Interview Style
This article was previously published in a different format by The Interview Company.com (now defunct) and has been adapted for the Fellows and Associates website. It was not aimed at the intellectual property sector when first written but gives a good overview of common interview practices.
Poor interview technique regularly prohibits candidates achieving success even if they are the most qualified person for the role. Even worse than this, many people do not realise that this is the reason why they have failed. You should always try to get feedback from an employer when you have been unsuccessful so you know where you can improve in the future.
One of the more common interview techniques now prevalent is competency based interviewing. A competency is an ability or skill. A competency based interview tends to be concerned with transferable skills, not technical ability, which is why it is favoured amongst HR professionals.
Competency based questions are behavioural, hypothetical or literal.
Behavioural Interviewing
Whilst behavioural interviewing is currently very popular it is rarely used exclusively. Most interviewers use a variety of techniques and styles making it all the more important to recognise a behavioural interview question when it arises. The central core to behavioural interviewing is that ‘Past performance in relation to a specific competency is the best criteria to judge the excellence or otherwise of a candidate in performing that competency in the future.’
Or put more simply, if you were previously a good team player it follows that you will continue to be so in a new role.
The format of a behavioural question is to ask for a specific example from ones career or life experience where a particular competency has been exhibited.
Example:
In relation to the competency of communication skills:
“Give me an example of a time where you have let a customer or client down and the steps you took to address the situation?”
Or
“Give me an example of a time where you have had an angry complaint from a client and tell me how you were able to address the situation?”
The key to answering behavioural questions is:
i) Identify the competency to which the question refers, i.e. attention to detail, communication skills, planning ability, leadership, team work, etc.
ii) Think of the answer like an essay with an introduction, a core and a conclusion.
iii) BRIEFLY describe the scenario/situation that occurred (this is not what the interviewer is interested in); in detail talk through the process you took to address the situation; finish with a conclusion which should ideally be a positive outcome.
An answer to the second question above might be:
“When I was working with PH Pharmaceuticals I had a complaint from a customer whose products had arrived late.” (This is the scenario)
“First of all, I allowed the customer to speak to me, without interruption and ensured I had all of the details of the issue. I then found out from the customer what they wanted in order to resolve the issue (which was delivery the next day). I told the customer I would call them back in an hour once I had found out if this was possible. I called them back as soon as I had found out that this could be achieved, if this had taken longer than an hour I would have called the customer to make them aware of the delay”. (This is the strategy)
“The result of my actions was that the customer received our products the next day and has continued to use us throughout my time with PH Pharmaceuticals.” (The Outcome)
Hypothetical Questioning
A type of question that tests a competency by proposing a potential scenario.
Example:
Imagine you are doing a report for a client and it is late by one day. The client rings you to complain, what would you do?
When answering hypothetical questions you should always identify the competency the interviewer is testing and answer accordingly. Your answers should always be methodical going through the steps one would take to resolve a potential scenario. In answer to the above question:
“I would first listen to the client, without interruption, in order to ascertain the reason for complaint. I would ask relevant questions where appropriate. Once I had established the issue I would take responsibility for it and set a new realistic deadline that I knew could be met. If appropriate I would offer compensation to the client in accordance with company guidelines.”
Literal
A literal competency based question is quite simply a direct question in relation to a competency.
Examples:
Do you have good customer services skills?
How do you deal with bad customer service? Are you a good team player? Why?
One could in theory answer most of these questions with a simple, “Yes”. It is of course, highly inadvisable to do this. The best way to answer these questions is in the format:
“Yes I have good customer services skills. This is demonstrated by the fact that I currently have a highly customer facing job and regularly receive positive feedback from my customers”.
Saying that you have good customer service skills is not as persuasive as saying where these skills have been exhibited.
Obvious Questions
There are several obvious questions that any candidate should be prepared for when faced with an interview. Whilst they do not always arise (experienced interviewers might avoid asking them for the very reason that candidates expect them), if one is asked one of them and flounders as a result there really can be no excuse for an unfavourable interview result.
What are your strengths?
Variant: Give me 3 key strengths and tell me why you consider them to be so?
What are your weaknesses?
Variant: What are your key development needs?
Why do you want to work for us?
Why do you feel you are suitable for this role?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Variants: What are your career aspirations? What are your career goals?
Questions Designed To Test Your Reactions
Some interviewers will deliberately throw into an interview questions which do not bear any obvious relevance to the job. The reason they are asked is generally to test how quickly you can think and come up with an answer under pressure from a question you could not predict. They are a useful tool to test the wit and intellect of a candidate, ideal for jobs where communication skills are of high priority or roles where improvisation is essential.
Examples:
You hold a dinner party. You can invite 3 people living or dead, fictitious or real, who would you invite and why?
Money is the root of all evil, do you agree?
Tell me why the Conservative party should win the next general election? (This type of question is particularly devious explicitly asking you to justify a position you might not agree with; a more taxing version of this question might be: There can be no excuse for committing crime. Tell me why all criminals should be jailed for a minimum of 20 years irrespective of the crime they commit?).
Avoid Standard Answers And Answers Should Fit The Role
Many articles on interview technique (or career advisors for that matter) will suggest a specific way of answering particular interview questions, this can be dangerous.
A standard suggested answer to the question (and everyone knows this is a standard answer so you should never use it), “What would you consider to be your main weakness?” is: “I am a perfectionist which means because of my strict attention to detail I take longer over a task than some of my peers but it does have the side effect that my work is of consistent high quality”.
On first reading this seems like a fantastic answer. Now consider this scenario, the role is to work for a television shopping channel selling products to the public as a presenter. Being 100% accurate all of the time is not as important as being able to work quickly and efficiently learning about the products one is going to sell and having the confidence to improvise without the fear of being wrong. Perfectionism suggests intolerance for making mistakes so would likely not be suitable for this type of role.
Body Language
There is enough literature on body language to fill a large number of football stadia. However, whilst it is useful to be able to read basic body signals trying to consciously alter ones body language in an interview can be a distraction and detrimentally affect the result. It is far better to go to the interview with a positive and enthusiastic attitude and your body language will follow suit.
However, in any interview one should maintain regular eye contact with the interviewer; this helps to engage them in the conversation and gives the impression that you are telling them something worth listening to. Looking down or away from the interviewer can come across as being disinterested (you should also keep your hands out of your pockets for the same reason). Sit slightly forward in your chair; this also conveys interest and enthusiasm. Finally ensure that you give a firm handshake when greeting the interviewer, this exhibits confidence. Unfortunately some interviewers find a weak handshake very off-putting when meeting an applicant.
Always Ask The Interviewer Questions
You should always have questions to ask an interviewer, this is a simple way of showing the employer that you are genuinely interested in the job. You should, where possible, try to ask involved well thought out questions, such as “How important is team work in this environment given the strict regulations you have to adhere to?” instead of simple ill thought out questions such as “How large is the team?” but almost any question is better than no question at all.
Fellows and Associates.