The keys to great interviews consist of the following points:

Preparation
Structured Interview
In-depth probing of applicant answers, and
Consistent evaluation of applicants

If you are experiencing less than desirable applicant selection, or high turnover, you problem most likely resides in a poor selection program. Many managers have said, “well, it must be the pay, we’re just not paying them enough, or “we don’t have the best benefits.” The truth is that there are people who work for your company who do a great job with the current salary and benefits, so the answer lies in your selection program.

You need to find out what these successful incumbents do, why they like doing the work, then find more individuals like them. Let’s start by discussing preparation. More →

The interview begins like any other, exchanged pleasantries and then the interviewer starts asking really strange, specific questions. “Give me a specific example of a time when you didn’t meet a deadline.” Your mind races for an example which answers the question and then turns that failure into a success as suggested by your highly regarded interviewing book. The problem is that your outdated book taught you how to interview for traditional interviews-not behavioral (competency-based) interviews.  More →

Question : I have an interview coming up and I found out it’s going to be a group interview. What can I expect in a group interview and how can I prepare for one?

Answer:
A panel or group interview usually involves a team of interviewers. The interviewers may include a representative from the department, a representative from personnel, a manager or any other combination.

The group interview subscribes to the notion that the more people involved in the hiring decision, the better the chances for hiring the best candidate. More →

Think of the screening interview as the “give me a reason to reject you as a potential candidate” interview. The person doing the screening is trying to screen you out before they invite you to an employment interview. This type of interview is often conducted over the telephone.

Screening interviewers will ask specific questions:

To see if you lack certain skills or minimum qualifications for the job
To see if your answers are consistent with your resume
To see if you can communicate effectively More →

The team interview subscribes to the notion that the more people involved in the hiring decision, the better the chances are of hiring the best candidate. Applicants will either meet the entire group at once, or will meet each member individually. The interview team members will assemble at the end of the interview to compare notes.

Team interviews are effective when they are structured and the interviewing teams use a common assessment guide to rate each applicant, otherwise, the interview ends up being a conversation with the final decision often being a “gut instinct” decision. More →

This type of interview is a close relative of the behavioral interview. Questions used in situational interviews are directly derived from specific activities of the job. Applicants are asked these situational questions to evaluate how they might behave in the situation.

Example of a situational question:

A customer brings in a car for repair on Monday and is asked to return on Wednesday. The repair isn’t finished when the customer returns on Wednesday. How would you handle the situation as the service manager? More →

This interview technique is quickly becoming a favorite among employers. You will know you are in a behavioral interview when the interviewer starts asking you for specific examples of past performance.

The basic premise driving behavioral (competency-based) interviews is that an applicant’s recent, relevant past performance is the best predictor of future performance, in a similar environment. You can rest assured that a behavior-based interview question is directly linked to an important task or essential function of the position. More →

Traditional interviews are still common in small to medium-sized companies. Much of the interview success will depend on your ability to establish rapport with the interviewer, since many of their questions are hypothetical or theoretical. You will quickly know that you are in a traditional interview if the interviewer doesn’t have a list of questions to ask you, or the questions are vague, unfocused or theoretical. More →

One have to addresses the following key topics:

Personal Issues
Self-Assessment
Resumes and Cover Letters

Personal Issues

We spoke with numerous individuals who were downsized and incorporated their suggestions in this very powerful component on overcoming a job loss. Viewers will actually see and hear actual career transitioners talk about their job loss and what steps they took to address their emotional issues and regain their confidence. More →

1. Why do you feel you would do well in this position?

Problem: Feeling questions try to uncover attitudes, motives, etc. Applicant answers are highly subjective and subject to the interviewer’s interpretations and biases. Feeling data says little about what an applicant “can” actually do or actually “will” do in a specific situation or task. Your final decision is often “gut instinct since these types of questions won’t allow you to verify how the applicant actually performed.

2. Why did you decide to do the task that way? More →