With the job market flooded with contenders, employers are becoming creative in picking the right person out of a sea of applicants. Interviews no longer consist of just sitting and firing off questions about experience and good qualities. Employers are using new tactics to determine the right person for the job. Check out these new trends in the interview arena.
Skype Interviews: Wonder about the person behind the
resume? The quickest way to find out is a Skype interview. In today’s economy
employers are using these video chats to interview someone without the cost of
travel and time to bring them into the office. This is especially helpful if
the person is out of town. It is also a useful way to narrow down the
applicants without formal interviews.
Behavioral Questions: Gone are the days of asking people
to name their best and worst qualities. Employers are asking for proof of how interviewees
have conducted themselves in the past. These types of questions ask for
examples, such as how they handled a customer complaint about a product or
service. It gives the employer a look into the applicant’s thought processes,
confidence, and ability to be articulate.
Situational Questions: The interviewer poses a hypothetical
situation, and the applicant must describe what they would do. This can be used
in almost any field for any job function and can be either specific or broad,
depending on what the employer wants to derive from the questions. This tactic
shows how quickly a person can think on their feet and how well-spoken they are
when the answer is not rehearsed.
Speed interviewing: Lots of people to interview and not
much time to do it? Try speed interviewing. Each applicant is given between one
minute and fifteen minutes to sell themselves. Some companies do a circuit -- a
series of very short interviews with several different people. The employers
who use this style feel this is a good way to judge a person’s confidence,
communication skills, and personality. It is also a quick way to narrow down
the pool of hopefuls.
Project
Interviews: Instead of having a possible new hire sit and answer questions, how
about having them complete a project? Companies today are going this route to
determine if the person is truly qualified to do the job by actually having
them do it. It could be creating a marketing campaign, making project boards
for a kitchen remodel, writing a mock proposal, or designing a webpage. Having
a project to determine an applicant’s abilities is one way to tell if the
applicant is really cut out for the job. Do understand that many companies are
paying applicants for their time. Even though the pay may be way below market
value, this interview method is not the cheapest route to find a new employee.
Keep in mind
that many companies have not abandoned the traditional interview format just
yet. Also, preparing carefully, looking your best, and giving well thought out
and confident answers still go a long way in an interview, no matter what the
interview style.