Answering Tough Interview Questions When Changing Careers

If you're changing careers, you'll face some tough questions during a job interview. Employers may be concerned
about your commitment to a new field, lack of experience, and more. You can make headway with hiring decisions
when you give the interviewer convincing reasons why your lack of experience doesnt matter.
Study these sample answers and then add your own circumstances, interpretations, and phrases to the scripts that
follow.
To respond to hesitations about your career change:
This job is a good fit for what Ive been interested in throughout my career working with others to achieve an
above-average outcome, the satisfaction of being technically competent, and having a serious interest in
sports. For example, my work at Leader Public Relations taught me that a team needs bench strength. When
the senior publicist left Leader unexpectedly, I was able to successfully step in and increase placements within
six months by 20 percent. The persuasion skills I bring along with seven years of surfing ideally qualify me for
this position as assistant manager of surf board production. Do you agree?
To respond to concerns that your previous experience is irrelevant to the job you want:
I am a well-qualified candidate for this educational research position because cost control expertise required by
the grant is more than met with my 15 years experience as a manager with budget and supervisory
responsibility.
To respond to concerns that your previous position is irrelevant to the job you want:
Yes, I was a receptionist for twelve years and it was great training to deal with all levels of individuals. Heres
why I am so well-matched to your brokerage department. Not only have I interacted with venture and equity
capital managers and with retirement fund managers in a high-pressure environment, I have taken a course in
financial markets and stock, bonds, and other investments. With the world rushing forward, I think we need new
thinking for new times, dont you? My people skills will help me to bring in the kinds of customers youve been
losing to online traders. Do you see any reasons why I wouldnt be a great addition to your team?
To demonstrate that you are changing directions with forethought and action:
As I matured and got to know myself better, I realized how I fit into Career X better than what Id been doing,
although my previous work has been fine preparation for what I plan to do with the rest of my life. Ive been
steadily drawn to Career X for several years and getting ready for this transition, I did the following (attended
school, researched and volunteered in the field, took a part-time job in the new industry). Since you didnt
screen me out because of my prior experience, I assume you recognize my crossover skills.
To the issue of the cause of satisfaction in your last career and concern that you would experience
changers remorse:
I didnt see the results of all the hard work I put in. The structure was overly rigid and bureaucratic and, frankly,
I like to feel as though my contributions accomplish a positive outcome. And although I am good with
computers, I also like to work with people. I checked out your company with my network and you get glowing
reviews for rewarding outstanding performance, for giving employees breathing space to accomplish their
assignments, for being able to observe the fruits of their labor and for hiring great teams. Is that how you see
this company?
Question: Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills.
Answer:
S During my last quarter of school, I completed an internship at Memorial Hospital
in the Health Information Management department. I was the first and only intern
the department had ever had, and they decided they wanted to continue with an
official internship program.
T In order to successfully launch this program, my supervisor asked me to create and
administer a training curriculum for the new, incoming interns.
A To complete this task, first, I outlined all the procedures the new interns would
need to learn about like HIPAA standards, how to operate the 10-line phone
system, and how to use the health record index and storage system. Next, I
created a three day training agenda covering these topics. Finally, I facilitated it to
four new interns.
R The training was a huge success. On a survey completed after the training, all four
interns rated the program a 10 out of 10 in the areas of usefulness and creativity.
In addition, each intern rated my communication and leadership styles as
Excellent.
Some of you may be thinking. How could I possibly cover all these areas when put on the spot during an
interview? The answer is preparation. You know the position and field you are going for, so think about the key skills
and qualifications the employer may be looking for. Pay attention to the job description. If the qualifications list
strong oral communications skills then you can probably guess that the interviewer will ask you about your oral
communication skills during the interview. Therefore, doing your research beforehand will allow you to anticipate the
questions hiring managers may ask and if you can anticipate the questions, you can prepare answers based on
situations in your work, school, or volunteer experiences that can speak to those skills. Create a list of great
experiences that you want to share or could pull from during an interview, and practice explaining those experiences
using the S.T.A.R. method.
question answers examples and guidance question notes
How do you
measure
talent?

or

How do you
measure talent
in an
organisation (or
company or
team)?

and in similar
vein:

How do you
grow/develop
talent in an
organisation (or
company or
team)?
The first thing is to acknowledge the significance and
importance of a question like these examples.

By showing that you recognise the potency of the question
(for organisations as well as interviewees), you are half way
to providing an impressive and effective answer.

(This principle of acknowledging very good questions in this
way can be applied to any other question that addresses a
serious and deeply significant issue, as this is.)

You can show your recognition with an initial response such
as:

"That's a very significant question. Its implications affect the
future health of all organisations - probably now more than
ever.."

Beyond this, the question might initially seem impossible to
answer, especially if you've had no real experience of
measuring or growing such an intangible and fundamentally
important aspect of performance in people and organisations,
but there is actually quite a simple way to answer a question
like this, for example:

"The reason why this is such a difficult question for modern
organisations to address and resolve, is that while some
organisations and leaders know how crucial 'talent' is for their
survival and competitive effectiveness, you can't actually
measure and grow anything until you can define exactly
what it is, which is the real challenge. I believe that you can
only begin to measure and develop anything when you can
define exactly what it is. Talent is prime example. The
concept of 'talent' alone is completely intangible. It means all
sorts of different things to different people and organisations.
Therefore the key to measuring and growing 'talent' is first to
define exactly what 'talent' is - to understand and describe
what it means, what it looks like, how it behaves and what it
can achieve. And these definitions will be different depending
on the organisation. Talent in a bank will have a quite
different meaning to talent in an advertising agency, or in a
hospital. So that's the first answer to the question: First you
need to define it and agree the definition, which is likely to be
quite and involved and detailed task, because it's such a
deep and serious concept..."

Here's how you can develop this answer:

"Aside from defining what talent is, the organisation needs to
acknowledge the importance of talent, (according to the
See general guidelines above if
you've not seen them already.

These (apparently) tough
questions about 'talent' and how to
measure and develop 'talent' are
presently confounding many of the
world's biggest organisations,
many leaders, and organisational
development specialists.

These questions about 'talent'
reflect widespread modern
organisational challenges, and so
are useful in interviews, especially
for training, HR, management and
executive positions.

Interviewees who can answer
these questions sensibly and
thoughtfully demonstrate
considerable perceptiveness and
ability.

Answers to these questions are
relevant modern indicators as to
an interviewee's value and
potential in the field of
management, leadership and HR.
agreed organisational definitions). This requires a
commitment from the very top, which must be transparent
and visible to all. Then people will begin to value talent more
fittingly and preciously. A similar thing happened with the
'total quality' concept, when leaders woke up and realised its
significance. But they first had to define it and break it down
into measurable manageable elements before they could
begin to improve it. Talent is the same."

If you really want to go for broke you could add:

"The same thing will happen with love and spirituality in
organisations, as is happening already with ethics and
responsibility. These fundamentally crucial concepts can only
be assessed, managed and developed when they are given
emphatic priority from the top, and defined in a meaningful
and manageable way. Then they can be grown just like any
other organisational attribute."

A supplementary point is that some leaders simply do not
appreciate the really true concept of talent, which
unfortunately is a serious obstacle to doing anything useful
about talent at all. Where this is the case, the leader must be
educated or replaced, because as ever organisations can
only do what they leader genuinely understands and commits
to achieving.
(Prior to a sales
or commercial
management
interview)
Prepare a plan
for your first
1/2/3 months in
the role and
present it at the
interview.

This example
and guidelines
for answers are
orientated to a
sales or
commercial
management
role, but the
same principles
apply for many
other
management
The level of detail and precision that you can include in your
plan and presentation depends on how well you know the
market and the organisation. Beware of assuming too much
however - it's important to strike the right balance between
the need for assessment and action.

Interviewers want people who will make things happen and
introduce positive change, but at the same time who can
preserve the good things and avoid problematical fall-out.

A Gantt Chart is a good way to present this sort of plan. See
the project management section, but avoid going into the
level of detail suggested for major projects.

A clear series of bullet points will also be acceptable for most
situations. Be guided by the recruiting organisation as to the
technology and media to use, but in any event concentrate
on the content rather than the bells and whistles. A good
candidate would be able to handle this using just a flip chart.

See also the presentations page for ideas about how to
structure the presentation, but again be mindful of the
pressure of time: be very compact, impactful, concise and
Asking interviewees to prepare a
plan for their first one or two or
three months in the role is an
increasingly popular way for
interviewing organisations to get a
real taste and sample of how the
job candidate would approach the
job.

Seeing lots of fresh ideas is also
very helpful in its own right for the
recruiting organisation.

A question like this - usually for a
management position, but not
always so - is a great opportunity
for the interviewee to
usepreparation and research in
producing a compelling
presentation of your value to the
employer.

It's a real chance to show what you
positions, and
increasingly
front-line
positions too.

Market forces
inevitably tend
to require all
roles to be
increasingly
strategic,
therefore this
interview
question could
be used for lots
of customer-
facing roles as
well as
management
job interviews.
efficient in the way you put your ideas across.

What's required here is essentially a cohesive list of strategic
action points, each aimed at producing specific results.
Innovation helps provided it's not too off-the-wall.

Typically it's very difficult (and generally unwise) to enter a
new organisation and immediately begin making lots of big
changes, unless of course the situation is in crisis; a period of
assessment and research is normally sensible.

Another crucial aspect is the maturity and performance of the
team. Look at the Tannenbaum and Schmidt,
and Tuckman theories to understand the significance of the
team's capability.

Aim for 5-7 bullet points per section of the plan (for example
a 3 month plan could be presented as three 5-7 point
sections). Each action point with outcomes and reasoning
explained. Financials and example statistics/ratios too if you
know them.

Points and areas that could feature in a sales management
plan are as follows - either as areas to address, or areas to
develop into specific action points, depending on the level of
knowledge and experience. These are in no particular order.
Priority and mix depends on the situation:
Immediate review of current and projected performance
and factors - identify glaring gaps, weaknesses and
opportunities - identify and optimise quick gains where
possible
Pareto (80:20) analysis - products, markets, customers
People/team assessment - styles, strengths,
performance, responsibilities, etc - psychometrics if
possible/appropriate
Costs and spending review - optimise and tighten -
improve accountability and freedoms within agreed
guidelines
Customer analysis/visits - protect and consolidate
Competitor assessment - identify losses and threats,
especially from a major accounts/sectors view
SWOT, PEST analyses
Sales cycle and selling process review - key ratios and
statistics
Sales proposition, USP's, USB's (see sales section)
can do, in terms of ideas,
experience, technical grasp of your
subject, and ability to present and
enthuse with clarity, logic and
passion.

The guidelines and examples here
are for a sales or commercial
position, but the same principles
apply for any role when asked to
prepare a plan and present it at an
interview.

The interviewer will want to see
that the interviewee has a good
understanding of the key
performance criteria for the
function or team or department
concerned, and can use
experience, research and original
thinking in creating and delivering
a clear, logical cohesive action-
plan presentation.

Thus the interviewer is effectively
having to 'pitch' for the job, in the
same way that an agency has to
pitch for a new account.

Being asked to present a plan at
an interview is a wonderful
opportunity to shine, especially for
people who do not necessarily
perform well under pressure when
handling some of the more
unpredictable questions that can
arise in interviews. Instead, being
able to prepare a plan and
presentation in advance allows
interviewer and interviewee's to
assess and respond to each
others needs in a far more
professional and well-organised
way.
Performance management, measurement and reporting
ICT and internet - internal communications and
systems, and customer interfaces
Pricing and margins analysis
Advertising and promotion and enquiry generation -
conversion ratios through thesales funnel
Strategy review - distribution/route(s) to market(s),
partnerships - suppliers and sales distribution
Marketing and sales materials and documentation
review, including electronic and online data and
systems
Sales model - alignment of sales people with markets,
sectors, verticals and horizontals
Sales skills and training assessment
Sales processing and relationships with other
departments, CRM (customer relationship
management)
Sales services agencies/suppliers - telemarketing,
A&P, etc
Quality/service assessment - especially identify key
performance factors
Look at/develop inter-functional/departmental
communications/cooperation/relationships
Motivation, morale
Sales planning, aims, objectives, targets - cascading to
individual quotas and responsibilities
Standards and controls
Legal and licensing areas if appropriate,contracts and
SLA's (service level agreements)
Philosophy and belief, ethics and integrity
The presentation needs to combine relevant hot-spots from
the above list, and to suggest a process of assessment and
involvement of people, blended with change, so as to identify
and optimise key performance factors within strategy,
people/teams, skills and processes.
How do/would
you optimise
performance
and lift
Aside from the sort of poor performance which requires a firm
disciplinary response (see the section on performance
management), this question is best answered from the
viewpoint of improvement and development, rather than
These questions invite candidates
at management interviews to
demonstrate their management
and leadership abilities.
standards in a
team?

or

Explain your
approach to
maintaining
high standards
and improving
poor
performance in
a team.

or

(prior to the
interview)

Prepare and
give a
presentation on
how to maintain
standards and
address poor
performance in
managing a
team.
discipline and control. The question provides a great
opportunity to refer to lots of relevant theory, and to show you
know how to apply it.

'Poor performance' is actually not a helpful perspective - it's
negative. It's best to interpret this as helping people to
become the best that they can be, in ways that enable
them to align their natural strengths and preferences with the
needs of the organisation and team.

Maslow is certainly relevant - we need to help people self-
actualise, which a better angle of approach than 'poor
performance'.

Belbin's model of team roles is a useful reference framework
(everyone's good at something - so find out what it is and get
them playing to their strengths).

Also useful in this respect is Gardner's multiple intelligences,
and learning styles, along with the other personality styles
theory, although don't go into that depth at the interview - just
refer to the main principles.

Aspects of delegation are relevant, within whichTannenbaum
and Schmidt, and Tuckman's 'storming, forming..etc'
model are also useful reference frameworks.

Adair's Action-Centred Leadership model is a great reference
for illustrating the different aspects of teams that need
managing and leading.

The role of every good leader is to develop a successor,
alongside which is the aim to develop team maturity so that it
can self-manage. This approach fosters high standards and
great performance because the team is being empowered.
Open clear positive two-way communications help to
establish team understanding and agreement of aims and
direction (and standards). Involve and consult and enable
and coach, rather than decide and direct and control. People
perform and achieve best when pursuing their own goals and
aims, not the ones imposed from outside. The trick therefore
is aligning people with work, so it's meaningful and
important.

An interview presentation (ensure you know how long the
presentation should last) is best structured in three parts,
plus the intro and the close. Look at the notes
on presentations. Use different ways of communicating your
ideas. Physical props demonstrate points powerfully and
involve the audience/interviewers if passed around. Referring

All management interviewees
should prepare to answer this sort
of question. Even if the interviewer
doesn't ask the question, there will
be plenty of opportunities to use
the answers in dealing with other
questions.

Good modern employers will look
for positive Y-Theoryideas about
managing people.

More traditional and autocratic
interviewers will seek a tougher
approach, in which case you can
incorporate a few examples of
firmness and control within your
answers, where situations and
scenarios warrant such a style.

If you are the interviewee don't just
use my words - take what's
meaningful and workable for you
and make it your own. Understand
your own strengths and style and
show you know when to adapt and
use a different approach.

If you are the interviewer ask this
sort of question and look for the
candidates to demonstrate that
they understand about modern
methods of managing, leading and
developing teams. You need to
recruit managers and leaders who
can empower and inspire others,
so seek these qualities in people,
which will be demonstrated in the
answers to this sort of question.
to case studies and extracts from biographies of high-
achievers will help illustrate that high performance is borne of
inner drive, not external control. A good manager is an
enabler not a controller.
Have you ever
dealt with a
customer
making an
unrealistic
demand?

or

Can you give
me an example
where you've
had to deal with
a customer who
has made an
unrealistic or
unreasonable
demand?

or

How do you
deal with
difficult
customers?
Obviously if you have a real example with a good positive
successful outcome for the customer and supplier then use it
(it's a good idea to think about and prepare an example for
this type of question in advance). Ideally examples should
include the following elements: Central to this process is
being able to fully understand the customer's position and
feelings, without necessarily agreeing with them. Explaining
this difference between understanding and agreeing at the
interview helps the interviewee to demonstrate capability to
deal with these types of difficult situations. Good sympathetic
questioning skills, and a good understanding of the options
available to the supplier organisation in solving problems, are
also vital for being able to adapt and develop mutually
agreeable solutions. An excellent answer or demonstration of
excellent capability would include a very positive result in
which the customer's satisfaction and loyalty was increased
to a higher level than before the complaint or request (which
is actually more easy to achieve than most people imagine).
To show excellent technical skills in dealing with very difficult
and emotional customers interviewees could refer to
techniques within Transactional Analysis, Empathy theory,
andNLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).
The interviewer asks these
interview questions give the
interviewee an opportunity to
demonstrate firstly how they
decide that what is realistic and
what is unrealistic, and secondly
how to explain to the customer
why the demand cannot be met,
and hopefully better still suggest
an acceptable alternative course of
action, preferably which results in
the customer being more satisfied
than if the issue had not arisen in
the first place.

It is a fact that the greatest
customer service challenges also
offer the greatest opportunities to
delight the customer, and
interviewees who demonstrate
such a philosophy are generally
indicating great potential and value
to a prospective employer.
(Any question
that invites you
to describe,
explain, or
comment on a
'negative'
situation, for
example, "Why
did you leave
your last job?, if
the reason was
that you were
being bullied, or
that you lost
your temper at
your boss and
were fired)
When asked a question which intentionally or unintentionally
exposes a 'negative' situation or experience or reason (for
example for having left your last job), you should provide a
positive interpretation and reflection of the experience. This
means objectively (without emotion or bias) demonstrating
understanding of the behaviour (which was directed at you
that caused you to leave, or your negative behaviour that
caused you to leave). For instance if you were bullied say so,
but do not be critical or bitter, and emphasise the positives
from the experience (which not least would be that you
thought it best to leave rather than continue in a situation that
was not doing anyone any good). If you behaved badly then
you should ideally explain what you did and why, and how
you have learned from it and that you will not make the same
mistake again.

In general the approach is the same for most situations when
dealing with questions that expose weaknesses or failures or
opportunities for bitterness: you can (and should) explain
what happened (to lie or distort would be wrong) but do so
The purpose of these questions
may be unwitting, that is to say the
interviewer has no idea what they
might be uncovering. Or the
question might be to intentionally
put pressure on the interviewee in
an area of weakness, or
vulnerability, or past failure or
mistake.

In any case, interviewers learn a
lot about an interviewee's
emotional maturity (increasingly a
much sought-after attribute) when
the interviewee is invited to
explain, comment, and show their
feelings about a past 'negative
experience.

Emotionally mature people are
without bitterness or recrimination, and demonstrate
forgiveness, tolerance and self-development achieved from
the experience.

If you were the guilty party it helps to show that you had the
courage to take some action to make amends, even for 'lost
cause'.
able to talk objectively and
honestly about 'negative'
experiences, and interpret them
into positive experiences.

A good interviewer can confidently
form a good impression of any
interviewee who displays good
emotional maturity.
How would you
respond if you
were offered
the job?
Think before the interview and during the interview:
How would you actually respond to this question? If you'd
accept the job and you are really happy and free to do so,
then say so. You have little to gain from being evasive. If you
have other options or commitments that need proper and fair
consideration before accepting the job offer then say so (it
does not put you in a very good light if you demonstrate that
you are prepared to treat an existing employer or another
potential employer badly). If you need more information
(about package, expectations, responsibilities, etc) then say
so. If the interviewer is being aggressive or provocative (as
can happen in certain sales interviews particularly) you could
say that actually the only way to find out for sure is to make
the offer, ie., "...make me the offer and I'll tell you..." (the
interviewer will not normally fall for that one of course but at
least he/she will see that you can stand up for yourself, which
most tough-nuts will respect).
This is not a actually great
question to ask (if you are the
interviewer) or to be asked (if you
are the interviewee) because it
suggests that the interviewer might
not offer the job to someone who
is not certain to accept it.

This is not great indication of a
good, confident grown-up high-
quality employer (or interviewer).

If you are strong and mature you'll
be able to deal with an employer
who feels the need to ask this
question, otherwise you might not
find this type of employer mature
enough for you.
What would
you do if you
had to deal with
an angry
customer?
Look at the Transactional Analysis, NLP, andEmpathy pages
- a lot of what you need to know (and will differentiate you
from other interviewees) is there, depending on your
interview situation. Basically the answer is to empathise,
understand, and as quickly as possible obtain the customer's
trust in your promise to try to resolve the matter. And then set
about finding the facts and resolving it, working within
whatever policies and processes are in place for the
particular problem. The important thing is to remember the
difference between understanding and agreeing - you need
to understand without necessarily agreeing or pre-judging the
outcome (unless of course you can actually resolve it an
agree it there and then). And you need to apologise without
pre-judging whatever investigation you need to do or arrange.
Finally, take responsibility for seeing the issue through to the
finish, when at the end of it hopefully the customer is more
delighted than they have ever been, (which is often what
happens when you do things properly).
This type of 'scenario' question is
good because it enables an
interviewee to demonstrate
experience, technique, and
awareness of why a certain
behaviour is appropriate for a
given real situation that can arise
in the job.

Demonstration of exactly the same
experience is not necessary, what
matters is the ability to adapt and
apply technique and behaviour,
which could come from different
related experiences, for example
dealing with difficult or upset
people in any other situations.

The interviewee must demonstrate
knowledge and/or experience of
appropriate technique, behavioural
and emotional awareness and
capability, and the ability to match
a good technical emotional and
constructive response to a
particular emotional (and probably
process-based) challenge.
What will you
bring to the job
or company if
we employ
you?


Imagine what your objectives will be if you were in the role,
and orientate your answer towards meeting them, on time, on
budget, and with style (especially to improve motivation
and moraleand to avoid unnecessary disruption and
unhelpful side-effects).

Try to focus on the particular priorities and requirements
of the role, the targets andaims, (which means you need
to ask what they are if your are not told) and also if possible,
focus on working style and behaviour attributesthat fit the
preferences of the interviewer, since most interviewers prefer
people like themselves.

For example (assuming that the points illustrated are
relevant):

"I can see clearly that quick results are a priority - and that's
something I'm good at generating, because I have good
abilities and experience to interpret situations, and then a
strong focus on activities which will achieve change and
results in the necessary areas."

"I'm diplomatic with people too, which means I can generally
bring people along with me; if needs be though I can be firm
and determined enough to convince people who need a bit of
extra encouragement."
This tough interview question is an
opportunity for the interviewee
to relate their strengths and
capabilities to the priorities of
the job function, and to the aims
and priorities of the
organization.

The interviewee must therefore
demonstrate anunderstanding of
both sides of the question -
theneeds of the employer,
and how to apply their own
skills, capabilities, experience,
style and strengths to the
situation.

It's a good question, and also a
great opportunity to show how
good you are, and how you will
add positively to the mood and
attitude of people you'll work with.

This question invites good specific
solutions and suggestions in
response to stated organizational
requirements.

As such it will quickly show up the
candidates who understand what's
needed in the role and how to
make it happen.

Certain interviewers and situations
will also be seeking indications of
the candidate's personal style
when working with others - notably
whether the candidate will be an
asset to the team in terms of
motivation and morale.

If you are the interviewer make
sure you explain earlier in the
interview what the situation
requires in terms of results,
parameters and attitudinal factors.
Tell me about
the culture at
your last
company or
employer.


If the past culture was good them explain how and why in
terms that the interviewee is likely to identify with, for
example:

"The culture encouraged people to develop, grow, take
responsibility. People were coached and mentored towards
quality and productive effort. All of this helped me a great
deal because I identify with these values, and respond to
these opportunities."

A good answer, in referring to a non-supportive culture would
be to express the positive aspects (eg lots of freedom for me
to take initiative, responsibility, find new ways to contribute, a
free market allowing the good workers to naturally excel and
develop reputation and internal working relationships, etc.)
The proper purpose of this tough
question is to see how you
interpret and explain culture, which
provides an opportunity for you as
the the interviewee to demonstrate
how you feel about and react to
whatever culture was in place. It's
a potential trap for interviewees
who would be negative and critical
and apportion blame, eg 'the
culture was not supportive and so
it didn't help me to perform' (not a
good answer). The culture
question also invites comments
from the interviewee about
management style, and again is a
trap for negative respondents who
criticise their past boss (bad
answer), rather than accentuate
the positives and demonstrate
positive behaviour in negative
situations, which is a highly
desirable trait.
Tell me about
your life at
College or
University (or
even your time
in your previous
job).
The question is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the
qualities that the interviewer is seeking in for the job, so
orientate your answer towards these expectations (without
distorting the truth obviously).

In your answer, emphasise the positive behaviour,
experience and achievements (ideally backed up with
examples and evidence) which will impress the interviewer
because of its relevance to the role requirements.

The interviewer is looking for the same capabilities and
behaviour in your college (or university or previous job) life
that they want in the job.

Your emphasis should be on your achievements, and how
you achieved them, that are relevant to the job
requirements.

Interviewers with special interest in behaviour and personality
may also use a question like this to assess your self-
awareness and maturity, in the way you consider your
answer and relate it to your own experience and
development.
A big open question like this in an
interviewer is a huge opportunity
or huge trap. It can be a tough
question if not approached
properly.

Interviewees should have the
sense to refer to previous
experiences that indicate capability
and behaviour of the sort that the
role requires.

It's a trap for interviewees who
look regretfully or negatively on
past experiences, criticise or
attribute blame, or display
'someone else's fault' attitudes.

College and University are
environments which provide lots of
opportunity. Good applicants will
be able to demonstrate that they
have used the opportunity to learn
and develop, whether their
experiences were all positive and
successful or not.
What do you
want to be
doing in 2/5/10
years time?

Or:

Where do you
want to be in
2/5/10 years
time?
It's not easy to answer this in terms of job expectation - no-
one can realistically predict what job will be required in 5-10
years, let alone whether they will be right to do it, so I'd avoid
specific job aims or claims, unless you actually have a very
clear plan, and are seeking a job and career which clearly
offers predictable and structured progression.

For most people and roles, which are largely unpredictable,
this question is best and easiest answered in terms of the
sort of situation you'd like to be in, which should reinforce all
the other good things about yourself, for example:

"Making a more significant contribution to whatever
organisation I'm working for. To have developed new skills,
abilities, maturity - perhaps a little wisdom even. To have
become better qualified in whatever way suits the situation
and opportunities I have. To be better regarded by my peers,
and respected by my superiors as someone who can
continue to increase the value and scale of what I do for the
organisation."

"I'd like more responsibility, because that's a result of
personal growth and progression, and it's important for my
personal satisfaction."

"I have no set aspirations about money and reward - if I
contribute and add value to the organisation then generally
increased reward follows - you get out what you put in."

"Long term I want to make the most of my abilities - if
possible to build a serious career, but in this day and age
nothing is certain or guaranteed; things can change. I'll do my
best and believe that opportunities will arise which will enable
me to keep contributing, increasing my worth, and developing
my ability in a way that benefits the organisation and me."

Employers will respond well if they see that you are mature,
independent, self-motivated; that you will make a positive and
growing contribution, and that you understand that reward
(financial, promotion, responsibility, etc) will always be based
on the quality and value of your input.
This is a common tough interview
question, and it commonly trips
people up into making over-
ambitious claims about their future
potential and worth. It highlights
feelings of delusion, and a need
for security if they exist.

The question encourages the
interviewee to think and express
their plans and aspirations, future
direction, needs and wishes. Some
people find it more difficult to
answer than others, depending on
their personality.

Some people are able to plan and
see clear steps along the way,
which would be more commonly
exhibited by people whose work
involves this approach.

Job roles which require a higher
level of adaptability and flexibility
are unlikely to attract candidates
who are meticulous planners.

The question is a powerful one
because it prompts the interviewee
to think andvisualise about
themselves and how they expect
and want to change.
Give an
example of
when you had
to settle a
dispute
This depends on your relationship to the two people, so seek
clarification if this is not clear, but broadly the aim is to first
take any heat out of the situation by calming the individuals.
Then firmly arrange a three-way discussion later in the day or
an early opportunity in the future, in a suitable environment
The interviewer is using this tough
question to test the interviewee's
experience and ability to diffuse
conflict, and also to step back and
take an objective view, rather than
between two
individuals.
(closed meeting room), at which you can facilitate a proper
discussion of the issues, so as to arrive at an agreed positive
way of going forward or compromise. It's important
to understand each person's standpoint and feelings,
without agreeingwith them, unless the argument concerns a
clear breach of policy or wrong behaviour, in which case the
transgressor should be counselled separately, after which the
three-way meeting can be held to mend relationships.
Arguments come in all shapes and sizes - a more specific
answer is possible in response to a more specific scenario.
getting involved and taking sides,
which is the natural temptation.
Objectivity and facilitation are
important skills of a good
manager, and this question will
identify whether the interviewee
possesses them. This question will
also put pressure on the
interviewee's ability to manage
people, because it provides a
tricky people-management
scenario.
What is your
ideal job?
Mindful of the trap possibilities, the interviewee would always
do well to qualify the question by asking for a timescale (at
what point in my career?) before answering. This shows that
some consideration is taking place rather than a knee-jerk,
and that the question is producing a serious response rather
than a fanciful one.
Aside from this, the best answer to the question, as for any
interview question, is to use the opportunity to sell the
strengths of the interviewee as a potential asset to the
organisation. This would produce an answer that creates a
picture of a loyal, results-orientated person, making a
significant contribution to the organisation (status and level
would depend on timescale). If the answer is poor it will
trigger a probing follow up that puts pressure on the
interviewee to justify a daft response. If the answer is
impressive there probably won't be a follow-up as there's
nothing to probe and the interviewer can move on. Wrong
answers would include: 'boss of my own company' 'your job'
'the top salesman on half a mill a year' 'CEO of this company'
(unless you can justify the claim) a pop star, a railway engine
driver, a film star, etc Good answers would include: 'A
manager or executive with this organisation in (function
relative to experience and skill set) where I have the
responsibility and accountability for using my skills and efforts
to achieve great results, work alongside great people, and
get a fair reward.' 'I'd like to become an expert in my field
(state function if relevant), where I'm able to use my skills and
abilities to make a real difference to the company's
performance.'
This is a good and tough interview
question, and the answer would
almost always trigger a more
specific follow-up question, asking
'why?', and then probing the
reasons for the choice. From the
interviewer's standpoint, the
question is open and vague, which
for certain purposes (see the next
para re traps) is a good thing. If
the question is intended to elicit
meaningful information about the
interviewee's career plans, then
some timescale should be
attached (ie 'what would be your
ideal job in 3/5/10 years time?')
The question exposes
interviewees who seek only
personal gratification ('outputs')
from a role (money, status,
esteem, excitement, glamour,
security, etc) rather than seeking
opportunities to make best
possible use of their effort, skills
and experience, in contributing to
the performance/quality/results of
the organisation for which the role
is performed ('inputs').
The question is a potential trap for
people who are more concerned
with what they get out of a job
rather than what they put into it.
Employers do not really want to
recruit gratification-orientated
people. These people are
generally not self-starting nor self-
motivating.
The question also gives indications
as to how realistically the
interviewee sees themselves.
Some people visualise highly
fanciful and unrealistic jobs, which
is a warning sign to a potential
employer. Others visualise jobs
that are clearly remote from the job
being applied for, which indicates
that some falsification or delusion
is present.
Why do you
want this job?
Reflect back the qualities required and job priorities as being
the things you do best and enjoy. Say why you think the
company is good, and that you want to work for an
organisation like it.
Opportunity to sell yourself and
show you understand what they're
looking for in the role. Make sure
you hit both of these hot buttons.
It's a touch question if you've not
prepared the answer.
What did you
achieve in your
last job?
Prepare a number of relevant examples and explain one (two
or three if they're punchy and going down well). Make sure
you feature as the instigator, or the factor that made the
difference. Examples must lead to significant organisational
benefits; making money, saving money/time, improving
quality, anticipating or creatively solving problems,
winning/keeping customers, improving efficiency.
Another tough question which will
expose a lack of preparation or
relevant experience. The question
and answer show whether any
achievements have been made,
and what values are placed on
work. Shows motive - whether
process, results, accuracy,
security, social, etc. Shows
understanding of cause and effect,
pro-active vs passive.
How would you
approach this
job? How would
you do it?
Identify the two or three main issues and say how you'll deal
with them, which shows you can focus on what's important.
Likely to be planing and organising, ensuring all the
communications and relationships are working well,
reviewing and measuring activities and resources against
outputs and improving where possible. Emphasise your
personal strengths that are very relevant to the role
requirements.
A tough question if the interviewee
has not prepared. Shows if you've
thought about what job requires
and entails. Role and situation
needs to have been explained well
to enable a good response.
Exposes people who can't actually
do the job.
What are your
strengths?
Prepare three that are relevant to the requirements of the
role. Be able to analyse why and how you are strong in those
areas. Mix in some behaviours, knowledge and experience
and well as skills, and show that you understand the
difference. Style should be quite confidence rather than
arrogant or over-confident.
Shows whether candidate has self-
awareness, and can identify what
strengths are relevant to role.
Shows if candidate has thought
and planned. A glaring omission if
not planned as this is such an
obvious question that everyone
should be prepared for. Strengths
should obviously relate to the
needs of the employer and the
role.
What are your
weaknesses?
Start by saying that you don't believe you are actually 'weak'
in any area. Acknowledge certain areas that you believe you
can improve, (and then pick some relatively unimportant or
irrelevant areas). If you must state a weakness these are the
clever ones that are actually strengths: not suffering fools
gladly; sometimes being impatient with other people's sloppy
work; being too demanding; refusing to give in when you
believe strongly about something; trying to do too much, etc,
etc.
A tough question if answered
without proper thought. A trap for
the unsuspecting or naive. Will
show up those who've not
prepared as this is another
obvious question to expect. Will
also prompt follow-up questions
probing what the candidate is
doing to improve the weakness,
which is worth preparing for also.
What would
your references
say about you?
Another opportunity to state relevant strengths, skills and
behaviours.
Potential trap to draw out
weaknesses - don't fall for it.
How do you
handle
tension/stress?
Say that you tend not to get tense or stressed because you
plan and organise properly. Say you look after the other
things that can cause stress - health, fitness, diet, lifestyle,
etc. Talk about channeling pressure positively - thinking,
planning, keeping a balanced approach.
Exposes people who can't deal
with pressure or don't recognise
that lifestyle issues are important
for good working. Exposes the
misguided macho approach that
stress can be good. It ain't.
What was the
last book you
read and how
did it affect
you?
Be honest, as the interviewer might have read it too. There's
no shame in admitting to lightweight reading material if that's
what you like - put it in context, why you read it, and give a
positive result, whatever it is. Be able to give an intelligent
reaction to what you've read. Don't be too clever or try to
impress as nobody likes a smart arse.
Will provide another perspective of
the interviewee's personality that
may not otherwise surface.
Opportunity to demonstrate skills ,
aptitudes, special interests, self-
development, analytical ability,
self-awareness. May expose
feelings or issues that can be
probed further.
What does/did
your father do
for a living?

or

What do your
parents do for a
living?

or

Tell me about
what your
parents do for a
living.

or

Tell the truth.

You are you. Your parents are different people.

Your parents have no bearing on how your value should be
judged.

Avoid reacting in a defensive, judgemental, ashamed or
critical way.

Avoid any suggestion that any parental influence on others
has been or could be useful to your own career or success
(i.e., references relating to 'old school tie' , or 'it's not what
you know it's who you know').

This question is not appropriate or
helpful in most interview situations,
but it can arise, and when it does
so it can be quite emotive, which is
mainly why it's listed here.

The question is designed to
expose people who are over-
protective or insecure, or who
might think that they are somehow
entitled to privilege because of
who their father is or has achieved.

The question can also expose
emotional hang-ups or sensitivities
if any exist, with a view to further
exploration/discussion.

Interviewers should use this
What work are
your parents
involved in?
question with great care, if indeed
there is a good reason for using
the question at all.
Tell me about a
big challenge or
difficulty you've
faced; how did
you deal with
it?
Avoid anything deeply personal or seriously emotional unless
you are in complete control of your feelings about it. Try to
prepare an example that's work-related and relevant to the
role.
Can expose emotional raw nerves
or sensitivities. Opportunity to
show proof of being able to
achieve results in the face of
difficulty. Is this person actually
experienced are they just saying
they are. (Experto Credite - Trust
one who has proved it)
Tell me about
something
recently that
really annoyed
you.
Don't get trapped into admitting to a temper or loss of control.
Say you tend to get more annoyed with yourself than with
other people or other situations. Annoyance isn't very
productive, so you tend to try to understand and concentrate
on finding a way around a problem or putting things straight.
Exposes hang-ups and style of
management and communication.
Exposes anyone who believes it's
okay or even good to get cross
with other people. It ain't.
Give me some
examples of
how you have
adapted your
own
communicating
style to deal
with different
people and
situations.
Prepare this as one of your strengths, as there's not a single
job that won't benefit from good adaptive communication
skills. Give examples of how you've been detailed and given
written confirmation for people who need it. Give examples of
how you verbally enthuse and inspire the people who
respond to challenge and recognition. Think of other
examples of adapting your style to suit the recipients. Give
examples when you've had to be task-driven, process driven,
people-driven, and how you change your style accordingly. A
chance for you to truly shine.
Exposes single-style non-adaptive
communicators, who don't
understand or adapt to different
people and situations.
Can we check
your
references?
Yes. Exposes people who are not
comfortable about having their
references checked, in which case
probe. Exposes people who've not
had the foresight to organise an
important controllable aspect of
their job search, which is a bad
sign.
What type of
people do you
get on with
most/least?
Say generally you get on with everyone. Say you respond
most to genuine, positive, honest people. If pressed as to
people you don't get on with, say that you respect people for
their differences, and seek to understand them, rather than
seeing differences to be a reason for conflict or difficulty.
Exposes hang-ups and prejudices.
May prompt issues to probe.
Strong, emotionally mature
candidates tend to respect
differences and understand
weaknesses in others. Weaker
candidates tend to be more critical
and judgemental about others.
Give me an
example of
when you've
produced some
Don't admit to having produced poor work ever. Say you've
probably made one or two mistakes - everyone does - but
that you always do everything you can to put them straight,
learn from them and made sure you'll not make the same
A trap - don't fall in it.
poor work and
how you've
dealt with it.
mistake again.
Excellent
answer - now
can you give
me an example
that wasn't so
good?
You may be hit with this if you're too contrived or clever, in
which case give an example of something that didn't quite go
so well, but make sure you present it positively and say what
you learned from it. Don't try to stick to your guns and
maintain that you're perfect - show a little human weakness,
but present the weakness positively, either as a lesson
you've learned from, or an area you are working on - or if it's
justifiably beyond the remit of the job, then something you'd
seek to delegate or bring in relevant support.
Will knock a lot of people off
guard, and expose any tendencies
to confront or argue.
What do you
find difficult in
work, life, or
relationships
(etc)?
Pick a relatively irrelevant skill and say that you don't find it
as easy as you'd like, so you're working on it (don't just make
this up - think about it and be truthful). Don't own up to a
weakness in an area that's important to the role. As with the
weaknesses question, you can state certain difficulties
because they are actually quite acceptable, even
commendable, they'd include: suffering fools gladly, giving up
an impossible task, tolerating unkind behaviour like bullying,
having to accept I can't help certain big problems in the
world, etc.
Another trap to expose
weaknesses, and an opportunity to
show strengths instead if played
properly.
How do you
plan and
organise your
work?
Planning and writing a plan is very important. I think how best
to do things before I do them, if it's unknown territory I'd take
advice, learn from previous examples - why re-invent the
wheel? I always prioritise, I manage my time, and I
understand the difference between urgent and important. For
very complex projects I'd produce quite a detailed schedule
and plan review stages. I even plan time-slots for activities
that aren't in themselves organised, like thinking time, and
being creative, solving problems, etc.
A great opportunity to shine and
show management potential.
Planning and organising is one of
the keys to good work at any level
so it's essential to acknowledge
this. Exposes unreliable people
who take pride in flying by the seat
of their pants.
How much are
you
earning?/do
you want to
earn?
Be honest about what you've been earning and realistic
about what you want to earn.
Exposes unrealistic people. An
opportunity to demonstrate you
understand the basic principle that
everyone needs to justify their
cost. Extra pay should be based
on extra performance or
productivity.
How many
hours a week
do you
work/prefer to
work?
It varies according to the situation. I plan and organise well,
so unless there's a crisis or unusual demand I try to finish at
a sensible time so as to have some time for my family/social
life/outside interests. It's important to keep a good balance. I
start earlier than most people - you can get a lot done before
the phones start ringing. When the pressure's on though I'm
happy to work as long as it takes to get the job done. It's not
about the number of hours - it's the quality of the work that
Exposes the clock-watchers and
those who attach some misplaced
macho pride in burning the candle
at both ends. Look for a sense of
balance, with flexibility to go
beyond the call of duty on
occasions when really required.
you do; how productive you are.
Do you make
mistakes?
Be honest. Yes of course on occasions, but I obviously try
not to, and I always try to correct them and learn from them.
Anyone who says they don't make
mistakes either isn't telling the
truth, or never does anything at all.
Whatever, a 'no' here is a big
warning signal. (Ack. Linda Larkin)
(Follow above
question with) -
Can you share
your mistakes
with others?
Absolutely I can - I get the guidance I need, and it may help
prevent others from making the same mistake.
Shows whether the person can
take responsibility and guidance. A
mature, positive approach to
learning from mistakes is a great
characteristic. (Ack. LL)
How to do
measure your
own
effectiveness?
By the results that I achieve, and that I achieve them in the
most positive way. If there isn't an existing measure of this I'll
usually create one.
Exposes people who are not
results orientated - more
concerned with process,
relationships, airy-fairy intangibles.
How do you like
to be managed
/not like to be
managed?
Be truthful, but express positively. I'm generally very
adaptable to most management styles. In the past I've helped
my bosses get the best out of me by talking to them and
developing a really good understanding. I work best when I'm
given freedom and responsibility to take some of the load off
my boss's shoulders - they have enough to deal with. Do not
respond to the negative and give any example of how you do
not like to be managed.
Indicates ability to cooperate and
manage upwards, also how
management attention you'll need.
Exposes potential awkwardness.
Only the most experienced and
capable managers will be seeking
difficult dominant types, and only
then for certain roles requiring a
high level of independence and
initiative.
What personal
goals do you
have and how
are you going
about achieving
them?
Prepare for this - be able to state your personal and career
goals - keep them reasonable, achievable and balanced.
Explain how you see the steps to reaching your aims. An
important part of achieving progress is planning how to do it.
Be able to demonstrate that you've thought and planned, but
also show that you are flexible and adaptable, because it's
impossible to predict the future - the important thing is to
learn and develop, and take advantage of opportunities as
they come along.
Exposes those with little or no
initiative. People who don't plan or
take steps to achieve their own
personal progress will not be pro-
active at work either. People who
don't think and plan how to
progress will tend to be reactive
and passive, which is fine if the
role calls for no more, but roles
increasingly call for planning and
action rather than waiting for
instructions.
How do you
balance work
and
family/social
commitments?
Say balance is essential. All work and no play isn't good for
anyone, but obviously work must come first if you want to do
well and progress. Planning and organising my work well,
and getting results, generally means that I have time for my
outside interests and there's no conflict.
Can expose those with outside
interests that may prevail over
work commitments (keen sports-
people, etc., who cannot put work
first.) Indicates whether the
interviewee has balanced
approach to life. Obsession with
work to the exclusion of most else
is not generally a good sign.
Why should we
appoint you?
You have a choice here as to how to play this: you can either
go for it strongly, re-stating your relevant strengths -
behaviour, experience and skills, or you can quietly
confidently suggest: I don't know the other applicants, so it
would be wrong for me to dismiss their claims. However, I am
sure that I have all the main attributes the role requires,
which, combined with determination and positive approach,
should ensure that I'd be a very good choice. (If management
progression/succession is seen as a benefit then you must
refer to your willingness to develop and take on greater
responsibilities in the future.)
Pressure question - opportunity for
interviewee to clearly and
confidently stake their claim. Look
again for the interviewee to state
relevant strengths in behaviour,
experience and skills. Look also
for good eye-contact when
pledging hard work, loyalty,
determination, etc.
What can you
do for us that
other people
cannot?
I don't know the other applicants, but generally I excel at . . .
(pick your strengths that most fit with what they're seeking).
Introduce some behavioural and style strengths as well as
skills, and show you know the difference between them.
Pressure question, and one that
enables the stars to shine. Look
for awareness in the interviewee
that they know what their relevant,
even special, strengths are, and
can link them to benefits that they
would bring to the role.
Tell me about
yourself.
You must rehearse this one. Have ready a descriptions of
yourself and why you're like it. Don't just spout a lot of
standard adjectives, say why you are like you are. Don't
ramble on and tail off. make a few clear statements and
finish.
Will show whether applicant has
self-awareness - a critical skill that
not everyone possesses. Will also
show if applicant can think and
present a complex case clearly
and to the point. Also shows
confidence and security levels,
and 'grown-upness'.
What makes
you mad?
Nothing really makes me mad - it's not a good way to deal
with anything. Certain things disappoint or upset me -
rudeness, arrogance, spitefulness (pick any obvious nasty
traits or behaviours, particularly behaviours that you believe
your interviewer will personally dislike too.)
Exposes poor self-control or
unreasonable aversions, fears,
and insecurities. Exposes lack of
tolerance and emotional triggers.
Clever interviewers may infer or
encourage a feeling in the way
they ask the question that it's okay
to get mad. Don't fall for it.
What do you
think of your
last
boss/employer?
Don't be critical. If possible be generous with praise and say
why, giving positive reasons. If there was a conflict don't lie,
but describe fairly and objectively without pointing blame.
Exposes back-biting, bitterness,
grudges, inability to handle
relationships. Exposes people who
can't accept the company-line.
If you won a
million on the
lottery what
would you do?
Probably save most of it, give some away, maybe a small
treat for myself but nothing excessive. I could handle it I think
because I'd always want to work, I'm quite sensible with
money, maybe start my own business if I could be really sure
to make a success of it.
Exposes the foolhardy, the
irresponsible and the dreamers.
Opportunity to demonstrate level-
headedness, morality, work ethic,
intelligence to know that money
doesn't buy happiness.

weakness and failure questions
"Tell me about your failures....", or "What are your greatest weaknesses......". are the interviewer's equivalent to "Are
you still beating your wife?..".
Don't be intimidated by these questions - you don't have to state a failing or a weakness just because the interviewer
invites you to.
"I don't generally fail", or "I really can't think of any", are perfectly acceptable answers. Short and sweet, and then
wait smiling for the come-back - you'll have demonstrated that you are no mug and no pushover. If you are pressed
(as you probably will be), here's your justification answer, or if you wish to appear a little more self-effacing use this
as a first response:
"I almost always succeed because plan and manage accordingly. If something's not going right I'll change it until it
works. The important thing is to put the necessary checks and contingencies in place that enable me to see if things
aren't going to plan, and to make changes when and if necessary....."
or
"There are some things I'm not so good at, but I'd never say these are weaknesses as such - a weakness is a
vulnerability, and I don't consider myself vulnerable. If there's something I can't do or don't know, then I find
someone who can do it or does know."
Do you see the positive orientation? Turn it around into a positive every time.
blame questions
Watch out also for the invitation to rubbish your past job or manager, especially in the form of: "Why did you leave
your last job?", or "Why have you had so many jobs?"
The interviewer is not only satisfying curiosity.......... if you say your last boss was an idiot, or all your jobs have been
rubbish, you'll be seen as someone who blames others and fails to take responsibility for your own actions and
decisions.
Employers want to employ people who take responsibility, have initiative and come up with answers, not problems.
Employers do not want to employ people who blame others.
So always express positive reasons and answers when given an opportunity to express the negative. Never blame
anyone or anything else.
"I was ready for more challenge", or "Each job offered a better opportunity, which I took", or "I grow and learn quickly
and I look for new opportunities", or "I wanted to get as much different experience as quickly as I could before
looking for a serious career situation, which is why I'm here."
I great technique for exploiting the blame question trap is to praise your past managers and employers. Generosity is
a positive trait, so demonstrate it. Keep your praise and observations credible, realistic and relevant: try to
mention attributes that your interviewer and prospective new employer will identify and agree with. This will build
association and commonality between you and the interviewer, which is normally vital for successful interview
outcomes. They need to see that you think like they do; that you'll fit in.
prove it questions
These can be the toughest of the lot. Good interviewers will press you for evidence if you make a claim. So the
answer is - be prepared.
Watch out for closed questions: "Can you do so-and-so?.." , "Have you any experience in such-and-such?..."
These questions invite a yes or no answer and will be about a specific area.
If you give a yes, be prepared to deal with the sucker punch: "Can you give me an example?........"
The request for examples or evidence will stop you in your tracks if you've not prepared or can't back up your
answer.
The trick is before the interview to clearly understand the requirements of the job you're being interviewed for. Ask
to see the job description, including local parameters if applicable, and any other details that explain the extent and
nature of the role. Think about how you can cover each requirement with examples and evidence. Wherever
possible use evidence that's quantified and relates to commercial or financial outputs.
Companies are interested in people who understand the notion of maximising return on investment, or return on
effort. If your examples and evidence stand up as good cost-effective practice, they'll clock up even more points for
you.
Make sure you prepare examples of the relevant capabilities or experience required, so that you're ready for the
'prove it' questions. You can even take papers or evidence material with you to show -having hard evidence, and the
fact that you've thought to prepare it, greatly impresses interviewers.
If you don't have the evidence (or personal coverage of a particular requirement), then don't bluff it and say yes when
you'd be better off saying, "No, however...."
Use "No, however ..." (and then your solution or suggestion), if asked for something that you simply don't have.
Give an example of where previously you've taken on a responsibility without previous experience or full capability,
and made a success, by virtue of using other people's expertise, or fast-tracking your own development or
knowledge or ability.
On this point - good preparation should include researching your employer's business, their markets and their
competitors. This will help you relate your own experience to theirs, and will show that you have bothered to do the
research itself.
In summary, to deal with pressure questions: Keep control. Take time to think for yourself - don't be intimidated or led
anywhere you don't want to go. Express every answer in positive terms. And do your preparation.
(This item about stress and pressure interview questions was written for the Sydney Morning Herald, extracts of
which appeared in April 2004.)

competency-based and behaviour interviews questions - 'how would you do this...?'
For interviewers these are powerful and effective questions. These questions make the interviewee tell you how they
would approach, handle, deal with, solve, etc., a particular situation, problem, project or challenge that is relevant to
the job role in question. The situation could be from the interviewee's past experience, a hypothetical scenario, or a
real situation from the interviewing organisation. As the interviewer you should judge the answers objectively. Avoid
the temptation to project your own style and feelings into the assessment of whether the answer is good or bad. Look
for thoughtfulness, structure, cause and effect rationale, pragmatism. The candidate may not approach the question
like you do, but they may have a perfectly effective style and approach to the answer just the same. The answers will
indicate the interviewee's approach, methodology, experience and competency in relation to the scenario, to how
they get things done, and also the style by which they do it.
From the interviewee's perspective, these questions commonly start with a scenario and a question as to how you as
the interviewee would deal with it. Or the question might ask you to give an example of how you have handled a
particular situation or challenge in the past. Or the interviewer might ask how you would approach a current situation
in their own organisation.
In these cases the interviewer will often judge your answers according to how much they agree with your behavioural
approach. The questions may initially seem or be positioned as competency-based, but often the interviewer will be
treating this really as a question of behaviour and style.
And as ever, without going to unreasonable lengths your answers should reflect the style
expected/preferred/practised by the interviewer/organization. People like people like them.
For instance - a results-driven interviewer, certain high achieving dominant personalities, aspiring MD's, certain
ruthless types, will warm to answers with a high results-based orientation (eg '....I focus on what needs to be done to
achieve the task, to get the job done, to cut through the red tape and peripherals, ignoring the distractions, etc.
Strong incentive, encouragement, clear firm expectations and timescales, deliverables, etc........' - the language of the
achiever.
Alternatively, if you find yourself being interviewed by a persuasive, friendly, influential, egocentric type, (lots of sales
managers are like this) then frame your answers to mirror that style - '.....I use persuasion, inspiration, leading by
example, helping, providing justification, reasons, empathising with the situation and people who are doing the job,
motivating according to what works with different people, understanding what makes them tick...' - all that sort of
stuff.
HR interviewers are often 'people-types' and will warm to answers that are sensitive, and take strong account of
people's feelings, happiness, well-being, sense of fairness and ethics, honesty, integrity, process, accuracy, finishing
what's been started, having a proper plan, steady, reliable, dependable, etc. - the language of the fair and the
disciplined.
Technical interviewers, eg., MD's who've come up through science, technical, finance disciplines, will warm to
answers which demonstrate the use of accuracy, plans, monitoring, clearly stated and understood aims, methods,
details, checking, measuring, reporting, analysing.
These are generalisations of course, but generally relevant in most interview situations when you are asked 'How
would you ...?'
Obviously be true to yourself where you can. It's a matter of tint and orientation, not changing your colour altogether.
Occasionally you might meet a really good interviewer who is truly objective, in which case mirroring is not so useful -
whereas confidence, maturity, integrity, flexibility, compassion, tolerance, pragmatism are, and as such should be
demonstrated in the way you answer questions of a balanced mature non-judgemental interviewer.
Interviews can be a bit of a game, so when you see that it is, play it - the more you see subjective judgement and
single-track behaviour in the interviewer, then the more advantage there is in mirroring the interviewer's style in your
answers.
People like people like them. Which very definitely extends to assessing behaviour-based competency.

giving presentations at job interviews
Being asked to give a presentation at your interview is a great opportunity for you to shine and stand out from the
crowd.
While giving interview presentations can understandably be daunting, a little preparation and thought will enable you
to use the situation to great advantage. This is chiefly because giving a presentation offers you a much better
platform than is normally available when simply answering an interviewer's questions.
A presentation enables you to showcase your attributes and qualities - and often to research and prepare - way
beyond the constraints normally encountered in reacting to conventional interview questions.
So if you are asked to give a presentation - regardless of the time available for preparation - welcome the challenge -
be prepared, and make the most of the your chance to show what you can do.
Demonstrating an organizational or strategic interpretation and enthusiasm for the role - showing that you
can add value beyond what the employer hopes for - is the key to standing out as a star candidate.
Research, preparation, and freedom to create and deliver a great presentation are the main the ingredients for
anyone seeking to make an impact in any situation - and all of these are enabled when you are invited to give an
interview presentation.
While the guidelines below are chiefly for interviewees they also help interviewers in creating instructions and a basis
for reviewing and assessing presentations given by job candidates at interviews.
When you are asked to give a presentation at an interview you should use whatever time is available to consider the
following questions in relation to the employer organization, their market place and how your filling the role can bring
them what they need and more.
Here are some strategic questions to consider and resolve as far as possible prior to planning an interview
presentation. The scenario is a job vacancy in training, but the principles transfer to any role.
1. Understand the significance of any particular key words used in the presentation instructions - think
about the words used by the recruiting organization in their letter or specification, for example "...give a
technical presentation..." or "...give a professional presentation..." Think about what they mean exactly by a
word like 'technical' or 'professional'. Words like these are often especially significant clues to the sort of
presentation style and content that the interviewers are seeking. Try to get into their shoes and understand
exactly what they are looking for in the successful applicant.
2. What are the essential competencies and attributes they need in the role? Cover the basics - the job
description is usually a good indication, but sometimes you should look beyond this to more of an industry-
standard approach, especially if the job description is a little flaky. Sometimes the employer will expect you
to help re-define the role - employers don't always know what they want, or the full extent of what the role.
Showing that you understand the role is a good basis for demonstrating that you can actually perform in the
role.
3. What gaps/opportunities exist in their knowledge/use of alternative/advanced training design and
delivery technology/methods (or other role-relevant issues as appropriate)? Recruiting new people
offers employers the opportunity to introduce new ideas and keep up to date with modern approaches,
technologies, methods, etc. You should demonstrate that you will be a good source of new ideas and
methods when you join them. Addressing this in a presentation enables you to show how you will add value
to the employer's technology, innovation, methods, etc.
4. What particular challenges or crises do they face that you can help them fix?Identifying and solving
problems are usually big priorities for new people, if only because everyone else had tried and failed. New
blood and fresh enthusiasm are often essential to break deadlocks and find solutions to long-standing
problems. So try to discover their big challenges and difficulties, and consider how you'd approach them,
without making unqualified assumptions, or running the risk of repeating things they've already tried. This
sort of consideration of their challenges and approaches to solutions requires a balanced approach - not
being too assumptive or presumptuous, but at the same time demonstrating a level of confidence and
determination to tackle problems creatively with a fresh incisive view and impetus.
5. What specifically can you bring to the situation which will improve their competitive position in
relation to their own markets and customers? This element of a presentation demonstrates that you can
add value to the organization in terms of sales, business, profit and ultimately financial performance, (an
area of enormous importance for most employers) by your appreciation of how the performance of your role
can bring competitive advantage and improvement to the organization. Consider what you can do that will
enable the organization to retain and attract more customers and business. The ability to translate and
express your job in terms of competitive advantage - or in the non-profit sector, in terms of quality of service
- is an irresistible proposition for most employers.
6. What crucial differences/innovations/improvements could you bring beyond even their ideal
expectations? This is your personal Wow Factor. The employer will have a baseline expectation of the sort
of candidate required to fill the vacancy. A number of candidates might meet this specification. So what can
you offer that goes beyond the baseline expectation? What can you do that's different and better than other
candidates, in a way that the organization will regard it as making a significant additional contribution -
perhaps in an area or areas which they have not yet even considered? Think about, prepare, and build into
your presentation a really special advantage or capability you can offer that no-one else can, and translate
this into what it could do for them.
7. How can you help them better identify, measure and improve crucial performance in their overall
learning and development (or other role-relevant functions), and beyond this into their
operations? This adds value in the crucial and often neglected areas of measurement, control and
implementation. Most employers do not actually measure and appreciate the critical priorities of their
operations, and how these key performance areas are affected and enabled (or frustrated) by particular
roles within the organization. As a job candidate when you demonstrate that you can perform the role up to
and beyond the organization's basic needs, and then additionally contribute much needed strategic
interpretation and implementation support, you will be presenting a very powerful case indeed that you are
the best candidate for the job.

At all times keep this at the back of your mind that unless the vacancy is for a very specific and limited role, then the
interview is actually mostly about the recruiting organization and the interviewer(s), not you.
What this means is that you must present yourself in terms that make sense to and match the needs of the
organization. Everything you say about yourself must be couched in terms of what it will mean for the employer.
There is no point in presenting a glowing picture of yourself and your knowledge, experience, capabilities, etc., in
glorious isolation. Instead you must prepare and present everything about yourself so that you are irresistibly relevant
to the needs and aims and challenges of the organization.
The interview presentation offers you a wonderful opportunity to do this - to demonstrate that you can enable relevant
and effective improvement/achievement for their biggest problems and opportunities, better than any of the other
candidates.
Research and understand their issues. Then prepare and and present your own personal added value in relation to
their situation.
Here are some more general tips on creating and giving presentations.
Finally some quick ideas for structure, especially when little preparation time is available:
The Rule of Three
1. Introduction or aims.
2. The points you want to make (three, subdivided if necessary).
3. Summary - and ideally an impressive memorable finishing statement.
The Tell 'Em Rule
1. Tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em,
2. Tell 'em,
3. Then tell 'em what you told' em.
(Again, essentially intro, key points, summary.)
Three Big Points
(Especially for surprise presentations when you only have a few minutes to prepare.)
Three big points must address the three biggest outcomes that the organization needs from the new appointment.
1. Brainstorm (jot down as many relevant ideas for the three outcomes as you can).
2. Decide (confirm if at all possible) and reduce these down to the three biggest outcomes that the
interviewers are seeking from the person to be appointed into the role.
3. Then hit them hard with how you will achieve each of the three big outcomes - and also how you (and they)
will assess the effectiveness of the solutions. (Assessment is crucial to awareness, validation and control.)

questions to ask at interview - for interviewees
While this section essentially gives guidance and tips to interviewees these ideas and principles will also help
interviewers.
At job interviews it's as important for you the interviewee to prepare questions to ask the interviewer as it is to
prepare answers and readiness for the questions that the interviewer will ask you.
If you are the interviewer, ensure you offer the interviewee the opportunity to ask questions about the job, the
management, the organisation and the market within which it operates. The questions that job candidates ask at
interview provide valuable insights as to their attitude, maturity, capability and strategic understanding of the role and
the organisation, so for interviewers, questions asked by interviewees form a significant and illuminating part of the
interview process. Listen to and learn from what interviewees ask you - often the questions that interviewees ask will
provide more information to the interviewer than anything you ask them.
As the interviewee, take full advantage of opportunities to ask questions. Asking good well-prepared and researched
questions is your chance to demonstrate that you are better than the other candidates, and to show that you have a
tremendous capability and understanding and potential, irrespective of what the interviewer asks you.
Preparing and asking great questions at your own job interview dramatically reduces any dependance that you might
otherwise have for the interviewer to ask you 'the right questions'. It won't matter if the interviewer doesn't ask good
helpful questions, or fails to prompt the sort of discussion that allows you to show how brilliant you are - instead, you
can control this area of discussion yourself by asking the interviewer great questions that will make them sit up and
realise what an excellent candidate you are.
An helpful although not absolutely essential aspect towards asking the interviewer good questions is
good research (which follows later on this page).
A key to asking great questions at your interview is to ask questions that impress the interviewer. Most
candidates just ask about routine details that they think they ought to know, or which they think of on the spur of the
moment, but which will probably be provided in due course anyway in documentation about terms and conditions.
This is meaningless twaddle and to be avoided.
Instead focus on the job priorities and scope, on the organisation and ways to make a difference or an improvement.
Try to think strategically like a manager, and for very senior positions, like the CEO. Try to adopt the mind-set of a
helpful advisor who needs to ask helpful facilitative questions. Focus on the organisation not on your own needs.
Try to prepare and ask questions that make the interviewer think to themselves, "Wow, that's a good question - this
candidate has really thought about the role, and understands the sort of issues we need them to handle/the sort of
responsibilities/initiatives we want them to take.."
Aim to ask questions that make the interviewer think, (depending on what the organisation and role requires), "Wow,
that's an unusual question - this candidate is special - they are demonstrating to me that they understand
people/understand about communications/have great integrity/a strong value system/great humanity/maturity/a good
strategic mind/etc, etc."
Think before the interview about what the successful candidate will be like - ask yourself beforehand, what great
questions would the successful candidate ask? And then be that person.
When you research the job look into the sort of challenges the organisation is facing, and think how this affects the
vacant role. What does the employer need from the successful applicant? How might the role be extended to
contribute more to the organisation if the job were performed by a suitably positive and capable person ? (That's you
incidentally.) The job advert or job specification might give you some clues. Do your research so that you understand
as much as possible about the priorities of the job position, and the organisation and its situation, and then think
about the ways that the role could be extended to provide greater support towards achieving organisational
challenges.
This sort of background thinking will help you to prepare questions that will seriously impress any interviewer,
whatever the role. It is possible also to think of good positive impressive questions just by using what you know of the
role and the sort of issues that face modern employers. The point is, you need to think about it and prepare
beforehand.
For example:
examples of good questions to ask interviewers
These types of questions are certainly appropriate for interviewees to ask an interviewer at an interview for a junior-
to-middle ranking role. For more strategic roles and executive responsibilities you'll need to raise the strategic
perspective of some of these questions - use your judgement. Remember, the aim is to make the interviewer think
(always relative to the role), "Wow, that's a good question.."
In any event adapt the wording and develop alternative questions to suit your own style and the situations concerned.
"Of the main priorities and expectations attached to this role, which ones are well understood and measurable, and
which are not?"
"If the CEO/MD/Departmental Manager/you were to name the three most important priorities for this role/the
successful candidate to achieve in the first six months, what would they be, and how would they be measured?"
"I'm aware that this market is fast moving/competitive/mature/local/regional/national/international (whatever your
research indicates); how is this affecting the strategic priorities and the demands on the role/vacant position?"
"Communications, internal and external, are clearly extremely important in this organisation; what are the related
priorities for this role?"
"I've read that you (the employer organisation) face a lot of competition from XYZ (sector, company, whatever); what
do you think are the main ways that the successful candidate can help the organisation deal with this threat?"
"Where are the priorities/What are the issues for this role/the successful candidate in terms of
maintaining/developing/improving effective inter-departmental relations?"
"What are the priorities and challenges as regards areas for change and improvement facing the
department/organisation/team within/connecting/relating to the role?"
"What is the balance of priorities for this role - short-term efficiencies and performance, or longer-term planning and
organising?"
"If someone were to come into this role and begin to make a significant impact on culture and morale, what sort of
changes would people/you/the management/the board/the CEO want to see most, and how would this be
measured?"
"It's normal that most roles are operating considerably below their potential to contribute to strategic
change/organisational performance and improvement; what are the expectations in terms of broadening the scope of
this role"?
"How might this role positively impact on/contribute to customer relations/organisational development/culture/staff
morale/training and development/legislative anticipation/market development/sales development/business retention
in ways that it's not done so far?"
"Where do think there might be opportunities for this role to connect with/cooperate with other functions, and what's
stopped that happening in the past?"
"What are the vulnerabilities in processes/people/business retention/grow/ technology, ITC systems within the
organisation/department that need to be attended to?"

And so on.. You get the idea?
Serious, strategic, thoughtful, facilitative questions. Questions that amaze the interviewer - about things they might
not have even considered. In fact the best questions should make the interviewer think, "My God, if this person can
have this level of insight, and such a positive enlightened approach at the interview, just imagine what they'll be able
to do when they get their feet under the table..."
This sort of positive expansive questioning is not limited to strategic management positions - every job role is
potentially strategic - what makes the role strategic is the person doing it, not the job title or status.
And the role can be in any function, any industry, any type of organisation - doesn't matter - every role interfaces in
some way or another with people, processes, other departments, customers and suppliers (internal or external), and
so has a strategic dimension. recognise the strategic dimension; influence it positively, and you get asked to do it on
a wider scale. Asking good questions at a job interview helps the job candidate to demonstrate that they have this
potential.
Organisations, and therefore interviewers want to recruit people into all roles who can come in and make a positive
difference. By asking well-prepared and thoughtful questions, you can demonstrate that you are one of these people.

Being an advocate of the maxim 'accentuate the positive' I am usually loath to dwell on negative examples,
however in this case I make an exception because this is an important no-go area.
Just as it's helpful for interviewees to prepare and ask good questions, so it's helpful also to avoid asking routine
questions that waste time and can often be covered more efficiently in some other way (by reading a document for
example.)
questions to avoid asking
Contrast the expansive, positive strategic questions above, about job scope and contribution to organisational
effectiveness, with this stuff below. Interviewers will generally react negatively (secretly usually) to questions such as
the following examples, so unless you are a very junior person going for a very junior role with an employer who has
not prepared in advance this type of routine information, avoid asking questions like these at your interview.
"How many weeks holiday do I get?.."
"When would I get a pay-rise?.."
"What are the lunch times?.."
"What sort of car do I get?.."
"What other perks are there?.."
"What are the pension arrangements?.."
"Do you have a grievance procedure?.."
"What expenses can I claim for?.."
"How soon before I could get promoted?.."
"When is going-home time?.."
and others like these

Do not ask these questions
These are warning-sign questions to most interviewers.
Do not ask these questions at interview unless you want
to be seen as someone who cares more about the pay
and perks than the job and the organisation, let alone
making a positive difference in the place.
Generally speaking these questions suggest to the interviewer that the candidate is mostly interested in what the
organisation can give the employee, rather than the other way around. Interviewers want to meet and recruit
interviewees who see things in terms of what the employee can do for the organisation.
Find another way to get this sort of information if you really need to know it at the face-to-face interview. Good
employers will explain all this to interviewees during the interview or in written terms and conditions, which many
employers will send out prior to the interview. As suggested in the tips at the start of this page ask prior to the
interview for a copy of the employment terms and conditions or an employee handbook. If they don't have this or
can't send it, and you have a burning question about these sort of 'hygiene factors', the best way to approach it is to
ask something like:
"What's the best way for me to see the routine details about the employment terms and conditions relating to this
role? Do you have a handbook or sample contract for example? I don't want to waste time here going through
incidentals..."
By doing this you demonstrate several important things, that:
you regard these things as secondary - implication being that you regard doing the job as the priority
you respect the value of time, since you appreciate there are better things to concentrate on during an interview
you understand the principle of efficient information management and communication, on the basis that all this
detail will be available somewhere to read rather than have to waste effort asking individual questions
you are professional - because providing information like this in the way you suggest is the most professional way
to do it.
Of course the job-grade and seniority of the vacancy and the size of the employer organisation will affect the
significance and transfer of this sort of information. In an interview with a tiny little company for a junior clerk's
position the interviewee can be forgiven for asking these sorts of questions relating to terms and conditions, not least
because the company might not be professional or organised enough to have produced a proper handbook or
contract, nevertheless, whatever the role and size of employer, the less time spent asking about all this sort of
information the better. And certainly avoid the entire area in interviews for professional positions with professional
employers, especially in commercially competitive functions and industry sectors.
A final point about questions to ask at interviews when you are the interviewee:
asking for the job
In certain circumstances, especially for sales and commercial roles, there might be an expectation or opportunity for
you to 'close' or ask for the job, which is potentially the most powerful question of all to ask.
If you really want the job and can accept an offer there and then, there is often a lot to be gained, and very little to be
lost, by asking for the job at the end of the interview, although bear in mind the effect that this tactic has on salary
negotiation.
Obviously it's only appropriate in certain situations; notably towards the end of the recruiting process when the
interviewers have seen all the candidates, or if the employer has more vacancies than they can easily fill.
Similarly, it's reasonable to ask for a second interview, or to be shortlisted, if that's the next stage in the process.
Persistence and determination are highly valued attributes, logically in sales and selling organisations, but also
beyond the sales functions. In fact some job candidates successfully take the method to extremes and simply do not
take no for an answer, virtually camping out on the employer's doorstep until they are eventually brought in from the
cold and offered the job. The decision-maker, typically an owner-manager or CEO in such situations, is finally forced
to concede that if the person wants the job that badly then perhaps they'll be rather a good bet after all. This sort of
determination is often associated with loyalty and commitment - and uniqueness - which can all create a compelling
case for decision-makers who are attuned to this sort of style, particularly if other candidates are thin on the ground.
While these extremes are not for everyone, anyone is entitled to ask for a job that they really want. Plenty of offers
are not made because the interviewer doubts the seriousness or commitment of the interviewer. Asking for the job at
least largely rules out that possibility.
Added to which, certain types of managers and directors (the ones who would normally ask for the job at their own
interviews for example) respond positively when an interviewee looks them straight in the eye, pauses for dramatic
effect, and says earnestly,
"I want this job. Make me the offer and I'll take it here and now."
It's not really a question, it's more of a statement of intent, and lots of decision-makers like to hear it.
As ever having other options - other interviews lined up, or even another offer - is helpful and can add an extra bit of
pressure to your push.
If you fancy using the ploy, it's also worth thinking about exactly what you want to say. Decision-makers certainly like
to hear that you like their organisation (that you'd not be inclined to be this determined were it any other employer)
and that there are one or two compelling reasons for your wanting to do a great job for them, so it's worth thinking
about how you might weave a few simple supporting points into your final coup de grace.
An employer or interviewer who is keen on you, who has satisfied they've been through the proper processes, and
who knows or believes that you have other options, will sometimes give you the job offer there and then if you ask
firmly and professionally for the job. Which of course saves a lot of time for all concerned, so if you feel like asking for
the job - any job in fact - the approach is not limited to sales and commercial positions - then go for it.

salary negotiation tips for job interviews
The best time to negotiate salary is after receiving a job offer, and importantly before you accept a job offer - at the
point when the employer clearly wants you for the job, and is keen to have your acceptance of the job offer. Your
bargaining power in real terms, and psychologically, is far stronger if you have (or can say that you have) at least one
other job offer or option (see the tips on negotiation). A strong stance at this stage is your best chance to provide the
recruiting manager the justification to pay you something outside the employer's normal scale.
If there's a very big difference between what is being offered and what you want, say more than 20%, you should
raise it as an issue during the interview for discussion later (rather than drop it as a bombshell suddenly when the job
offer is made). Do not attempt to resolve a salary issue before receiving a job offer - there's no point. Defer the matter
- say you'll need to discuss salary in due course, but that there's obviously no need to do so until and unless the
company believes you are the right person for the job. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," should be the
approach.
A job and package comprise of many different things - unless the difference between what's offered and needed is
enormous (in which case the role is simply not appropriate) both sides should look at all of the elements before
deciding whether salary is actually an issue or not.
The chances of renegotiating salary after accepting a new job, and certainly after starting a new job, are remote -
once you accept the offer you've effectively made the contract, including salary, and thereafter you are subject to the
organization's policies, process and natural inertia.
A compromise agreement on salary, in the event that the employer cannot initially employ you at the rate you need,
is to agree (in writing) a guaranteed raise, subject to completing a given period of service, say 3 or 6 months. In
which case avoid the insertion of 'satisfactory' (describing the period of service) as this can never actually be
measured and therefore fails to provide certainty that the raise will be given.
If you are recruiting a person who needs or demands more money or better terms than you can offer, then deal with
the matter properly before the candidate accepts the job - changing pay or terms after this is very much more difficult.
If you encourage a person to accept pay and terms that are genuinely lower than they deserve or need, by giving a
vague assurance of a review sometime in the future, you will raise expectations for something that will be very
difficult to deliver, and therefore storing up a big problem for the future.
Additional tips and techniques relating to salary negotiations at job interviews.

second interviews guidelines
At second interviews, unsuitable applicants should have been screened out by this stage. For certain jobs a decision
will be made to offer the job after the second interviews; recruitments for senior positions may proceed to third
interviews.
Second interview questions should be deep and probing about the candidate and the candidate's approach to work.
The questions should concern detailed and testing examples and scenarios specific to the particular job, asking how
the candidate would deal with them. This is to discover as reliably as possible how the candidate would approach the
job, and what type of person they are - the interviewer needs to be sure they will get on with the candidate you and
that they will fit in well.
The interviewer should also probe the type of management that the candidate responds to and doesn't, and how the
candidate would work with other people and departments, giving specific examples and scenarios.
Tests and practical exercises using actual work material or examples can be used, which enable a practical
assessment of the candidate's real style, ability, knowledge and experience.
The candidate can be asked to prepare and give a short presentation about themselves, or how they would approach
the job or a particular challenge. This could involve the use of certain equipment and materials, particularly if such
ability is to be required in the job.
The interviewer should also try to get to know more about the candidate as a person - to be as sure as possible that
this is the right person for the situation; the interview approach should be probing and gaining practical evidence,
proof, of suitability.
A good second interview should establish as reliably as possible the candidate's suitability and ability for the specific
needs of the job, which includes the work, relationships, aspirations, and personal background.
There is nothing wrong in the candidate asking the organisation prior to the interview what to plan and prepare for in
the second interview - interviewers should regard this as a positive sign, and it may help the candidate to give some
clear information on what to expect and prepare for.
Certain senior jobs recruitments will involve a lunch or dinner so that the interviewer and other senior managers or
executives can see you in relaxed mode. This is an excellent way to discover more about the personality of an
applicant.
Group selection (normally a half-day or even whole day) - see below - is a very good alternative to conventional one-
to-one interviews after first interview stage. Group selection puts all the candidates together for a series of activities
and tasks, which can then be observed by a panel of interviewers. Individuals can be asked to prepare and give
presentations, and various other exercises relevant to the job. One-to-one interviews follow later in the day when the
group has been reduced in numbers. Group selection takes a lot longer than a conventional second interview and all
candidates should be notified as to the process and outline agenda.

interview follow-up letter or email by interviewee
If you are particularly keen to be offered a job and wish to increase your profile and chances of receiving a job offer
after attending interview, you can follow up an interview with a letter or email (and then a phone call) to reinforce your
commitment and qualities for the job. The sooner the better.
Often jobs are offered to the most passionate and determined applicants, so this should be the feeling that your
follow-up should try to convey, without giving the impression of desperation or crawling.
You should seek to focus your follow-up letter or email on the key performance aspects in the role that the
interviewer believes are required for the successful applicant.
This type of follow-up enables you to show that you have considered and developed your thinking after the interview
(a desirable attribute), and also enables you to re-emphasise your claim to the opportunity, bringing your name to the
front of the interviewer's mind again. A good follow-up letter or email also enables you to demonstrate that you are
persistent, professional, interested, possess relevant capabilities, recognise what the requirements and priorities are,
are keen, and can sell yourself in a determined manner, that probably the other applicants will not do.
Interviewers also respond well to applicants who really like the company, especially if your reasons coincide with the
reasons that the interviewer likes the company too, so it can help if your follow-up 'resonates' with the feelings of the
interviewer about what is required for the role.
From the interviewer's perspective - if you are an interviewer or decision-maker who receives a good follow-up letter
from an enthusiastic interviewee - I recommend you give the applicant extra credit and consideration. They are
demonstrating many of the most relevant qualities that you are seeking.

sample follow-up letter from interviewee after interview
Use and adapt this template example to create your own interview follow-up letter or email.

Dear ........
You interviewed me on (date) for the (role) position.
I really want this job, so I'm taking the liberty of re-stating why I think you should choose me:
(then list 3-5 short points which relate your skills, knowledge, experience, achievements, character, attitude, to the
results and effects they'll be seeking from the person appointed. It is very important that these points demonstrate
that you have clearly understood and can deliver - specific measurable things if possible - what they need for the
role, for example:)
You need someone who can produce new profitable business - a minimum (stated target level) a year. My track
record proves I can do this. I know already how I will do this for you. Moreover I'll help others around me to do it
too.
You need someone who is very adaptable. Again my recent career history shows how I'm able to adapt to fast-
changing situations - to identify and achieve new aims quickly. Put me anywhere - I'll adapt and create a new plan,
and achieve it.
You need someone who can hit the ground running - I can do this - I have commitments from personal customers
who have promised me business equating to (amount) by (when) should I take on this new role.
You might have seen better qualified applicants, or people with more relevant experience, but when it comes down to
it, it's the person with the most passion and determination who is able to make a real difference. I'd urge you to give
me the chance to prove I am that person.
Yours etc.

You could also follow up the letter/email with a phone call to ask what the interviewer thinks, and if there's anything
else that you can do or provide to help the interviewer decide.
Persistence often pays off, especially in roles which require someone who can get results by making things happen,
which applies to most roles in business and organisations these days, and certainly all management roles.
When you follow-up your own job interview with passion, determination and expertise, the interviewer sees real
evidence of how you can perform in the job itself.
The interview follow-up letter, email and phone call is therefore a great opportunity for you to demonstrate many of
your attributes for real, in a way that will raise your profile, re-state your credentials and understanding of the role's
requirements, and thereby create a clear separation between you and the other job candidates.


attracting and recruiting high quality staff
Here are some brief but significant points about attracting and recruiting high quality staff.
And while the methodology is especially important for recruiting rare individuals, it actually applies to the successful
attraction and recruitment of all staff.
The methodology for attracting and recruiting good quality employees follows basic marketing principles.
This might seem obvious to marketing and advertising folk, and even to some sales-people, but commonly
recruitment in organizations is a function of HR (Human Resources) department, or in smaller companies the task is
perhaps handled by an office manager. Not all HR people and office managers think like marketeers, and the world is
a better place because of this, nevetheless:
If you want to recruit the best possible staff, you must approach the activity as if you were marketing a product or
service.
First, it might help if you consider the elements of the recruitment process in terms of marketing language:
Your organization is effectively a supplier.
Employees are customers.
The two simple statements above represent a vital point. Ignore it or reverse it at your peril. (There are
unfortunately very many arrogant employers who believe they are doing their employeees a huge favour by
employing them. The employer - typically the directors and the culture which emanates from them - regards itself
as the customer, and the employees as the suppliers. This is a formula for the recruitment and retention of the
disinterested and demotivated. Try to see things the other way around: organization = supplier; employees =
customers.)
Employment/a career with your organization (essentially the job or role) equates to theproduct.
The job candidates - your ideal new employees - are your customers, prior to which they are your target
market or target audience.
The channel(s) or method(s) by which you reach your target audience is/are your route(s) to market. (For
example, routes to your target market of potential employees would include headhunters, recruitment agencies,
recruitment websites, newspaper or trade journal adverts, job shows and exhibitions, university/college/school
career events, referral by existing employees, etc.)
The employment opportunity is your product offering, within which your organization is a vital component (in
other words, it doesn't matter how good the job is, if the organization is a pile of unethical crap, or perceived as
such, then the job opportunity will probably be irretrievably tainted).
The product offering (job opportunity) must contain at least one and ideally a few USPs(Unique Selling Points) or
there is little reason for good people to be interested in working for your organization compared to competing
opportunities with other employers. (Ideally your organization should be so bloody wonderful that the organization
itself is one of the USPs of the job. USPs must be considered from the perspective of the customer, not the
supplier. USPs effectively define the type of customers attracted to the product.)
The way(s) in which the employment opportunity (product offering) is communicated to the target
audience/market equates to your advertising.
If you do not know what your USPs are then you need to research what they are (assuming you have one or
two...) by asking your best staff why they continue to work for you so diligently and loyally.
So, having established a few definitions and correlations, here, simply, is the methodology:
1. Identify/refine your USPs (as an employer - your unique selling points - what makes a job or career with
your organization different and special versus any other). Different jobs will tend to imply different USPs.
2. Identify your target audience/market (candidate profile, deeper than traditionally defined - this must go
beyond job skills and experience - consider lifestyle/life-needs/philosophy/outlook/etc).
3. Identify routes to market (how to reach the ideal candidates).
4. Implement activities/a campaign to put your offering in front of your target audience.
5. Process the enquiries (applicants) with complete professionalism, including very sensitive and respectful
treatment of all unsuccessful applicants.
As with marketing, differential in the product offering (employment USPs) and creative and effective
advertising/communications are the means by which competitive superiority (versus other employers) is achieved
and candidates are attracted and enthused by the job opportunities.
If you are an HR person and all this sounds a little daunting, please be assured that it is not rocket science - it's very
logical - and you might have some brilliant marketeers in your organization who can help with the process.
I'd add that (just like marketing a product/service) it's easy to make wrong assumptions about your organization's (as
an employer) own strongest USP(s), as perceived by the potential customers (the best quality employees), so just as
with fundamental marketing, it helps to research and discover what aspects of working for your organization attract
and retain the best staff of the type you are seeking.
Refer to the pages on marketing, and to a lesser extent selling. The essential ideas of marketing and selling apply
very directly to attracting and recruiting good quality employees.
Crucially, the foundations - the philosophy, organizational integrity, values, culture, etc - must be right and good,
otherwise you are building on sand.
The best employees gravitate towards, and tend to perform best for, the best employers. If your organization
struggles to recruit and retain excellent people it might be little to do with the job or the pay, and conversely, good
ethical caring organizations will generally attract and retain great people even if the job and the money are not the
most competitive.

group selection recruitment method - process and tips
The Group Selection recruitment method (also called recruitment assessment centres or recruitment assessment
days) offers several advantages over conventional one-to-one interviewing, which because of the limitations of one-
to-one interviews, many interviewers find a very unsatisfactory method in recruitment and selection. Group Selection
enables a number of people from the organisation to observe a number of job candidates, as they go through a
series of specially designed activities.
Group Selection also offers the recruiting organisation an excellent opportunity to present the company and the job in
a very professional way, thus appealing to and attracting the best candidates. Also, the unsuccessful candidates
leave the process with a very positive impression of the organisation and the experience as a whole.
Group Selection also enables the the best people to show themselves to be the best, often working on real job-
related scenarios, which removes much of the guesswork about people's true abilities. One-to-one interviews tend to
favour the 'professional interviewee' types, who present very well, but who might then fail to deliver - 'all mouth and
trousers' as the expression has it.
There are very many different ways to structure a group selection or recruitment assessment centre/day. The further
group selection ideas below will help expand possibilities for this super process.
Screening interviews are useful in short-listing candidates for group selections. For a senior job group selection,
screening interviews and psychometric assessments are recommended to shortlist candidates.
Group selection activities are by far the most reliable way to see what people are really like, provided the process is
carefully planned, managed and facilitated. If you'd like advice about Group Selection methods or designing a Group
Selection day please get in touch. Here's an outline of the process:
1. Create/confirm job specification, job description, skill-set, and person-profile.
2. Plan recruitment and induction schedule.
3. Create and place advert.
4. Shortlist applicants from written applications or CV's.
5. Write to candidates explaining selection process, venue, date and time.
6. Plan the Group Selection day or half-day, to include: presentation to them by senior managers about the
company and the role; psychometric tests; activities, tasks and games for candidates to do, including team
and syndicate work, and individual presentations; lunch; culminating in one-to-one interviews (usually three
or four) involving final shortlisted candidates with senior managers on rotation. See the team building
games sections for ideas of group selection exercises, for example the project team exercise and
the postbag group selection recruitment exercise.
7. Management review and decision. (Candidates can be asked to leave and hear later or wait, depending on
situation.)
8. Job offers, acceptance, reference checks, induction.

ideas for designing group selection recruitment, graduate assessment days and other assessment centre
recruitment days
Many of these principles are important for any sort of recruitment process - not just for group selections. Also, many
of the group selection ideas can be adapted and incorporated into traditional recruitment and interview processes.
This process grid illustrates the point. In both cases - conventional interviewing or group selection recruitment - the
first step (assessment specification) is crucial. Everything else is built on this. If there is no assessment specification,
or if it is flawed, then the event will be flawed and so will the outcomes.
Recruitment
process
1. Assessment specification 2. Assessment methods 3. Plan event
4. Run
event
conventional
recruitment
interviewing
break down the person profile
into manageable elements -
attach standards or measures
or parameters to be able to
assess whether met or not
design interview
questions and other tasks
or activities or tests to
assess each element of the
specification
schedule the
interview and
activities
run the
interview
and
activities
group selection
assessment
days or events
design group selection
activities to assess each
element of the specification
schedule the event
- including
presenting and
selling the job to
the applicants
run the
group
selection
event

The structure and activities of group selection days are flexible. Keep to the important principles and process above,
but other than that try to be innovative and creative, and always aim to ensure that the recruitment process is
pleasurable and positively memorable for all job applicants.
When you communicate with and organize job applicants you are continually presented with opportunities to give a
powerful and positive impression of your organization. Treat everyone as if they were a customer, and the experience
will produce various good outcomes in addition to successful recruitment.
How you design and structure your group selection day depends largely on the recruitment situation and the
characteristics or profile - the sort of person - you are seeking: their skills, experience, the demands of the role, the
culture of the employer department and organisation, the role's priorities and success measures.
The group selection activities and content ideas below are just examples. They are not attached to specific
assessment characteristics, measures or outcomes, which must be identified before deciding on suitable activities.
Your first step is therefore to understand and specify what your needs are and how to measure when
someone meets those needs.
Then you can start designing group selection or assessment centre activities and the format of the event, be it a day
or a half-day. There are no fixed rules - a half-day is more suitable for junior roles. Very important roles might justify
more than a day - or maybe even a weekend.
The best assessment methods are typically built on the best assessment criteria.
This is a simple statement, but a very important principle: You will more reliably find the right person if you first know
exactly the sort of person you are seeking, and how to assess that they meet the selection criteria.
Start by asking yourself (and ask other people with interest in the recruitment):
What information is missing or unknown or unreliable about recent or past new starters?
What does the current recruitment process fail to discover about applicants?
What are the gaps in our knowledge about new starters until now?
What discoveries about new starters have caused problems or departures?
What discoveries by new starters about the organization led to problems and departures?
When you understand the gaps or failings in your recruitment, then you know some useful areas to focus on in order
to improve your methods.
In addition to filling the gaps and addressing the weaknesses of your current methods you must look at the role(s)
being recruited in detail, and establish profiles so you can clearly define (and communicate to others) what you are
seeking.
Defining a role or person-specification can be challenging, but approached logically it's possible to define anything.
It's like the 'talent' question - which especially relates to graduate recruitment and young-person recruitment:
How can you to identify, assess and measure 'talent'?
The answer to the sample interview question how do you measure talent? illustrates the main principle: first define
what it is - break it down - attach parameters or measures or standards; then you have a basis for assessment or
development.
This same principle applies to designing good group selection and assessment centres.
To identify, assess, measure and develop anything you first need to define what it is.
You define something by understanding it and describing it, and breaking it down into elements or component parts:
a profile of some sort that is clear and meaningful and usable to those involved.
At its simplest, an assessment specification or personal profile is a checklist, ideally with somemeasures attached.
So, to run a successful group selection day or recruitment assessment centre, you must first create your assessment
specification.
Define and describe the person you need - using as many elements as necessary - and then attach some measures
to each element.
Having identified all the criteria that would define a successful new starter for the given role(s), you can then design
appropriate and corresponding assessment methods.
This assessment specification can refer to as many perspectives as you need - personality, skills, attitude,
experience, values and philosophy, emotional maturity, situation and circumstances - anything relevant to and
required by the role and employer.
Some elements of the specification (person profile) will be mandatory ('must have') - others could be optional.
Alternatively decide if each element is 'essential' or 'desirable'.
The skill-sets and training needs analysis templates helps to illustrate this - and will provide a basic format for
creating your recruitment assessment specification in the shape of a 'person profile'. You could even use a TNA
(training needs analysis) spreadsheet for organizing the assessments and results. The process of assessment
according to defined elements is basically the same for recruitment as it is for development appraisals and training
needs.
How you structure the person profile or assessment specification is up to you. Ideally it should enables you to attach
measures and methods by which to assess whether the measures are met.
Having established your assessment specification (or person profile or checklist and measures), suitably broken
down into elements or parts - you can design suitable methods, activities, sessions, etc., which will enable the
applicants to demonstrate their capabilities, and for you to assess them objectively - against a proper specification,
rather than having to rely on your subjective 'gut instinct'.
You might find the training planning format useful for this, especially to understand the process of analysing a
capability and then attaching a method of assessment or development to it. Here is atraining planner (xls format), and
also as a pdf.
Again, the process of assessment in recruitment is very close to the process of training design assessment and
development. All require understanding of the whole person or role, breaking this down into manageable elements,
attaching parameters or measures, and then designing activities or methods of assessment or development.
It's worth remembering, because it assessment and development are closely linked, that job applicants attending a
good group selection or recruitment assessment will also derive a development benefit from the experience.
We cannot fail to learn and develop when we undertake good assessment activities. Keep this in mind. It will help
you to design a high-quality and beneficial event.
See also the guide and tips for running a training/information marketing event - they include many transferable
elements and ideas for recruitment/assessment events.

ideas, activities, methods and examples for groups selectionand recruitment assessment centres
The aim of designing and running a good group selection event - as well as identifying and successfully recruiting the
best job candidates for your vacancies - is for all those attending to leave with the feeling that they had a great day,
that they learned and developed a lot about themselves, and that you are a wonderful positive employer. Achieve
this, and applicants will always look for your vacancies, and they'll tell all their friends too what a fantastically well-
organized and positive experience it was - even if they never got the job.
Here are some ideas for creating magnificent, memorable, beneficial and successful group selections and
recruitment assessment centre events.
As with the principles above about creating a person profile and assessment specification before deciding on the
assessment activities, these ideas are not all restricted to group selections. Many of the concepts are adaptable and
transferable to conventional recruitment interviewing processes.
I emphasise again the importance of first creating your assessment specification (selection criteria or person profile
or checklist and measures - whatever you call it) before you design your activities.
You must know what you are measuring before you decide how to measure it.
Here are the ideas. You will find many more ideas and methodologies for assessment centres and recruitment group
selection days all over this website, especially in the sections dealing withteambuilding, learning styles, personality
and profiling systems, appraisals and training needs analysis, and training evaluation.

1. Identify the gap and weaknesses in your existing methods.
Fixing current weaknesses in recruitment - the issues and characteristics that are typically never uncovered - is a
great way to start thinking of what activities to put into a group selection event.
How do you know what your current gaps and weaknesses are?
As ever - don't guess. Why guess when you can ask people and find out for certain?
Seek applicant feedback (especially from unsuccessful applicants) as to what skills, capabilities, potential were not
exposed or explored by the day's activities, or by conventional interviews.
Additionally, conduct exit interviews especially when new starters leave soon after joining. What mistakes were
made? What was missed during the recruitment stage?
Discovering weaknesses with your current methods will help you improve and develop your assessment
specification.
When you run any recruitment process you are effectively a supplier, and the applicants are effectively your
customers.
You must aim to delight them - to have them leave with a good feeling - that they have been fairly treated. This partly
achieved by planning and organizing an interesting, dynamic and developmental experience, but mainly it results
from giving people clear opportunities to demonstrate how they can best meet the specification for the job.
By providing a complete process aligned to the full specification, you improve the clarity and justification of your
decision-making for the unsuccessful applicants. The unsuccessful then understand better why they did not succeed
and are less likely to bear ill will.
Paths cross often. Job applicants are all potential customers. Make friends. Be good and fair to people.

2. Consider that different personalities and learning styles respond in different ways - and so need different
ways to demonstrate their capabilities.
Again these principles apply beyond group selections - they apply to conventional interviews too.
Consider that different personalities, communications styles, and learning styles among people will cause some
assessment activities to be easier or more advantageous for some people than others.
In the future technology will make it possible to tailor assessment tasks and activities according to individual
personality.
How far you can explore this currently will vary according to your resourcefulness and access to modern methods
and systems, etc.
At a basic level consider using a VAK or Multiple Intelligences or Kolb assessment at the outset of the day, to enable
assessors (and to an extent delegates too) to weigh/allow for individual preferences/personality styles/strengths - and
also to demonstrate that you understand that different people have different styles and needs, and that you have
done your best to structure a balanced series of activities.
At a more advanced level, technology will increasingly enable us be able to build some sort of 'artificial intelligence'
into the day/processes/activities, not only to be able to assess people, but also to assess people in a way that is
appropriate for each person's personality and natural preferences. (See the Benziger theory if you want to
understand this more about natural preferences.)

3. 'Life-stage theory', emotional balance and maturity (relative to age), are significant factors in the behaviour
and effects of people at work.
Explore emotional maturity and 'life-stage' factors among job applicants.
All the skills and experience in the world won't matter if the applicant's emotional foundation is seriously or
temporarily impaired or vulnerable. Emotional problems can often appear as force of character, ultra-
competitiveness, egocentricity, wit, wackiness, eccentricity, workaholism, etc., which for certain recruitments can be
appealing. Be careful. You want someone who will make a difference - but a good difference.
Conversely: genuinely stable, well-balanced and psychologically robust people are an asset to any organization,
pretty well regardless of the role, skills, ambition, and natural (personality) style preferences.
Having a good reference point or discussion framework to explore emotional balance andmaturity helps avoid
being seduced by extreme behaviour, especially if the assessment specification or role requires strength of
character, or other characteristics that verge on extreme.
Exuding more testosterone than Genghis Khan on acid might be good for the ratings on the Dragons Den or The
Apprentice (I refer to the panel not the contestants), but would you really want to manage someone like that in your
organization, never mind the damage they'd do to the good folk around them? Entrepreneurial egomania and
organizational employment rarely combine happily.
Having a good reference point for emotional balance and maturity also helps remind us during the recruitment
process that life and work are (thank goodness) becoming more civilized. Successful workers, good managers and
great leaders these days are civilized and emotionally mature.
People with problems can be very successful entrepreneurs, and they can make a big short-term impact in an
organization, but usually they create a lot of fall-out. Emotionally immature people (again this is not necessarily age-
related) tend to create mess, casualties, and at some stage need help themselves when problems can no longer be
masked. The egocentric entrepreneur will typically create their own passive environment (their equivalent of a
padded cell some might say), but such tendencies (often typified by bullying or temper tantrums) are extremely
damaging to organizations where there are other concerns like staff, customers and suppliers. You don't need these
extreme characters if they come with emotional baggage: they don't possess sufficient reserves to really care about
you and their fellow workers. So don't kid yourself that a bit of madness or psychosis can be good for a modern
organization; it isn't.
As an aside, this invites a fascinating question: at what point does extreme personality or questionable emotional
balance fall within the bounds of disability and equality legislation? Thankfully we have not arrived at the point (yet)
where rejecting an applicant for reasons of personality or attitude could be deemed unlawful. No doubt a test-case
will arise before too long.
Whatever, however you do it, any group selection should address emotional maturity. I repeat it is not an age thing.
It's whether the person is grounded, reasonable, thoughtful, balanced - you know: a grown-up. It's simple but often
overlooked.
I value the Erik Erikson model greatly. It provides a super learning and self-awareness discussion framework.
If you are proposing to go into some depth with people ensure the session facilitated by an expert or trained
counsellor, appropriate to the personality theory used.
Transactional Analysis is another immensely powerful, helpful and potentially revealing model. There are many
wonderful TA practitioners who will be able to help with this aspect - whether from an activities or assessment
viewpoint, or both.
If I could do one thing in group selection it would be to explore emotional maturity ('grown-upness' we might say) -
because, irrespective of age, in my experience emotional maturity is the greatest attribute for sustaining successful
work and contribution to any modern organization.
As the modern age and competitive pressures require organizations and their people to be ever-more self-managing,
the 'grown-upness' attribute will become even more significant.
An emotionally mature person will always tend to find solutions and resolve problems - even if they do not have the
skills or experience.
Whereas even the most technically skilled and experienced but emotionally immature person is liable, in response
to sometimes the weirdest trigger at any unforeseen moment, to implode, explode, rant, rave, suck in unbelievable
amounts of management (or boardroom) time, and generally be the biggest recruitment disaster of your career.
You will gather by now that I consider one of the great opportunities at a group selection event is to identify and avoid
recruiting emotionally immature people.
Approach the subject with care however. At a simple level simply facilitate a group discussion about emotional
maturity and observe people's contributions and reactions.
Seek expert advice and facilitation if you want to go into more depth.
Helpfully emotional balance and maturity links with the next area - integrity and ethics - which is easier to incorporate
within group selection and assessment activities.

4. Integrity and ethics - together a crucial factor for sustainable success at work in the modern age.
Integrity, ethics, compassion, humanity are like emotional maturity fundamental to sustainable success in modern
organisations.
Therefore find a way to explore these values and philosophical factors somehow at any assessment centre.
Incidentally emotional maturity and ethics, integrity, humanity are linked by the simple concept of consideration for
others - the opposite of selfishness and greed, to put it another way. (See theErikson life stages section if you want to
understand this more clearly. And see the note at the end of the next section about reconciling money and
ambition with ethics and integrity.)
Of course these factors (ethics, integrity, compassion, etc) are only relevant to your recruitment if the work
environment and corporation require and aspire to these things.
If not, then it's unlikely that a well-run group selection is the answer to current challenges.
On a complex level, ethics and integrity can be difficult to measure and judge, but at the level we need to assess, it's
simple.
We all basically know the difference between right and wrong - or the difference between a good act and a selfish
one - and the difference between the truth and a lie. Telling a lie in order to gain or save business, or to cover up a
mistake is not acceptable. This isn't about having a doctorate in morality - it's basic integrity.
Striking exactly the right balance in very difficult questions is not always impossible - there will always be ethical
questions for which there is no right answer, usually because the problem is actually rooted way back when someone
else got a far simpler decision wrong. Your aim however is not to resolve the wrongs of the world, nor to find new
recruits with such a capability. But you do need to determine whether your new recruits are the right side of ethical
and truthful given the standards set by your own organization.
Ethics and integrity are crucial in the modern age of work and business, and therefore should be part of modern
selection criteria.
Moreover today staff at all levels should know that the organization is honest and ethical, and that the organization
expects the same of its people.
Simple methods of addressing and exploring these issues at a group selection assessment day are for example:
discussion about corporate social responsibility, ethical business, fair-trade, the environment, etc
discussion about politics, religion, crime and punishment
preparation and presentation of an issue connected with the above
N.B. A short note about ambition and money is appropriate: Being competitive and financially ambitious and striving
for status and responsibility does not make a person unethical. Wanting to work hard, earn a high salary, achieve
status are perfectly normal and natural tendencies in many people (see Maslow's theory for example), and these
traits are desirable in many roles. There is a point however at which a person's determination and method of pursuit
causes damage, harm, upset or risk to other people or the wider environment, and I suggest that this is when the
ethics alarm bells begin to ring.

5. Personality profiling - involve the people - explain and give feedback.
There are many good personality profiling systems available.
Each has a different perspective and value. Some systems are quite similar, especially if based on the same basic
psychological theory.
See the personality page for ideas and examples.
Work with a provider or system that will be helpful and constructive to the recruitment process, which means being
transparent and inclusive, not secret and aloof, as some systems and providers can be.
Avoid using psychometrics (personality profiling) just for the sake of it.
Always involve the delegates in explaining the system and how it works and what it means. (Remember everyone
should leave the event with a positive feeling - that they've learned and developed).
Accentuate the positives. Good systems do not attach 'good' or 'bad' to people's traits.
People are strong in different ways. People approach tasks and responsibilities in different ways. There is not a
single 'right' profile.
Used well, psychometrics help us all to see where and how people (including ourselves) can be most effective.
Graphology (hand-writing analysis) makes a fascinating session, and is revealing in many ways. As with any
specialised session, ensure you involve a suitably qualified expert to facilitate the session, analysis, feedback and
follow-up as appropriate.
Importantly, avoid creating the impression (and of course the reality too) that recruitment decisions are largely based
on psychometric testing.
It is sensible to decide before the event the 'weighting' of psychometrics and to convey this to the delegates so they
know it's just a part of the picture.
It is not sensible to reject any applicant on the basis of psychometrics alone, and it is daft to give any applicant the
impression that this has occurred in their case. (It does happen..)

5. Projects and tasks based on work scenarios enable practical demonstration and evidence of capabilities,
style, etc.
You can issue work-related tasks on the day, however you can achieve greater value from issuing practical
assignments (formulation of plans, presentations, etc) if you do so a week (or two or three, depending on the
situation, the job-role and the timescales) before the actual day of the assessment or group selection.
This increases the range of the task content and the review to a lot more than if the assignment is issued on the day
itself.
This also gives the nervous or quieter applicants a fairer opportunity to shine without having to rely totally on the
day's 'performance'.
You can relate the assignment task(s) for preparation before the group selection or assessment day and/or on the
day to real work situations or not, as appropriate - do whatever helps you best to assess the attributes concerned.
Stipulate the rules - especially if issuing a task in advance of the event - and especially to clarify the situation about
seeking support or help for the assignment.
Since much modern work - especially management - is mostly dependent on initiative and resourcefulness and
working with others, rather than one's own knowledge or personal ability, do not leap to the assumption that a task
must be 'all their own work'.
Whatever you deem it should be, as ever, clarify the expectations; and don't create any rules for which you will be
completely unable to assess compliance, or the rule will be meaningless.

6. Extending the tasks ideas - applicants can be asked to engage with existing staff and other people
connected with the organization.
You can make the tasks even more real.
You might for example be able to organize exercises or sessions connecting the applicants with staff around the
organization.
This enables you to see (and for delegates to experience) real engagement with existing staff.
Many failed recruitments are accompanied by a regret on both sides that "..If only we could have known we were
simply not going to get on with each other before accepting/offering the job.."
Who says you cannot get people to engage with potential colleagues as part of the recruitment process? You can if it
makes sense.
Incorporating reality and actual involvement - so that exercises deal with real situations and real people - can give
rise to other helpful benefits elsewhere in the organization, if it's possible to do this.
Provided it's not seen as an unwanted distraction, existing staff will also enjoy the participative involvement aspect,
again if it's possible to organize.
The task doesn't need to be technically demanding if what you are assessing is the 'getalongability' factor, which can
be so crucial for team-based roles. Simply, an information-gathering task or quiz about the company can provide an
interesting and enjoyable basis for assessing how people actually engage with real colleagues and the real
organizational environment.
Feedback from pre-selected staff can also be helpful and can be structured as an adaptation of the 360 appraisal
concept.
Involvement and buy-in among existing staff for recruitment decisions - again especially for team-based roles - can
be helpful beyond the recruitment itself.
This modern integrated approach can help expose many unknowns that characterize traditional recruitment, in which
selection decisions are largely based on hypothetical scenarios and questions. Recruitment becomes less risky the
more we work with and observe candidates operating in real situations.
For the more adventurous, you can even extend the engagement to involve customers, suppliers, or even potential
customers.
If you want to put a toe in the water why not involve one or two key customers or suppliers in the day?
This level of involvement has positive benefits for company relations too, outside of the recruitment.
Imagine the strengthening of relations with suppliers and customers if the idea were to grow and you were to
reciprocate and help each other with assessment days..

7. Other group selection examples and ideas
There are many other aspects and ideas that you can include in a group selection day or event. Above I've focused
on the more innovative aspects. There are several basic elements of the day which need to be considered too, briefly
summarised here. Again, while this section is mainly focused on group selection assessment events, the principles
and many of the ideas also transfer to conventional interview recruitment:
Welcome and coffee - introduction and scene setter from a suitable figurehead, or maybe the employee of the
month?
Warm-up or ice-breaker
Company presentations - involve staff outside of the usual team, who'd maybe benefit from the experience and set
a great tone
Demonstrations and tours - you need to sell the job too, remember, although keep it quick, snappy and dynamic
Short exercises to keep people active - linked to assessment specification criteria of course
Presentations - although these are very common, so try to inject an innovative aspect
Lunch and coffee breaks - breakfasts and dinners too if appropriate - people behave differently when they are 'off
duty'
One-to-one interviews - round-robins - avoid having people sitting around waiting
Staged departures - lunchtime is an obvious break point for some to leave
Remember the psychometrics feedback - manage with care; feedback sessions can be part of the assessment
activities - it's easy to overlook and forgetting this is not fair.

In summary..
Group selection assessment recruitment events offer dramatically more scope for selling the job, and for finding the
right candidate(s).
A group selection event does however require a lot more planning than a one-to-one interview.
You can be very creative when designing group selection recruitment events.
The event reflects on your organisation.
Aim to create a positive experience for people - whether they get the job or not.
The principles and many of the ideas adapt and transfer to conventional interview recruitment.
Whether recruiting through group selection or interviews alone - always ensure you define the requirement very
clearly (the person profile, developed into an assessment specification, broken down in to manageable measurable
elements) before you design or select your assessment activities and/or interview questions.
Your final selection decision can only ever be as good as your definition of the person you are seeking.

samples of job interviews thank you letters or rejection letters
From the interviewer's standpoint when writing to unsuccessful interviewees, it's essential that you do not write
anything that could carry a liability for claims of discrimination, libel or defamation of character. If you are the
interviewing manager or have the responsibility for sending interviews rejection letters and have any doubt about
local policies and laws concerning interviews rejection letters, consult with your HR department before writing and
sending job interviews letters to unsuccessful candidates.
Generally the safest kindest way to write an interview rejection letter is to simply say thank you, and to state that the
reason for the interviewee not being successful is due to there being better qualified candidates. Below is a sample
thank you rejection letter.
See the notes below also relating to more complex and positive rejections of job applications, notably for additional
guidance about giving constructive feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
basic sample job interviews rejection letter

Name and address of candidate.
Date
Dear (Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss Surname)
Thank you for attending the interview (or group selection event) with us on (date) at (location) for the position of
(position).
While you presented yourself extremely well and impressed us very much, I regret that we are not on this occasion
able to offer you the position, due to there being other better qualified (or more suitably qualified) candidates.
I thank you for the interest and enthusiasm you have shown and wish you all the best for the future.
Best wishes, etc


sample job interviews 'holding' letter
Here's a job interviews 'holding' letter, to be used when the selection decision is delayed for some reason, when it is
important to acknowledge and thank the interviewee and keep them informed (and interested) in the position:

Name and address of candidate.
Date
Dear (Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss Surname)
Thank you for attending the interview (or group selection event) with us on (date) at (location) for the position of
(position).
You presented yourself extremely well and impressed us very much, and the interview process is still ongoing. We
will be in touch as soon as possible to inform you whether we can offer you the position or not (or when and if we will
need to see you again).
I thank you for the interest and enthusiasm you have shown thus far. Should you have any questions meanwhile
please let me know.
Best wishes, etc


other notes and examples for sensitive and constructive job application rejection letters
Here are some further ideas for job applications rejections, sample letters, and especially how to deal with
unsuccessful applicants more sympathetically and constructively. Use or adapt these examples and ideas
when informing job applicants that they have been unsuccessful in applying for job interviews, or after unsuccessfully
attending job interviews (if you are a pioneering manager working outside of the HR department you should agree
things first with your HR department).
This is a challenging area that many employers will not be able, or desire, to explore. Which is fine. You'll get around
to it when you are good and ready...
First of all, you are not obliged to give a reason for the rejection. It is not a good thing to concoct a reason, not least
because people aren't stupid (think back to your own experiences when you've been given a flimsy excuse or
reason), and obviously you should avoid writing anything to a job applicant that could be regarded as discriminatory
or insulting.
However, you should try to add a positive aspect to rejection letters if you can. It's good to do so, especially when
someone has clearly tried their best. It's a wicked world - why not try to make it little kinder. People remember when
they have been treated well; they tell their friends, and they'll remember when and if you meet them again one day.
What goes around comes around, as they say.
Employers routinely reject people without a care for the rejected person's sensitivities; it's an assumption passed
down from manager to successor. "We've always done it that way - why waste time bothering about people?...".
However, a little consideration can help a lot to reduce the demoralizing effect of receiving a rejection letter...
If the application or interview is a good one, but not quite good enough to succeed, it often makes sense to keep the
person's details for possible future reference. If you plan to do this then tell the person. It's a positive aspect, albeit
within a rejection letter. Having said this, don't just say it for the sake of it.
Particularly forward-thinking employers (and able managers) can offer to give applicants constructive feedback on
their unsuccessful applications (and failed interviews too), and this again is an option that you can choose or not, in
which case be mindful as ever about potential discrimination and defamatory risks. Postal or telephone feedback is
possible, each of which of course have implications for time and control, and costs, for the employer - it's your
choice. If you offer feedback ensure it is fair and that you establish a process for identifying a few constructive points,
giving them, and recording them, which can quite easily be incorporated into the normal recruitment process and
documentation. You will after all have made the rejection on specific grounds, rather than on a whim, in which case,
it's a logical step to then communicate these points back to the applicant. One can easily argue that it's only fair to do
so. A simple way to do this is to create a simple list of the most common reasons for rejecting people, and to indicate
on the list the reason(s) applicable to each person failing to progress.
Giving positive feedback verbally or in writing, outside of a controlled list of reasons, requires a certain level of skill,
so that the feedback is not perceived as a criticism, and so that the discussion or communication (whether verbal or a
written response) remains adult-to-adult. Written feedback is safer, but verbal feedback is better, if handled well. The
risk is that the feedback leads to defence or argument from the recipient, so it's important to accentuate the positive
and be objective and factual, for example: "Clearer presentation of your qualifications would have enabled us to
make a fuller assessment," or "The application would have stood a better chance if it had been more neatly
presented," or "We needed to see more evidence that you understood the communications and relationships
requirements of the role."
Here's an example of a feedback template which can be used by managers who perhaps do not possess sufficient
ability to work without one.

feedback template example - for use after job application rejection
NB - These are examples of feedback points - amend and add to them to suit your situation.
feedback to applicant..................................................................

reference..................................................... date.........................
recruiting
manager
to
complete
Unsuccessful job applications can be upsetting, so we try to be as helpful
as we can in giving a bit of feedback to all unsuccessful applicants. Below
we've indicated the main reason(s) why you didn't succeed on this
occasion, and we hope that this will help you to take something positive
from the experience, and to be successful in the future. In return please
feel free to give us your comments about how we conducted the
recruitment. It's a difficult process for all concerned and we welcome your
views.
relevant
reason(s)
indicated
with a tick
Your application letter and/or CV could have been presented more
professionally and neatly.

Your experience was required to be more relevant to the job vacancy.
We needed to see a clearer understanding of the job's priorities.
We were seeking, or managed to find, an applicant who had better formal
qualifications.

You were actually over-qualified and too capable for the job.
We were seeking, or managed to find, an applicant whose current
commitments or location or earnings requirements were more suited to
the vacancy.

Please give us your feedback about the way we conducted the recruitment by also
completing and returning the attached sheet in the envelope provided.

applicant feedback template example - for use after job application or interview rejection
NB - These are examples of feedback points - amend and add to them to suit your situation.
feedback from applicant................................... ref............................................. date......................
Please help us to improve our recruitment processes by giving
us your feedback about the way we conducted the recruitment.
answer Yes
or No
please give your
comments

(applicant to
complete)
Could we improve the way the job was explained in the advert?
Could we have explained better the sort of person we were seeking?
Were all of our communications to you clear and professional and
polite?

Were the recruitment arrangements and processes all explained
clearly enough?

Is the opportunity to receive and give feedback helpful to you?
Would you apply for a job with us again?
Do you have any other comments or suggestions?

Giving (one or a few) points of feedback like this keeps the feedback factual, constructive, and provides the person
with some helpful pointers for improving applications that they'll make in the future.
Receiving feedback enables you to improve your recruitment and interviews processes. Also, allowing the other
person to give some feedback helps them to feel better about their experience, and also leaves them with a much
more positive impression about you, instead of remembering you simply as the employer who rejected them.
Giving verbal feedback also provides an excellent opportunity to ask for feedback from the candidate concerning
the candidate's experience and feelings about the organisation's recruitment process. Like any feedback about
organisational performance this is valuable stuff, so seek it out. It will also lead to a more balanced feedback
discussion, allowing the unsuccessful candidate to make some of their own points, which most folk find quite an
uplifting and pleasing experience.
In order to offer and give constructive feedback a lot depends on the scale and the size of the business, the people
handling the recruitment, the type of jobs being advertised, the type of people applying, the market or trade sector,
the employer's attitude towards PR, and not least, how you feel about trying to do good and helping people wherever
possible. Aside from simply being a good thing to do for people, a lot of goodwill and positive reactions result from
offering and giving good constructive feedback. Unlike most aspects of the recruitment process, you're giving a little
bit back, not just taking, rejecting, and leaving people feeling bereft, which is the common application rejection
experience.
The employment and recruitment world is a cruel one, so it's good to make it a little happier and more helpful if you
can.
Giving constructive feedback to unsuccessful applicants and interviewees is also particularly good to do when
dealing with candidates who are already employed within the organisation. This is for obvious reasons, not least:
they'll be more likely to stay motivated and feel positive about the organisation; they'll be more likely to present their
next application in a better way; and they'll better understand why they didn't succeed on this occasion and hopefully
be less likely to blame others for not having succeeded.
See Transactional Analysis - it's a communications and behaviour model that is enormously helpful to handling
potentially emotional discussions.
See also exit interviews - it's a different subject and process obviously, but rooted in a similar philosophy: trying to
help people where you can.

sample rejection letter for unsuccessful job interview or job applications

Dear ....
(job title) vacancy
Thank you for applying for the vacancy (above/for ....).
(Or - Thank you or attending the interview for the vacancy [above/for ....] on [date].)
I am sorry that on this occasion you have not been successful, (despite presenting yourself very well).
(If you have no objection we will keep your details on file for possible future reference.)
(When we receive a particularly good application that is not successful - as yours is - we offer to give the applicant
some constructive feedback about their application, and we would like to make this offer to you. If you'd like this to
happen please let us know by (phoning/writing/emailing - as appropriate) and we will be in touch.
I wish you all the best for the future.
Yours sincerely, etc.


See also the guide to exit interviews, with sample exit interviews questions, and tips for interviewers and
interviewees.

job promotion interviews tips
For interviewers and interviewees, much of the information above in the main job interviews article is relevant to job
promotion interviews.
These tips chiefly focus on interviews rather than group selections. Attending group selections for job promotion is a
different matter, which I'll comment on briefly now:
Group selection enables the employer's selection panel to observe behaviour and interaction in a group situation. Job
promotion candidates in these situations should therefore behave in a way that will impress the selection panel, in
areas which the employer logically expects the group selection process or exercise to highlight. Here are the
sorts of behaviours that impress when demonstrated by group selection candidates: responsibility, integrity,
leadership, maturity, enthusiasm, organisation, planning, creativity, noticing and involving quiet members of the
group, calmness under pressure, and particularly discovering and using other people's abilities in order for the team
to achieve given tasks.
The remainder of this item concerns job promotion interview situations.
For interviewees, the same principles apply as in new employer job interviews. Interviewers commonly assess
interviewees according to their own personal style and approach - people like people like them. For example: friendly
people like friendly people; results-driven people like results-driven people; dependable reliable passive people like
dependable reliable passive people; and detailed correct people like detailed correct people.
As an interviewer, when interviewing try to see the interviewee according to their own frame of reference not your
own - you will make a fairer assessment.
As an interviewee be aware that even the most objective interviewer - even if aided by psychometric job profiles and
applicant test results - will always tend to be more attracted to applicants who are like them, rather than applicants
who are unlike them; it's human nature.
When as an interviewee you attend promotion interviews, your answers should be orientated to match the style
preferences of the interviewer. Try to see things in the way they see them, and express your answers and ideas in
language and terms that they will relate to and understand. Don't distort the truth or make claims you cannot
substantiate or deliver - show that you understand how your boss and/or the interviewer sees the situation, and how
they see that the job needs to be done successfully.
Rebels and mould-breakers are rarely promoted because they are seen as a threat or liability, so if you have
rebellious tendencies it's a good idea to tone them down a little for the promotion interview. In the rare case that a
distinctly mould-breaking individual is required for the role, such a requirement will be stated, then by all means go for
it, all guns blazing.
At promotion interviews, interviewers particularly expect to hear the applicant's practical and cost effective ideas
and plans for the new job. As the candidate, be able to demonstrate how well you understand the business and the
organization. This requires that you do some research. Avoid the common tendency to think that internal candidates
already know what they need to and therefore have a better chance than, for example, an external candidate. If an
external candidate has done their research they will impress the interviewer more than an internal candidate who
hasn't.
Doing some research - above and beyond your normal sphere of responsibility and operation - demonstrates your
potential, and particularly your capability to make a difference in the promoted role, which for most promotions is a
strong requirement. If it isn't a requirement then it's a big advantage over another candidate who hasn't thought
outside of the box, so to speak.
Doing good imaginative research, especially looking at organisational and departmental threats and opportunities,
also enables you to prepare and ask great questions of the interviewer, which regardless of the way the interviewer
handles the interview, provides you with a great way to show your potential.
If appropriate, your ideas can be fresh and innovative (especially if the interviewer is innovative and creative
themselves), but you must above all be able to demonstrate a clear grasp of 'cause and effect', and the importance of
achieving a suitable return on investment or effort.
Promotion almost always involves having responsibility for making decisions about the use of time and resources.
Interviewers need to be convinced that you understand how to handle this responsibility - to identify priorities, to
focus effort in the right direction, to manage efforts productively - as if you were using your own money.
Demonstrating clear knowledge and interpretation of policies, processes, rules, standards, and a firm and
diplomatic style when supervising others, is crucial for promotion into most first-line management or supervisory
roles.
Demonstrating an ability to plan, organise and achieve effective implementation (of plans, changes and
objectives) is crucial for promotion into most middle-management positions.
Demonstrating an ability to initiate and optimise strategic activities, giving strong return on investment is be
crucial for promotion into most senior positions.
Demonstrating huge personal commitment and enthusiasm, together with complete and utter loyalty to your boss and
the organization, are always essential factors for successful promotion interviews. Loyalty and commitment are
essential. The interviewer must be able to trust you to the extent that they will stake their own reputation on your
commitment and ability.
The ability to adapt and be flexible as priorities and circumstances change around you, is also essential for promotion
into most supervisory and management roles. Interviewers will not promote children or people with baggage or
issues - interviewers promote mature grown-up people. People who will lighten the management burden, not add to
it.
It is important to convey convincingly that regardless of the challenges that occur on the way, you will always
strive relentlessly to achieve your aims and objectives - and that you will never, ever, ever, let your boss
down.
If you really believe it and feel it, look the interviewer in the eye and say: "Give me this opportunity, and I will
repay your faith in me to succeed in this job."

references and checking references
As an interviewee it's good to prepare your references in advance, and give the interviewer a list of your referees with
names, positions, employers details, and all possible contact details. Try to identify (and agree cooperation in
advance from) referees who will be happy to give you a positive reference, and in so doing, who will support your
personality, skills, performance and job history claims. Provide as many referees as you need to cover the important
aspects of your performance and employment history, plus any specific critical requirements of the new job
(accreditation, record, training, vetting, etc). A healthy list of referees would normally be between three and five
people. It seems a lot, but it's more impressive than just a couple; it shows you've thought about it beforehand, and it
builds in a bit of leeway for when people cannot be contacted or fail to respond quickly for any reason.
Generally the more senior and credible your referees the better. It's perfectly acceptable to list one or two referees
from your private life rather than work, especially if they have a job or status that carries important responsibility
(councillors, police, etc)
If you know that a particularly significant and favourable referee might be difficult to contact, ask them to provide you
with a 'to whom it may concern' open reference letter as to your character and history, signed by them, on letterhead
- and preferably use and keep hold of the original copy - ask the interviewer to take a photocopy and give you back
the original.
As an employer - employers should always follow up and check successful job interview candidates' references. Not
to do so is irresponsible, especially if recruiting for jobs which carry serious responsibilities, such as working with
children, disabled people, sensitive data, money, valuables, etc.
You must inform or ask permission from the candidate prior to checking their references.
The extent and depth to which references should be checked depend on the situation and the referees given by the
job applicant. Certainly make job offers conditional to satisfactory checking of references, and if as an employer you
are not happy about the referees provided then ask for others. Checking references can be a very sensitive area, so
care needs to be used. Many referees will not be comfortable providing personal information about a person, not
least due to fear of defaming someone and the liabilities concerned. Postal reference checking is an alternative to
telephoning, although many referees feel less comfortable effectively making a written record of negative comments,
and may be more forthcoming in a telephone conversation.
Refusal by a referee to provide a reference about someone is obviously not a helpful sign, and considerable positive
feedback from reliable alternative referees would normally be required to proceed with a job offer following such a
response.
Bear in mind also that the referee may have their own agenda. Take care to interpret carefully any personal
comments which might stem from personality clash. Try to concentrate on facts with evidenced examples rather than
opinions.
References should definitely be checked concerning job-critical areas (relevant to the new job for which serious
liabilities might exist if candidate is not telling the truth), as should any areas of suspicion or doubt that cannot be
resolved/proven for sure at interview.
And for everyone, irrespective of satisfaction with interview answers, it is important to check some basic facts with
past employers to ensure that the candidate has not been telling a pack of lies.
Possible areas to check (a sort of checklist - not a fixed agenda):
CV/career history, dates, salaries.
Qualifications and training.
Personal details, age, etc.
Claims about achievements and performance in past jobs.
Personality and relationships at work.
Domestic situation, financial situation.
Seek local qualified advice from your HR department or advisor if in doubt, and also if you want to use a postal
reference checking method, since most HR departments will already have a standard approved document for this
purpose.

tips on what to wear for interviews
You'll see various research and general advice concerning what best to wear for job interviews. The sort of clothes,
styles, colours, shoes, make-up, accessories, etc., are likely to have the best effect. Standard rules for dress code at
interviews are mostly common sense: be smart, coordinated, clean, tidy, relatively under-stated - however you can
go further than merely adopting the standard recommendations to wear blue or grey suits, black shoes, white, cream,
pale yellow and pastel colours for shirts and blouses; and to avoid black (too funereal - unless your interview is with
an undertakers), bow-ties, Elton John specs and deer-stalker hats.
You can take a more sophisticated approach to your choice of dress and style at job interviews.
Your best choice of dress, clothes, colours and style at interview should actually depend on the role and what
surrounds it.
For example, blue is thought by many people to represent formal business professionalism, which is fine for
'professional' job opportunities, but a smartly pressed blue business suit and crisp white shirt and tie won't help you
much in an interview for a role requiring care and compassion, working outdoors in all weathers, managing down-to-
earth labourers, being bubbly and creative, or teaching disaffected kids.
What we wear should be an extension of our personality of course, but also importantly, indicates to the
interviewer our ability to recognise what the employment situation and job requires.
No-one ever got a job because of the way they dressed whereas lots of people fail to get jobs because 'something'
about their appearance put the interviewer off - maybe just a bit - but enough not to get the job.
Dress in a way that projects you personality, sure, but not to the extent that your appearance is inappropriate to the
situation. For adventurous dressers, especially going for jobs that might call for a spark of individuality, it can be a
fine judgement. A lot depends on the interviewer too - innovative interviewers in industries that are amenable to flair
will respond more positively to people who look different. But process-orientated decision-makers in structured
environments will prefer people who look safer. If in doubt err on the safe side.
Employers want people who can do the job - that's a given - but they also badly need people who will 'align' and fit in
- people who can 'get the beat' of the organisation and department. Empathy, trust, rapport, are all built on this initial
platform, and what you wear and how you style yourself provide a great opportunity to start putting these foundations
in place with the interviewer. Your interview dress code and visible styling help you show the interviewer (it's a
conscious and unconscious effect) that you understand the organisation's style and how to fit in with it; that you can
adapt appropriately to your environment - it's a valuable ability and there's nothing to be achieved by creating doubts
in this area.
So when you next prepare for a job interview, try to orientate your choice of clothes and style to that of the employer,
and also to the way the interviewer perceives the role. Consider also the type of job and the service sector, and
particularly the personality, skills and behaviour that is required in the role: For example is the role mainly extravert or
introvert, detailed or conceptual, creative or processing, conforming or innovative, etc., and how does this affect the
way you should be styling yourself and dressing for the interview?
If it helps you decide what to wear, think about how the existing employees dress. Does the employer have a
conservative attitude and culture regarding dress code, or is the culture more modern and relaxed. It is as unhelpful
for you to be dressed too conservatively and professionally as it is to be dressed not professionally enough. Try to
get an idea of what people wear in the organisation so that you can reflect, within reason, the tone and style that fits
in with the employer and the interviewer's expectations. Do the men wear ties or not? Do the women wear suits? Do
they 'dress down' on Fridays? (This is particularly relevant if you happen to go for an interview at their offices on a
dress-down Friday, when prior knowledge will help you to tone down a little and avoid sticking out like someone who
doesn't fit in because they've not had the sense to find out before-hand.) Go see or ask if this will help you to feel
more confident.
On the point of going and seeing, especially if you know very little about the organisation, it's often helpful to get a
feel of the place and the people before deciding that the organisation is actually worthy of your talents and
commitment. If you live close enough to the organisation's offices or site it makes good sense to visit their reception
or sales office as part of your pre-interview research, when you can pick up a few brochures, feel the atmosphere,
and form a view of staff attitudes and style, etc. This will also give you a good indication of their dress code,
especially if you visit when people are arriving or leaving work. Lunch-time visits are interesting too - at the start of
breaks and when people return to work. It's amazing what you can hear and learn sometimes, simply sitting in a busy
reception for a few minutes or approaching a reception desk and asking for a brochure.
As regards your own appearance for interviews, consider any jewellery and other bodily adornments too. No-one
ever got a job because they wore an outrageously big fat diamond ring, or a nineteen-ounce gold chain over their
shirt, but I bet there'll have been plenty of people who've not got jobs because they've erred on the wrong side of this
particular judgement.
For the same reason, the number of body piercings displayed at interview is generally inversely proportional to the
chances of successfully attracting a job offer, unless the job happens to be in a body piercing studio.
Tattoos are another interesting area. Attitudes to tattoos are certainly more tolerant than twenty years ago: even main
board directors these days commonly will be hiding a little dragon or butterfly somewhere intimate on their person,
however, given two equally-matched candidates at a job interview or group selection, the one with the short sleeves
and naked ladies up each forearm is unlikely to get the nod. Safest bet - especially for customer-facing jobs (literally
face-to-face) - is not to show too much tattooed skin at interviews unless you are very confident of yourself indeed.
The reality unfortunately is that most people, including interviewers, will tend to judge you with their eyes, not least
because interviewers know that their customers and staff will do too. And, like all business decisions, recruitment
decisions reflect on the people making them. Therefore when you are being interviewed the interviewer is not only
deciding whether you can do the job, they are also deciding whether choosing you will reflect well or not on their own
reputation. The less you challenge this area the more likely they'll feel comfortable deciding in your favour. Use your
common sense.
So, if the role and the organisation calls for someone to conform and behave according to strong corporate style and
expectations then dress accordingly. If the role and the organisation calls for individuality and fresh ideas then you
have more licence to dress more individually, but still beware. It remains that most employers and interviewers,
whatever they might say about welcoming fresh blood and challenging new ideas, will always tend to err on the side
of caution. Interviewers generally don't knowingly take risks - they prefer safe options - safe non-threatening people,
who appear and dress in a safe and non-threatening way.
I'm not saying you've got to become a de-humanised clone for the interview, or that there's no place for individuality,
on the contrary actually - you've got to look good (and extremely smart too if it's called for) - and aside from this there
certainly is a huge need for individual thought and behaviour and innovation in all organisations - but
that's after you've got the job and settled in. You've got toget the job first, and you'll do that most easily by
appearing immediately like someone who'll fit in rather well, not by looking like someone who marches to a different
tune or has no idea how to adapt to their environment.
Clothes, style, colours, jewellery, hair, like anything else that represents you as the applicant (just as the quality and
presentation of your CV for example), should project the 'fit' and congruence between yourself and the employer and
the interviewer's requirements for the job, and also show that you can understand different situations and behave
accordingly. Individuality is great, but the job interview is not really the best place to start displaying a highly
individual dress style, unless the role specifically calls for it, which in truth is very rarely indeed.
Look good, but under-stated. Project yourself and your personality in what you wear, but above all show that you are
aware of what's going on around you, and that you can adapt to the situation and present yourself appropriately.

do your research before all job interviews
A final note about the importance of researching the employer and their markets and issues before interviews.
First, research can enable the least qualified, least favoured, least likely applicant to succeed and beat off the most
likely interview opposition candidates. Doing good relevant research is the singlemost powerful thing you can do to
improve your chances of getting the job. It's that important. No research, no views. No views, no value. No value, no
job. It's simple: Do your research and apply your experience, capabilities and thoughts in preparation for the interview
and you will have good views that will be valued. If you offer good value you'll probably have the job.
Second, the above applies to any organisation or employer with whom you have an interview; any size, any sector,
commercial, not-for-profit, even the corner shop. If you want the job - do the bloody research. This is not to say
that people who don't do their research don't get jobs, but the fact is that any person who's done good research and
thinking will virtually always get the job over someone who has not bothered to.
If you are an external applicant bear in mind that you are likely to be up against at least one good, favoured, known
internal applicant, who already knows and understands lot about the organisation. Your aim is to present yourself as
a more attractive option than the internal applicant. You will do this by researching the employer organisation so well
that you know it better and more incisively and more strategically than the best of the internal applicants. Your
objectivity and neutrality, and your external experience, will enable you to see many things that even the best
prepared internal job applicants cannot see. Use this opportunity to make a great impression on the interviewer or
panel.
If you are being interviewed for an internal job promotion, bear in mind that the best external applicants will be doing
all they can to demonstrate that they have a keen knowledge and appreciation of the employer organisation and its
markets, etc. If you are complacent and think that you know it all already then you will be bitten on the bum.
Someone from the outside will impress the interviewer more than you because they will seem keener, and will be
seen by the interviewer to have a fresh pair of eyes too, which can be very appealing to recruiting organisations.
When preparing for an internal job promotion interview or groups selection you have a great opportunity to ward off
any threats from external well-researched applicants by doing lots of your own research and thinking. This will put
you ahead of external applicants because you will also have the internal political and systemic insights that are so
difficult for external applicants to discover.
Internal or external job interviews - whatever - do your research.
Doing plenty of good quality creative research on the employer organisation, their history, market sector, products
and services, people issues, organisational priorities, strategic challenges, competitors, threats opportunities,
challenges, etc., helps enormously to convince an interviewer that your are the applicant who wants and deserves
the job more than anyone else.
Imagine you are a strategic advisor - remove yourself from the detail and grind of the job role basics. Go deeper -
think about what's going on in the department or organisation at a higher strategic level, or whatever aspect of
performance that your capabilities can best understand and influence - think about and be prepared to talk about how
you can bring best possible benefit and value to the situation.
Interviewees who possess good knowledge and understanding are able to ask really good questions about the role
and the organisation. They can discuss how to develop and improve performance, how to exploit opportunities,
diffuse threats, and to help the department and the organisation meet their aims.
You will be asked questions, obviously, many of which will invite you to demonstrate all the fantastic research and
thinking that you've done, and the ideas that you have for helping the organisation and its people to perform well and
improve.
If the interview is for a customer service or management role particularly, then having some first-hand experience as
a customer or prospective customer yourself (if only from the point of view of having made a tentative 'customer
enquiry' or requested a brochure) will often provide you with lots of ideas for commenting helpfully on how the
organisation performs, and potentially for improving services and quality, or morale or competitive edge - whatever
your research and thinking and expertise lead you to conclude. This applies just as much to internal applicants as
external interviewees - don't assume you know it all. See things from the outside. See things from the perspective of
the customers or clients of the organisation.
All this is part of very necessarily researching the organisation before attending the interview. Interviewers love to
meet people who are passionately interested in their business and have taken trouble to do some homework and
thinking. If you an external applicant, doing good research before the interview gives you your best opportunity to
demonstrate what you can bring to the role, and that this is more than the internal applicants can bring. If you an
internal applicant, doing good quality research and meaningful thinking, especially from an outside perspective (no-
one else on the inside will be doing much of this I assure you) is your greatest opportunity to surprise and delight the
interviewer about your terrific capabilities and potential, and leave them wondering why you weren't promoted a long
time ago.

use a strategy and method for getting the right job - be different
The success rate that people experience when applying for advertised jobs is on average very low. It's not your fault
- it's the process: The recruitment process is very arbitrary, subjective, and sometimes little more than a lottery, and
often advertised jobs are already destined for an internal applicant anyway, so the external candidates never have a
chance from the outset.
Here is a very specific job-hunting method and tool. You can also adapt it and use alongside some of the techniques
explained here.

Worse still, rejections and 'no-replies' can drag down your morale and confidence, and this can turn into a downward
spiral.
So do something different. Take control of your own destiny.
Why rely wholly on a process that involves inevitable intensive competition and an arbitrary unknown selection
method?
Instead be proactive. Use (or adapt) this simple process for getting a job that's just right for you. If you want to
continue to apply for advertised jobs, fine, but follow this plan as well; aside from being very effective in its own
right, the method will improve your success rate with the advertised jobs too.
First realise that different people suit different jobs and employers, so you need to know yourselfand know your
market (your market is the types of employers and the industry sectors that need people with your particular
capabilities, personality, and aims).
Knowing yourself and what's out there will enable you to understand which employers and jobs will offer you the best
fit.
A dream job is one where the fit is right. This sounds simple and obvious but it implies a lot.
Obviously getting the dream job is another story, about which more follows later in this section.
For the time being though, how do you identify what is a potential dream job?
Think deeply and creatively about what will be the best sorts of jobs and employers for you. They might be quite
different from what you've habitually believed or been conditioned to think.
Think and act creatively and innovatively on the way you 'package' or yourself - the sort of image and presence you
create.
A CV is no longer restricted to hard-copy paper or a digital document.
What about a video CV? What about creating an impressive web presence for yourself?
Being proactive in this way impresses employers and will give you choice. You become the buyer not the seller,
because all good employers want innovative proactive impressive people. So become one of these people.
Get to know yourself by seeking feedback from trusted friends. Do some personality tests (there are plenty online
now, and free). If you want to go into detail look at the Personality Styles section.
Whatever you do - ensure you know yourself, honestly and objectively - especially all your skills and strengths that
will be desirable to employers. Think deeply about your passions, your loves, what you enjoy - these are likely to be
or relate to your key strengths and potential. Look at yourself from a deeper and wider perspective than job skills -
think about your personality - the situations and challenges you enjoy - the things in life as a whole that you are good
at.
Employers of all sorts now want and need people who have characteristics and potential that cannot be represented
by mere 'job-skills'.
Employers need people with more important and meaningful qualities; like creativity, humanity, determination, self-
reliance, unshakable dependability, passion, compassion, curiosity, belief, integrity, vision, innovation, ethics, and an
awareness of the wider world, health and lifestyle, mind and body, diet and fitness, leisure and entertainment, music
and the arts, technology, communications, the environment, the natural world, education, society, people,
relationships, and cultural diversity, etc.
Look at the Multiple Intelligences theory and do the self-test to prompt some thinking about your fundamental
attributes and strengths, and start to see yourself in these wider terms.
List your strengths and dreams using this wider perspective. Not just job-skills - instead: life strengths and
passions. You will very quickly see a person emerging who is unique, and able to offer uniquely special qualities to all
forward-thinking employers.
And then you'll perhaps begin to imagine all sorts of different types of work that will provide a better fit for what you
can do, what you love, and the differences you want to make in life.
Use this new view of yourself to create or improve your CV.
Next, draw up a profile of the sort of work and types of employers that will best fit what you can do, what you love,
and where you want to go.
When you've thought carefully and decided where the best fit will be for you, again, be proactive not reactive.
Go find the jobs and openings that fit your strengths that are not advertised.
Use your CV and covering letter to package and market yourself (see the CV section on creating a great proactive
CV).
Approach a least 20 of the right sorts of employers that you think will want what you can do. Within reason the more
the better: 50 or 100 is obviously better, provided the fit is good and the data is reliable. Marketing is a numbers
game - hence the more the better.
Finding these organisations and names and contact details takes some effort, which of course varies according to the
types of organisations you want to approach. The internet and the telephone make it relatively easy these days to
gather this detail, provided you apply yourself to the task.
You might think of a smarter way to create a list of potential employers in one go - perhaps from the local chamber of
commerce, or a trade association, a library, a directory, or another information provider - maybe even a list broker.
There are many good list providers that have searchable databases on the internet, and while your requirements are
modest, many are happy to help and costs can be very low. I've always found Electric Marketing particularly good,
especially for lists and details of large organisations and recently appointed decision-maker contacts. It's possible to
buy a list of companies and contacts for upwards of 20p a name.
If you are comfortable using MSExcel or similar, put all the names and addresses into a spreadsheet - a separate
column per address line. If you buy a list it will already be in a spreadsheet format. This enables you to run a
mailmerge with MSWord and saves a lot of time producing personalised letters. Failing that, no problem - it does not
take an age to create 20 letters without mailmerge. Running a mailmerge enables 50 or 100 letters and CV's to be
sent easily.
Target your professionally written letter and CV at business-unit manager level - it doesn't matter if you get referred
to HR - you've made your mark. 'Business-unit manager level' means the overall manager or boss of the business
unit or division or site that you are targeting. These senior people know what openings they have and what they
need, and they also have the clout to make things happen. And they'll recognise the strengths in your letter and CV
and the approach you have taken. The job title of your target contact (business unit decision-maker) will depend on
the types of organisations you are approaching, and this requires some thought and research. Seek advice from a list
broker if you use one - they are generally very good at advising the best contacts (job titles) for any given purpose.
It's certainly worth sending your letter and CV to more than one contact in large organisations. Some detailed
research as to structure and key decision-makers is warranted for any large organisations that you believe could offer
you the best fit and opportunities.
Present yourself in your CV and covering letter in terms of what you can do for the organisation or business. See
the CV section. This aspect is crucial. It's essential to describe yourself in a way that is immediately and obviously
appealing to the reader, which means putting yourself in their shoes and imagining what they particularly need. What
are the strategic and organisational priorities that they'll need a new employee to address? What are their criteria
regarding style, approach, personality, values, etc., that new employees must possess?
It might be that you have to vary the content of some of the letters so that the approach is tailored suitably for each
one or type of your targeted employers. Refer also to the business writing tips, theadvertising writing tips and
the sales introductory letters. All of these notes contain useful pointers for job seeking. You are after all selling
yourself.
You must approach at least 20 organisations because the aim is to get at least two interviews lined up (obviously
with different employers or departments). Securing more than one interview is very significant - it puts you in a very
strong position. You're doing the buying not the selling. You're the one with the choice now, and most employers will
want you all the more if they think you are in demand elsewhere.
The interviews will probably not fall into your lap, although sometimes they do: selecting appropriate target
organisations and names of decision-makers, combined with a good CV and covering letter can produce great instant
results. For the other organisations who don't respond immediately you'll need to follow up your letters by phone. You
will maybe have to send copies. Things get lost, no matter. Be persistent and methodical. Ask the PA's of decision-
makers and managers for help rather than try to go around them.
Be persistent. Keep sending letters. Keep notes so you continually improve your understanding of your own personal
'job market'. Keep following up by phone. Keep positive. Refine your list and your letters and your CV as you get a
feel for what's working best.
You are managing your own personal marketing campaign and your destiny is in your own hands.
When your letter and CV arrives it is unique and relevant and it's selling you, in terms of what you can do for the
organisation. It is not one of a hundred other 'send and hope' applications for an advertised vacancy that's probably
going to go to the internal candidate anyway. Your approach is unique, special, and it gets noticed.
Sooner or later you will be offered meetings or interviews. If you follow this process, and the other related guidelines
explained on this website, it is inevitable that you will get some positive responses.
You might not actually need or be offered a 'job interview' as such - maybe it will be offered as a 'meeting' or a
'discussion' - it doesn't matter. The aim is to get a meeting or interview with someone, preferably someone who's got
a job opening at that time or an overview of several opportunities within the organisation.
Aim to get two or more meetings or interviews. It gives a big boost to your confidence level knowing you've other
options, and it has a very positive and helpful effect on the interviewer too. People want people who other people
want.
Now you are effectively at the job interview stage, and you must read the various guidance notes about preparing
and attending job interviews that are provided on this page. You've completed the most difficult stage of the
challenge. You've carved out a unique opportunity for yourself, and whether the opportunity that you'll be discussing
is one that is advertised or not, you'll stand out as the leading applicant because of the approach you have taken.
Commonly people who take this proactive marketing route save employers the task of advertising altogether. If your
approach and discussions coincide with a vacancy arising then you'll offer an immediate solution that saves the
employer weeks of recruitment efforts, management time, and advertising and recruitment agency costs.
Alternatively the approach advocated here can often prompt the employer to accelerate plans of one sort or another
whereby a role is created specially for you.
All employers need good people. When one comes along, as you will do when you follow this method, many
employers will try to find an opportunity to fit, whether they are currently recruiting or not.
This is another advantage of having more than one interview lined up. It adds to the pressure for the employer to
make a quick decision and find a slot for you, and also reduces any inclination to advertise the post, for fear of losing
you, a star candidate.
Aside from the advantage of anticipating and prompting vacancies and job opportunitiesrather than waiting for
them to appear in the papers or on the internet (like everyone else), you will automatically demonstrate that you
possess many of the important attributes that the employer seeks, simply by the way you've conducted your
approach and developed the opportunity, for example: initiative, self-reliance, capability to make things happen, to
communicate, put a plan together and implement it, etc.
By being proactive and making your own opportunities will make the interview and the whole process much easier for
you because you've controlled it, moreover you look like a great fit for the organisation, you've proved you can get
things done, and you've avoided most if not all of the competition. And you'll have saved them the hassle of recruiting
too.
Anyone can take this approach. All it needs is a bit of thought, research and preparation.
And all you need add is the simple commitment to do it.
So do it.

helpful questions and process for planning job hunting, career advancement, or starting your own business
If you are unclear or frustrated in your efforts to find the right job for yourself, consider these points.
You will be able to plan how to achieve your career aims (similar principles apply for starting your own business or
becoming self-employed or freelance) by asking and then answering (yourself) questions like:
What are the 5-10 main requirements of the position that you are seeking, from the employer's angle (or from the
customer's angle if you are considering working for yourself)?
Then:
How can you demonstrate (to an employer - initially in a CV and short covering letter - and then later in an
interview - or to a customer, using equivalent marketing materials) that you offer an irresitible way to satisfy the
above requirements, and more?
How can you best develop a personal marketing/selling campaign to sell yourself into a position you are aiming
for?
If you have skills in selling, marketing, coaching, business management, training, etc., you can approach this
question by imagining yourself to be one of your trainees or a client.
In any event, imagine you are advising yourself how to package and market yourself. How to prepare and move
yourself into a new situation. Look at the goal planning section.
It's often easier to plan how to achieve personal aims by stepping back and seeing the situation as a stranger would
do.
Understand properly where you are, where you want to be, and then plan how to get there. If the step is too great to
make in one go (which it probably is if it's too difficult to achieve), break it down into steps or stages. Consider these
steps in terms of cause and effect. See the goal planner if you've not already done so.
If you cannot yet meet and exceed the requirements of your ideal employed role (or your target customers/market):
What steps are necessary for you to achieve these capabilities and attributes?
Use goal planning methods. Identify causes and effects. Make a plan and implement it. Start controlling your future,
rather than letting it control you.
Think creatively, 'outside of the box'. Challenge your assumptions, and especially your fears and insecurities and
worries.
On which point, if you are wondering if self-employment or starting your own business might be better than working
for someone else:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a freelance route?
How does this compare to an employed position, in the widest sense?
See decision-making and SWOT analysis.
Use whatever methods will help you step back and assess your situation objectively.
Identify:
1. Where are you now - your current situation and especially capabilities and attributes?
2. What is your next important aim for a job or work situation?
3. What capabilities/attributes do the desired situation require you to have?
4. What are the gaps between your capabilities/attributes, and the capabilities/attributes required for your aim?
5. How will you fill the gaps - so that you meet or exceed the requirements? (Use a goal planner of some sort.)
6. How will you find the right employers (or customers, if you prefer the freelance/own business option) and put
your offering in front of them as efficiently and powerfully as possible?
7. Then implement your plan with determination, enthusiasm and a calm confidence that having used this
process you will inevitably achieve your aims.