Interviews

The BBC discusses interview techniques and how to deal with them from the candidate’s point of view:

In a tough job interview even the smoothest candidate can come unstuck. And the interview episode of The Apprentice showcases tactics to test the mettle of prospective employees. How to respond if you find yourself in a job interview from hell?

For many it’s the most nerve-wracking thing they ever undergo. An occasion characterised by sweat maps of Africa under the arms, flushed faces, racing hearts and feelings of mortal dread.

The job interview is a tough institution and these five bear traps are among the most painful any candidate can face:

The article then goes on to discuss the five traps. As an aside, I don’t watch the Apprentice and if this is the standard of behaviour it espouses, then I am happy to continue abstaining.

Caught in a lie – well, that’s just plain stupid. if you lie and get caught out, too bad.

It’s then that things get interesting. The techniques outlined are little more than bullying. For example:

It’s not very nice, but it’s certainly not unknown for interviews to start with a deliberate attempt to unsettle you by causing you to lose your temper.

The advice given to deal with this is to keep cool and bear in mind what the interviewer is trying to do. Oh, I understand perfectly well what the interviewer is trying to do. The technical term is bullying and the article admits as much later on. Personally, I’d walk.

While it may be tempting to make a principled stand and stop the interview, the best course of action is to stay clear, calm, realise what your tormentor is trying to do – and no matter how strange it may seem, answer the question as best you can.

I’d still walk. I would remain calm and point out that the company does not meet my standards of ethical behaviour, thank them very much for their time and leave. What I would not do is enable their behaviour.

A similar tactic is the googly. If inducing sheer rage to test the candidate isn’t an option, then confusion, bewilderment and embarrassment may suffice.

Upon entry to one of his interviews, the Apprentice’s Lee was asked to do a dinosaur impression. After initially demurring, he commenced flapping and squawking.

If an interviewer tried this on me they would be met with a flat refusal – which, it seems is what they would be looking for. It is likely, though, that I would go back to option one above and walk. When I attend an interview, I expect adult behaviour on the part of the interviewer. I expect an atmosphere of mutual respect, of professionalism and courtesy. The type of behaviour being outlined in this article is none of these things.

When asked the bog-standard question, “tell me what you think about the company?” it’s fairly clear that something more than a one-word answer is required. And even running out of steam after 20 seconds is unlikely to impress.

Doing your research is pretty standard stuff. If you don’t and get caught, well, too bad.

For her Apprentice interview, Claire turned up in a jumper of such bilious luminescence that it was extraordinary that none of the Rottweiler interviewers mentioned it. Alex’s problem was his low energy and soft speech. “Big night out?” snarled one attack dog.

If an interviewer spoke to me like that during an interview… Well, you get the picture. Some people don’t do presentations too well. I can as I’ve had a lifetime’s experience delivering and assessing training, but not everyone can do it. It doesn’t mean that they cannot do the job for which they are being interviewed and unless the role requires presentational skills, it has no place in the interview.

Over the years I’ve attended a number of job interviews (and conducted a few), some good, some bad and some, like the one with Metronet the other year were downright appalling – the interviewing panel had failed to prepare, were late and one had clearly not read my CV. They didn’t offer me a job, but if they had, I’d have declined. They came across as an amateurish shower, frankly.

All of which brings me to the comment made by Nona of London at the bottom of this piece:

Interviewers should remember that they are also being assessed – it’s no good putting a potential candidate through hell to weed out the good ones, if the good ones decide they’d rather not work for you. The interview works both ways, and both sides have to strive to succeed.

Absolutely. It really is time that employers remembered this little fact. If you bully the candidate at the interview, it is reasonable for that candidate to conclude that bullying is part of the acceptable culture in your organisation and, therefore, it is not an organisation that they wish to work for.