What Is An Open Interview

How To Handle A Walk

What is an open job interview, and why do companies use them? When companies have many positions to fill, they often hold open interviews where anyone who is interested in applying can show up to interview with the employer.

An open interview is a chance to meet with a hiring manager without having to go through a formal screening and selection process prior to being chosen for an interview. However, you may have to wait to meet with an interviewer, and there may be other candidates interviewing for the same job you are.

Learn how open job interviews work, how to prepare, what to bring, and how to ace a walk-in job interview.

What Is The Star Method In Interviewing

The STAR method is an interview technique that organizes answers to behavioral questions into a structured response format as follows:

Situation: Describes a specific situation that pertains to the question. Outline the particulars of the circumstance.

Task: Explain the objective.

Action: Illustrate the steps and actions taken in order to achieve the desired goal. Be as detailed as possible and focus on individual contributions.

Response: Relay the outcome of the action and evaluate results.

This interview structure ensures that the interviewer receives comprehensive answers that provide a more complete picture of applicants work styles. Though situations should ideally be from past jobs, entry-level applicants or candidates pursuing career changes may draw on from experiences from school, internships, volunteer work, or other industries.

The Interview Research Method

By Dr. Saul McLeod, published 2014

Interviews are different from questionnaires as they involve social interaction. Unlike questionnaires methods, researchers need training in how to interview .

Researchers can ask different types of questions which in turn generate different types of data.For example, closed questions provide people with a fixed set of responses, whereas open questions allow people to express what they think in their own words.

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Quite often interviews will be recorded by the researcher and the data written up as a transcript which can be analyzed at a later date.

It should be noted that interviews may not be the best method to use for researching sensitive topics as people may feel more comfortable completing a questionnaire in private.

Interviews take many forms, some very informal, others more structured.

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What To Wear To A Recruitment Day Event

The employer hosting the recruitment event may indicate whether theres a formal or casual dress code. If there isnt any guidance on what to wear, research the company to help you understand whats appropriate to their business culture. For any type of interview, dressing neatly and professionally is always a good idea.

How Would You Describe Your Strengths And Weaknesses

When interviewers ask about your strengths and weaknesses, they are evaluating your overall performance and how you overcome challenges to make improvements. By highlighting how you apply your strengths and how you’re improving on your weaknesses can show the interviewer how you can support their organization.

Example:I have always been a natural leader. With over seven years of experience in finance and accounting, I have exceeded my KPIs continuously. My previous employer extended promotions to me twice within the last three years, and I’ve used every opportunity to apply their feedback to improve and develop my skill set.

I enjoy taking on leadership opportunities, but can sometimes be too critical of myself and often feel I could have done more, even if my performance exceeds expectations. One way I have been working to improve this weakness is by incorporating more encouraging self-talk and celebrating my achievements, even if it’s a simple acknowledgement of my personal success.

Read more:Interview Question: “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?”

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Be On Message From The Outset

Politicians coached in handling the media are always advised to have a maximum of three key messages to get across, which they should stick to and repeat throughout any interview.

Similarly, its a good idea to have two or three key points that you want to make about what you have to offer and what youre looking for for example, Im ready for the challenge of managing a team, I combine compliance experience with technical expertise, in my career, Ive developed an extensive digital transformation skillset.

These are the three key points that you want your interviewer to remember about you. So try and work them in naturally whenever you can, even in the first few minutes. Its also important to have a ready answer for some of the most common questions that come up early on such as Tell me why you want this job and Whats your understanding of what this job involves?

Dont Mix Personal And Professional Relationships

It is not advisable to discuss their personal or private matters with the interviewer. For example, they should avoid sharing any work related information with the interviewer, or revealing personal information about themselves. While talking, they should keep a balance.

Read More: What is a Behavioral Interview?

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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.

Treat Everyone You Meet As Your Interviewer

Make sure that youre polite and friendly to everyone you come across in the interview process. From greeting the receptionist, to the people you share a lift with, to walking through an open-plan office to reach your meeting-room These are all touchpoints with your potential future employer, and co-workers will often share their impressions of visitors afterwards, so you want everyone who comes into contact with you to see you in as positive a light as possible.

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What Is The Purpose Of Open Interviews

The primary purpose of having this interview is to speed up and reduce costs during the recruitment process. This is done by involving as many applicants as possible and making this process face-to-face via group meetings.

Large companies typically use this type of recruitment with hundreds or thousands of jobs that need filling at once because it saves time and money by allowing many people to be seen at once.

The job interview session is based on key-to-key interviewing. It means that during an open job interview, each manager will have a chance to meet the applicants one by one and decide whether they want to hire them or not.

The interview process is complicated, but despite this fact, it is a very effective way for employers to make the best decision in hiring. The key benefit is that recruiters will be able to see lots of potential employees quickly and choose the candidate they want.

What To Bring With You

Applicants may be asked to complete a job application prior to a meeting with an interviewer. Bring a list of all the information you need to complete a job application:

• Contact Information
• Work History
• Education
• Certifications

Bring a few extra copies of your resume, if you have one, and a list of references, as well. A pad and pen are handy for taking notes and completing forms.

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Be Ready For The Small Talk

Getting the small talk right can have big consequences. Its a way for people to build rapport and affinity, and start to generate that elusive, intangible quality of chemistry that characterises all effective business relationships.

So as part of your interview preparation, its a good idea to think ahead to some likely topics that might come up, so as to help keep the conversation flowing smoothly. The key is to come up with topics where you have a shared interest, so that youre able to both ask and answer credible questions.

For example, if you see a picture of your interviewers family, perhaps you could ask about them and be ready with a family anecdote of your own. Or if youre a sports fan and you spot signs that your interviewer is too, perhaps you could ask a suitable question that youve also got an interesting answer to .

Think, too, about topical themes. For example, has your potential employer been in the news recently? Or could you ask about the potential impact on the company of a recent development, such as Brexit or falling share prices or a serious malware attack? In each case, make sure you have an interesting thought of your own to contribute too.

Advertised On A Companys Website

Some companies might promote a hiring event on their website. These types of open interviews are usually held during a particular time slot and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Companies offering jobs based on seasonal trends or needing to fill a lot of positions simultaneously might host open interviews on a daily or weekly basis.

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What Are The Types Of Open Interview

There are two types of open interviews: on-site and telephone interviews.

Open on-site interviews- These interviews happen directly at the company’s office, where all open positions are listed to be open for open interviews.

Open telephone interview- The applicants dial a specific telephone number to reach the company’s open hiring department. They can have an open phone interview with one of their representatives to go over all the open positions.

Why Do You Want This Position

Technically, this is a question you might face during any interview. However, during walk-in interviews, it is practically guaranteed. The hiring manager wants to know what motivated you to attend the event and why you found the opportunity appealing.

Even if they have to hire dozens, hundreds, or thousands of employees, the hiring manager wants to make sure they choose candidates who arent just looking for any job. Passionate employees are more likely to excel, so they want to see if youre excited about the role. Show them that you are.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

Im interested in the position for several reasons. First, based on my past experience, I feel its an excellent fit for my current skills and that I could provide the company with a substantial amount of value.

Second, I view this as a chance to hone my professional capabilities while helping the company thrive. The role is critical to the companys mission, and I value the chance to be a part of that.

Finally, the company has an outstanding reputation. Not only is it active in the community and a leader in its industry, but its also known for supporting its employees wholeheartedly. Thats the kind of employer I can see myself working for over the long-term, and thats another reason why I find this position so enticing.

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What To Bring To A Recruitment Event

Documents you will likely need to bring along include:

• Up to 30 copies of your resume. You can also prepare a list of references.
• Specific certifications that are relevant to the position. For example, a first-aid certificate.
• Identification such as your drivers license. You could also provide a copy of your passport.
• Something to pass the time. There may be a long wait until its your turn to be seen by the interviewer, so come prepared with something to read, such as a book, magazine or your interview notes and company research.
• Something to eat and drink. Some recruitment events will provide these, but you may want to bring your own, especially if you have any special dietary requirements.

You can also check the event details about the suggested items you should bring. Be sure to keep all of your necessary paperwork in a folder so you can easily access the documents you need in an organized manner.

Why Should We Select You Of All People

In the interview, the recruiter establishes whether or not you have a genuine interest in the job and assesses your skills and competence. Above all, the interview will provide the employer information about your interaction skills and attitudes. If you are interviewed by a panel, pay equal attention to all of its members.

Remember that your gestures, facial expressions and your way of talking say a lot about you. Listen to the questions you are asked, and take your time thinking about the answers. Be honest in your replies, but also decide what it would be best to leave out.

There are two parties in filling a vacancy. When given a chance, ask questions about the job and the employer. Well-prepared questions may spark a good discussion that the interviewer will remember. Also be prepared to answer unexpected questions. The interviewer may, for example, test your language skills by changing languages.

The interview usually has three stages

After the interview, think about how you feel the interview went. What went well, and where could you have done better?

If you are not selected, find out from the employer or the interviewer what factors where stressed in the selection and which ones influenced the decision not to select you.

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Best Interview Questions To Ask Candidates In 2021

You found our list of the best interview questions to ask candidates.

Interview questions are questions that employers ask to determine the best fit for a position among a pool of candidates. Because interviewers have a limited amount of time to evaluate candidates, recruiters select questions that elicit informative and comprehensive answers. Examples of the most common interview questions include tell me about yourself, and what is your greatest accomplishment? but interviewers occasionally pose more strategic or unique questions to test applicants critical thinking skills and creativity.

These questions can also serve as icebreaker questions or team building questions.

This article contains:

So, here is the list!

Questions On Handling Stress

How do you handle stress? is almost always asked in a behavioral interview. This is one answer you don’t want to come up with off the top of your head, so do your homework. Come up with real-life examples that highlight your stress-management skills.

When responding, don’t blame others for the stress you felt. Instead, highlight how you used your amazing soft skills to overcome the stressful obstacle and ultimately succeed.

Acknowledge that you do experience stress not doing so will make interviewers think you don’t take your job very seriously or that you’re lying. If you’re blanking on work examples, explain how you personally manage your stress. For example, sharing that you meditate or run to alleviate your stress shows the interviewer that you don’t let things bottle up until you burn out.

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Common Open Interview Mistakes To Avoid

If you attend a walk-in interview event, even small mistakes can cost you the job. Usually, there are going to be a ton of applicants in attendance. If you dont shine during the open interview, theres a good chance someone else did.

First, not being prepared for everything that may go down is a big no-no. Ideally, you want to have several copies of your resume ready. Also, you want to wear proper interview attire.

If there is going to be a paper application, it doesnt hurt to bring your own pen along, too. After all, theres always a chance that pens will slowly disappear throughout the day, so better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it.

Another one of the biggest mistakes candidates make during open interviews is showing up near the end of the allotted time window. At this point, the hiring manager or recruiters are usually exhausted. Plus, in some cases, a hiring decision may have already been made.

MIKE’S TIP:

A surprising mistake many candidates make doesnt involve how they interact with company representatives. Instead, its how they interact with other candidates.

During an open interview, theres a good chance youre going to cross paths with other job seekers hoping to land the position you want. In many cases, that makes things a bit contentious. If youre rude or aggressive to other candidates, theres a good shot that wont go unnoticed. That alone can cost you the job.

Common Open Interview Mistakes

Avoid these open interview mistakes to make the best impression possible:

• Not being prepared. You may think open interviews sound informal, but things are unlikely to go well if you show up dressed unprofessionally without any copies of your resume ready. And if you dont have writing materials handy, you wont be able to take down notes about what you learn during the interview process.

• Showing up late. Never turn up near the end of the open interview window, unless its really the only time you can make it. At this stage, the hiring managers are usually worn out and may have even made some decisions about what candidates are going through to the next round.

• Being impolite to other candidates. Youre going to be in a room with other candidates during an open interview, and how you interact with these people is almost as important as how you interact with the recruiters. Coming across as hyper-competitive or standoffish can make you look like you wont get along well with others.

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Benefits Of Open House Interviews

For the employer, open house interviews eliminate the hassle of scheduling a large number of individual interviews in advance. Union Savings Bank emphasizes that having many candidates in one setting can also speed up the initial screening process, which is important for positions that need to be filled quickly.

In additi0n, candidates have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience of the company and its culture. They can also make use their interpersonal skills to make a favorable impression instead of relying solely on their resumes.