job interview preparation Archives - Job Interview Coaching

October 5, 2022February 22, 2023

Why You Are Failing Job Interviews

For an activity that is so regular, many job seekers fail to prepare for the job interview.

A lack of preparation results in common, and avoidable, mistakes being made that often result in a job rejection.

This article will explain the top 5 common job interview mistakes and how to avoid them.

Believing that all interview questions are the same

A common misunderstanding is that interviewers across all job sectors ask the same interview questions.

This is why searching for ‘job interview questions’ is more commonly searched (around 1-10k per month Source Google keyword planner 20/22) than, as an example, ‘job interview questions for engineering’ (around 100-1k per month. Source Google keyword planner 20/22).

There are a few commonly asked job interview questions, that we will list at the bottom of the article, but in the main, recruiters ask specific questions relevant to the job role and company culture. As an example, a teacher job interview will be filled with questions about lesson planning, classroom management, and preparing for Ofsted visits. Whereas a manager job interview will feature questions on financial planning, leadership skills, and project management.

That much is obvious. What isn’t as obvious is the difference in interview questions for the same, but in different organisations. A misconception is that all (sector) employers ask the same questions. This is true to an extent. A retail interview, for various retail outlets, is likely to feature a job interview question relating to customer service. This doesn’t mean that every question will be repeated with each employer.

With the retail example, one interviewer from a food retail outlet may focus questions on stock rotation, dealing with spoiled food, and food contamination. A second retail recruiter, from, let’s say a clothing retail store might ask questions on communication, fashion knowledge, and dealing with returns.

The first rule for a successful job interview is to identify the job criteria. Review the job specification, read the job advert, research the company culture, vision and values. In fact, researching values and company culture is highly important as more employers use ‘value interviews’ and ‘strength-based interviewing’ as part of their recruitment process.

Only using examples from your current role

The most popular job interview is a behavioural interview, part of the structured interview process. The behavioural interview asks for examples of how the candidate has previously acted in past situations.

Example behavioural interview questions include:

Give me an example of when you have collaborated with stakeholders?
Have you ever had to deal with competing deadlines, what did you do?
Describe a time that you have influenced others to agree to one of your suggestions?

Most behavioural interview questions can be predicted. The key common tasks for the new role, in most cases, will be discussed in the job interview in the form of a set of behavioural interview questions.

The problem comes when a candidate is nervous. An interviewee’s anxiety level affects their memory professing. The increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, results in memory loss. It becomes harder to recall details, such as answers to interview questions, or remembering the details of the experience the job candidate planned to discuss during the recruitment process.

The interview stress problem results in the overuse of one example. The interview panel ask an easy-opening interview question about a generic skill, teamwork or communication, and the applicant gives an example of using the required skill. The second question becomes more specific “Tell me about a time you used (required skill or knowledge)?” The nervous applicant struggles to find a suitable example, so reverts to using the same example from question one: “As I said, when I was…(previous example)…I used (required skill)”

From the interview panel’s perspective, the repetitiveness of the same situation doesn’t showcase enough variety, experience or knowledge for the recruiters to see the value of hiring the nervous applicant.

This is a very similar problem to only using examples from the current employer. In a job interview, when anxiety is often higher, it is easier to recall information from the current role. This is fine, often expected, for a least one or two interview questions.

Using only one employer example has one key barrier – the candidate can only highlight the skills and knowledge from that particular role, rather than showcasing a diverse set of skills, knowledge and experiences, that is gained by sharing examples from various roles and positions.

To prepare for a job interview, write down at least 10 behavioural interview questions that are likely to be asked. Next, reflect on 5 situations from at least 3 different employers.

The situations will become the examples that will be embedded into the interview answer. The ideal situation is one that required multiple skills and knowledge to create a successful outcome; teamwork, communication, leadership, industry knowledge, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, etc.

This allows the savvy interview applicant to reframe the example and situation depending on the interview question and the required skill or knowledge the employer is looking for the applicant to discuss. Remembering 5 examples that can be used for multiple interview questions is much easier than having to prepare 10-15 single-use interview answers.

Believing the interviewer is psychic

There is a myth that interviewers are superhuman.

The nervous interviewee believes that the employer is highly confident when interviewing, in fact, many are just as nervous as the job applicant. Some organisations allow their trained HR team to conduct the job interviews, which means they are skilled in interviewing but not always with the sector technical know-how.

The biggest misconception is that the interview panel is psychic. A high number of career professionals fail to mention key information during their interview answers. As an example, the applicant will describe a problem they faced and the actions they took to overcome the problem. On the face of it, the interview answer format sounds positive. In reality, the interviewee will delete essential information from the interview answer:

Decision-making skill
Reasons for declining an option
Creative thinking process
Time management
Communication skills and stakeholder relationships
Work ethic and commitment

The list can go on and on. It is important, therefore, to give as much detail that relates to the interview question as possible. In fact, some research has found how the higher number of words per interview answer increases the likelihood of a positive interview outcome.

A more basic problem for internal interviews is not understanding the impact of an interview scorecard. In a structured interview, each interview answer is cross-referenced against a set of job criteria recorded on the interview scorecard. The criteria includes skills, qualities, and experiences. Each interview question is scored on a scale, for example of 1-4. The interview panel can only score an applicant high if they reference all the criteria on the interview scorecard. This is why ‘identifying the job criteria’ is of the most importance.

Because the applicant, in an internal job interview, knows the interviewer has seen their work, they will naturally miss out key information. This lack of detail only results in a low-scoring interview answer.

To overcome the missing information problem 1) identify the job criteria 2) be a self-promoter 3) communicate confidently

Disclosing irrelevant information

If you this next common interview mistake you must stop straight away

One of the worst errors an interviewee can make is the self-discloser of weaknesses. Time and time again candidates will randomly disclose a weakness even when they haven’t been asked.

When asked a technical question, it is easy to let slip out ‘I’ve never worked on something like that’ Instead it is better to confidently communicate your knowledge on the subject. Discussing knowledge will create a stronger interview identity than explaining that you lack experience.

Other negative slippage includes ‘I prefer working on my own initiative..’ to questions about teamwork. Or, ‘Others in my team focused on that area of work’ when asked about a particular skill.

The interview isn’t just about past experience, its about potential. Negative slippage ruins a positive interview identity. The barrier here is that career professionals don’t even know they are leaking negativities. When I coach career professionals to pass a job interview, I will record and list all of their negative communications – verbal and non-verbal, and most applicants are unaware of around 95% of the negative communication that is affecting their chance of winning a job offer.

Not being ready for the basics

Understanding the job interview format creates familiarity, familiarity increases confidence.

Failing a number of job interviews have a secondary gain, the applicant becomes familiar with the interview process, which in turn increases their self-esteem during the recruitment process.

You don’t need to fail to win. A little research and some mock interviews are enough to become more confident. By understanding the format and preparing for commonly asked interview questions (as well as sector-specific interview questions as discussed above) helps reduce interview anxiety.

Most job interviews last around 45 minutes. The interview panel is made up of around 3 staff members, often including a HR manager. Interviewees will be told about the interview process before being asked, on average, 8 questions, including sector-specific questions and a few of the generic questions recorded below.

The 10 most commonly asked job interview questions:

Do you have any questions for us (asked at the job interview end)
Tell me about your experience
What are your weaknesses
What do you know about our organisation
Give me an example of using (skill/knowledge)
Describe a time that you worked well within a team
How will you manage your time when you have competing deadlines
Explain how you would (deal with a future duty/task)
What are your salary expectations
Give an example of developing your skills or knowledge

Chris Delaney

Chris Delaney is one of the leading job interview coaches in the country, helping career professionals to successfully pass job interviews. Delaney is the author of several job interview reference books including ‘what is your interview identity’

August 19, 2022February 22, 2023

10 Job Interview Facts You Must Know Before Your Next Interview

10 Job Interview facts

Everyone, at some point or other, will attend a job interview. In fact, most people will attend 20-50 job interviews over their lifetime.

These 10 amazing job interview facts will help you to better understand the interview process and help you to land the job of your dreams.

The first job interview ever was conducted by Thomas Edison in 1921

Job interviews are conducted every day, for every job role, in every job sector, and in every country around the world.

Why are job interviews so popular and how did they originate?

In 1921 the New York Times headline read: “Edison’s questions stir up a storm” To gain a better level of employees Edison created the ‘Edison test’ – the original job interview.

There were hundreds of questions that could be asked, with people complaining that you needed to be a ‘walking encyclopaedia’ to be hired.

After being interviewed, Edison would take successful candidates out for dinner to be tested by eating soup. The famous ‘soup test’ was simple; Edison would watch if the candidate would salt the soup without tasting the soup first. This is because Edison wanted to hire ‘curious’ people and felt that people who salted the soup without testing it – as Edison didn’t want to hire people who replied on assumptions to make opinions.

Source

Since the pandemic, 86% of recruiters have been conducting virtual interviews

Prior to the pandemic recruiters had stated to use virtual job interviews. Covid, which kicked off the work from the home initiative, simply sped up the use of video technology in job interviews.

Online job interviews include human-delivered Q&A interviews, online psychometric tests and AI bot interviews – being interviewed by a robot.

Virtual interviews save time, no travel is required but do require an investment in technology and good internet speed.

Many HR professionals say that virtual interviewing is the new standard with an additional increase in AI bot systems being a major factor in hiring decisions.

Source

The average time for a job interview is 45 minutes

The interview process is in the process of change, especially for high skilled roles.

Previously one or two job interview rounds were enough to highlight enough of the job criteria to gain a job offer or rejection.

The structured interview, which is adopted by most employers, is the key recruitment intervention in the hiring decision. In a structured or formal interview, each applicant is asked a series of job-related interview questions within a 45-minute time frame.

In the main, the applicant is asked 8 interview questions, which are verbally answered by the applicant. Each answer, on average, lasts for around 3 minutes. Some research shows how the longer the duration of the answer the more likely you are to score higher on the interview scorecard, as long as the answer is relevant to the job criteria.

Interview identities, with a high position on the confidence axis, are more likely to give a self-promoting and detailed reply.

Source

Most applicants expect to hear back from an employer within 5 days of the interview

We have all been to a job interview only to wait days, weeks and sometimes even months to hear back from the employer.

There are numerous reasons for a delay in response; multiple interview rounds, staff sickness, and job offers need to be signed off by senior leaders, to the requirement of a DBS check.

Currently, with an increase in job vacancies due in part to the great resignation, job seekers are becoming restless – they want a quick turnaround.

In fact, the late response is affecting the recruitment of first-choice applicants. First-choice applicants, those candidates who are offered multiple job roles won’t hold out for job offers, even for recognised brands.

The average time for hearing back from an employer following a hiring round is 1-2 weeks.

Source

Over 75% of hiring managers use behavioural interview questions to test soft skills

There are many different types of interview questions from situational interview questions to value-based questions.

When hiring, employers need to evaluate sector knowledge, level of expertise, and essential soft skills needed for the advertised position.

The structured job interview is proven to be the best way to predict job performance. Two common types of interview questions, within a structured interview, are behavioural and situational questions.

Situational questions are based on future scenarios and behavioural questions are based on previous behaviours in past job roles. These questions include the famous opening: “give me an example of using X skill”

This type of questioning does have a downside. The best way people learn is through making a mistake. Also, job maturity changes the way a person would approach a similar work base situation. The framing of the question in the past can limit how the applicant responds and promotes their skills.

Source

On average 250 applicants apply for every advertised job

If a future me were asked how many job applicants apply for every advertised position, I would likely say 500, 1000 or even 5000.

These large figures may sound ridiculous. But it wasn’t that long ago when the average number of applicants was around 25 per position. Further, we have already seen some companies receive over 25,000 applications for a job role.

The number of applications increases because of two key reasons. One, technology and globalisation are allowing people around the globe to apply for roles. Two, it is much easier and quicker to upload a resume, CV or application than it was to hand write an application as was previously required.

Source

60% of skilled workers will quit in the middle of an application if it is too lengthy

Applications are boring! The biggest killer of talented and high-skilled applicants is having a long and boring application process with various steps, assessments and uploads.

These days job seekers want to apply for lots of jobs quickly. Ideally by uploading an application, CV and Resume for various positions.

Some large organisations have already recognised this barrier to recruitment. Companies like the NHS allow a job seeker to upload one application that they can then send off for various NHS roles – each application can be edited if the applicant prefers.

Other research shows how having a count down ‘only two questions to go’ or ‘page 2 of 3’ can keep candidates engaged, as they know the application process is soon coming to an end.

Source

Only 2% of applicants receive a job interview

The top 2% have what it takes…to write a good application.

The problem with job hunters wanting a quicker application process is that the targeting of individual applications is highly reduced. A reduction in targeting, and therefore meeting the job criteria, reduces the perceived value an applicant can bring to the company which results in a higher number of rejection letters.

The acceleration in AI bot automated tracking systems, where the AI bot scans an application searching for job criteria before deciding whether of not to offer the applicant a job interview, has a big impact on those job seekers who use the same generic application for all roles and for various organisations who have their own specific criteria based on that company’s values and vision.

Recent research found that 98% of fortune 500 companies now use an application tracking system.

Only, around, 8 applicants receive a job interview. This means competition is high. Some sectors will have a more flexible approach to recruitment as there is a need for staff but in others, where recruitment is less of a problem, a generic application just isn’t good enough.

Source

40% of employers decline interviewees who show no enthusiasm during the recruitment process

The logical hiring process, scoring interviewee answers against the interview scorecard, isn’t that logical.

All logical hiring decisions are influenced by the emotional section of the brain. It is this part of the mind that uses unconscious bias as a starting point in the recruitment process.

The research for the interview prediction grid model – a framework to reflect on how an interviewee is perceived during a job interview and therefore the outcome of the recruitment process, states the importance of confidence within a 1-2-1 or panel interview.

Confidence creates likeability and is associated with other positive attributes; being enthusiastic, intelligence and teamwork.

It is clear then that a lack of confidence during the interview reduces the chances of a job hire.

90% of people who use an interview coach get a job offer as twice as fast as job seekers who don’t prepare

More and more people are now booking job interview coaches. This is especially true for high-skilled roles where competition for positions is high.

Interview coaches increase confidence through role plays, feedback and sharing job interview techniques.

The main reason why job seekers turn to professional interview coaches is that public speaking is cited as the number one fear in the world.

Chris Delaney

August 11, 2022August 16, 2022

Does your background matter on a virtual job interview?

The number of online job interviews has rapidly increased over the past two years and only seems to be becoming ever more popular. In a recent Indeed poll, 82% of employers said they are using virtual interviews.

A virtual interview, from an employer’s perspective, is quicker, easier, and cheaper. The convenience of being interviewed at home also has similar advantages for the potential employee – no travel required, saving transport costs, and having to put time aside to travel. But it also has a downside, the hiring manager gets a glimpse at the applicants’ private lives.

This sneak peek is a peephole into an applicant’s personal life. Just like a face-to-face job interview, where the candidate’s clothes create an unconscious bias, the background of a virtual interviewee can influence the employer’s hiring decision-making process.

Background Matters

Many online platforms offer fake backgrounds; a beach, a beautiful countryside, or an office setting. These backgrounds either look fake, seem inappropriate for a job interview, or create a ghost effect – where the applicant’s body has a white shadow around it.

The number one rule for a virtual job interview is to use a real background.

3 Background choices

With a real background there are three obvious choices:

Clean space (often a white wall)
Single item (plant)
Full view (able to see the whole room)

It is common for interviewees to choose a clean space, a close-up camera that captures the applicant’s face with a blank background – a painted wall.

The camera position is highly important as discussed in our ‘online interview tips’ article. But a blank background can be boring. A white wall doesn’t say anything about the candidate’s personality. Some hiring managers may even feel the applicants are hiding something.

If a blank wall is chosen, use a coloured wall. Ideally blue. Blue conveys relaxation, calmness and as discussed in Very Well Mind, blue is associated with stability and reliability.

Your Background Shows Who You Are

The background an applicant chooses says a lot about them, often speaking to the employer’s subconscious decision-making process.

Having one or two items in the background makes the who image a little more interesting. Too many items make a ‘busy’ image that can be distracting.

The question is, what to choose to place in the background? A bookshelf filled with industry-related books can create the impression of authority or knowledge. But bookshelves can be overcrowded.

A few books on each shelf separated by an additional item can make a cleaner and more professional background.

Plants are ideal for an online interview background. Potted plants, especially in bloom, are pleasing to the eye. They look good in the background and help create a calming atmosphere.

Ensure the plant isn’t looking dried up, shriveled, or dead.

Whichever object is chosen should be to one side of the frame, not taking more space than 1/6^th of the whole space.

Don’t Show Everything

A full room frame is bad for virtual interviews. One, in a full view, shot the applicant’s face is less clear which leads to less non-verbal communication, facial expressions.

In addition, a full view of the room will either show too much – which is distracting, can highlight mess which doesn’t create a good impression, or has lots of clear space, which is seen as boring.

Camera, Lights, Action

Finally, think about the essentials of creating a video. The virtual interview setup is similar to setting up a space for a video or film.

One of the most important elements of being on camera is the lighting. Some candidates will set up the camera with a large window behind, where the sun blinds the interview panel, hiding the applicant’s face.

Others will set up the video call in a dark room with little like creating dark shadows that create a horror film type of environment.

If a job seeker has the equipment, they can set up lighting behind the camera facing the interviewee which lights up their face. If not, a cheaper option if to have the camera in front of a large window, facing the job candidate, allowing the sun to naturally light up the room.

The idea is to find a well-lit clean room where the job hunter feels relaxed and calm. Ensure the room is clean and add one or two small items in the background, a flower or book.

August 10, 2022August 10, 2022

7 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Job Interview Outcome

Job interviews are tricky, aren’t they?

Most job applicants fear the job interview. Some, who are highly anxious, will even go as far as turning down an interview offer due to excessive low confidence.

This fear is real. In fact, the fear of speaking in front of strangers or in public – also known as glossophobia, is the number one fear in the world.

The job interview can double the impact of glossophobia and many candidates put an ‘all or nothing’ association on the job they are applying for – “if I fail this job interview, I will always be stuck in a job I hate”.

An article on Psychology Today explained how confidence comes from experiencing achievement in a task. There more you are successful in a task the more confident (in that task) you will be.

Most people fear public speaking, job interviews, or talking to strangers because of a previous negative experience. The experience of failure increases anxiety and fear.

As an example, a job hunter will fear being invited to an interview for a job they truly desire because of a past memory: when they were asked to read out a text in front of their classmates in school or their first public speaking experience that ended in disaster.

The job interview should be easy. Interviewees are asked questions about something they know well – themselves. Job applicants’ confidence should be high. If an application has resulted in a job interview offer from one company, it should then result in a second interview from another organization. This means a failed job interview can be a learning point that will increase future job interview performance and the applicant’s interview identity.

These 7 ideas will help you improve your interview confidence and interview performance.

People buy what they like.

In the psychology of sales, the ‘liking principle’ is quoted as one of the key determinators in persuading customers to make a purchase.

It works through creating a likeability association. As an example, many brands will use celebrity endorsements to sell their products. Example: The audience likes George Clooney, so they will like a coffee brand if they see Clooney drinking that coffee brand in a TV advert – even though the audience knows Mr. Clooney was paid to star in the TV commercial.

Tupperware famously embedded likeability into the sales of its product. Rather than have their products in retail stores (they tried this approach and it failed) they created Tupperware parties. A host would invite friends and family round for a party and promote the Tupperware products. People purchased the products, not because they were good or they needed them, they made purchases because they liked the host – their friend or relative.

To improve your interview outcome, you can create likeability.

Likeability can start prior to the job interview. We know from recent data that 70% of employers check social media before a recruitment day. Create likeability through a second persuasion law – authority. If an employer views an applicant’s LinkedIn profile and the feed is filled with relevant industry insights, sector-related intelligence, and positive opinions the employer will create a halo effect that will have a big influence on the interview outcome.

Research has also found that commonality creates likeability. By disclosing information that highlights commonalities with the hiring manager a positive impression will be made. Commonality can include, well anything: same interest or hobbies, attending the same university, or living in the same town.

Which interview timeslot to choose

Timing makes all the difference. The interview timeslot allocation given to each interviewee makes seem unimportant. In fact, the timeslot can change the way an employer scores the applicant.

The timeslot is related to the hiring manager’s confidence in conducting the interview, the interview panel’s tiredness or alertness, and if you become the baseline applicant.

Research has found that the first interviewee becomes the baseline applicant – following interview scores for other candidates are influenced by the original scores given to the initial interviewee.

The final applicant of the day is often interviewed by a panel of hiring managers who are tired from a full day of recruitment affecting how they view the last interviewee. And post-dinner candidates are affected by biology – the process of digesting food affects a person’s decision-making processes.

It’s the second or third interview time slot around 10:30-11:00 that is the ideal interview timeslot.

What we see we feel

Whatever the mind focuses on the body feels. A person looking forward to a holiday, a networking event or a job interview will feel positive. Whereas someone who fears flying, is anxious about meeting strangers or someone who hates talking about themselves will have a negative response to a holiday, networking event, or job interview.

Perspective creates motivation. Previously we mentioned how confidence is created through positive experiences. What is interesting is that the brain doesn’t see the difference between a real-life experience and a vivid memory. This is why dreams can feel real.

If what you imagine you feel, you can feel positive about a job interview by imagining yourself being successful in a forthcoming recruitment process.

To have a lasting impact, the process has to start with a relaxed state. Taking deep breaths or imagining being in a relaxed place; a countryside or peaceful beach helps to calm the mind and body. In this peaceful state imagine by relaxed during a job interview, then imagine being confident in a job interview, and final imagine being charismatic in a job interview. Make each visualisation vivid; see yourself confident, hear yourself being confident, and feel confident.

The repetition of the visualisation creates new neuro-pathways that create a positive association: job interview = calm and confident.

The hands have it

A little technique to help improve the first impressions is to manipulate the hands.

Anxiety kicks off the fight or flight response which sends oxygen from non-virtual parts of the body (hands and feet) to essential organs. The redirection of the blood cells leaves hands feeling cold and clammy.

At the initial introduction, where a welcome handshake is expected, the first impression is weak as a damp and cold handshake has a negative unconscious bias.

To be viewed as confident requires a warm and firm introductory handshake. When you arrive for the interview, either accept a cup of coffee (and wrap your hands around the warm cup) or visit the bathroom and hold your hands under the warm water for a few seconds, to warm the hands.

Turn off your phone the night before

One sleep study showed how using your phone three hours before you plan to go to bed can disrupt your sleep.

In addition, many people charge their phones overnight in the bedroom. If the phone is left on small LED lights will be on display. The brain is trained to stay more awake when there is light. Charging the phone in a different room, and having thick curtains to cut out any streetlights allows for a deeper sleep.

Deeper sleeping restores energy, increases blood supply, and improves cognitive ability. All this helps the brain to respond to tricky interview questions.

Create high status

How we view ourselves, as high or low status, is leaked through our language. The language used in a job interview is subconsciously filtered by the hiring manager creating a ‘gut feeling’.

As an example, a low status would use weak language such as ‘try’ – ‘I would try my best’ compared to a high-status person who uses assertive language ‘will’ – ‘I will achieve the task’.

One experiment found that writing a letter to yourself that assertively states skills, strengths and abilities increase self-worth, creating high status. The letter must use positive language, be true, and be assertive.

Get good at asking questions

The tip to improve a job interview outcome seems a little odd, it’s to be good at asking, not answering questions.

Obviously, in a job interview, the ability to confidently communicate competencies within a job interview answer is essential. But what makes a person stand out is their ability to ask the interview panel questions.

Questions create a conversation. Conversations improve likeability. Likeability, or rapport, increases job offers.

Also, the ability to ask questions relaxes the interviewee and helps them to clarify the required content of the interview answer.

At the interview start, the applicant can ask the interview panel questions about their day or the company.

During the questions, the candidate can ask for specifics to generic questions and can ask the employer’s opinion or an aspect of the interview question.

Towards the interview end, the employer will allow the interviewee to ask any questions to help clarify the company culture and job role.

Asking questions shows confidence, and confidence is a quality that all employers want staff to possess.

Questions, or their answers, also allow the applicant to decide if the employer is one they want to work for.

May 26, 2022May 26, 2022

Why you are better than 97% of the competition

Imposture syndrome is the biggest barrier to job interview success. The data proves that a lack of job interview self-esteem is unfounded as any career professional who has been offered a job interview is in fact 97% better than the competition.

Much research has highlighted that the average number of applications per vacancy is around 250 (vastly higher for global organisations such as Microsoft or Google) HR statistics tell us how only 6-8 of the 250 applicants are offered a job interview.

The data speaks for itself. The percentage of 6-8 interviewees out of 250 applicants is around 3% – That means a candidate who has received an interview offer is in the top 3 percent of most ‘suitable’ from the employer’s perspective.

And it’s the employers perceptive that counts.

How an Employers Views a Perspective Candidate

How an employer views a candidate, either via their application or during the job interview, increases the likelihood of that applicant being offered the job role, or not.

The candidates ‘interview identity’ which is formed by the job seekers level of knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence creates 1 of 16 interview identities with only a small number of the ‘identities’ being view as suitable enough to be offered the advertised vacancy.

The office for national statistics explained how for the first time ever there are more job vacancies than unemployed people.

There hasn’t been a better time to gain a salary increase, by finding a new job opportunity, then now. Employers from across job sectors are looking at creative way to encourage applicants to accept their job roles from offering a blended office/home working option to wage increases.

The fear of career change

With an increase in job opportunities, a potentially high salary with a new employer and an awareness of growth sectors that offer a more secure career, why aren’t career professionals applying for new vacancies?

Even career professionals who hate their job role, those who are stressed out due to workload, or graduates that picked the wrong job sector to work in, don’t make a career change.

The reason is simple. Humans fear change.

In the world of work many career professionals see a career change as a backwards step where they would have to start of the bottom rung of the career ladder. This limiting belief is inaccurate as employers look for a diverse workforce who can bring a new perspective gain from experience in a different industry.

In fact, many employers seek to gain talented team members without direct experience in the sector. An example of this would be a manager – skilled at leadership, staff recruitment, finance projections. Managerial skills are transferable into many job sectors.

Humans fear failure

At a basic level humans have in built desire to ‘belong’. Humans are pack animals. To survive in a pack individuals need to be accepted by others. To be rejected is to die. The same emotional pull happens in all social situations. Many humans avoid asking someone on a date as they don’t want to chance being rejected. People fear public speaking as they fear being ‘laughed’ at. And career professionals hate job interviews because they might be told they ‘are not good enough’.

It is easier to stay with the devil you know than to make a change, even is the current situation is a toxic workplace that is making you ill.

It is time to make a change

A confident career professional with over 10 years industry experience and/or a degree level qualification or above should easily gain a number of job interviews – creating the 3% rule.

This means the competition is now only 6 other applicants. Six people, rather than 250 candidates, doesn’t seem so overwhelming.

During the 45 minutes job interview the average employer will ask 6 job interview questions – often behavioural interview questions (question based on past experiences – “give me an example of doing A”)

The initial question commonly asked is: “tell me about yourself” An easy question to ask, and the final question is “Do you have any questions for us?”

Knowing the structure of the job interview reduces the candidate’s anxiety levels. Lower levels of anxiety increase performance confidence, allowing an interviewee to produce more detailed job interview examples relevant to the job interview question.

Employers will hint towards the job interview questions by sharing the essential criteria of the job role. It is the main duties or essential criteria that is referenced in the job interview questions. This insight can help a job seeker prepare high-scoring interview answers and examples prior to the job interview.

Fear creates procrastination. As a high number of people fear the job interview it is unlikely that each candidate will complete the essential preparation before a recruitment process. If for example only 50% of candidates fully prepare, including yourself, that is only 2 other applicants who are confident enough to give good job interview answers.

From 250 initial applicants, only 3 of the 6 interviewees will be interview ready. This means you only need to give higher scoring answers then the two other prepared people.

April 26, 2022May 26, 2022

How Do You Handle Stress in an Interview?

A job interview is one of most stressful situations you can put yourself in.

This is because, most people, fear being the center of attention.

It is the fear of being rejected by the hiring manager that creates stress and anxiety. Job interview stress changes the candidate’s behavior which in turn creates a weak interview identity. Answers are weak, lacking detail and filled with an excessive number of filler words and weak language.

This article will explain how to handle job interview stress to create a strong interview identity that results in job offers.

Is a job interview a stressful situation?

Stress happens:

When we experience something new
When something unexpected happens
When we feel we have little control over something

All three stress activators can happen during a job interview. On the other hand, a well prepared career professional will feel confident if they:

Carry mock interviews and/or attend public speaking training – this reduces the ‘something new’ fear
Understanding the job interview process – this helps overcome the ‘unexpected’ fear
Predict job interview questions and prepare strong answers – this creates control

Humans are confident in familiar situations. Routine, processes, the norm, are all things that reduce stress. This is why some career professionals who are unhappy at work don’t search for a new job. The fear or something new outweighs the fear of the staying in an unhappy job role.

On average career professionals look for work, and therefore attend job interviews, every three to five years. It is the lack of preparing and attending the interviews that increases their levels of stress.

Stress isn’t an on or off button, its more of a scale. The higher up the stress scale you are the worse the stress can affect you. Stress can:

Create pain – stomach cramps, headaches, etc
Stop you sleeping
Increase nail biting, grinding teeth, and jaw clenching
Make you irritable, sad, or depressed
Stops you eating as your body is in ‘flight or fight’ mode

Do Employers Make the Job Interview Stressful on Purpose?

The myth that all job interviews are difficult, with employers asking awkward curveball questions designed to increase pressure on the applicant is just that – a myth.

Employers may asked: ‘how do you handle stress?’ for stressful positions, or ask problem solving riddles in engineering, IT or mathematical roles but for most advertised vacancies each job interview question will be based on the essential criteria for the job role.

In fact, employers will go out of there way to make the interview an ‘enjoyable’ or at least informative. Think about it, a recruitment manager is looking to hire the best person for the role.

All employers know that job seekers will be attending several job interviews over a short period of time, often with a rival company. It is in the employers interest to hire the best applicant.

If the employer did created an unnecessary pressurized job interview environment it is quiet likely that the 1st choice candidate will take the job offer with another, more friendlier’ employer.

Most employers use a ‘structured job interview’ process, by familiarizing yourself with this process will help you feel more in control and less stressed.

Reduce Job Interview Stress

Some well known basic stress reducers include:

Drink water
Eat healthy
Regular exercise
Learn to say ‘no’ as this increases assertiveness
List your skills and talents as positive reflection increases confidence
Use deep breathing or mindfulness to feel more calm and in control
Use a blackout curtains and a soundless room (no mobile phones, etc) to get a good nights sleep

Negative self-talk

Remove negative self-talk.

‘I’m not good enough’
‘Others are better skilled then I am?
‘I don’t have the relevant experience’

What you focus on you feel.

If you focus on negative statements you will feel negative. Instead focus on your strengths your skills, qualities and what you have to offer the new employer – your unique selling point.

Make a list of your key skill set
Reflect and record key experiences where your ideas, hard work or leadership resulted in a positive outcome
Re-read past appraisals and focus on what a previous manager liked about you

Perception

Perception creates or reduces the power balance.

Viewing the job interview as a life or death situation increases the body’s flight or fight response.

Breakdown what a job interview is. At the bottom level, the interview is you talking about you. And you are the expert on you!

View the interview as a meeting where you are teaching other people about what you have learnt; your knowledge, your experiences, and the techniques you have picked up to get a job done.

Reframing a job interview changes the perceived power balance. Being stress makes you feel you have no power, no influence. Feeling confident about talking about you makes you feel powerful, invincible.

Interview Questions and Answers

Repetition is the key to mastering a skill and practice creates perfection.

The more job interviews you attend (or mock interviews) the more confident you will be as an interveiwee.

This is true with any task. To be a good tennis player, play more tennis. Master chefing by cooking on a regular basis. Learn to speak a second language practice, make mistakes, and learn.

First-choice applicants – career professionals who receive a high number of job offers, will follow the three rules for passing a job interview.

Identifying the job criteria
Being a self-promoter
Communicating confidently

The more an interviewee practices job interview questions and answers, the better prepared they will be on the day in question.

Preparation equals confidence, confidence reduces stress.

Job Interview Procrastination

Stress is a barrier to action.

To avoid stress, job candidates will procrastinate – ‘I will start my preparation tomorrow’

When you hear yourself putting tasks off, you must STOP and take immediate action.

Write down all the interview preparation tasks; research the company, predict questions, prepare answers, check the venue address
Start with the easiest task and do this first – momentum creates motivation
Give yourself a deadline for each task
Reward yourself when you have completed a certain number of tasks
Meet with other people to research together as we like approaching difficult task in groups

March 29, 2022March 29, 2022

Final Interview Questions and Answers

High skilled positions often come with a long recruitment process, consisting of several interview stages:

AVI – asynchronous video interview (a virtual job interview conducted by an AI bot) used to screen applicants
Technical interview to check a candidates competencies – this may include practical tests
Group interview and/or values interview to review suitability/company culture fit
Final interview for shortlisted candidates

A large number of career professionals on platforms such as LinkedIn express their concern over the high number of interview rounds – or ‘hoops’ they are made to jump through to secure a job offer.

So, why do employers have multiple interview rounds?

From the employers perspective, when paying a high salary for a highly skilled role, the hiring manager needs to ensure they recruit the right person. Often a single interview gives an indication of a persons suitability but doesn’t always highlights the individuals temperament, skills, knowledge, work-ethic, and values.

For low to medium skilled roles, most employers will have one or two interview rounds. For leadership positions, high-skilled roles, technical jobs the recruiters must hire someone who can add value, this requires a more in-depth recruitment process.

What does a final job interview mean?

Research shows how the top three candidates in a job interview will only have one or two points between them – the structured job interview is a close run thing.

Having such a close match can result in the interview panel being influenced by an unconscious bias. Rather then being forced into a decision, the recruitment team, often led by a human resources hiring manager, will invite the top performing interviewees to a final interview.

The final interview means that all the candidates are employable, they all meet the essential criteria and can add value to the team.

Only three to five applicants are offered a final interview round. This shortlist of candidates will all hold relevant industry qualifications , many years of sector experience and the confidence to delivery high-scoring job interview answers during the recruitment process. In short, they have a strong interview identity.

Competition, therefore, is high in terms of quality but low in terms of quantity – as the weaker candidates have already been dismissed.

Border force job interview is competitive

Interview Specifics:

Structural job interview last 45 minutes with 8 interview questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a final job interview?

Do you give detailed examples?
Do you state measurable data during examples?
Do you reference industry models and theories?
Do your answers meet the job criteria?
Are you a self-promoter?
Are your answers delivered confidently?
Do you use an excessive number of filler words?
Does your unique selling point stand out during the interview?

Check the average pay for your job role.

How to prepare for a final interview?

The biggest mistake most career professionals make during a final interview is not repeating examples from previous job interview rounds.

For all rounds, the job interview panel must score applicants based on the answers given in that interview round. Remember that each interview round maybe conducted by a different interviewer.

Not that all previously used examples will be needed. Each employer has their own way of conducting a final interview.

Some employers, will ask similar questions throughout all the interview rounds (worded a little different) to check that the applicant does possess the required skills and knowledge for the job vacancy.

In this approach, the final interviewers – often trained HR and senior leaders will ask more specific interview questions looking for data and evidence that they can measure.

As an example:

Interview round 1 question: “Tell me about a time when you worked with stakeholders?”
Interview round 2 question: “Tell me about a time when you had to influence a stakeholder?”
Interview round 3 question: “Give me an example of when you have influenced a senior stakeholder to overcome an objective on a collaborative project?”
Interview round 4 question: “Explain the specific steps you took to get a stakeholder with an objective to a project to agree with a proposal you had created?”

In other organisations, the final interview round will be focused on added value. The interview questions maybe open, even informal, to understand how an applicants experience will make a difference in the current team, on a project, and/or to achieve the company vision.

The employer is looking for:

Unique selling points
How an (experience) can be used to improve production or output/increase profit
What industry related knowledge can help progress the company
Specific skills and how they can be used to influence the workforce/achieve an objective
How the (applicant) can raise the bar

Final job interview tips

By the final interview stage, the employer has a high opinion of the candidate. The opinion must be reinforced.

It is often the confident, the charismatic interview identity, who is finally offered the role.

This is because employers value confidence. A self-assured employee gets things done. Humans also associate other positive personality traits to confident people. We believe they are hard-working, skilled, knowledgeable, and that they possess good personal skills; communication, listening, teamwork.

To be viewed as confident:

Be assertive with your communication
Use the power of a pause – don’t rush your answers
Add characters and storylines to your examples – entertain as we as explain
State researched information about the company within the interview answer
Be a master of the basics; eye contact, positive posture, power voice

Be ready to answer scenario interview questions.

Employers recruit for a reason – there is a recruitment to gain a person with the knowledge and experience to achieve a key objective.

The final job interview often focuses on the candidates abilities to achieve these objectives. The questions asked can be both open or closed:

What do you know about X?
What would be your 5 step plan to achieve (objective)?
We are facing a (barrier) who would you turn this around?
Describe the operational plan, over a 5 year period, you would implement to achieve (objective)?
Tell me more about that?

The employer leaves it to you!

In the final interview, don’t wait to be asked follow up questions. If questions are ambiguous:

Tell me more about that (often used in informal job interviews)
Describe your leadership style
Give me an example of success

It is up to the interviewee to provide the detail. Research shows how the higher number of words per answer often results in a high number of job offers.

Give detailed and specific answers as this increase word count. This can be achieved by:

Talk about the pro’s and con’s of a situation, management style, product, machinery, process
Use multiple situations in answers. As an example, to answer a ‘leadership style question’ talk about using different leadership styles in different (sector related) environments
State a theory or model and give an example of the theory/model in use
Embed short metaphors and examples into a longer example, ensuring their is a golden thread

Create a conversation.

Dont wait until the end of a job interview to ask the employer questions about the company.

Ask questions throughout the recruitment process and use the answers to give your own suitable replies. As an example if, by asking the interview questions, it is clear that the company value innovation, ensure you reference times you have been creative and innovative.

Mirror the language an employer uses; build on their metaphors, copy jargon and acronyms. By using a similar level of language a stronger level of rapport will be built.

Final job interview questions and answers

Final job interview question: Tell me what would you do in the first 3 months of working for the organization?

The interviewer here, is checking that the applicant is a self-motivated individual who can get things done.

Explain:

Understanding the vison/project brief
Planning for risk
Reviewing budget spend
Team motivation
Taking action
Being results driven

Final job interview question: How will you motivate the team to achieve the objective?

A leader creates a vision that the team work to achieve. The two parts vision and action(s) come together by ‘motivation’.

Discuss:

Different leadership styles
Staff motivation models
Operational plans
Previous examples of motivating teams

Final Interview Questions: What problems do you foresee?

Nothing is streamless in the world of work.

All managers, senior leaders and project managers can predict and manager risk. To answer the ‘problem’ question:

State potential problems
Discuss risk management models
Give solutions to common industry problems
Explain reactive and proactive approaches
Talk about risk budgets

How competitive is a final job interview?

Final job interviews aren’t competitive in terms of numbers.

The average number of applicants per vacancy is around 250. The average number of interviewees for each role is 8-10. The average number of final interviewees is just 2.

The two final interviewees will be highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced. In these terms competition is high, because both job candidates are equally matched.

Often, the job offer goes to the candidate who has best prepared, and therefore the most confident in delivering high-scoring interview answers.

For a final job interview, high scoring answers are the answers that give specific and measure data that highlights the candidates competencies relevant to the job criteria and beyond.

March 2, 2022March 17, 2022

Common Interview Questions for Entry Level Jobs

In years gone by having a degree open the doors to a new career.

In more recent times the number of people attending university has risen meaning having a degree alone isn’t enough to secure an entry level position.

One study precited that ‘the number of young people aged 24 to 34 completing a tertiary degree across OECD and G20 countries is expected to increase to 300 million by 2030, up from 137 million in 2013‘

This is because the data shows that having a degree will:

Increase your chances of employment
Help gain a high-skilled job role
Increase earnings compared to non-degree employees

An entry level job role is a the starting position on the career ladder. Employers, in the main, will create an entry level position with additional support, training and mentoring to introduce the new employee to the word of work even though they lack industry experience.

With an increase in degree level applicants an increase in competition has become common, with job offers going to the candidates who perform best in the job interview.

This article will explain what a graduate can do to pass an entry-level job interview.

How competitive is an Entry Level job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Informal job interview lasts around 30 minutes with 6 questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Entry Level job interview?

Relevant qualifications
Any sector related experience including placements, internships, and work experience
Personal skills and work ethic, related to the job role
Knowledge of industry related model and theories
Being a life long leaner
Commitment to organization as they invest time and money into the graduate
Skills gained from being a graduate
Any unique selling points

Check the average pay for an entry level job role.

Job offers are given to the graduate who is viewed by the employer as being the best fit. This means the way a candidate is perceived by the interview panel, the applicants interview identity, which is based on their perceived level of knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence, is an important aspect of the hiring mangers decision making process.

In fact, the applicants interview identity for an entry level position is important for a second reason. On average, all the interviewees will have a similar level of qualification (the sector related degree) and therefore a similar level of knowledge.

Each candidate, in the main, wont have in-depth experience of recruitment processes, so will be nervous during a job interview. And most will have equal work experience and/or placements.

In short, an entry level job interview is a level playing field. That means the interview performance can be the difference between or job offer or job rejection.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for an Entry Level Job Role.

Most employers adopt an informal job interview process for an entry-level job role. This is because, in many cases, the candidates wont have enough experience to answer behavioral job interview questions.

An informal job interview is a 30-45 minute job interview where the employers ask several planned job interview question that create a conversation, before asking follow up question depending on where the conversation is leading.

Whereas, a structured job interview – the most common type of job interview will ask the same questions to all applicants, with no ad-hoc follow up questions.

Entry Level Job Interview Question 1 – why did you apply for this position?

Before planning the answers to interview questions, it is wise to first think about the interview environment.

Has the employer requested a virtual or a face to face interview? Tips for a virtual interview can be found here: Online Job Interview Advice

The most commonly asked entry-level job interview question is the ‘why this position?’ question, sometime framed as ‘Tell me about yourself and whey you applied for this role?’

Unstructured job interview questions are often ‘open’ allowing the interviewee to discuss anything they think may be relevant.

Two mistakes graduates make is either 1) not giving enough information and detail, or 2) discussing experiences and skills irrelevant for the advertised position.

To answer the initial opening question discuss three key elements:

Your character
Your journey
Your reason for applying

“I have always had a passion for (industry) this is due to (give reason). What I particular interested in is (give a specific element of the job sector that you care about). My experience (in university studying an X degree/working in job sector) has given me an in-depth knowledge on (job sector criteria) as an example (state 1 or 2 job sector relevant data/knowledge)

I recently completed my (qualification) at (university name) where I (give selling point: achieved a 2:1 or had a work placement at (famous company). In addition to studying I also (describe relevant work experience gained)

People describe me as a (name three qualities). This is because (give reason for the character reference). The reason I applied for this position is because of the company reputation. I am looking to work for an organization that (add facts about the company) which is why I want to work here. I was also impressed with the company vision (state company vision) which is something I also deem important”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 2 – how do you develop yourself?

Employers understand that entry level employees lack sector knowledge and industry experience.

The reason for the lower waged than a more experience career professional is due to the fact that the employer will train, mentor and support the graduate in the position.

Hiring managers are looking to recruit staff members that are life long learners. Technology, politics, customer demand, globalization, among other things, are the drivers of change that evolve each industry.

In time gone by these same drivers of changed happened, but at a slower rate. The fast pace rapid sector changes require a flexible workforce who can absorb new knowledge, changes in industry policy and quick adopt to new ways of working.

On a smaller level, a graduate new to the world of work needs to have the ability to pick business-as-usual tasks and job duties quickly. Over a 3 year period, an entry level employee will learn the same level of knowledge as they did during their degree course.

In short, employers need applicants to demonstrate they are keen on professional development and learning.

“I’m a life long learner who values personal and professional development. Over the past three years I studied for my degree where I gained a (qualification level). As well as attending the lectures, I also decided to improve my sector knowledge by (add any additional studying; attending online courses, watching additional lectures on YouTube or attending study groups). Because I have a clear career direction, I also applied for and gain a (part-time sector job, placement, internship, etc) where I learned about (describe a sector related knowledge).

Because I value development, I often reflect on my strengths and weaknesses and attend short training courses to improve skills and knowledge. Recently I felt I could do with improving a (soft skill) as I knew this skill would be important when (completing a job duty) so I attending a (course) which helped me to (course objective).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 3 – what can you bring to the team?

The informal job interview is designed to get to know the applicant.

The goal of the informal interview is to find out what the candidate can bring to the team and if they would work well within the company culture, which is why many employers directly ask ‘what can you bring to the team?’

To answer the interview question well, a candidate must remember the tree rules for a successful job interview outcome:

Identify the job criteria – the skills, qualities and experiences an employers deems relevant for the job role
Be a self-promoter – detailing experiences, explaining knowledge and using self-promoting language
Communicate with confidence – delivering interview answers in a clear, concise and confident way

One barrier to gaining a job offer is the relevance of a job interview answer. Some applicants will give detailed and self-promoting answers but still struggle to gain a successful job interview outcome.

The reason is the content of the interview answer. By identifying the job criteria (knowing what the employer is looking for in a new team member) helps to craft an answer that references the job criteria.

“The three key elements that I can bring to the team are X, Y and Z. I’m am highly skilled at X, which means I can (describe how being skilled in X will be a benefit to the organisation). My key strength is Y. As a team member I can use this strength (to gain a positive outcome). And finally, being highly knowledgeable about Y can help in (describe a future scenario where the knowledge would be of high importance).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 4 – tell me about your course/degree?

The trap, most entry level applicants, fall into when asked a question about their time at university is that the interviewee will simply describe the duration of the course, the course content and their opinion of the degree.

What an employer is really asking is: ‘what skills and knowledge did you gain from studying a degree and how will those skills and knowledge help you in this job role?’

Again, as with all job interview questions it is important to first identify the skills, qualities, and experiences and employer deems to be important and then to reference these throughout the interview answer.

“What I really enjoyed about the course was how it improved my knowledge in (a specific area). As an example, I know have a level of understanding about (technical element of the job role) that would be of great use when (describe relevant work-based scenario). I also have a great knowledge based of (describe three additional knowledges).

Throughout the course, I also able to recognize and build upon some of my skills and qualities. In particular, one of my key strengths is (add strength). On the course I (describe a situation/problem). To overcome this barrier I (state three actions took, describing in detail how yo use your strengths, skills and qualities). This resulted in (state a positive outcome).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 5 – what were your favorite classes and why?

The ‘favorite classes’ job interview question is asked as an alternative to the ‘tell me about your degree’ question. It is mainly asked in apprenticeship job interviews.

The format of the interview answer is the same for both questions – a focus on how a particular class or classes gave the interviewee the skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the job role.

The above interview answer template can be tailored for both questions.

Entry Level Job Interview Question 6 – what do you like to do outside of university/work?

Businesses complete risk assessments on all aspects of the business, including recruitments.

Hiring a highly experienced and qualified employee is deemed as low risk, as the cost of recruitment vs the experienced gained is viewed as beneficial.

The risk of recruiting a graduate with no industry experience and therefore no way of knowing how the react the pressure of a job role, how they work within a team and their work ethic is viewed as high risk.

In addition, employers spend time and money to support and develop entry level employees. The pay off, for the employer, is that they get to train the new employee to work in a way that suits the culture of the organization.

But culture fit also depends on an applicants personality. By asking ‘what do you do outside of work?’ is an indicate to that persons temperament.

Stay ways from answering the question with anything to do with:

Drinking
Staying in bed
Parties

“I like to make the most of my time. I spend a lot of my evenings exercising, going for short runs, walks and doing yoga. Exercise is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy but also helps to build a positive mindset.

I mentioned previously that I enjoy professional development. I am currently applying to attend (short course) that will teach me (state course objective).

I also enjoy (describe hobby). What is interesting, even though the hobby doesn’t directly related to the job role, is that this hobby helps me build up (a skill) that can be used when (job duty).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 7 – Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

What will the first few weeks as an entry level employee look like?
How would you describe the team?
What have previous graduates gone on to do in your company?
Why do you proactive employee graduates?
Do you offer training for new employees?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.

February 15, 2022February 19, 2022

How to Interview for a Job

The interview is the wall blocking the path to career success.

Knowing how to interview for a job helps to break down the barrier, giving career professionals the upper hand in the recruitment process.

This article will explain:

How an employers perceives an applicants suitability
How to prepare for job interview questions
How voice and content create high scoring interview answers

In short, this article will help job candidates get interview ready.

Are you seen as employable during the interview?

The goal of any job interview, from the applicant’s perspective, is to be seen as hirable.

Showcasing one’s suitability is the objective, but the question is what does suitable look like?

A bottom-line approach would say that the applicant who best meets the listed essential job criteria would be offered the advertised position.

By ticking that an applicant has X qualification, or X experience doesn’t result in the best hire. This is because employers value creative problem-solving skills, innovation, and work ethic, among other things – these are all hard-to-measure qualities when using a tick sheet approach.

Employers overcome the tick-sheet hurdle by requesting ‘example’ interview answers. The example, when delivered well, showcases personal qualities and skills as well as duration in the industry and sector-related qualifications.

Many hiring managers also look a ‘fit’ – asking ‘will the interviewee’s temperament fit within the current team and company culture?’

The searching for a good ‘fit’ has resulted in a new style of job interview; strength based interviewing and values job interviews.

In all job interviews; behavioral job interview, situational job interview, unstructured recruitment processes and values interviews, suitability is based on two key elements: The applicants perceived level of industry knowledge and experience and their level of confidence during the job interview.

The combination of a career professional’s level of perceived knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence creates one of sixteen job interview identities.

A strong (highly suitable) interview identity is created by the confident communication of competencies through story-telling, facts & figures, stating sector models, the use of industry jargon and acronyms, and highlighting relevant skills and experiences.

Weaker interview identities are formed from a nervous applicant who uses excessive filler words, self-discloses weaknesses, fidgets, mumbles, and gives answers that don’t reference the job criteria.

What is your interview identity? Take the test here.

The interview start

How to interview for a job starts at the beginning, the interview introduction:

A highly skilled career professional was running late for his job interview. The traffic was a nightmare: horns beeping, drivers shouting and all traffic lights turning red. After a few detours and maneuvering, the interviewee arrived just on time, flustered, stressed but on time.

Running through the entrance, he announces himself to the receptionist. After making a few notes, the receptionist starts making small talk, asking about his journey and the weather. The flustered interviewee wearing a well-fitted pinstriped suit is dismissive to the receptionist as he checks his documents in preparation for the forthcoming interview.

The receptionist, a tall blond lady, takes a sip of water, looks at the man, and attempts to engage the job applicant in conversation. After another curt reply, the receptionist takes the man upstairs to the interview room, where she introduces him to two hiring managers. To the man’s surprise, the receptionist sits down next to the hiring manager ‘she must be taking notes’ the man thinks to himself.

As the man takes a seat and straightens his tie, he smiles at the interview pane. Just then the receptionist starts the interview by explaining that she is the CEO and that she likes to meet all new candidates at reception to get to know them better, informally, before the interview started.

The job interview starts as soon as the candidate walks into the employer’s building.

First impressions are hard to change. This is why the appearance of an applicant; their clothing choice, handshake, body language, and voice, is an important factor.

The applicant’s appearance and all the underlined ‘appearance’ categories create an unconscious bias, which at a generic level is based on likability.

If an employer, based on first appearances, ‘likes’ the candidate, the candidate has a smaller upper hand at the interview start. This is because humans search for evidence to back up their beliefs, meaning that at a subconscious level an interviewer who initially likes or dislikes a person (through unconscious bias) will look for evidence that proves this opinion to be true.

A positive initial impression is easy to create by using the advice below, but some hiring managers may be ageist, sexist, racist, or any other ‘istems’. An employer with a strong negative association towards any group will be a hard person to influence, as their prejudices create an invisible barrier.

To be seen as more likable:

Wear a clothing style that suits your body shape
Possess strong eye contact – this can be practiced in advanced
Hold your head high, shoulders back and don’t slouch when sitting down
Use a firm handshake and smile
Have a well rehearsed introductory line
Think of a few ‘small talk’ questions to ask while walking to the interview room

In the interview room

Each company is different, but in the main, a hiring manager will introduce the interview panel, before explaining the interview process: The duration of the interview, the number of questions, and the interview rules (that you can ask for a question to be repeated). Any additional tasks; presentations, assessments etc, that may be required as part of the recruitment process and when the candidates will be informed if they have been successful or not.

In most cases, you will be given a glass of water. But as a back up take a bottle of water for this interview hack.

When asked an unexpected interview question, it will put most job applicants on the back foot, resulting in them waffling on about an unrelated subject.

Instead, whenever your brain is too slow to catch up with the curveball question, take a sip of water. Interviewers expect applicants to be nervous and to take sips of water (to wet a dry throat). These 3 seconds of sipping water allows the mind to search for a suitable interview answer.

After or before the introduction to the interview panel, you will be asked to sit down.

It is important to be seen as a confident person. Humans are drawn to confident people. We believe confident people will be a good fit and possess excellent social skills.

Confident people will:

Relax in the chair while having good posture
Possess strong eye contact, looking at all members of the interview panel
Gesture as they talk and become animated in their voice (lots of vocal variety)

The job interview

A number of interviews are now conducted online. The virtual interview requires additional advice that can be found here: how to interview virtually.

For a traditional face-to-face job interview, employers preference the ‘structured’ job interview process.

In short, a structured interview is a set of interview questions asked to all candidates (unlike an unstructured jo interview which is an open conversation where different candidates are asked different questions based on the discussion) which are scored logically based on the job roles essential criteria.

As an example, for a job role that has 30 essential criteria’s an employer will create 8-10 interview questions.

Each interview answer, for each question, to score high must reference several of the 30 essential criteria. This can be in the form of:

Stating a sector related theory or model
Giving an example or story
Listing facts and data
Physically presenting data
Through the applicants persona for essential criteria relating to personal skills

Job Interview Questions

The average number of questions asked in a job interview is eight.

Commonly, the opening interview question is: ‘tell me a little about yourself’ and the final question is: ‘do you have any questions for us?’

In between these two questions will be 6 competency-based interview questions. Questions that ask for evidence that highlights if the applicant possesses the essential criteria.

A full list of interview questions and answers can be found here: questions and answers for an interview

One of the best approaches, to create a high-scoring answer, is to split the answer into two sections. Section one will state the process/theory/model relating to the interview questions, and part two is an example of using the said process/theory/model.

This two-part job interview answer will cover a large number of essential criteria.

As an example, if asked ‘give me an example of being prioritizing tasks’ the answer would start with an explanation of how to prioritize tasks using, as an example, the time management matrix theory before an example of being organized and planned is given.

Its not what you say, its how you say it

One mistake career professionals make is focusing solely on content to their interview answers.

Any good public speaker will tell, ‘it’s not what you say, but how you say it that is important.

Inflection, as an example, can change the meaning of a statement. The statement ‘I could do that has a different meaning depending on how it is spoken.

I could do that – I can do that and I am happy to do that
I could do that – You want me to do that?
I could do that – I don’t want to do that!

Watch this video for a great example of inflection

The voice is a powerful communication tool, to engage the interview panel:

Using vocal variety
Reduce the amount of filler words
Pause before a key point
Increase pace when excited
Slow down pace when making a powerful statement
Show emotion through your tonality

To pass a job interview, the three rules are:

Identify the job criteria as this allows an applicant to predict the job interview questions and to practice high-scoring job interview answers
Be a self-promoter – talk about skills and experiences relevant to the job role, the essential criteria
Use confident communication to engage the interview panel

February 7, 2022February 7, 2022

Interview Questions for Retail

Retail is one of the largest job sectors with over 2.9 million employees in the UK alone.

This article will focus on the job interview questions for a retail worker which incldues:

Shelf-stacker
Till operator
Customer service

Retail supervisors and managers attend a more structured job interview where they are asked leadership questions.

A third of retail staff are under the age of 25 and over half are part-time employees. This role attracts both students, looking for a part-time income and full-time retail staff looking for a career in retail.

In the main, the larger retail organizations have an ongoing recruitment campaign and like to hire a diverse workforce.

Due to the time spend on recruitment, many employers deliver short informal interviews that are designed to check a applicants work-ethic, attitude and personal skills.

This article will list the commonly asked interview questions for a retail position, and explain the best way to answer each question.

How competitive is a Retail job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Retail job interview?

Customer service skills
Communication skills
Numeracy and literacy
Reliability
Flexibility
Teamwork
Till/handling cash experience
Stock rotation knowledge
Sales techniques (for some roles)

Check the average pay for a Retail job role.

Retail job interview questions will vary from one retailer to the next. As an example a food retailer will ask about stock rotation and food hygiene awareness, whereas a clothing company will focus their interview questions on personal skills – being helpful, smart in appearance and communication skills.

All retailers will ask a variation of the common retail questions listed below, but it is important to follow the three rules of a successful job interview:

One – identify the skills and experiences each retailer requires you to possess

Two – be a self-promoter by highlighting customer service skills, reliability and your work ethic

Three – communicate confidently. In retail communication and customer service is a key skill. The whole of the job interview is an assessment of how you come across to a potential customer.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Retail Position.

To pass a job interview for a retail position is relatively easy.

Employers don’t ask tricky interview questions, they are rarely ‘scary’ and in the main try to create a relaxed environment to help the interviewee to open up.

At the bottom line, the interviewers want to get to know the potential employee.

The barrier here then is the number of applications each employer receives, which is much higher then the number of job vacancies.

To pass a retail job interview, it is important to predict the interview questions and practice the delivery of the interview answers.

Mock interviews help to practice an interview in full
Re-writing interview answers helps with memory
Talking in slower pace (as interviewees then to speed up due to nervousness) helps the employer to record your experiences and skills

Below is a list of retail questions and an explanation of how to answer each question.

Retail Interview Question 1. Tell me a little bit about yourself?

In all retail job interviews, the hiring manager will ask a generic opening question:

“Tell me about yourself?”
“Do you have any retail experience?”
“Give me an overview of your relative experience?”

The idea with asking a generic interview question is for the interview panel to get to know the job applicant, while at the same time getting them to open up.

By talking about oneself often gives confidence to the candidate, which helps later in the recruitment process when the hiring manager will ask more specific questions.

Employers will make a hiring decision based on the interview answers each candidates give. For a retail job role, the employer using a applicants retail/customer service experience as well as their personality/confidence to create an opinion.

We call the the interviewees Interview Identity.

Interview Answer Template.

“I have worked in (retail/customer service) roles for ‘X’ number of years. I really enjoy the (state a positive challenge) aspect of the role.

One of my key skills is (add retail related skilled IE customer service, sales, problem-solving) an example of this is when I was working as a (job role) at (company). A customer (describe action) to help get a positive result I (describe actions). The outcome was (positive outcome)

People describe as (list qualities). In my last role I was known as the employee who would (add quality; arrive on time, help customers, go above and beyond).

I am currently (studying full-time/looking for a career in retail) and I applied for this position because of (reference a positive aspect about the company)”

Retail Interview Question 2. Why did you apply for a job with our company?

Retail managers know that there is a vast amount of retail job roles, all with varying pay and conditions, available for people to apply for.

With this in mind, a high number of hiring managers will ask the reason why a candidate is applying for their vacancy rather then another.

The reason for this interview question is due to staff retention. The longer a staff member/retail team work for one company the more skilled that team will become (as well as saving on recruitment cost).

Don’t answer the ‘why us’ question with any of the following reasons:

Financial
Near to my home
I just need a job
Don’t know

Instead create an interview answer that highlights how the company values, vision and culture appeal to you.

Interview Answer Template.

“When I started job searching I saw a high number of retail vacancies, but when I saw that your company was advertising I knew I had to apply.

What I like about your company is the fact that you (add a company value/vision). This is something I can relate to. I also am passionate about (add a passion that relates to the company value/vision).

I also like where the company is heading. When I was researching the organization I read how you are (add a recent quote from a media source) I think this is a great idea as more people are (give a future action related to the quote IE shopping online).

One of the main reasons I applied for the role, is because I shop at your company and I love (the products/the way customer are treated/the environment)”

Retail Interview Question 3. What does customer service mean to you?

Customer service is a fundamental part of any retail job role.

Retail employers always ask a customer service related interview question:

“Tell me about your customer service experience?”
“What would you do if a customer did X?”
“Give me an example of going above and beyond for a customer?”

An article on Salesforce talked about the 8 principles of customer service:

Teamwork
Listen and share
Friendly
Honest
Improved empathy
Deep product knowledge
Timeliness
Improving processes

One way to answer the customer service interview question is by stating what makes good customer service and then giving an example of delivering excellent customer.

Interview Answer Template.

“For me, customer service is the key part of my job role. Good customer service includes being a great listener and communicator, while being able to build rapport. It is also about being a time-sensitive problem solver and looking at a customer problem from their viewpoint, and most importantly its about helping to create loyal customers.

I have always had a natural ability to give great customer service, as I am a natural peoples person. An example of this was when I was (describe a situation), to help the customer I (add 3 steps: Listened to the issue, discussed options and used my personal skills to get a positive outcome)”

Retail Interview Questions 4. How would you handle a rude customer?

Helping a pleasant customer is easy, they ask for help, help is given and everyone is happy.

On the other hand, having to deal with an angry, rude or disruptive customer is much more difficult.

In fact, the whole reason that customer service is the hot topic in retail job interviews is because of the fact the employers need to hire retail staff that can respond professionally to any customer service situation.

An article on MindTools explains 5 steps to dealing with a rude customer:

Stay calm and don’t react
Don’t take it personally
Listen and apologise if needed
Stand firm
Solve the problem

Interview Answer Template.

“I have helped many rude customer in the past. I don’t get affected by a rude customer as I don’t take the rudeness personally. I know that many customer s act rude because they are frustrated and once they see that I am willing to help them resolve their issue, they will calm down, often applogise and become helpful.

An example of helping a rude customer is when I worked at (company name) and a customer was angry because of (state issue). First I stayed calm and listened to their complaint without interrupting. I then summarised their problem and asked what outcome they wanted. I then though about two options (describe options) and asked the customer a few questions to help them decide which option was best. By being calm, patient and by wanting to solve their problem I was able to get a customer, who initially was rude, to leave a positive comment on a store feedback card.”

Retail Interview Question 5. Do you work well within a team?

A retail store is a well oiled machine.

All the various cogs; shelf-stackers, cahiers, cleaners, security guards, customer service desk, buyers, warehouse staff, etc, etc work together to display products that customers want to buy.

The team collectively works well when all team members embrace being team.

Many retail company’s will create a team culture through teambuilding activities, team meetings and highlighting team achievements.

In a retail recruitment process, the hiring manager isn’t just looking for a skilled worker they are searching for a team player.

The best answer to give is to share an example of teamwork in action. When sharing a teamwork example it is important to explain the problem the team were facing before the candidates shares what actions they took to help the team achieves its goal.

Interview Answer Template.

“I really enjoy working within a team. I like that everyone helps and supports each other to achieve a common goal.

An example of me working within a team is when I worked at (organisation). The team had to (achieve an objective) but the problem was (describe a barrier the team faced).

The team didn’t know what we should do, so I suggested that everyone should share an idea. We all did, and that led to a natural discussion. I took the lead and asked my team mates for their opinions on the ideas and before long it was clear that we all wanted to try a particular suggestion. We the divided up the jobs, I was responsible for (task) and went to work. By the end of the (day/project/task) we had (positive outcome).”

Retail Interview Question 6. Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

Can you talk me through the training that you offer new staff members?
What are the busiest times of the year?
How would you describe an average day?
How would you describe the culture of the company?
How many staff work full time and part time?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.