Interview tips

I was having a conversation with an recruiting expert yesterday. In discussing interviewee techniques, two points came up on ways to improve answers to interview questions.

1. situation, action, result. - There are various takes on this but the concept is the same. What was the situation, what action was taken, and what was the result. To improve this process, in preparation, the interviewee can anticipate the behavioral questions based on the competencies for the job being applied for and then choose the situation where the greatest results were achieved.

2. situational questions - When dealing with situational questions or being given a hypathetical situation, a four step process can generally be applied which can strengthen your answers: 1) determine resources; 2) get input from resources; 3) develop a plan; and 4) follow-up or assess the plan.

For example, Assume you are a supervisor and one of your subordinate employees consistently arrives late to work. What action would you take?

1) determine resources - my resources would be the subordinate employee, the employee's file, and my employee handbook

2) get input from your resources - it is important to find out the details of the problem from the employee, I would also look at the employees file to determine if this is a reoccuring problem. I would consult the employee handbook regarding the tardiness policy.

3) develop a plan - together with the employee, I would develop a plan to help the employee get back on track. Perhaps I would use an EAP, if the employee requires it.

4) follow-up - finally, I would set a date to meet and evaluate how the employee is progressing on meeting his or her goal.