing tactics they may use, all employers are searching for the same qualities in perspective employees. Although youll still run into interviewers who rely on from-the-book questions, many employers consider them a waste of time. They say that when they ask those questions, all they get are prefab responses that dont provide any insights into the candidates personality or ability. What are employers asking today? The focus now is on behavioural interviewing. The behavioural interview is based on the premise that the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. So, when you ask applicants questions, you ask for specific behavioural examples. Instead of asking What are your biggest weaknesses, for instance, the behavioural interviewer might ask, Tell me about the biggest mistakes youve made on the job and how you rectify those mistakes. From the examples provided, employers determine whether a particular problem or area of success is a recurrent theme in your work history. Employers look for patterns of behaviour and common responses to problems and work situations, realizing that a candidate not likely to change dramatically when come to their company. The conversational interview Interviewers today also tend to prefer a more conversational style of interviewing. Instead of a question-and-answer volleyball game, the interview becomes more like a professional discussion, with each side contributing equal amounts. The reason interviewers like the conversational style of interviewing is the same reason theyre turning to behavioural interview questions. It allows them to get more candid information from the applicant. People are simply more likely to be honest and forthcoming during a relaxed discussion than they are during an interrogation. The team approach In an effort to get a better fix on job candidates, many companies ask a number of people to participate in the interview and evaluation process. Depending upon the level of job youre seeking, you may interview with a HR specialist, the hiring manager, the hiring managers boss and even staff members who would be your peers. In small companies, a candidate may have to sell themselves to the entire staff. This team approach to interviewing is referred to as consensus interviewing. It means that many different people interview you and then get together to debate whether they like you well enough to hire you. Sometimes, each person on the interview team asks a different slate of questions. Other times, they all ask the same thing. This can happen be design, if the company wants to see whether a candidate will change their answers along the way. Or it can happen by accident, when the interviewing team doesnt work together to plan out any particular interview strategy. Committee interviews
You may encounter the particularly stressful scenario known as the committee interview, in which a whole group of people interview you at the same time. Some employers use this approach to see how you perform under stress; others use it simply in the interest of saving time. The stress interview
Some interviewers, evidently assuming that the standard interview situation isnt already difficult enough, use tactics to induce unnatural stress into the meeting. For instance, they may respond to one of your questions or statements with a prolonged silence, or they may make a highly controversial remark and then say, Dont you agree? Telephone interviews
Many employers screen potential job candidates by phone before bringing them in for a face-to-face interview. These telephone-screening interviews are tricky, because you and the interviewer both must work without visual cues. The non-interviewer
Nervous and inexperienced interviewers can be problematic; because theyre uncomfortable with the interview process, these interviewers often take the route of least resistance. That is, they dont really interview you at all. They tell you all about the position and the company, but they dont ask any questions about you. Or they get sidetracked on an issue thats more comfortable for them to discuss a hobby, a favourite sports team, and a day-care dilemma. Worth Personnel Group Employment Agency Toronto Job Interview Tips |
Home
