How To Perform A Job Interview

Bonus Tip: Work On Your Answers

You know you can do the job make sure the interviewer believes you can, too. One way to do this is by preparing well-thought-out answers to questions they’re most likely to ask. Need some help with that? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you’ll get interview tips, career advice, and job search insights sent directly to your inbox so you can come across as a strong, viable candidate. From ice breakers to the nitty-gritty , Monster’s expert advice can help you craft answers that highlight your skills and eagerness to get the job.

Understand The Star Interview Format

STAR is an acronym that stands for situation, task, action, and result. It is an interview technique used to gather relevant information about a specific capability for a job. Generally, job candidates use the STAR method to answer behavioral interview questions. For instance, they may tell you about a time when they used a particular skill to overcome a specific challenge at the workplace.

If the interviewee does not use the STAR method to answer the questions, the interviewer can use it to request more information or create follow-up questions. For instance, we can ask the interviewee to be more specific or describe the results of their action.

Assessing The Candidates Desire Factor

Theres no excuse for candidates not having researched your company, its achievements, competitors, and challenges prior to an interview. Still, some will go out of their way to articulate their understanding of who you are and why theyre so excited about joining your firm.

What youre really trying to get to here is whether the candidate wants a job or whether they want this job. Try questions like these to isolate those who are hungriest for the opportunity that you offer:

• What do you know about our organization?
• Why would you want to work here?
• In your mind, what makes us stand out from our competitors?
• If you were to accept this position with us today, how would you explain that to a prospective employer five years from now?
• How would this role with our company provide a link to your future career progression?

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Conduct The Perfect Job Interview In Twelve Simple Steps

Speaker, Inc. Magazine contributing editor, author of THE MOTIVATION MYTH, ghostwriter.

Your goal is to hire the best people you possibly can.

That means your interview should be the best it possibly can. The stakes are simply too high to do otherwise.

Here are 12 steps to help you conduct the perfect job interview:

1. Truly understand what you need.

Experience, qualifications, and credentials are all important. But great employees don’t just perform a job they solve at least one critical business need.

Identify that critical need, determine how you measure success in the position, assess the common attributes of your top performers, determine what qualities mesh with your culture… and tailor everything in your selection process finding the perfect person to solve that critical business need.

Otherwise youre just going through the motions.

2. Determine how you will find the perfect person to fill need that need.

Say you need an outstanding programmer. Great: Now determine how you will identify “outstanding.” That may include certifications, specific accomplishments, the right references, or even an on-the-spot test.

Then consider your culture. Skills are important, but attitude is often more important. Determine how you will identify the person with the right personality, interpersonal skills, and interests. That may involve a few lunches with key team members, or a day on the golf course, or an evening at a ball game.

You’re actually listening — and engaged.

Job Interview Questions And Answers

Here’s a list of common job interview questions, with examples of the best answers about you, your work history and experience, the job, your goals, the new job, salary, and what you have to offer the employer.

If you’re in a hurry and want to speed up your interview preparation, here’s a list of the top 10 interview questions employers typically ask, example answers, and tips for giving the best response.

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Preparing & Conducting Interviews

Being well prepared and then conducting an interview methodically will help you make the most of this important recruitment tool.

When interviewing job candidates, you want to determine what sort of people they are, how good their interpersonal skills are, how they might react under stress, whether they have the skills for the job, and whether they have been honest in their resumes.

Create A List Of Questions To Ask The Interviewers

At the end of the interview, the hiring manager will probably ask you if you have any questions. Have a few questions prepared to show the hiring manager you’re interested in the job and company. Reread the job description and review the company’s website to craft thoughtful questions that can help you learn more about what it would be like to work there. Some good questions to ask include:

• How would you describe the company culture?
• What would my day-to-day responsibilities look like?
• Who would I work with most?
• How would my performance be measured?
• Why is the position open?
• What are the next steps in the interview?

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Understand The Importance Of Body Language And Tone Of Voice

Your tone of voice can say volumes about your personality traits and your confidence. If you want to make a lasting impression on the interviewers, practice speaking in a confident and strong voice that is professional but friendly at the same time. Also, focus on your body language and pay attention to how you shake hands, how you walk into a room, how you maintain eye contact, and when and how you smile.

Do Not Wear Too Much Makeup

Wearing too much makeup can distract the interviewer because they may be worried about how it looks instead of paying attention to what youre saying. Only apply as much as necessary as this shows that you care enough about yourself to look presentable in public and keep from being distracted by your makeup.

In addition, people should only have clear glasses frames if they have prescription lenses to see their eyes when talking to them.

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How to Conduct a Job Interview: Ask the Right QuestionsBy using the criteria you have decided on, you can form pointed questions that make the most of your time with the candidate. Tom S. Turner, a Vancouver-based independent consultant who designs selection systems, uses a list of about seven to 12 criteria and develops four questions for each factor he is looking for. Two questions are positively worded, meaning they ask the candidate to speak about something he or she did well. One question is negatively worded, meaning it asks the candidate to think about a time when they made a mistake and how they dealt with it. And the last question serves as a backup in case the candidate draws a blank on one of the other questions.

There are many different approaches to creating job interview questions:

Fact-based or general questions: “How many years did you work at Most interviews include some questions that clarify information listed on the candidate’s resume. Questions that ask about why the candidate wants to pursue a job in a specific field or with your company also fall into this category.

Because they are generally accepted to generate the most accurate responses, most professional recruiters dedicate the majority of each interview to these type of questions.

How to Conduct a Job Interview: Interview Structure

How to Conduct a Job Interview: Have a Rating System

Looking For Compatibility Not Just Likeability

We all tend to hire in our own image, but when it comes to how to conduct an interview, you need to look beyond immediate chemistry by asking questions such as:

• How many hours a day do you find it necessary to work in order to get your job done?
• How sensitive are you to accepting constructive criticism?
• Describe the pace that you typically work in the office moderate, fast, or hair-on-fire?
• How much structure, direction, and feedback do you generally prefer on a day-to-day basis?
• Do you generally ask for permission or forgiveness when making decisions?

Some natural follow-ups to these types of questions would be to inquire about specific examples. So, for example, a natural follow-up to the last question above would be:

• Tell me about a time when you may not have erred on the side of caution when you should have.

These types of questions help you to better match an individuals personal style to your departments corporate culture. Without rounding out these questions, you could end up with someone who can do the job technically but whos totally out of sync with the rest of your team.

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Read And Review The Job Description

Youve received a call for that dream job, so how do you prepare for the interview? The first step in the preparation process should be to go back and review the job description. Most job descriptions follow a similar pattern and are usually categorised by the following points:

• Job title/Department
• Duties and tasks
• Skills required

The job title and department will give you an understanding of the major purpose of the position and where the role fits into the organisation, allowing you to discover who your potential line manager could be.

Read and review the job description very thoroughly and be sure to align your competencies with the skills required for the job. You will consequently ready yourself for questions around your previous experiences, performing similar duties in other organisations.

Proper Phone Interview Etiquette

Review these guidelines for appropriate phone interview etiquette, so you make the best impression on your interviewer.

Answer the phone yourself. First, be sure to let family members and/or roommates know you are expecting a call. When you answer the phone, respond with your name. You can say, “This is Jane Doe” or “John Smith speaking!” That way, the interviewer will know they’ve reached the right person. Make sure to use an upbeat tone of voice .

Follow the interviewer’s lead. Some interviewers may wish to engage in a few minutes of small talk. Others may want to get right into the interview. Let the interviewer steer the start to the conversation, but be prepared to talk about the weather or make other small talk.

Listen carefully to the interviewer and don’t start speaking until the interviewer finishes the question. If you have something you want to say, jot it down on your notepad and mention it when it’s your turn to talk. It can also be helpful to jot down the question .

Don’t worry if you need a few seconds to think of a response, but don’t leave too much dead air. If you need the interviewer to repeat the question, ask.

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Get Ready For The Call

Before the call, confirm all the details, including the date, time, and who you will be talking to. Be sure you know whether the interviewer is calling you or if you need to make the call.

If something goes wrong and you miss the call, or the recruiter doesn’t call on time, take a deep breath and try to stay calm. You should be able to get the call back on track or reschedule if need be.

Use a quiet, comfortable, and private space with no distractions so you can focus on the interview.

If you’ll be using your cellphone, make sure it’s fully charged, and you are in a spot with good reception for the call. You may also find that standing during an interview helps you sound more energetic during the call.

Keep Note Of Other Small Details

Avoid chewing gum during the entire process. And make sure you check yourself out beforehand by bringing along a small mirror for last-minute checks & such.

You want to stand out but not unattractively avoid clothes with logos or obscene language printed across them. Avoid large clothing as well & be sure to dress smart and professional.

Just be yourself and dress nicely get to know the company beforehand, so you get an idea of what they like their employees to wear. Say thank you after the interview and follow any other instructions they give you. Good luck with your future job interviews!

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Experiment With A Different Interview Format

Unstructured interviews that flow like friendly conversations make the process pleasant for both candidates and interviewers. But, they arent the most effective way to hire the best candidate.

Structured interviews are better predictors of job performance, more legally defensible and better for record-keeping. During structured interviews, you ask the same questions to all candidates in a specific order and score them with a predetermined rating scale. Your Applicant Tracking System may have built-in checklists or interview scorecards to help you rate candidates this way.

Related: The pros & cons of interview scorecards

How To Assess Candidates In A Job Interview

Are you sure you are assessing your candidates the best way? Learn the best practice tips and tricks for assessing candidates in a job interview. Youll also discover 5 questions that can help you assess the performance, responsibility and ownership the candidate has displayed in the past.

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Gauging The Candidates Level Of Self

As you try to determine a candidates awareness of themselves and how they fit into organizations, consider opening your interview with a question like:

• Walk me through your progression in your career leading me up to your current role.

This is a good way to get a candidates job history as well as their view of their progression. Once you have their answer, follow up with questions such as:

• How have you had to reinvent your job in light of your organizations changing needs?
• What makes you stand out among your peers?
• What would your most respected critic say of your strengths, areas for development, and future potential in your field?

In addition to probing an individuals assessment of themselves, you also want to ask questions about how they assess their organizations, with questions like:

• How many employees does your company have?
• Whats your organizations annual revenue base?
• How is your department structured in terms of reporting relationships?
• How exactly does your company make money, and what are its two biggest expenses?

Depending on the level of the candidate youre interviewing, their responses can provide excellent insights into their level of business acumen and self-awareness.

Why You Should Make Interviews More Difficult

What does the difficulty of a job interview have to do with employee satisfaction? According to a Glassdoor Economic Research study, more difficult job interviews are statistically linked to higher employee satisfaction across six countries examined: U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France. In fact, in examining more than 150,000 interview and company reviews submitted to Glassdoor by the same person, for the same company, we found that 10% more difficult job interview process is associated with 2.6% higher employee satisfaction later on and that on a scale of one to five, with five being the most difficult, job candidates prefer an interview that scores a four. In other words, candidates want an interview thats a little tough.

Candidates who go through a rigorous but not too rigorous interview process can perceive that the company places a high value on finding employees who are a good match for both the position and the company culture. By meeting with multiple team members and sharing their skills in a presentation or assignment, candidates get a comprehensive picture of the culture and job, and team members get a sense of the contribution the candidate will make as an employee.

Here are four ways to make your interview process more difficult:

1. Employ creative interviewing

Candidates with a speech-related disabilities

Candidates with a physical disabilities

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Why Is Previous Job Performance Assessment Important

Of course, there is a school of thought that may ask out loud, why is previous job performance important?

After all, if the employee was a high performer, any organization will ensure that the employee is retained, motivated and provided the best opportunities to continue performing.

And if that is how it is so, then why will a high performer want to leave the organization?

If the reason is compensation, then is that the only reason why we should be hiring the candidate because anyways, tomorrow there will be someone else offering higher and there will be no way to retain such people.

Thus, isnt it counterintuitive to try to dig into past performance and run the risk of making a wrong judgement?

Why Did You Leave Your Old Job

Either a dreaded job interview question, a delicate one or one with a simple answer, youll almost definitely have to answer this common interview question. Whatever your situation, be sure to give things positive spin, but also be honest. Another important thing to remember is to not talk negatively about past jobs or employees.

If you were let go from your last job, theres no need to hide it or over-explain it. It happens most people were made redundant at some stage in their lives. You can say something as simple as unfortunately, I was let go. If your last company made a number of people redundant e.g. due to restructure or financial problems, mention that you dont want them to think you were the only employee who was let go, as it might make them think that it was due to low performance.

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