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The hidden meaning of interview questions

Successful job applicants are able to recognize, the often ambiguous, meaning of a stated job interview question.

This simple, but important interview rule is often overlooked. An unprepared interviewee, often feeling anxious, will answer the job interview questions without discovering the meaning of the question.

In this sense, even a well-delivered interview answer can be marked low on the interview scorecard because the answer doesn’t reference any of the essential criteria relating to the job role.

Employers use the ambiguous interview questions and scoring process as a tool to check the applicant’s knowledge and experience – their competencies. An experienced employee will answer sector related questions naturally hitting the scored criteria. This is a prediction of the candidate’s potential job performance

“Answering interview questions with natural references to the job criteria is a sure sign the interviewee is likely to perform well once employed”

Chris Delaney – Author and Interview Coach

To help job seekers to prepare for the job interview, we have created a list of commonly asked interview questions and there hidden meanings

The interviewer by asking all applicants this interview question is creating competition – who is the best fit or who can offer more? This may seem manipulative, but it isn’t its human nature. We all want to get the most for our money – when reviewing car insurance offers from two providers, if the price is the same, most people will pick the provider that also offers something additional for free.

Interviewees, to pass a job interview, need to identify the difference between a competency-based job interview question and an informal one, as well as recognising the hidden meaning of the interview question.

Job Interview Questions Meanings

Why have you applied for a position at this company? Interview Question

What is really being asked here is what do you know about the organisations vision, mission and values. By hiring an applicant who resonates with the company the employee is more likely to want to stay with the organisation for a longer duration.

With many career professionals job-hopping between organisations once every 3 years, businesses have realised the cost-saving advantage of recruiting employees who, due to shared values, will want to stay within the organisation.

Staff retention equals increased performance, increased performance equals higher profits

Tell me about yourself? Interview Question

This commonly asked interview question is one way of saying – can you meet the job criteria? Employers want to know if applicants have what it takes?

Each employer has a list of essential criteria that each interview applicant is scored against. The candidates with the highest-scoring interview scorecard are offered the position. This initial interview question, which is asked prior to the specific competency-based interview questions, is looking for an overview of the interviewees, attitude, work ethic and experiences.

Depending on the answer, an interview identity is created; if the identity is negative, the interviewer is likely to score the proceeding interview answers low, or high if the identity created is positive – the halo effect

What can you bring to the team? Interview Question

Organisations need an edge on their competitors. This question is nicely asking – how can hiring you benefit us? Employers want to know what applicant’s talents are, what skill sets they possess, and what their unique selling point is, so they can exploit this (positively) in the workplace.

The interview process is designed to predict an applicants job performance once employed. The barrier employers face is that most interviewees give a ‘best situation’ answer rather than business as normal. As an example if asked ‘give an example of working within a team’ the applicant will use the example of when they excelled, even if there normal teamwork practice is to sit back and do nothing.

The ‘what can you bring to the team’ question results in an employer knowing how you would act at your very best. The applicants best is compared to the expected workplace standard.

What are you most proud of in your career? Interview Question

By asking what an interviewee is most proud of the employer will hear about the applicant’s best career-related experience – this is the candidates key achievement. If the ‘best achievment’ answer is below par based on the employer’s standards, then it is unlikely that the applicant will have the right aptitude for the new role.

This question is also used by employers who look at personal values (and how they match, or don’t, the company values)

Applicants who answer with a dismissive answer will be seen as unpassionate. Employers more than ever are looking for employees who, at the minimum have an interest in the sector, but ideally those career professionals who desire to work for the organisation.

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Greggs Supervisor Interview Questions

Questions and Answers for a Supervisor Poistion at Greggs

After 75 years in the business, Greggs is one of the most famous bakery chains in the UK. Greggs not only provide affordable food, they also have a mission to make a difference. On the ‘about’ page of Greggs, they explain and discuss their commitment to making a difference with the Greggs foundation scheme, charity fundraisers and other community programmes.

When applying for a Greggs managerial role, candiates need to be aware that Greggs isn’t simply on organisation that is interested in profit – and how your interview answers have to reflect their vision, mission and values.

We have collated a list of commonly asked supervisory and managerial questions for a position at Greggs, and explain the type of answer the employer is looking to hear from a potential Greggs supervisor/manager.

Greggs Interview Questions and Answers

Each question is broken down into the reason the question has been asked and the appropriate interview answer, designed to be marked high on the interview scorecard.

Tell me why you have applied for a position at Greggs?

Opening job interview questions, no matter how they are worded, are designed to see if you have the experience, attitude as well as an understanding of the organisation.

Often this interview question is split into two; ‘tell me about yourself’ and ‘what do you know about Greggs?’

The approach to answering the ‘why have you applied for a position at Greggs’s’ question is relatively easy. The goal is to reference what you know about the organisation; there mission and values, while highlighting your supervisory skills and experiences with confident communication – creating a positive interview identity

A strong opening line can be worded similar to: “When applying for new roles I look for organisation that gives something back to the community, I was really interested in the foundation scheme that Greggs is committed to….” This type of opening line shows

1) a shared interest in helping the community (crossed values)

2) that you have researched the organisation (employee commitment)

3) that you applied for Greggs for a particular reason, not just for ‘any old job’ (staff retention)

With rapport being build from the initial answer, you next need to highlight what you can bring to the team “…as a supervisor with over 8 years experience working in busy retail outlets I am highlighly skilled at…..”

This middle section of the job interview answer showcases the interviewee’s knowledge and experience within a few simple lines – remember, in the following interview questions the applicant will have an opportunity to go into detail, explaining their unique selling point. Here though, the goal is to hook the interviewer’s interest.

Finally, end the interview answer with a strong summary wrapping up the reply “…so, to end, I know I have the skills and experience to be a valued team member of the Greggs family, and I know that I would excel in an organisation that has the community at the heart of its business”

This final line shows confidence by the assertiveness of the summary while reminding the interviewer that you have the shared values of the organisation (which hints at retention and commitment)

What is your approach to managing a teams working pattern to ensure that the store can be operational during opening times

When asked any interview question about the day to day operations of the job role, you know that from the employer’s perspective that they deem this skill as essential.

For Greggs, employing a supervisor or manager who can manage the working patterns of a mixed team (full, part and seasonal staff, and employees with different skill sets), is essential to ensure that stores are open for business.

When answering this interview question, you need to reply to the question with confidence. First, explain that you are aware of the complexity of staffing: “supervising staff in a Greggs store can be a little complicated. It’s not the same as a clothing store where all staff can cover all roles; stocktaking, tills, etc, In Greggs, we need to ensure that we have staff in the store who can operate the ovens, serve customers and those who have the relevant food safety training. In addition, extra staff are required during busy periods such as Christmas….”

By stating each problem the applicant is showing an awareness of the business. Once each barrier has been explained, a solution, the candidate’s approach, needs to be explained. “When starting a new supervisory position I first review the staffing; who works what shift patterns, with staff members have restrictions to working certain hours, having childcare as an example, the common busy periods of the store and the employees skill set and qualifications. A rota can then be created to ensure that each shift has the required team members included, such as a baker and an employee with the authorization to take the cash at night. Finally, I have back up staff members who I know can cover shifts is employees are ill. This way all eventualities are covered for.”

How do you ensure that all employees adhere to health and safety and hygiene regulations?

The food sector, more than most other industries, will always ask questions regarding health, safety, and food hygiene regulations due to the number of government guidelines an organisation has to adhere to.

As a supervisor, the successful applicant is responsible for ensuring that staff follows policies and procedures relating to this. Some interview questions are best answered with an example, and others more analytical. Questions regarding procedures, such as this one, come across stronger with a step by step explanation;

“There are 3 steps required to ensure that all staff adheres to H&S regulations. The initial step is ensuring that each member of staff attends company training and/or refreshers there training in the appropriate time frame. To monitor this I record staff training requirements in a training log. “

“Next, I ensure that all guidelines, regulations and company policies and procedures are on display in the store, as a visual reminder. And finally, I make spot inspections to check that all staff are implementing the legislation, and if required support staff to follow them.”

Give an example of motivating an employee?

Most interview questions are best answered with the use of an ‘example’. When asked to give an example, be certain to use a real-life story.

A manager ensures processes and procedures are followed, a leader motivates staff to work at their best.

With any ‘example’ answer; start by stating a problem or barrier “when I started at X organisation as a new manager, it was clear that there was a motivational issue with the whole team that was effecting customer retention…”

Next, the interviewee has to make it clear the steps they took to overcome the problem “to overcome the lack of employee motivation I…A, B and C…”

And finally, state the positive outcome “this resulted in …..”

How would you increase store profits?

Even though Greggs bakery has a positive attitude towards supporting the local community, it is still a business that is required to make a profit. As a Greggs supervisor or manager, you will need to prepare an answer to interview questions relating to profit margins.

Ideally using a real-life example of how you have previously increased store profit will help you gain extra points on the interview scorecard, but alternatively explaining what you would do in the future also highlights the applicant’s competencies.

Two ways to answer this question is either focus on decreasing overhead cost – explaining how to cut down on waste or over-ordering on goods is an established way to save cost or to discuss income generation through, as an example a promotion linked the national events; young carers day, Olympics, Christmas, etc

What questions would you like to ask us?

At the end of each interview, interviewees have an opportunity to ask the employer a question(s)

Ask about how the local Greggs store supports local charities to show that you have an interest, as Greggs does, in the local community.

Inquire about internal training and promotional opportunities to highlight that you are keen to work for Greggs, not just any old employer.

And finally, ask about the store manager’s managerial style to ensure that you would work well in this environment.

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Telephone Interviews are Dead

In 2020 the telephone job interview is dead!

That’s right, a recent decline in telephone interviews is convincing career guidance professionals to advise job hunters to spend their efforts on the video and face to face job interviews.

Why telephone interviews became popular

During the 1990s are a large number of organisations used the telephone interview as a screening process before inviting successful candidates to a face to face structured interview.

The telephone was a cost affected method, compared to inviting candidates down to head office, of getting rid of the undesirable job hunters. As the telephone screening process became more popular, the fear around answering job interview questions on the phone was commonplace, with many interviewees stating they feared the telephone job interview more than face to face recruitment processes.

The telephone interview; an informal process

In the main, the interview by telephone was an informal job interview with no set questions; a more ‘get to know you’ conversation. Recruiters formally named this as an ‘informal job interview’. Informal interview decisions about taking a candidate to the next level of the recruitment process, or not, relies on ‘gut reaction‘ – there’s something about this applicant that I like!

The structured in-person interview is more analytical with applicants being asked interview questions that are marked on an interview scoresheet.

Employers, even though they are leaving the telephone interview call back in time, still require a way to reduce the number of applicants who have applied for the position (the applications for each advertised position is higher than ever before) down to 6 suitable candidates to complete the high-time structured job interview (the face to face interview)

So, what is replacing the telephone interview screening process

Not much of a surprise; the online interview is the new screening process. Being interviewed online can be a bonus as the interveiwers see’s the applicant’s non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication, such as smiling and natural use of gesture increases likeability – a factor in the interview scoring process.

It is also easier to sell yourself when you, the applicant, can see the interviewer, especially when they nod and smile during your answer.

A downside is unconscious bias. research has shown how the way someone looks affects the decision-making process with one piece of research showing how an obese candidate is less likely to get hired than an ‘average’ sized person. Being viewed as beautiful or ugly, male or female (depending on the role) also creates a visual unconscious bias.

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4 Questions to Ask Before You Agree to a Job Interview

  • Vision
  • Culture
  • Development
  • Location

Job hunting is a time consuming activity, but one with a great pay off.

Having a successful CV, Resume, or Application Form will result in a large number of invitations to be interviewed.

Organisations are in constant search for the best talent. If an applicant possesses the required level of knowledge and experience, employers will want to hire them! With a high number of interview offers, some with competing dates, career professionals need to make the tricky choice of which interview offers to accept.

In fact, it’s pointless attending a job interview if by the interview end you can’t wait to leave. The worst situation to be in is to be employed by an organisation that you cant do business with.

These 4 questions will help you decide if it is even worth attending the job interview in the first place

Should I attend the job interview question 1

Do you believe in the company vision?

The company vision is crucial to an employee’s workplace happiness. The vision is aligned to the company’s values and the company values influence management decision making. Workplace happiness comes from shared values between the employer and employee. Say, for example, that the employee values include being environmentally friendly, but the organisation values profit before anything else. In this scenario, the employer makes decisions based on profit which could include cheaper but not environmentally friendly purchases, which affect the employee’s motivation.

Compare this to an environmentally friendly employee who works for a ‘green’ organisation. The employee works harder and is happier as their vision of the company is the employee’s personal mission.

Should I attend the job interview question 2

Culture kills motivation

The culture of a company increases and decreases employees’ motivational levels. Imagine an employee who is very creative and innovative, after being highly successful in one organisation they move to a new company – doing the same role, in the same sector, only for a salary increase.

On paper everything is the same, so surely the industry expert should perform just as well as they did in their last position? In the new company, though, the culture is more procedure driven, deadlines, data and planning are the key to the new organisation success. This disparity between how the employee and organisation work demotivates the new employee, reducing their ability to be creative and therefore successful.

Should I attend the job interview question 3

Development or die

One thing that is clear for a successful career in the current climate is having workplace and professional development. As the world of work keeps changing at a rapid pace, career professionals need to keep on top of industry-related changes and sector updates.

Without gaining new skills, gathering new qualifications and understanding the impact of sector technology, a career professional can be left behind. Purchasing your own development opportunities can be highly expensive.

For continuous development, the career hunger individual needs an employer who will fund their professional development.

Should I attend the job interview question 4

Location, location, location

What is the flexibility of the new organisation? Can employees have a home office, is their flexibility in start times, is remote working an option?

If the job is office-based, what is the duration of travel to and from work? What route would the applicant take to work? Research shows how travel affects stress and stress affects work happiness

Plus the cost of travel or not traveling adds up and can take a big chunk out of the employee’s pay package.

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What questions are asked in a job interview

  • Opening questions
  • Organisational questions
  • Work ethic questions
  • Experience questions
  • Questions to ask the employer

Common asked job interview questions

What will an employer ask you in a job interview?

By understanding what interview questions an employer will ask in a job interview, allows an applicant to prepare relevant job interview answers.

Opening Questions

The initial questions asked in an interview are really designed to relax an applicant. These ‘welcome’ questions are not scored against the job criteria (they won’t even reference the job role) but do help an interviewer create a first impression about an applicant before the start of the ‘official’ interview.

“Did you have any trouble finding the premisies?”

“Did you drive or use public transport?”

“Did you watch the (insert any big event) last night?”

Organisational questions

The first official interview questions, commonly, will be based on the applicant’s knowledge of the organisation. Employers here to wanting to check keen an applicant is to work for their organisation.

“Do you know what the company mission and vision is?”

“How long has the organisation been in operation?”

“What made you apply for this role?”

“What values do you look for in an organisation?”

Work ethic questions

Employers, these days, are asking more work ethic related questions than ever before. The changing job market driven through globalisation and technological advances has resulted in career professionals ‘job-hopping’ on a regular basis. Employers will question applicants or their employment reliability

“When did you go above and beyond in a previous role?”

“What is the average time you spend with an organisation?”

“What keeps you motivated in work?”

“How would a previous employer describe you?”

Experience questions

The key section to any job interview is the question around a candidate’s experience. It is the answers to these ‘experience’ questions that result in job offers or the ‘unsuccessful’ phone call.

“Give me an example of when you have solve a problem”

“Tell me a time when you (add any industry related situation)?”

“How do collabrate with other team members?”

“Explain a set back that you had to overcome to achieve an operational objective?”

“How would you deal with (add any industry related problem)?”

Questions to ask the employer

At the interview end, applicants will be given the chance to ask their own questions. This creates a two-way process for the interview; the interviewer checking if the candidate is a suitable person to recruit and the candidate deciding if they would enjoy working for the organisation.

“Can you tell me why do you enjoy working for the company?”

“What does an average day working here consist off?”

“What development and training opportunities are available for new members of staff?”

“How does the company ensure its values are being met?”

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What are the 5 steps for a successful interview

  1. Identify the job criteria
  2. Deliver answers within a structured framework
  3. Be a self-promoter
  4. Communicate with confidence
  5. Ask questions

Step 1 for a successful job interview

Identify the job criteria

The scoring process, for a structured job interview, is to score the interviewee’s answers against the job criteria.

Each of the essential criteria, on a job specification, is discussed through the process of interview question(s) and answer(s). If the job criteria are referenced in the applicant’s answer, the answers are scored higher on the employer’s scorecard.

By identifying the job criteria for each job interview, applicants can prepare high scoring interview answers. The highest scoring candidate is offered the advertised position.

Step 2 for a successful job interview

Deliver answers within a structured framework

Two mistakes can kill job interview success; not talking enough and talking too much.

A lack of information results in low scoring job interview answers, whereas verbal diarrhea ends with too much irrelevant information that can be confusing for an employer.

The solution is to use an ‘interview structure’ for each answer. Typically, a perfect answer follows 3 steps:

Step 1 – Use a hook to grab the employers attention

Step 2 – State a problem and solution

Step 3 – Explain how the discussed ‘skill’ can be beneficial for the new employer

Step 3 for a successful job interview

Be a self-promotor

Interviewers can only score applicants based on their answers.

If you don’t self-promote, employers won’t have any idea of what the applicant can bring to the team. For some, self-promotion feels awkward, but in the job interview self-promotion, isn’t just required, it is expected.

To be successful, the interviewee needs to give an answer to tricky interview questions that not only highlight their strengths but that also sell the career professionals unique selling point

Step 4 for a successful job interview

Communicate with confidence

No matter how much criteria are mentioned in each job interview question, applicants will only score high if each answer is communicated with confidence.

This is because non-verbal communication affects the employer’s likeability factor. If an employer views an applicant as confident, they are more likely to have a stronger rapport with the applicant, which can be the difference between or 3 or 4 scores.

As job offers often go to candidates with only a few points higher then there nearest rival, each additional point does make a difference.

Step 5 for a successful job interview

Ask questions 

Most interviewees wait until the interveiw end to ask questions about the company vision, CPD and salary. But the job interview is designed to be more conversational.

Successful applicants will ask questions throughout the job interview. The key is to ask for specifics when the interviewer has asked a generic question. This ensures that the candidate’s answer is relevant to the asked question, ending with a higher scoring answer

Employers are looking for the best suitable applicant. They don’t want to trick the interviewees, but the job interview process has flaws – the most suitable candidate doesn’t always get offered the advertised the position. To be successful in the job interview, the candidates need to present themselves in the most positive light. 

The interview prediction grid is one way of understanding how an employer sees you in terms of value.

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Job Interview Tips 2020

6 job interview tips to help you pass your next job interview.

Need more support? Scroll down to access 101 job interview questions

Job Interview Tip #1

Focus on criteria, not confidence 

The biggest mistake job applicants make is not referencing enough of the job criteria in the job interview. Instead, they focus on small talk, having a quick response and asking the interviewer mundane questions about salaries and annual leave. 

Criteria is king in the job interview 

Ignore it at your own demise 

Job Interview Tip #2

Posture creates perfection 

Candidates look confident when their posture is perfect. A straight back, head held high and relaxed use of gestures results in an impression of confidence

Confidence creates authority, authority results in job offers

Job Interview Tip #3

High performing answers show value 

Giving everyday examples for technical questions doesnt cut the mustard. To stand out, always present ‘best performing’ answers. Each answer should state an industry-related problem that would cause a major disruption, before blowing the interviewer away by explaining how only you could save the day.

High performing answers create high performing employees 

Job Interview Tip #4

Self-promotion isn’t only good, it’s expected 

If you don’t self-promote in a job interview, the interview is dead. Interview self-promotion is gold. To be successful in the job interview you must always state clearly what it is you can bring to the team, your unique selling point.

Self-promote for a promotion

Job Interview Tip #5

Dress to impress 

Your interview outfit is your armor. What you wear creates that all-important first impression. Your outfit, haircut, scent, everything about you helps to showcase you at your best.

Your armor needs to shine

Job Interview Tip #6

Worry about self-disclosed weaknesses 

The biggest barrier to interview success is self-disclosed weakness. Stop giving away information that will ruin your job interview. Focus on strengths, not weaknesses. Focus on successes, not failures. Focus on the good, not the bad.

Employers hire people for their strengths, not  their weaknesses 

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Culture is More Important than Salary

If you asked a career professional what is the key criteria when assessing which positions to apply for most would answer – salary.

I would disagree. What is more important then a small pay rise is the company culture. An organsiations vision, mission and values set the culture. It is the culture, the day to day running of a business, that indirectly affects employees’ motivation levels.

Let me ask you this – is a £4000 pay rise worth leaving a job you love, to go to an organization that you feel you don’t fit in with? To go from motivation to demotivation? From workplace happiness to workplace misery?

£4000 per year is less then £77 per week – £77 to lose your workplace motivation and career happiness! This article will teach you how to uncover the organisational culture during a job interview, helping you to find the right employer based on what you deem to be important in the workplace.

Happy Career Choice

Content career professionals will work in a job sector that has a natural affinity to their personality, or will for an organization that has a mission the employee believes in. This is easily achieved by taking a career test to help understand what drives you when choosing a new career.

The second factor for career bliss is company culture. Most people fall into a career due to happenstance, but for true workplace satisfaction employees need to find a business that has a culture that links to their motivational traits.

Motivational factors can, on the face of it, look simple – do you prefer wearing a smart or casual dress? Reading this question you may ask “does workplace outfit choice even matter?”

For some people yes; a casual preference employee can feel awkward wearing a suit, or someone who feels professional when wearing a suit feels like they can’t be taken seriously in casual clothes.

Recently I was explaining the motivation of company culture to a friend who works in a professional setting. He joked, saying that people can go to work wearing beach shorts and a loud shirt, but their business won’t ever be that successful if people (employees) are always messing around.

Ever heard of innocent Smoothies? Innocent smoothies are a multimillion business who has company culture at the heart of their business ……and no, you don’t wear suits and ties in their office!

Just read their mission statement: “When we’re old and grey, we want to be able to look back and be really proud of the business we helped create. We think the best way to achieve this is by living the values that are closest to our hearts. Our five values reflect what we are, how we do things, and where we want to be. They hang above every loo in the building so we get to look at them every day.”

How Can You Predict the Company Culture?

In the job interview, you can easily gain an insight into the culture of the business. Vision and mission statements are a good start but not all businesses truly believe in their statements creating a conflict between the face of the organization and the day to day business operations.

Company culture comes down to 3 key elements; the day to day working environment, conflict resolution, and employee engagement. Each of these elements can be discussed in the job interview, helping an applicant make the right choice when offered multiple job offers.

Job Interview Questions for Company Culture

The questions below can be asked throughout the job interview, at the appropriate time, or during the final section of the interviewer when candidates are given the opportunity to ask some questions of their own.

Day to day working environment

Interview Question 1 – how are staff successes celebrated by the organisation?

Interview Question 2 – how do managers keep employees supported?

Interveiw Question 3 – can employees work from home?

Interveiw Question 4 – how manay managers use to work in team poistions?

Interview Question 5 – do you support staff to taker up voluntary positions during work time?

Conflict resolution

Interveiw Question 6 – how are key company decsions that affect teams made?

Interview Question 7 – are there any conflicts of interest across any departments?

Interview Question 8 – what is the approach to resolve anyconflict?

Interview Question 9 – how do senior leaders and stakeholders engage together?

Interview Question 10 – how is employee feedback collected?

Employee engagement

Interview Question 11 – what is the average duration of an employee working for this firm?

Interveiw Question 12 – describe an normal day for you?

Interveiw Question 13 – how much staff development is on offer?

Interview Question 14 – what is your proudest achievement while working for the organization?

Interview Question 15 – how can the company improve in terms of a supportive environment?

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The Interviewers Perception of a Candidates Experience

Understanding how one’s level of knowledge and experience is perceived by an interviewer is often misunderstood.

The unconscious bias created the first impression when the interviewer and interviewee were both introduced to each other. As the first interview question is asked the interviewee’s level of knowledge and experience can alter (or reinforce) the initial assessment.

The schema, fired by the initial meeting, subconsciously creates a prediction that the interviewer will be expecting (cause and effect) on how an applicant will react to a question. When this pattern is interrupted via a confident self-promoting answer, for a perceived nervous candidate, the interviewer’s mind becomes fully alert. It’s the same process when you are walking through a busy town center, minding your own business when a car backfires – you become instantly alert (your conscious mind kicks into action – in this case looking for danger) because something isn’t as it is expected to be; the pattern of walking from A to B was interrupted. In the job interview, the interruption of a pattern (initial impression = unsuitable for this position)  creates a second chance for an applicant to redeem themselves. 

The interview environment is an analytical process whereas the original opinion of an applicant is subconscious. Because interviewers are forced to be highly conscious, in the interview environment, analysing the interviewee’s answers, a new funnel can be created through the creation of an interview identity.

Within a structured interview process, the interviewers will be making notes that they later reference against the score criteria. An applicant who is referencing the high scoring criteria, especially when delivered in a confident manner, can be seen in a new light overriding the pre-interview assessment. 

Therefore the perceived level of knowledge and experience is, in the main, a logical process; the interviewee states or doesn’t state the criteria on the scorecard. The initial bias, though, can still influence the logical decision, potentially giving a point higher or lower than a similarly skilled candidate, delivering an identical answer who didn’t create the same bias at the interview start.

Imagine, as an example, that an interviewer doesn’t believe a female should perform a traditionally masculine role. The initial bias is a negative one. As the female candidate states her skills, knowledge and expertise with a confident and charismatic delivery style, the interviewer is swayed and the limiting belief is first interrupted then changed – this female is suitable for a traditionally masculine role. The next candidate has the same experience, skills and qualifications as the female applicant, but is male. Even if both the female and male applicants possessed the same experiences, gained working for the same employer, and, word-for-word, gave the same answer, it is likely that the interviewer will score the male candidate higher due to their initial schema.

It is very common for employers to be torn between two similar scoring applicants. While reviewing the allocated points against the job criteria, it is often the intuitive ‘gut’ feeling (affected easily by bais) that makes the difference between an applicant being offered the position over another equally suited candidate. 

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Job Interview Reflection Questions

Do you know the difference between successful career professionals and those who get left behind?

“Career success comes from interview success“

To develop your interview skills research explains that you need to follow 3 interview rules

Rule 1 – Identify the Job Criteria

Rule 2 – Be a Self-Promoter

Rule 3 – Communciate with Confidence

To improve your interview ability use the 10 interview reflection questions

Interview Reflection Question 1 How did you showcase your strengths?

Interview Reflection Question 2 Which question(s) did you answer well?

Interview Reflection Question 3 Which job criteria did your answers reference?

Interview Reflection Question 4 In what way did you actively promote yourself?

Interview Reflection Question 5 How did you portray confidence?

Interview Reflection Question 6 What do you need to do differently?

Interview Reflection Question 7 Which question(s) were you less confident in answering?

Interview Reflection Question 8 In which way did you show nervousness?

Interview Reflection Question 9 How did you self-disclose weaknesses?

Interview Reflection Question 10 What do you need to do to improve your interview performance?

By reflecting on your job interview process you can review what you need to develop in terms of increasing job offers. When answering these 10 job interview reflection questions for several of your previous job interviews, not just one. This collated data will allow you to understand in your job interview performance meets the 3 interview success rules

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