Interview Questions - What's In And Out For 2003

It continues to amaze me to hear the stories job seekers tell about the types of questions that are being asked in employment interviews. With all the information and advice being published both in the public media and within corporations, it appears many managers still don't "get it" when it comes to asking legal, relevant, and objective questions.

The selection interview today is still the most significant part of the employment decision-making process in most organizations. It is not a process step to be undertaken casually or without preparation. And yet, many busy managers "wing it" with their same, old, unproductive, and irrelevant questions. Worse yet, they believe that these questions will lead them to select the best person for the job!

The most common mistake interviewers make is the asking of theoretical, future-oriented questions. These are usually framed as "what would you do if . . ." questions. There are several flaws in this approach. First of all, it does not require the applicant to reveal his or her demonstrated past behavior or performance. And, it allows the candidate to tell the interviewer what he or she probably wants to hear regardless of the applicant's true inclinations.

Humans, by nature, are creatures of habit. We tend to repeatedly do what works within our individual styles or comfort zones--effective or not. So, wouldn't it be more valuable to know what a person has done in similar situations in the past rather than have him guess at what he might do in an uncertain future situation? As a predictor of future performance, I will always choose proven performance over promises of performance to come.

To bring everyone into the 21st century, I would like to offer a list of what's "out" and what's "in" within the realm of pre-employment interview questions. Please note that after a person is hired, the rules change, making some questions legal and necessary, such as the name of a spouse or next of kin for emergency contact reasons or as a beneficiary designation.

"Out" in 2003 are questions such as:
- What are your greatest strengths and most obvious weaknesses?
(Do people still think an applicant will actually reveal a real weakness.?)
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
(Life is what happens when you've made other plans. Don't be too enamoured by future plans or goals.)
- Why should I hire you?
(I'm honest, trustworthy and dependable--trust me.)
- Tell me about yourself.
(Oh my, where shall I begin?)
- Are you planning to continue your education?
(Well, if you are asking, it must be important, so I'll say, " Yes." Is that what you wanted to hear?)
- If you could be an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
(Well, this might work if the work environment is truly dog-eat-dog . . . )
- What books have you read recently?
(OK, for some academicians this might be relevant, but for the rest of us . . . ???)
- How did you get along with your last supervisor?
(You don't expect me to be completely honest about this, do you?)
- What do you like to do in your spare time?
(It's obvious you don't know what else to ask, so you try to make friendly conversation.)
- If we hire you, what can we expect from you?
(Why, 110% effort, of course.)

"In" questions this year are expected to sound like the following:
- Describe the best and worst jobs you've ever had. What would be your ideal next job?
- Tell me about some of your most significant accomplishments in your work. What impact did they have?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult or uncooperative group or team member. How did you handle it?
- Talk me through a recent project you worked on. What was your role? What problems did you encounter? How did you resolve them? Results?
- Think of a time when you were under a lot of pressure at work. What were the circumstances? What did you do? How did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time when your first approach to solve a problem or complete an assignment did not work. How did you change your idea or approach to resolve it?
- What do you do differently or better than other people in your field? How do you know?
- Give me some examples of times where you did more than was expected of you.
- We all have had times when we haven't been pleased with our own performance. Tell me about a time when this happened to you. How has your behavior changed as a result?
- Before we conclude this interview, is there any other relevant information you think I should know about you?

It is important to remember that in most organizations, it's not only what a person does or achieves, it is also how they do it. Understanding the individual's standard approach to real work situations will give a manager far greater confidence in that person's ability to perform satisfactorily in his or her organization.

Published by Cluff & Associates in Recruiters' Update, January 2003