August 31, 2015 Leave a Comment

Tips for Not Getting Tripped Up in Job Interviews – How to Beat Interviewers at their Own Game

Businessman stepping on banana skin

I always tell my clients that the best way to successfully navigate the job search process is to put themselves in the shoes of employers — to try to imagine what they are thinking and expecting from a successful candidate.

To gain insight into the point of view of employers, I follow blogs and websites read by employers about human resources. One of my favourite sources is Inc., which is generally aimed at employers (though it offers very good advice for job seekers as well). I recently came across an interesting article titled “4 Mean Interview Tricks That Actually Work”, which offers interviewers some “dirty tactics to uncover a candidate’s real story during an interview.”

These interview tricks are aimed at shaking a candidate’s confidence enough to figure out whether they are genuine and not giving a false impression of themselves. The article focuses on hiring sales professionals, which is a job that typically demands unshakable confidence. However, soft skills such as confidence, self-awareness, conviction, and cultural fit are important no matter what job you’re applying for.

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by how mean some of the tricks are, though, luckily for most job seekers, they are rarely used. However, job seekers could benefit from knowing and understanding these interview tactics, so they can protect themselves from being tricked into doing or saying something that might be held against them.

Trick 1: The “another job” — are you really committed to this job?

One typical concern by employers is that candidates might not be fully committed to their career path and that they might be hoping to secure a better or different job while working at this one. Charlton suggests to interviewers that at the end of interviews, they ask:

What if I told you I think we may have another position on the Support team that I believe you might be perfect for, would you want us to consider you for that position, too?

If candidates agree to be considered for a different role, then employers might consider that they are not fully committed to this position and therefore might not be best suited for the job.

From my experience, employers are right to assume that many candidates are keeping their options open and therefore might not be as committed as employers want. From the job seekers’ perspective, I think that trying to keep your options open is understandable, considering how insecure and poorly paid jobs often are in the present economy. However, it is important to remember that employers will be interviewing many candidates and they will prefer candidates who are highly motivated and committed, rather than those who seem opportunistic and vague.

Trick 2: The “Woefully Unqualified” Bomb — are you “a fighter”?

To challenge candidates’ confidence levels and assess how well they can handle rejection, Charlton suggests that employers pause half way through the interview, and say:

I gotta tell you Mark, up to this point I’m feeling that you’re just woefully unqualified for this position–to be candid. I held back, but I just don’t want to waste our time.

The candidate’s immediate response is important — if the candidate seems to give in and to accept that he is unqualified, then he may not be as confident as he should for the job. However, if he is able to face the criticism and even disagree and challenge the employer (politely, of course), he would show himself as substantially confident.

To prepare for this scenario in an interview, think through what your strengths are and how they match the qualifications listed by the employer on the job posting. Prepare examples from your work history that demonstrate your strengths and be willing to share those with employers in the interview.

Trick 3. Getting the Real “Breakup” Story — how much conflict have you really had with employers?

Charlton suggests that employers challenge candidates about past conflict with a boss, and make a special effort to get candidates to be honest:

We’ve all been there where our boss just doesn’t get it. I have horror stories myself. Let’s have a real conversation, what was your relationship with your last manager really like?

He suggests that employers encourage candidates to be honest, and then watch out for those who are too critical and angry.

From my experience, the most impressive candidates are those who are able to be honest about conflict with their boss, are not emotional and are able to take some responsibility for the relationship breakdown. Make sure not to sound too angry or to say anything negative about your former employer. If you have to discuss conflict in an interview, it is best to describe the situation in simple unemotional terms, take some responsibility for what you could have done differently and what you might have learned from the situation and make sure to try to reassure the interviewer that this is atypical — you generally get along well with employers.

Trick 4: The Zappos “Airport Driver.” — Are you able to maintain your professionalism at all times?

Zappos are well-known for an interview technique that they use to try to catch candidates when they are not paying attention. Charlton recommends to employers to catch the candidate off guard:

Have someone inconspicuous from your company pick up an out-of-town candidate from the airport. We all know that talkative driver who seems to keep asking questions–find someone in your company who can play this role. During the ride from the airport, have the driver politely probe the candidate with questions about the company and interview. On the way back, “How’d it go?” is a great start to the conversation, with more unapologetic probing.

The idea here is to see if candidates are discrete (will they share too much or say something negative?) and to assess how they treat others in the company.

This is a common concern for employers — you should expect your interviewer to ask the secretary/receptionist about your behaviour when they spoke to you — so make sure to leave the most professional and courteous impression possible on everyone you deal with in the company.

Bottom line: employers will try to challenge you to reveal your real self in an interview. Don’t let down your guard: expect them to try take you out of your comfort zone and be ready to handle their challenges in a calm, confident and professional manner.

May 25, 2015 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: How to handle shocking interview questions

Dear Joanna,

I went for an interview at a large pharmaceutical company for an account manager position. The interview asked me the strangest question: If I was part of a group of 10 who were bound in chains in the middle of the room, how would I answer the phone when it rang at one of the desks far away from the chained group? I was caught off-guard. I responded that I would ask everyone to hop together towards the phone and the closest member would pick up the phone. I didn’t get the job.

Any thoughts on how to prepare and handle these weird questions that seem to have no relevance to the job?

Signed: Stranger than Strange (SS)

Dear SS,

In an article on this topic, Globe & Mail reporter David Kennedy explains that Canadian employers are starting to ask these types of challenging and strange interview questions to test a candidate’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Google and other large cutting edge has been doing this for a long time in their interviews.

The article quotes Scott Dobroski, associate director of corporate communications at Glassdoor. “Employers are looking to test a candidate’s critical thinking skills, as well as how they problem-solve on the spot and how they handle an unexpected challenge.” These employers aren’t necessarily looking for a right or wrong answer, adds Dobroski, who clarifies that employers are trying to see is how you can think out loud and come to your best solution on the spot. Dobroski suggests that the best way to answer is to take a minute, breathe, think about how the question and related your response back to the position that you’re interviewing for.

Glass Door presented the top 10 strangest interview questions asked by leading companies:

1. “What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash?” — an Airbnb trust and safety investigator job candidate was asked.

As with all the oddball questions, interviewees should relate their answers back to the workplace, Dobroski noted. In this case, a potential response could include how to ensure the survivor’s safety, as well as checking the rest of the plane to make sure there were no other survivors. Asking about nearby resources, such as radio or cell phone towers, could also help show the interviewer that the applicant can think ahead and plan for emergencies.

2. “What’s your favorite ’90s jam?” — a Squarespace customer care job candidate was asked.

While this might seem goofy, Dobroski notes that this open-ended question is a way for a candidate to show off their positive qualities. “I could answer, ‘All Star’ by Smash Mouth. This reminds me to keep reaching for the stars,'” Dobroski said. “These can be very short responses, as long as you relate it back to the workplace.”

3. “If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer?” — Dropbox rotation program job candidate was asked.

This is the type of situation that almost everyone deals with today, but it also allows the candidate to show how he or she would prioritize in a potentially stressful situation, Dobroski noted. Candidates could note that they’d search for names of people and subject line terms that would need attention first, for example.

4. “Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?” — Stanford University medical simulationist job candidate was asked.

This is a circumstantial type of question where a candidate could ask the interviewer for more information, such as whether the fight is in a cave (giving Batman an edge) or the top of a building (Spiderman). “This shows how you assess an unexpected challenge,” Dobroski noted. Giving a one-word answer such as “Spiderman” isn’t what employers want to hear (no matter how much you love Spidey.)

5. “If you had a machine that produced $100 dollars for life, what would you be willing to pay for it today?” — Aksia research analyst job candidate asked.

Candidates could ask the interviewer for more information, such as whether there is only one of these machines available or if there’s a glut. Asking about whether there is risk involved — such as whether the owner could be targeted by criminals — could also help show analytic skills, Dobroski noted.

6. “What did you have for breakfast?” — Banana Republic sales associate job candidate.

This sounds like small talk, but it allows the interviewer to gauge whether the candidate is an upbeat person and can relate to other people. Sales associates are asked questions all day long by customers, and keeping upbeat energy is important.

7. “Describe the colour yellow to somebody who’s blind.” — Spirit Airlines flight attendant job candidate was asked.

This question tests a candidate’s sensitivity and how they gather information. An applicant could ask whether the person is partially blind and when they became blind, helping to formulate an answer and deal with someone’s disability. “There are times when they have to work with passengers with special needs,” Dobroski noted.

8. “If you were asked to unload a 747 full of jellybeans, what would you do?” — Bose IT support manager job candidate was asked.

Unloading a plane full of jellybeans is no small task, so this allows a candidate to show off their project management skills. An interviewee could ask what the budget is, when the deadline is for unloading the plane, and whether they have machinery or staff to work with. That will help demonstrate the candidate’s ability to think through all the possible dimensions of the challenge.

9. “How many people flew out of Chicago last year?” — Redbox software engineer II job candidate was asked.

This question for an entry-level engineering job is, not surprisingly, geared toward assessing a candidate’s analytic skills. The interviewee could walk through their thinking, such as how many flights go in and out of Chicago each day, how traffic surges at the holidays, and come up with an answer. The interviewer isn’t interested in the correct answer, Dobroski noted. Rather, it’s all about how a candidate handles such problems.

10. “What’s your favourite Disney Princess?” — Cold Stone Creamery crew member job candidate was asked.

This question is all about getting a candidate to show off their personality. Responses should link back to the business, Dobroski noted. “You might say, ‘I like Cinderella. She epitomizes someone who works hard, is well liked and has overcome some challenges. That’s how I approach work,'” he said.

The bottom line about answering difficult unexpected questions is to stay calm and confident, to think through the answer out loud and take a risk trying to figure out the answer. The right answer is a lot less important than the process of answering the question.

Joanna

January 5, 2015 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Using humour in the job interview

Dear Joanna,

Do you have any thoughts on using laughter and humour in a job interview? I’m a big joker in my personal and professional life and love to laugh. Do you think this talent will help me with winning the job offer?

Signed: Funny Interviewee

[Read more…]

June 23, 2014 Leave a Comment

How Employers Identify the Best Person for the Job (and what job seekers can do to be that person)

A few weeks ago, I posted an article on LinkedIn, titled What do Employers Really Want in a Candidate? which seemed to really catch the attention of job seekers and employers alike. It described some of the unexpected skills which large employers such as Google and Apple value in candidates. The skills were surprisingly “soft”, focusing on personality traits and behaviours (which are generally more difficult to assess and identify), rather than the traditional (more measurable) “hard” skills such as technical abilities and knowledge.

These included:

the ability to learn as you go
taking initiative when appropriate
humility and self-criticalness
confidence
ownership / responsibility
collaborativeness
adaptability
friendliness
enthusiasm
helpfulness

In the responses to my article, a number of job seekers asked how they could convince potential employers that they have the requisite soft skills. A few employers also commented, wondering what they could do to identify these in candidates. The discussion was so robust that I thought I’d share some of the ideas in this follow-up post.

Identifying and evaluating personal attributes is not an easy task. For employers, the concern is whether candidates are being honest about their abilities, or whether – in their desperation to find work – candidates are telling employers whatever they think the employer would like to hear. Candidates on the other hand, worry about how to ensure that employers will be able to discover their soft skills and whether their skills will be genuinely valued.

Drawn from the comments to my original post, here are recommendations to help employers identify candidates who can bring the best personal attributes to a job, as well as tips to help job seekers communicate those skills to employers:

1. A well thought through and detailed job posting which clearly describes the preferences, values and priorities of the employer, both in terms of hard and soft skills is an important first step. It allows candidates to self-select based on the qualifications listed in the posting, as well as to begin thinking what they might want to share with employers. While some employers express reluctance to list the soft skills (calling them “obvious”), candidates and recruiters seem to appreciate this insight into corporate culture and values.

[Job seekers: take careful note of the wording, priorities and even the order in which the qualifications are listed in the posting. Make sure that your resume and cover letter address the listed qualifications very specifically. Start thinking of examples of your work that demonstrate the priority skills.]

2. Resumes are the first opportunity for candidates to share their vision of themselves in their own words. However, a number of employers and recruiters remarked that the computerized Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which are commonly used to scan resumes for keywords, often do not include the soft skills, and cautioned employers to rethink their methods of sorting through applicants if they want to identify these types of personal skills.

[Job seekers: think carefully through your soft skills and identify 3-5 skills about which you feel most confident; make sure to include them on your resume, both in your profile summary as well as in descriptions of your duties and examples of achievements in your various jobs.]

3. A personal referral from a well-respected colleague or employee is probably the most effective way for employers to learn more about the personality and soft skills of a candidate. The simple act of referral comes with an implicit recommendation for the candidate’s personal as well as technical skills.

[Job seekers: network actively, especially with people who already know your work and character. Remember that referrals are meaningless (and unlikely) if they come from people who don’t know you well enough to attest to your character. Take opportunities such as volunteering to showcase your abilities to people from whom you could get referrals and recommendations later.]

4. Thoughtful Interviews, which encourage candidates to share specific and concrete examples from their work history to demonstrate their skills, are the most effective way for employers to get to know candidates better and to assess their soft skills. A number of employers and recruiters recommended that interviewers ask open-ended behavioural type questions such as: “What is it that you can count on from yourself to always get you through tough situations, no matter what? Can you give us an example of when this worked for you?” or, “What irritates you about yourself?” to encourage candidates to be more open.

Also, the ways in which candidates handle the interview is also very telling about their attitude and personality, including their punctuality, how they handle difficult questions, their ability to solve problems in the interview, whether they are able to be self-critical and or able to accept feedback.

[Job seekers: think through how you would answer behavioural questions, including questions about your weaknesses and strengths. Remember to identify examples from your work history that demonstrate your strengths, especially those that refer to your soft personal skills, such as the ones listed here. Practice telling the stories that demonstrate those skills. Also, remember that how you behave during an interview speaks louder than words: demonstrate your friendliness, your ability to be self-critical yet confident, your enthusiasm. Finally, consider asking employers which skills and attributes they value in a candidate, and ask for feedback about how well you fit with their expectations.]

5. Reference checks can be an opportunity for employers to ask questions about the attitude and personality of the candidate. Questions about the candidate’s relationships on the job, their teamwork style, as well as a description of their weaknesses are particularly useful to help clarify soft skills.

[Job seekers: choose your referees carefully and communicate with them once you have provided their names to potential employers. Make sure they understand which skills and personality traits are important to you and the employer, and — if possible — help them identify examples from your work that demonstrate your personal strengths. Also, gather LinkedIn Recommendations which speak about your personality — ask the people who are recommending you to mention your soft skills].

Ultimately, an ideal hiring process would encourage mutual openness and dialog to enable employers to see beyond resumes and keywords into candidates’ authentic character and values. Many of us, both job seekers and employers, are encouraged to see that companies such as Apple and Google are beginning to do just that. Let’s hope this trend continues to grow and be adopted by more companies of all sizes and industries.