With the situation of searching for a new job over the pastTen years, probably, every person has encountered. What we have not had to endure: financial crises, stock market crashes, political reforms - all this in one way or another affects work activity. Accordingly, an integral part of our life is an interview when hiring - a kind of mini-exam on the topic of whether you are suitable for the position you are interested in or not. The most important thing you must do is to make a good impression on the interviewer. Your future employment depends on this. Therefore, it is very important to demonstrate interest in this work and think in advance how you can be useful to this organization.
Interviewing Techniques
There are many ways to organizeinterviews. The HR manager chooses the one that is most suitable for the goal. The decision is primarily influenced by the nature of the position: how responsible it is, what qualities a suitable candidate should have, etc. Accordingly, the following interview methods can be distinguished:
- Interview on competencies;
- Testing;
- Stress-interview;
- Group interview;
Competency Interviews
One of the most common optionsjob interviews. And this is logical, because at such a meeting it is your knowledge, skills and abilities that are tested, and not your attitude towards the president or religious views (although this does happen, but fortunately, rarely). The recruiter evaluates to what extent you have the qualities that are necessary for effective work in the position under discussion. A list of competencies is compiled in advance and questions with tasks aimed at testing them are selected. The main idea is that based on information about the past and present behavior, you can draw a conclusion about what kind of employee a person will be. And, you must agree, it is not without common sense. Usually, during an interview aimed at testing competencies, real situations that a person has encountered in the past are discussed. As a rule, such a conversation begins with a discussion of one or more key achievements of the applicant at a previous place of work. There is a high probability that several competencies will come up at once during the conversation, because they are needed to achieve success. Next, the recruiter asks the applicant to provide examples of other similar situations in which he demonstrated knowledge and skills important for future work. But it should be noted that such a scheme is usually used in interviews with candidates who have already passed the preliminary selection. The case method is another technique actively used by recruiters when conducting interviews. Here, specific problem situations are used to assess the applicant's competencies, the solution to which he must offer within a limited time. They are always close to work or even taken from real practice. In general, cases can be divided into several groups:
- investigating the values and views of the applicant;
- checking the knowledge and skills necessary for the post;
- demonstrating individual models of behavior and personal qualities;
Nowadays the case method is actively used inchecking candidates for any vacancies: lawyer, accountant, sales manager, marketer, department head, psychologist, etc. ... In any case, the main thing is to offer specific actions, not to explain them and describe them in detail. Your ideas should be constructive and effective, and then you will pass this stage with flying colors!
Testing
Tests are actively used in the conduct ofall sorts of selection events and interviews. Agree, this is very convenient for the employer: give the applicant a test, look at the result and decide on the professional suitability. And the poor candidate for the position is worried, anxious and tries to cheat this test in every possible way! It sounds funny, but this is how it really happens. Therefore, it is so important not to overwork yourself in guessing the meaning of the test: on the one hand, it will not be superfluous, so as not to make stupid mistakes, and on the other hand, the methods are compiled by experienced psychologists and have complex lie scales within themselves, which are almost impossible to cheat. So try to be as honest as possible in answering the questions. In order to prepare for the testing procedure, it is useful to know what methods there are:
When taking tests, don't "cheat"yourself - your fate and even your future career do not depend on one test. Treat them as a regular job: take a deep breath in and out, calm down - and complete all the tasks. Do not hesitate to clarify any details that remain unclear to you before the test, but do not bother the interviewer with questions during the testing process. And remember that the test usually only filters out those who are completely unsuitable for the position, and more or less suitable candidates will be interviewed further. One type of testing is a projective interview. It differs from the usual one in that instead of your figure, you and the recruiter discuss people in general or a particular character. This type of interview is based on what psychologists call projection, namely the tendency to attribute your thoughts, feelings, character traits and other elements of the individual's inner world to other people. Examples of questions include: “What motivates people to work effectively?”, “Why do people want to make a career?”, etc. … Specifically, the candidate’s motivational sphere is assessed here. You understand, it is better to answer such questions in a positive way. Sometimes recruiters use projective testing techniques. As a rule, these are drawing or semi-drawing techniques that a person must describe, retell or come up with an interpretation for. In this case, it is much more difficult to prepare for such a test, because the subtleties of interpretation are known only to a qualified specialist, and you simply cannot remember them all. Therefore, in such a situation, you just have to be honest and hope that you are really suitable for the position.
Stress - interview
You've probably heard that in someIn some cases, recruiters behave completely incorrectly: they swear, call names, are late and do other unpleasant things. But this does not happen due to a lack of upbringing! Most likely, this is a well-thought-out move - the so-called stress interview. The task of the HR manager at such a meeting is to try to get the candidate angry and see how he will behave. After all, this is the only way to really test stress resistance, and not believe the words written in the resume. What methods do recruiters use to stress candidates for the position?
- Psychological pressureIt is treated assome kind of interference for comfortable interaction, as well as the behavior of the recruiter. For example, constant noise outside the window is quite capable of driving a person who has been listening to it for an hour to white heat. Or heat and stuffiness, in which it is simply impossible to be. Your conversation can drag on so much that it will start to seriously irritate you. Well, and, of course, rudeness, rudeness and arrogance of the interviewer - all this contributes to the creation of a negative psychological atmosphere.
- "Cross-examination" Recruiter may firstask questions about your family life, and then abruptly and unexpectedly move on to discussing work plans. And you simply can not switch from one to another! In addition, the conversation really begins to resemble interrogation, because the recruiter asks you for the most minute details and draws attention to any inconsistencies, which is very unpleasant.
- "Good and bad policeman" Already becomeclassics, but is still an effective method of psychological pressure on a person. Interview with you are conducted by two recruiters: one behaves very kindly and correctly, and the second constantly "pins" and "pushes" on you. And the first necessarily emphasizes the fact that the second "better not to be angry."
It is worth understanding why HR managers are activelyuse stress interviews. First of all, it is necessary for recruiting personnel for positions associated with constant emotional and psychological stress: sales managers, marketers, top managers, etc. ... At such a meeting, the candidate truly opens up, and you can see how he actually, and not in words, behaves in stressful situations. In addition, a stress interview perfectly demonstrates such skills of the applicant as the ability to think quickly, distribute attention, make decisions and respond to conflict. However, one should distinguish such an interview from banal rudeness and aggression on the part of the recruiter and employer. After a real stress interview, the interviewer must apologize and explain the situation to you, because otherwise you will be left with an unpleasant aftertaste, and you will either change your mind about getting a job in this company, or set yourself up for aggression towards the management in advance. If there is no explanation, you can ask this question yourself and think about the prospects for further employment if you were not given a clear answer.
Group interview
Don't slam the door right away if youcame to an interview and found themselves in the company of the same applicants. This does not always mean some kind of deception, rather, the employer prefers to save human and time resources when selecting personnel, optimizing this process. In addition, during a group interview, it is always visible how a person behaves in a team, what decisions he makes and how well he can control himself. There are several scenarios for conducting a mass interview:
Group interviews have their ownadvantages and disadvantages. The downside is the length of the interview and the limited attention span of the HR manager. There is a chance that he may simply overlook you. But it is worse when the candidate becomes confident that no one is looking at him and he relaxes, which, naturally, falls into the recruiter's field of vision. On the other hand, it is in this format that you can demonstrate good teamwork skills, quick orientation in information and creativity. You should not set yourself up for failure in advance, because you do not know what the selection criteria of a particular manager are. At first, you may be shocked, but this will pass, and it will be very important to show your individuality and skills. It is worth considering the fact that most often the employer conducts a regular interview in the format of a conversation and discussion of issues of interest to both parties with small inclusions of stress, case and other methods. Recruiters mainly check the candidate for honesty and openness, so do not hesitate to tell the interviewer that you are nervous or have failed in the past (but do not forget to tell how you dealt with them). The main tool of such an interview is questions that can cover the widest range of information about you: where you worked, why you quit, how were the relationships at your previous place, what are your main strengths and weaknesses, where do you see yourself in five years, etc. ... Answer them sincerely, but with an emphasis on your professionalism. And do not forget to clarify with the interviewer the details of the vacancy being discussed - what if this is not what you need? Getting a job is an important stage in the life of any adult. You have to find the position and the business that you really like. In comparison with this, passing any interview is a much less significant problem. But you can solve it too, by preparing well for the meeting with a potential employer. We recommend reading: