Types of Interviews – Behavioral and Standard interviews

AUTHOR: David M. Young

For those who might be control freaks, or want to “anticipate” what an interview will be like, there is only so much you can do. Even though you have invested so much into preparing for the interview before you walk through the door, I have found that organizations rarely train the interviewers. As a result, most of the time, you don’t know what to expect. Invariably, people will interview others in a manner in which they were interviewed. They learn by what they experience. All though there are several different types of interviews, I have found that most interviews focus on either a “behavioral” interview or a “Standard” interview.

Before I discuss these 2 base types of interviews, keep in mind, there are several other types of interviews. These include:

• Informational interview
• Screening interview
• Panel interview (or called a small group or committee interview)
• The “Second” interview
• The “Case” interview (or presentation, test, or task challenge interview)

Stay tuned and we will cover these in much more detail.

The most common interview is the “Standard” or “Personal” interview. This is most common because the interviewer is rarely trained or the meeting is not generally planned in advance. It is a “one-on-one” interview in the organizations offices that will last 30 minutes to an hour. The interviewer meets with the prospect, and based on how the conversation proceeds, makes a decision on moving forward or hiring. In this interview, standard questions include

• “ Tell me about yourself” (or walk me through your background). The interviewer is looking for how you compare to the open position and if you have a history that indicates you can perform as expected for the open position.
• “Where do you see yourself in 5 years”.
• “Why did you leave” employer x.
• “ How do you get along with people”
• Tell me about XXX skillset, or “How did you use XXXX in your last job”.
• “What are you looking for?”

If a 30 minute interview, you will want to be concise and have a high impact with your answers. If 45 minutes to an hour or hour and a half, you will want to go into much more depth and use specific examples to support your generalizations.

As a recruiter, this type of interview is not something that can be measured. At the end of the interview, it ends up being a gut call on the interviewer.

The other often used interview is the “Behavioral” interview. Formally, this is called “Critical Behavior Interviewing” (CBI). The theory behind this type of interview is that past performance in a similar situation is the best predictor of future performance. The interview will probe much deeper than traditional interviewing techniques, and most of the time, the interviewer has been trained on how to interview as well has prepared questions specific to the position that is open. To prepare for this interview, you should think of specific examples that demonstrate your competencies in core behaviors such as communication, conflict, flexibility, teamwork, organizational management, and problem solving skills. Most of the time your examples do not have to be limited to a professional environment, but could be personal. You will want to tell your story. Make sure you answer with the task or problem at hand, what you did or your action taken, and the result or outcome. The more directly you can tie this to the position you are interviewing for, the better you will present yourself. As a candidate, the tough part of this interview is that unless you ask questions, they will learn everything possible about you, but you will gain very little insight on the open position. Make sure you are prepared with questions for the interviewer that will allow you to gain further understanding about the role.

Keep in mind, the best preparation for an interview is real life. Your experiences, your desires, your aspirations, and your skills that you have gained over time professionally. When you interview, you want to put your best foot forward. Your goal when you walk out the door is to get an offer. If that is your focus, you will shine. And in those rare situations where you know the position is not a fit, the last thing you want to do is cut off the interview and burn a bridge. If you have prepared, you will at a minimum, add someone knew to your professional network.

 

 

Interview preparation – Last minute thoughts before you walk into the interview

AUTHOR: David M. Young

What you wear matters as discussed in the previous post. But that is not the only item you should think about before the interview occurs. As you prepare to walk into the interview, you want to present a professional and business minded mentality that will carry over into how you present yourself. Some last minute guidelines to keep in mind as you walk into the interview.

• Don’t park next to the front door. (You don’t want someone seeing you adjust your clothing, throw on your coat, or begin evaluating you by the car your in or how fast you drive. But don’t park so far away that you build up a sweat walking into the interview. You can park in visitor parking near the front if guided to do so, but be ready to exit the car, don’t sit in it and wait.
• Turn off your cell phone (or leave it in your car). If you have an important phone call, text, or message you are expecting, it can wait. If it can’t, then you will appear distracted.
• Bring a portfolio with 3 or 4 copies of your resume, pen, and paper.
• Don’t pass out a current business card. Your contact information is on your resume. (Sales positions sometimes disagree with this…but if in doubt, don’t build business for your existing employer.)
• Sit and observe if you have to wait in the lobby. Don’t “look busy”. Relax, take deep breaths,
• Have good eye contact and maintain it…if the person has some distraction in their eyes, then focus on their nose.   Either way, don’t look off as you talk. This is a sign of someone not telling the truth. Hard core interviewers may feel like you were not crisp.
• Have a firm handshake. Not so firm that you hurt someone, but confident and firm.
• Smile (to everyone, the receptionist, the parking attendant, the assistant, bottom line, present a pleasant image, others will respond in kind). Many times I have asked the receptionist if they liked the person. You would be amazed at what people will tell the receptionist purely because they do not feel like this is part of the interview.
• Sit upright during your interview. (not slouched or so relaxed you seem disinterested.)
• Be energetic and thoughtful.
• Listen (don’t interrupt the interviewer, more on this in a later post)
• Be conscious of your hands (don’t have them on your face, some feel like this is a sign of a lack of honesty….more on this as well in a later post). If nervous, just fold them in your lap. Use them naturally as you talk, but don’t let nervousness come out in body language.
• If meeting in a conference room, and you are the first one with the option of picking a seat, pick a seat with the least distractions. Human nature is to put your back against a wall so you can see the room. In an interview situation, you may put your back to the door, or to the window. You don’t want to allow a distraction catch your eye such that the interviewer thinks you are distracted. Let them be the distracted one.
• Use the restroom before your interview. And when done, make sure everything is in order. I once had a candidate not realize they had not “closed up shop” after using the restroom. They proceeded to cross their legs and did not realize they were sharing more than they would have desired. Don’t be that person….

There are many items on this list….just keep them in mind. The most important thing is to be yourself and relax. But in so doing, make sure you show that you are not only ready for the job you are interviewing for, but that you will be a good representative of the organization for future roles as well.

Interview preparation – What to wear….IT MATTERS

AUTHOR: David M. Young

When I first started recruiting, there was less discussion about what to wear to a professional job interview. By default, the assumption was “business dress”. Or interpreted as a business suit for both men and women. Casual Friday’s were in vogue, and for non-professional environments, the best clothes one had could be worn if not a suit.

But over time, I have found candidates dress for their next job based on the accepted dress at their current employer. People do not seem to buy clothes for an interview like they used to, or really examine their clothing to determine the first impression they are giving. One vivid example of this occurred for a candidate that was interviewing for a director position which reported to a Chief Information Officer of a multi-billion dollar health care system. This person would have 100+ employees reporting in to them and had 25 years of experience. They have been in the professional world and had interviewed numerous candidates. We briefly discussed that they should wear a coat and tie along with other “touch base on the basics” type of items. The candidate humored me and was respectively appreciative. The interview occurred, and the day after the interview I received a call from the CIO. He shared with me that they were not going to move forward with the candidate. The candidate fared fine in the interview, had a few gaps, but some excellent strengths. And then the CIO said “but I just could not get past my first impression”. I asked him to expand, and he said the candidate was not well dressed. I pushed him further and he said the candidate was wearing formal tuxedo pants with a standard dress coat and it appeared strange. He said the pants had a 1 inch line of fabric down the side. (Sounded more like a 1970 tuxedo pant, but the CIO showed his age.) Based on the feedback, I circled back with the candidate. Much like the conversation with the CIO, I led with the candidates strengths as well as the perceived gaps. The candidate confirmed the gaps, but felt like it was an excellent interview. I then shared with him about the comment on his attire. The candidate was puzzled. The candidate wore a suit he wears on a regular basis. He felt like this may be a made up excuse and was appreciative that if this was part of the reasoning for not moving forward, it was better for him. We hung up at that point. But almost first thing the next morning, my phone rang. It was the candidate. The candidate shared with me that as after talking with me, he pulled out his suit and realized the issue. The pants were pants which he had worn many times. Over time, the side seam that was pressed by the cleaners had developed a shine if held in the right light. As a result, it could appear that there was a line of fabric down the side. The candidate expressed his embarrassment and needless to say, will wear not wear heavily worn garments as he continued in the interview process. Kudo’s to the candidate for following up.

So is dress important? Yes it is. In this case, it cost the candidate a shot at continuing in the evaluation, and between you and me, was a strong candidate for this role.

So as you interview, what is the standard for dress? Dress better than expected by the interviewer. If in doubt, wear business dress (a suit). If you are told to come “business casual”, then it is always appropriate and to ask what “business casual” means in their environment. If slacks and a golf shirt are ok, then wear slacks and a button down. If slacks and a button down are ok, then wear a tie and possibly a coat (depending on the role). If you have to be somewhere that requires less than what is appropriate for the interview, do not tell the interviewer why you are not dressed appropriately and ask for forgiveness. This indicates a lack of service on your part. Instead, either reschedule the interview, or make sure you can change off site so that you are dressed for the interview in a fashion that will make a fantastic first impression.

Not only what type of clothing to wear is important, but also make sure what you wear is not “flashy” such that it will be the first impression as opposed to you being the first impression.  Flashy includes not wearing bright colors.  Wear dark colors or if in doubt, wear a “soothing” color.  Bright colors such as reds, yellows, purples or other “Golf course” colors should be avoided.

But keep in mind, what you wear is not just limited to clothing. Jewelry should be appropriate as well. Do not wear flashy jewelry, or for men, your shirt unbuttoned such that a necklace is visible. For women, your jewelry should be complimentary and not be a focal point.

Make sure there is no “smell” that is either too strong, or distracting. This is not just body odor…but rather applies to cologne and perfume. If in doubt, it is better to not wear cologne or perfume.

And do not wear anything on your head. If it is winter, and you wear a hat, scarf, hood, or other item, remove it during the interview. If a woman wears a covering on her head for religious reasons, make sure this is known before the interview occurs. It can be a distraction if not known.

Bottom line, dress doesn’t just matter, it can make or break the first impression and in turn, you can loe the job before you even shake hands….take the time to make it count.

Interview preparation – Win the job before you interview

AUTHOR: David M. Young

Go “above and beyond” and do what your competition is not doing…WIN THE JOB OFFER BEFORE YOU GET TO THE INTERVIEW BY THOROUGHLY PREPARING.

We have discussed some basics of research for an interview. There are also some basic things you can do prior to the interview that will demonstrate you are prepared, capable, and the best candidate for the job. Some of this is repetitive, but combined with the other items, will make sure you are ready. Will this take time? YES…but this is your career. You don’t walk into a test without studying. If you do, you increase your chance of a low score. Your objective in the interview is to walk away with an offer, or move to the next steps in the interview. You want them saying yes. Only then if you are not interested, would you say no. Never “burn a bridge” in an interview.

 

So what else can you do:

• Have your elevator speech ready – combine personal with professional…don’t just go over your resume. Try to make a connection. Volunteer as much personal info (hobbies, etc.) as you feel comfortable.
• Do company research: Website, 10k, news articles, etc.
• Go over your own resume – helps in standard interview to explain job transitions and chronological history (never, ever bad mouth a former employer.)
• Write down accomplishments and achievements (may come to mind as your going over your work history)…they don’t all have to be within work category. This is one of the only ways to prepare for a behavioral interview.
• Be prepared to provide one failure if asked – state what you learned from it or how you overcame it.
• Write down three or four strengths. (What’s your greatest strength? Why should we hire you? What skills do you bring to the table?) Make sure that you have an example for each one.
• Be prepared with one weakness – Turn it into a positive. Be honest.
• Motivations, Likes, Dislikes, Goals (only time goals are bad are if they’re inconsistent with what company wants.)
• Always brush up on any specific technical skills that may be needed.
• Be prepared to ask questions: They may ask you if you have any (you better if they do!) or there may be an opportunity you can take near the end of the interview.
• Company questions: (have some prepared from your research) Growth plans, culture, mgmt style, questions that show you did your homework.
• Position specific questions: What will I be doing 1 year from now? What does it take to succeed here? What is the career path?
• Interviewer specific questions: What brought you to the company and what has kept you here? What do you like/dislike about company? What made you successful? What’s your mgmt style?