Interview Skills

Word of warning Majority of interviewers: talk too much talk too much lead the interviewee lead the interviewee overload the interviewee with questions overload the interviewee with questions The result is: a limited amount of information a limited amount of information poor quality information poor quality information

Questioning or interactive listening? Questioning Questioning Interviewer takes the initiative Interactive listening Interactive listening Interviewer asks questions about information provided by interviewee.

Closed questions A closed question has only one answer: ‘What year was the Battle of Hastings?’ ‘What year was the Battle of Hastings?’ ‘Do you like spaghetti bolognese?’ ‘Do you like spaghetti bolognese?’ ‘What kind of mainframe computer does your company use?’ ‘What kind of mainframe computer does your company use?’

Open questions An open question has many possible answers: ‘What is your opinion on the current crisis?’ ‘What is your opinion on the current crisis?’ ‘How do you feel about working with flexitime?’ ‘How do you feel about working with flexitime?’ ‘What would you do if you won £1,000,000?’ ‘What would you do if you won £1,000,000?’

Multiple questions A multiple question is a string of several questions A multiple question is a string of several questions Do not ask ever Do not ask ever Interviewee will only answer the last question or the easiest one! Interviewee will only answer the last question or the easiest one!

Leading questions Leading questions indicate the desired response Leading questions indicate the desired response Do not ask ever Do not ask ever Interviewee can only give quality information by interrupting or disagreeing Interviewee can only give quality information by interrupting or disagreeing

Probing questions Closed questions seeking specific information Closed questions seeking specific information Ask when you wish to probe for facts Ask when you wish to probe for facts Ask when interviewee is talking too much Ask when interviewee is talking too much

Blockbusting questions Noun blockbuster – ‘Which (noun) specifically? Noun blockbuster – ‘Which (noun) specifically? When you need precise details on facts Verb blockbuster – ‘How (verb) exactly?’ Verb blockbuster – ‘How (verb) exactly?’ When you need precise details on facts or actions Universal block-buster – ‘All? Never? Everyone?’ Universal block-buster – ‘All? Never? Everyone?’ After general statements such as ‘all’, ‘never’, ‘none’ Comparator – ‘Compared to what?’ Comparator – ‘Compared to what?’ After statements using vague comparisons such as ‘better’

‘About’ questions Allow the interviewee to choose which information to provide. ‘Tell me more about..?’ ‘Tell me more about..?’ Ask at the beginning of an interview ‘What do you think about…?’ ‘What do you think about…?’ Ask when you wish to hear the interviewee’s opinions ‘How do you feel about..?’ ‘How do you feel about..?’ Ask when you wish to hear the interviewee’s opinions

Reflective questions These questions reflect back to the interviewee what you think you heard. ‘If I understand you correctly you..?’ ‘If I understand you correctly you..?’ Ask an interviewee who is emotionally involved ‘In other words, you don’t…?’ ‘In other words, you don’t…?’ Ask when the interviewee is being incoherent ‘You thought, perhaps, he was over-reacting?’ ‘You thought, perhaps, he was over-reacting?’ Ask when you do not wish to influence the interviewee

Hypothetical questions Open questions that ask for information in a hypothetical situation. ‘What would you do if…?’ ‘What would you do if…?’ Ask when you wish to test creativity ‘Could we role-play this situation?’ ‘Could we role-play this situation?’ Ask to test selling or public speaking skills ‘What could have happened if…?’ ‘What could have happened if…?’ Ask to see how quickly/logically the interviewee thinks

Challenge questions Challenges the interviewee to provide back-up information The Evidence Challenge: The Evidence Challenge: ‘What will you accept as evidence of success?’ Ask to test interviewee’s approach to objective and targets The Missing Link Challenge: The Missing Link Challenge: ‘What information are we still missing before we can…?’ Ask to probe the interviewee’s analytical/planning abilities The Devil’s Advocate Challenge: The Devil’s Advocate Challenge: ‘What would argue against what you’re proposing?’ Ask for a way of challenging an interviewee’s objectivity

Framing questions Asks for information that fits into your discussion. The Outcome Frame: The Outcome Frame: ‘What is the real outcome you’re aiming at?’ Ask to test planning ability and to probe reasons for actions The Backtrack Frame: The Backtrack Frame: ‘How did you see things at the time?’ Ask to help put information ‘in context’ The Relevance Frame: The Relevance Frame: ‘Help me to see how this fits in with..’ Ask when you want to get the interview back on track

Silence Silence can be a useful questioning technique Up to 5 seconds’ silence Up to 5 seconds’ silence Allows interviewee to collect thoughts 5-20 seconds’ silence 5-20 seconds’ silence Encourages interviewee to share information 20 seconds’ silence or more 20 seconds’ silence or more Pressurise for confidential information

Listening 45% of our time communicating is spent listening 45% of our time communicating is spent listening Interviewees spend 60-70% listening Interviewees spend 60-70% listening Interviewers spend ?% listening Interviewers spend ?% listening

Preparing to listen You should always prepare yourself: ‘What new things can I learn from this person?’ ‘What new things can I learn from this person?’ Pinpoint your own bad habits. Pinpoint your own bad habits. Avoid distractions. Avoid distractions. Lean forward, establish sensitive eye contact. Lean forward, establish sensitive eye contact.

Nine listening barriers 1. Scoring ‘points’ 2. Mind reading 3. Rehearsing 4. Cherry picking 5. Daydreaming 6. Labelling 7. Counselling 8. Duelling 9. Side-stepping sentiment

Listening barriers 1. Scoring ‘points’ 1. Scoring ‘points’ (Relating everything to your own experience) 2. Mind reading 2. Mind reading (Predicting what the interviewee is thinking) 3. Rehearsing 3. Rehearsing (Practising your next lines in your head)

Listening barriers (continued) 4. Cherry picking 4. Cherry picking (Listening for a piece of information then switching off) 5. Daydreaming 5. Daydreaming (You can think 4-6 times faster than people talk.) 6. Labelling 6. Labelling (Putting an interviewee into a category)

Listening barriers (continued) 7. Counselling 7. Counselling (Unable to resist interrupting and giving advice) 8. Duelling 8. Duelling (Countering an interviewee’s verbal advances) 9. Side-stepping sentiment 9. Side-stepping sentiment (Countering expressions of emotion with jokes)

Non-interventional listening Useful when faced with an interviewee who is emotionally disturbed/excited Useful when faced with an interviewee who is emotionally disturbed/excited Any kind of intervention may distort the flow of information Any kind of intervention may distort the flow of information However, an interviewee may clam up or distort the information However, an interviewee may clam up or distort the information

Mirroring body posture Good listeners intuitively ‘mirror’ a speaker’s body posture Good listeners intuitively ‘mirror’ a speaker’s body posture It helps rapport It helps rapport Practise doing it consciously Practise doing it consciously

Echoing talking speed Pace the speed of your speech to that of the interviewee. Pace the speed of your speech to that of the interviewee. Someone who is excited will speak rapidly and animatedly. Someone who is excited will speak rapidly and animatedly. If you echo the speed, the interviewee is more likely to continue giving useful information. If you echo the speed, the interviewee is more likely to continue giving useful information. If the interviewee is being slow/hesitant, the ‘echo’ will show your respect and understanding. If the interviewee is being slow/hesitant, the ‘echo’ will show your respect and understanding.

Note-taking Announce your intention to do so Announce your intention to do so Maintain sensitive eye contact Maintain sensitive eye contact Note-taking is proof that you are taking the interviewee’s information seriously Note-taking is proof that you are taking the interviewee’s information seriously