interviewing skills lecture 3 professional development and research lecturer: rositsa milyankova...

INTERVIEWING SKILLS

Lecture 3Professional Development and Research

Lecturer: Rositsa Milyankova

GOOD LUCK!

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Core skills

•Problem solving•Projects and assignments

•Teaching and learning situations

Problem solving•Reasoning•Syntheses•analyses

Communicating

Working with others and independently

Subject /practical skills Implementing

Appraising, evaluating, judging

Planning

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Under performing Competent Talented

IN PURSUIT OF A TALENTED ORGANISATIONIN PURSUIT OF A TALENTED ORGANISATION

• Talent is the most appropriate ‘skills’ applied to a relevant job in a motivated fashion

• Leading edge psychometrics and psychological assessment technology have established a good track record in predicting who will be good at what, and helping individuals fulfil their potential

• They enable open, fair and transparent process

• It is often forgotten that selection is a two way street

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More Attractive to the Prospective Employees

More Efficient at Recruiting

Shorter time to hire

Higher job acceptance rates

Do not lose Talent through resignations

AND THEREFORE

Are less affected by Skill Shortage

Successful in the War for Talent

THE LINK BETWEEN RECRUITMENT ANDTHE LINK BETWEEN RECRUITMENT ANDTALENTED ORGANISATIONSTALENTED ORGANISATIONS

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FORGING THE LINK BETWEEN PEOPLE, JOBS AND ORGANISATIONS

Culture and Valuesare important

Corporateperformance

Competencies

JobsPeople

Measurement = Understanding = Informed decisionsMeasurement = Understanding = Informed decisions

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THE ROLE OF THE CV

• Research from Personnel Today indicates that 12% of people admit to lying on their CV’s

• Some suggest as many as 1/3rd of CV’s are designed to mislead

• American research has suggested that up to 80% of CV’s were misleading, from slight puffery to complete fabrication

• MORI research – Over 1/3rd of Britain’s working population have lied on their CV’s and 14% of workers believed there was nothing wrong with exaggerating previous experiences

Clearly the completion of a CV is a subjective exercise. What is its role in hiring?

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ACCURACY OF C.V. AS SELECTION METHOD

High

Low

Years job experienceYears education

Source; Robertson I & Smith M (2001), Personnel selection

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UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE REQUIREMENTS AND UNDERSTANDING IS OFTEN ON THE ‘TOO DIFFICULT’ SPIKE

Aptitude

StyleMotivation

Knowledge/experience

A K/E

M S

Job analysis and other researches indicates that up to

70% of the attributes associated with success at work are

dimensions of personality / style rather than ability

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN INDIVIDUAL AND HIS JOB IS A COMPLEX COCKTAIL

ASSESSMENT TOOL KIT

Competency questionnaires Ability Tests Personality Questionnaires Job Simulations Management exercises;

• Group Exercises

• In-Trays / In-basket

• Fact finding

• Presentation

Competency based interview

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SELECTION PROCESS

• Telephone Interview • Psychometric Testing• Panel Interviews• One To One Interviews• Simulation procedures

• Assessment Centres = all kinds of methods

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General information about tests History of tests – France, Binet, use – children with difficulties,

application after the Second World War Advantages in using paper and pencil tests for group of people Selection tests (psychometric and psychological): not only for

selecting and promoting but in redundancy periods and career counseling; battery / set of tests

Reliability and validity

- reliable: consistent results

- valid: measure what they must measure Fair and unfair discrimination Test conditions How the results are implemented – raw score is nothing

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Types of tests

Ability tests: paper and pencil or practical exercises

• Attainment tests: how much skills and knowledge an individual has

• Aptitude tests: highlight individual strengths and weaknesses, provide career counseling, predict success in ob-development

• Work sample tests or performance tests

• Trainability tests – assessing potential

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Types of tests

Personality questionnaires (tests) – identify some stable personal characteristics as: - extroversion – introversion, - tough minded – tender minded, - independent – dependent, - high self-confidence – low self-confidence

Interest inventories (tests): - scientific / technical, - social / welfare, - persuasion; - arts, - clerical / computing

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DIFFERENTIAL MODEL OF ABILITIES

VerbalNumericalClericalDiagrammaticSpatialMechanicalSensoryDexterity

ComprehensiveReasoningEvaluation

Difficulty

Test choice is critical

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TRADITIONAL ABILITY TEST

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TRADITIONAL ABILITY TEST

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

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ACCURACY OF SELECTION METHODS

High

Low

Ability testsStructured interviews

Personality questionnairesAssessment CentresBio-data

Years job experienceYears education

Source; Robertson I & Smith M (2001), Personnel selection

They help achieve a closer match between the people and their jobs

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PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRES

A definition of Personality; “A person’s typical or preferred way of behaving, thinking

and feeling” Widely accepted that well constructed personality

questionnaires, appropriately used, provide much rich

As we are dealing with the world of work everything must be work related

They are powerful aids to development as well as recruitment

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EXAMPLE QUESTION FROM THE OPQ®

Choose which one of the four statements is MOST and

LEAST true (or typical) of you

I am the sort of person who: A Is assertive in groups B Applies common sense C Can sell ideas to a customer D Manages to relax easily

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MOTIVATION QUESTIONNAIRE

E1 – E7: Levels of activity; Achievement; Competences; Fear of failure; Power; Interrelations; Commercial outlook

S1 – S5: Affiliation; Recognition; Perceptual principles; Ease and security; Personal growth

I1 – I3: Interest, Flexibility, Autonomy

X1 – X3: Material reward; Progression; Status

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SIMULATION EXERCISES

Group exercises

• Assigned roles

• Unassigned roles In trays / in-basket Presentation exercises Fact finding exercises Analysis presentation exercises

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COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEW

Competency: Quality orientation;

• “Provides a quality service. Maintains high professional standards and gets work right first time”

“Tell me about a time when you set yourself high standards.”

• “What did you do to ensure you met those standards?”

• “To what extent did you achieve the standards?”

• “How did you feel about the quality of your work?”

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WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? REMEMBER – The organisation is interested only in what you

can do, not what you can’t

The more rigorous the recruitment process the more likely you are to have a good ‘fit’

Multiple selection methods give you more than one opportunity to demonstrate your strengths

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WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Know and prepare yourself Understand the job you are going for If you have a disability do contact the assessor in advance Listen to instructions Do not try to guess what the organisation is looking for Personality questionnaires – answer quickly and honestly FEEDBACK; FEEDBACK;FEEDBACK Self insight enables us to focus on jobs to which we believe

we are well suited

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THE SELF-AUDIT: SWOT

Work on paper Do it at least once per year List as many possibilities as you can Be honest!!

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SWOT – StrengthsWhat are my positive aspects of myself and my present situation

What qualifications have I got How many kinds of work have I done and for how long What special knowledge and experience have I got What skills (including manual and artistic) do I possess What financial and property resources do I have How wide is my reputation and in what areas What support do I have from family and friends Do I have good health What are the strong points of my character and personality In so far as I have succeeded, what has helped me to do so Have I any strong, specific interest at work or outside work Do I possess patents or any other intellectual property What are the resources of my motivation and drive Have I any other strengths I have not listed

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SWOT – WeaknessesWhat are my negative aspects of myself and my present situation

What limits me Are there important gaps in my qualifications, experience or knowledge Do I have financial difficulties or pressure Have I any enemies Am I held in low esteem, and if so by whom Do my domestic or family circumstances present problems, and if so, what are

they Have I or those close to me health problems or disabilities, what are they and

what are their effects on my life What are the weak points of my character and personality In so far as I have done less well than I would have liked, what has held me back Under what circumstances have I felt most frustrated and unhappy Am I vulnerable in any way: financially, legally, physically, emotionally Have I any other limitations I have not listed

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SWOT – OpportunitiesWhat aspects of the present or the foreseeable future situation could I use as advantage?

Suitable job-vacancies available or coming up Reorganizations or relocations that might offer openings Difficulties, weaknesses or failures by rivals or opponents New industries or organizations being set up Relatives or friends looking for business partners Consultancy openings Writing, speaking or media opportunities Prizes, scholarships, bursaries available Sponsorships for research etc. on offer or which might be made available Gaps in local services. Consider the effects of changes in local conditions: new

buildings, new industries, new infrastructure, social mix, age structure etc. Investment opportunities Inventions or ideas which I could put to use Assets (e.g. land, buildings) ripe for development

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SWOT – ThreatsWhat aspects of the present or the foreseeable future situation may operate as my disadvantage?

Potential financial problems Possible family break up Illness – self or others Rivalry or opposition from other individuals or organizations Changes in demand for what I or my organization offer Legal battles over assets Physical deterioration of property or assets Tax or benefit changes

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Locus of control Locus of Control refers to the extent to which individuals

believe that they can control events that affect them. - High internal locus of control - people believe that events result primarily from their own behavior and actions. They have better control of their behaviour and tend to exhibit more political behaviors. They are more likely to attempt to influence other people to assume that their efforts will be successful. They are more active in seeking information and knowledge concerning their situation- High external locus of control – people believe that powerful others, fate, or chance primarily determine events. - The propensity to engage in political behavior is stronger for individuals who have a high internal locus of control than for those who have a high external locus of control.

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Locus of control – who defines my life path

Internal locus of control – 30 % of all people- Men preliminary- Active, initiative, well oriented, result-oriented, all energy for

attaining objectives External locus of control – 15 % of all people- Women and people with low social position- Life is destiny, fortune- These people are more religious or superstitious Locus in the middle – 55 %

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Left-right orientation

Left – logical , analytical, step-by step thinking, verbal and numerical information, engineers, architects, economists

Right – intuitive, holistic, jumping imagination, fantasy, symbols, artists, teachers

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The Tolerance of Ambiguity

Tolerance of ambiguity = readiness for change

The Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale

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Career Anchors Career Orientation Inventory:

- Technical/Functional Competence - General Management Competence - Autonomy/Independence

- Security/Stability - Entrepreneurial Creativity - Service/Dedication to a Cause - Pure Challenge

- Lifestyle

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What to do if invited to sit for a test

Why previous experience helps – be motivated Make a decision Establish a clear idea of the test demands Seek out relevant materials for preparation Prepare a programme of work Coach yourself The night before the test/interview Test anxiety – think positive Test strategies – where could be the mistakes What to do if you fail?

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OBJECTIVES FOR INTERVIEWING:

Information gathering Selection procedures Performance appraisal etc.

Which results in different types of interviews

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WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW?

A two party conversation (face-to-face) in which (at least) one person has serious, specific purpose (goal)

Interview stages- Before the interview- The interview itself- After the interview

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INTERVIEW’S CHARACTERISTICS:

Always purposeful Always structured (in different degrees) Has several distinct phases and involves

question-and-answer format Has an element of control Is bipolar – 2 parties participate Amount of speech - Pareto principle

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PLANNING THE INTERVIEW

Define a goal: to have the interviewer view me as a bright, ambitious, articulate person

Identify and analyze the other party Prepare a list of topics: long/short term career

goals, knowledge about the company/products Choose the best interview structure Consider the possible questions

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THE STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEW

Highly scheduled (structured conversation) – standardized list of questions

Nonscheduled – free conversation

Moderately scheduled – directed by interviewer

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POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

Open vs closed qs Factual vs opinion qs Primary and secondary qs Direct vs indirect qs Hypothetical qs Leading and loaded qs

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PREPARATION FOR THE INTERVIEW

• Yourself

• The Organisation

• The Job

• The Interviewers/ the interviewees

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Prepare yourself: Who you are---your capabilities, your skills, where you

might fit in the organization, preferred work style and environment.

What skills do you plan to use? Where are you going? Have your short or long-term plans defined? Ask questions about your prospective job. Does this job fit with your current plans? Is it something you can handle? Would you be bored, or challenged by the job?

Read again all the documents presented to the recruiters• Do not forget the dress code - dress accordingly Sleep enough Be on time!

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The organization

The company’s mission statement Strategic plans and objectives Corporate values and missions Current issues affecting the department,

company Organizational changes (present and

proposed)

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The organization

Who are the prospective employers and what do they do?

What has the company done? Who are their competitors? What have been their successes? How can the job you are applying for

impact your respective employer?

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STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEW

• Rapport

• Structure/length of interview

• Preamble about organisation/job

• General Discussion about you

• Finding out about your character

• Detailed discussion about job

• Terms and Conditions

• Summing Up

• Next Steps

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CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

OPENING - DO NOT FORGET THAT: 50 % of decisions are made during

the first 30-60 seconds Next 25 % - in the first 15 min The rest 25 % are very difficult decisions

and are taken later

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CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

OPENING Greetings and self introduction Orientation to:• Explain the reason for the interview• Explain what information is needed and how

it will be used• Mention the length of the interview• Motivation

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CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

BODY: exchange questions and answers

Interviewer:- Controls and focuses the conversation- Listens actively- Uses different types of questions

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CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

BODY: exchange questions and answers

Interviewee:- Reviews and clarifies the results- Corrects any misunderstanding- Covers his/her own agenda

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CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

CLOSING- Review and clarify the results- Establish future answers- Conclude with pleasantries

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IMAGE/BEHAVIOUR

• First impressions count! • Appropriate clothes are essential• On greeting give eye contact, smile,

shake hands• Remain alert• Act professionally

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13 WAYS TO SHINE AT INTERVIEW

1. Make sure you keep a copy of your CV and/or application form

2. Research your potential employers3. Know the industry you are interested in

entering4. Refer again to the job description that first

inspired you to apply for this very job5. Consider you appearance6. Take with you the letter of confirmation from

the organization you are visiting

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13 WAYS TO SHINE AT INTERVIEW

7. Check how you are going to get there8. Be equipped: money, hairbrush, umbrella,handkerchief or tissues9. Learn the art of firm handshake10. Remember that an interview is a two-way

process11. Think about your body language12. Never be afraid of a pause13. Give yourself time to relax and prepare

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EMPLOYERS PERSPECTIVE• Employers find Graduates one of the

most difficult roles to recruit

• Employers feel students with Work Experience:• Manage their time better

• Are more realistic

• More mature

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EMPLOYEES PERSPECTIVE Your goal

–Stand out from all the other candidates

They look for:–Ability & Suitability

–Willingness

–Manageability & Teamwork

–Professional Behaviour