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Questions for the Interviewer

One of the most common questions an interview coach is asked, is ‘What questions should I ask the interviewer?’

In fact, more people search on Google for the term ‘interview questions to ask an employer?’ around 100,000 a month, than they do ‘tell me about yourself?’ – the most commonly asked job interview question, which generates around 1000 search queries a month.

To help solve this query, this article will:

  • Explain if asking an employer a question(s) is important
  • Discuss when in the interview it is best to ask an employer a question
  • List questions to ask an employer

Should I ask the interviewer a question?

The all-important question is, do I need to ask a hiring manager a question?

Technically the answer is no.

Don’t get me wrong. Asking the employer questions at the end of an interview is a key part of the recruitment process. The asking of unique questions can help a candidate be remembered by the hiring manager.

More importantly, for the career professional, questioning an employer can help the candidate decide if the organisation and job role are the right fit for them.

First choice job applicants – a candidate who consistently receives job offers following a recruitment process, ask numerous questions about the job duties, company culture, potential advancement, and the realistic future achievements of the business plan.

A first-choice candidates’ level of industry experience and knowledge along with their job interview confidence creates a strong interview identity. Their focus within a job interview, therefore, isn’t one of ‘will I get hired ?’ (desperation) instead, it is ‘will this employer meet my standards?’ (a high-status position).

The first-choice interviewee asks questions to check the employer’s suitability, not because the asking of questions to the employer is expected.

Many employers adopt the structured job interview process, as research shows that a structured job interview, compared to an unstructured job interview, is more likely to accurately predict the job performance of each candidate.

In a structured job interview, the employer will ask a set number of job interview questions, in the same order to each applicant. The interviewee’s job interview answers are scored against a set of essential criteria. Each interview answer is given point(s), on average on a scale of 1-4, and the highest-scoring interviewee is offered the advertised position.

The reason that asking the employer questions at the end of the interview doesn’t affect the job interview outcome is that the ‘do you have any questions for us?’ part of the interview doesn’t receive any points on the interview scorecard.

That means, if two people are equally scored at the end of an interview, and one asks 4-5 questions to the employer, and the other doesn’t ask a single one, the scoring allocated to be candidates will not change.

But….

The logical process of a structured job interview has a significant flaw. The human hiring manager is an emotional being. Emotions change how we perceive others.

The asking of questions shows an employer that the candidate is interested, passionate about the role. It helps build rapport, trust, and likeability. It’s the last chance to make a first impression, and it’s the first impression that creates an emotional reaction – I like or dislike this applicant.

Imagine the two equally scored interviewees. The one who asks the 4-5 questions has a chance to highlight more of their experience. As an example, the candidate may ask ‘can you tell me more about the day-to-day duties?’ After the employer responds, the candidate excitedly explains how they are highly skilled in (add duty).

This additional ‘sell’ isn’t added to the interview scorecard. But common practice is for the interview panel to make notes during the job interview itself and to allocate scores after the interviewee leaves.

If the asking of questions helps to build a positive emotional association with the candidate it is likely that the employer will score the interviewee higher than the applicant who didn’t bother to ask any questions. This is called the halo effect.

When to ask the interviewer a questions?

A higher number of interviewees when asked ‘do you have any questions for me?’ will say ‘no!’

As explained above, the asking of interview questions to an employer can create a significant advantage for the savvy interviewee.

But why wait until the interview end?

As we have already stated, first-choice applicants (which is what all career professionals should be aiming for) in fact ask questions to check the suitability of the employer.

Instead of saving a number of questions to the interview end, questions should be asked throughout the recruitment process as this allows the candidate to check:

  • Does the leadership and management style suit the way they work best?
  • Does the culture of company fit thier temperament?
  • Does the business vision match their career objective?
  • Is the company likely to stay ahead of the game and therefore reduce the likelyhood of having to make redundancies?
  • Will this company help me to grow and develop?
  • Is this the right fit for me?

To ask questions throughout the job interview, follow this process:

  1. Wait to be asked an job interview question
  2. Give an interview answer that communciates competencies confidently
  3. Ask the employer a follow up questio

As an example, if the job interview question is ‘what have you done to update your skills over the past 12 months?’ the applicant will give an answer highlighting the required criteria. In this example, the list is long impressing the employer.

At the end of the interview answer, the panel will spend 30 or so more seconds making notes. In that short time, one of the interview panel will break the silence, in this case by saying ‘that a long list, it sounds like you really care about your professional development?’

It’s at this stage where there is a natural opening for a follow-up question: ‘Yes it’s really important to keep developing your skill set, does the company have any training opportunities for new staff members?’ which creates a natural conversation while building authority.

Another technique is to ask a follow-up question before answering the interview question. In this scenario, the interview question is: ‘give me an example of managing your time?’ Instead of diving straight into the interview answer, the candidate can ask a specific follow-up question: ‘One of my key strengths is time-management. I often use technology to help with time management. Do you use Microsoft teams by any chance?’

The specific question is a hack to ensure that the detailed interview answer isn’t irrelevant. If the employer answers that they do use Microsoft teams, the candidate, in this example, will explain their knowledge of teams and how they use it to create Gannt charts, manage projects, diary management etc – as the employer, because they use the same technology, will see this as highly relevant.

If the employer states they don’t use the referenced technology/system/model the applicant can flip over this and answer the interview question without delving into detail about something the employer doesn’t need to know: ‘No, ok, I mentioned it because there are many tools that can assist with managing time, but the key to managing time is….an example of this is…’

Creating an interview conversation, rather the just answering the interview questions builds rapport. But even with a number of questions being asked throughout the job interview to check the suitability of the employer, you will be asked ‘do you have anything you would like to ask anyone of the interview panel?’ which means you must prepare a list fo questions to ask at the end of the job interview.

Questions for interviewers

Rob Jenkins in an article on what to ask and not ask in an interview (specifically talking about college interviews) said: “Do ask questions that demonstrate not only a knowledge of the college where you’re applying but also an enthusiasm for its mission and an earnest desire to be there”

It is the same in a job interview, each question should be planned to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and experience while expressing enthusiasm for wanting to work within that organization.

The top 3 questions to ask an interviewer

Questions that are unique, intriguing, or a little challenging will be memorable.

The top three questions to ask are designed to make the employer reflect, think, and feel good about themselves.

When a person feels good, the emotional feeling is associated with others in the room. And we are more likely to say ‘yes’ to someone we like.

  • What makes you want to stay working for this organisation?

This question will highlight the culture of the company and the values of the employer. For many employers, who aren’t expecting a self-reflecting question, they have to think about their answer.

  • Where in the team do you see my experience best fitting in – is there any particular project that you think I would be able to add value to?

An interviewee would only ask the employer this question if they know the interview has gone well. From a psychological point of view, the candidate is forcing the employer to view them as being successful in the team/on a project.

It’s the same psychology as if I said ‘don’t think of a pink elephant balancing on a blue ball’ to not think of the suggestion, you first have to imagine it!

  • How will you measure how successful I am?

Asking about a measurement will highlight what the employer values. They might answer with customer satisfaction, targets, data, income, quality, quantity. This is a chance to break through any generic statements relating to values and vision and get a specific on what the employer deems is important.

Questions that impress the employer

The goal of the job interview is to create a strong impression that leads to a job offer.

Even though the asking of questions from a candidate can improve the impression created throughout the recruitment process by highlighting inside knowledge that shows how the candidate is interested in the role.

This is achieved by sharing researched guised as a question. Researched-based questions take more preparation but increase the value an employer associates with the candidates.

The idea is to state the research and ask a question based on the stated research. The research can include:

  • Contracts/tenders the employer is bidding on
  • Sector-related technology
  • Changes to production/vision/values the employer is making
  • New markets the business is moving into
  • Risk from competitors, globalization, politics, etc

Below are three different ways to phrase the question to an employer:

  • While researching the company, I saw that you are looking to (add research), how will this effect the day-to-day activities?
  • I know that the sector/company is facing big changes because of (add research), how do you plan to approach this challenge?
  • I was interested to hear about the new direction the company is heading in, what do you think will be the biggest challenges and biggest rewards?

The best questions to ask in an interview

Each job applicant needs to be armed with at least 10 questions to ask an employer.

A high number of questions is required because some of the answers may be discussed during the job interview. Not all ten need to be asked, often three to five questions are enough.

  1. Can you tell me more about the day-to-day duties and my responsibilities?
  2. What are the main challenges that the team/company face?
  3. Do you collaborate with other organisations?
  4. Is this an office job or do you offer hybrid working?
  5. Who is the company’s biggest competitor?
  6. What changes is the sector facing due to globalisation/technology/demand/politics?
  7. Are there plans to expand the business?
  8. What development and training do you offer new employees?
  9. What is the average duration of an employee working for the company?
  10. How would you describe the culture of the company?

10 Killer Questions to ask an Employer

Killer questions are the question that makes a candidate memorable. They can be a little risky, as some questions are framed to state the candidate’s skill set and can sometimes be seen as self-serving. But when delivered right, with confidence, employers will view the candidate as a high-status individual.

  1. What is the one thing that you know I will be able to bring to the team?

To lessen the self-serving aspect of the question you can replace ‘I’ with ‘the successful candidate

2. What was it in my application that made you want to interview me?

This can be awkward if the employer doesn’t remember the reason for inviting the applicant to interview – this is more common than you might expect.

3. How can I advance myself in this role?

Many employers like to see that a potential employee has a focus on progression. But some may worry that the candidate may jump ship for an early promotion.

4. Why did the last employee leave?

This in fact is a great question, as the question can help the interviewee decide if they should take a role if offered to them. Some employers may feel awkward answering this question.

5. What are the expectations of me in my first 6 months?

A candidate can get a real insight into the role/expectations by asking this question.

6. What have previous staff advanced into after holding this job role?

Asking about future progression shows eagerness and that the career path is important to the employee, but some employers worry that the candidate is wanting to run before they can walk.

7. Is there anything about my interview answers that worry you?

A dangerous question. Here the candidate is directing the employer to think about any negatives they have shown during the job interview. On the other hand, if an employer states a concern the job applicant can address the concern during the interview and create a re-frame to help ensure they are viewed as hirable.

8. What challenges might I expect to face?

The challenge’s question is often asked for managerial positions, project lead roles, and for job roles when collaboration is a key feature. But it can also be asked in most job interviews.

Some employers dislike this question as they have to be honest about any ‘problems’ the business has.

9. Why do you think other people have failed in this position?

This question should only be asked if the employer has referenced that others have previously failed. By asking the question, the candidate can follow up with actions they would take to ensure success.

10. Do team members meet outside of work?

A team that meets outside of work is one that is normally happy – a good indication of a positive workplace. It is good to frame this question by adding ‘for exercise, or food’ so the employer doesn’t believe you are asking about social drinking.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon
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How to Interview for a Job

The interview is the wall blocking the path to career success.

Knowing how to interview for a job helps to break down the barrier, giving career professionals the upper hand in the recruitment process.

This article will explain:

  • How an employers perceives an applicants suitability
  • How to prepare for job interview questions
  • How voice and content create high scoring interview answers

In short, this article will help job candidates get interview ready.

Are you seen as employable during the interview?

The goal of any job interview, from the applicant’s perspective, is to be seen as hirable.

Showcasing one’s suitability is the objective, but the question is what does suitable look like?

A bottom-line approach would say that the applicant who best meets the listed essential job criteria would be offered the advertised position.

By ticking that an applicant has X qualification, or X experience doesn’t result in the best hire. This is because employers value creative problem-solving skills, innovation, and work ethic, among other things – these are all hard-to-measure qualities when using a tick sheet approach.

Employers overcome the tick-sheet hurdle by requesting ‘example’ interview answers. The example, when delivered well, showcases personal qualities and skills as well as duration in the industry and sector-related qualifications.

Many hiring managers also look a ‘fit’ – asking ‘will the interviewee’s temperament fit within the current team and company culture?’

The searching for a good ‘fit’ has resulted in a new style of job interview; strength based interviewing and values job interviews.

In all job interviews; behavioral job interview, situational job interview, unstructured recruitment processes and values interviews, suitability is based on two key elements: The applicants perceived level of industry knowledge and experience and their level of confidence during the job interview.

The combination of a career professional’s level of perceived knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence creates one of sixteen job interview identities.

A strong (highly suitable) interview identity is created by the confident communication of competencies through story-telling, facts & figures, stating sector models, the use of industry jargon and acronyms, and highlighting relevant skills and experiences.

Weaker interview identities are formed from a nervous applicant who uses excessive filler words, self-discloses weaknesses, fidgets, mumbles, and gives answers that don’t reference the job criteria.

What is your interview identity? Take the test here.

The interview start

How to interview for a job starts at the beginning, the interview introduction:

A highly skilled career professional was running late for his job interview. The traffic was a nightmare: horns beeping, drivers shouting and all traffic lights turning red. After a few detours and maneuvering, the interviewee arrived just on time, flustered, stressed but on time.

Running through the entrance, he announces himself to the receptionist. After making a few notes, the receptionist starts making small talk, asking about his journey and the weather. The flustered interviewee wearing a well-fitted pinstriped suit is dismissive to the receptionist as he checks his documents in preparation for the forthcoming interview.

The receptionist, a tall blond lady, takes a sip of water, looks at the man, and attempts to engage the job applicant in conversation. After another curt reply, the receptionist takes the man upstairs to the interview room, where she introduces him to two hiring managers. To the man’s surprise, the receptionist sits down next to the hiring manager ‘she must be taking notes’ the man thinks to himself.

As the man takes a seat and straightens his tie, he smiles at the interview pane. Just then the receptionist starts the interview by explaining that she is the CEO and that she likes to meet all new candidates at reception to get to know them better, informally, before the interview started.

The job interview starts as soon as the candidate walks into the employer’s building.

First impressions are hard to change. This is why the appearance of an applicant; their clothing choice, handshake, body language, and voice, is an important factor.

The applicant’s appearance and all the underlined ‘appearance’ categories create an unconscious bias, which at a generic level is based on likability.

If an employer, based on first appearances, ‘likes’ the candidate, the candidate has a smaller upper hand at the interview start. This is because humans search for evidence to back up their beliefs, meaning that at a subconscious level an interviewer who initially likes or dislikes a person (through unconscious bias) will look for evidence that proves this opinion to be true.

A positive initial impression is easy to create by using the advice below, but some hiring managers may be ageist, sexist, racist, or any other ‘istems’. An employer with a strong negative association towards any group will be a hard person to influence, as their prejudices create an invisible barrier.

To be seen as more likable:

  • Wear a clothing style that suits your body shape
  • Possess strong eye contact – this can be practiced in advanced
  • Hold your head high, shoulders back and don’t slouch when sitting down
  • Use a firm handshake and smile
  • Have a well rehearsed introductory line
  • Think of a few ‘small talk’ questions to ask while walking to the interview room

In the interview room

Each company is different, but in the main, a hiring manager will introduce the interview panel, before explaining the interview process: The duration of the interview, the number of questions, and the interview rules (that you can ask for a question to be repeated). Any additional tasks; presentations, assessments etc, that may be required as part of the recruitment process and when the candidates will be informed if they have been successful or not.

In most cases, you will be given a glass of water. But as a back up take a bottle of water for this interview hack.

When asked an unexpected interview question, it will put most job applicants on the back foot, resulting in them waffling on about an unrelated subject.

Instead, whenever your brain is too slow to catch up with the curveball question, take a sip of water. Interviewers expect applicants to be nervous and to take sips of water (to wet a dry throat). These 3 seconds of sipping water allows the mind to search for a suitable interview answer.

After or before the introduction to the interview panel, you will be asked to sit down.

It is important to be seen as a confident person. Humans are drawn to confident people. We believe confident people will be a good fit and possess excellent social skills.

Confident people will:

  • Relax in the chair while having good posture
  • Possess strong eye contact, looking at all members of the interview panel
  • Gesture as they talk and become animated in their voice (lots of vocal variety)

The job interview

A number of interviews are now conducted online. The virtual interview requires additional advice that can be found here: how to interview virtually.

For a traditional face-to-face job interview, employers preference the ‘structured’ job interview process.

In short, a structured interview is a set of interview questions asked to all candidates (unlike an unstructured jo interview which is an open conversation where different candidates are asked different questions based on the discussion) which are scored logically based on the job roles essential criteria.

As an example, for a job role that has 30 essential criteria’s an employer will create 8-10 interview questions.

Each interview answer, for each question, to score high must reference several of the 30 essential criteria. This can be in the form of:

  • Stating a sector related theory or model
  • Giving an example or story
  • Listing facts and data
  • Physically presenting data
  • Through the applicants persona for essential criteria relating to personal skills

Job Interview Questions

The average number of questions asked in a job interview is eight.

Commonly, the opening interview question is: ‘tell me a little about yourself’ and the final question is: ‘do you have any questions for us?’

In between these two questions will be 6 competency-based interview questions. Questions that ask for evidence that highlights if the applicant possesses the essential criteria.

A full list of interview questions and answers can be found here: questions and answers for an interview

One of the best approaches, to create a high-scoring answer, is to split the answer into two sections. Section one will state the process/theory/model relating to the interview questions, and part two is an example of using the said process/theory/model.

This two-part job interview answer will cover a large number of essential criteria.

As an example, if asked ‘give me an example of being prioritizing tasks’ the answer would start with an explanation of how to prioritize tasks using, as an example, the time management matrix theory before an example of being organized and planned is given.

Its not what you say, its how you say it

One mistake career professionals make is focusing solely on content to their interview answers.

Any good public speaker will tell, ‘it’s not what you say, but how you say it that is important.

Inflection, as an example, can change the meaning of a statement. The statement ‘I could do that has a different meaning depending on how it is spoken.

  • I could do that – I can do that and I am happy to do that
  • I could do that – You want me to do that?
  • I could do that – I don’t want to do that!

Watch this video for a great example of inflection

The voice is a powerful communication tool, to engage the interview panel:

  • Using vocal variety
  • Reduce the amount of filler words
  • Pause before a key point
  • Increase pace when excited
  • Slow down pace when making a powerful statement
  • Show emotion through your tonality
Evolve the mind book on Amazon

To pass a job interview, the three rules are:

  • Identify the job criteria as this allows an applicant to predict the job interview questions and to practice high-scoring job interview answers
  • Be a self-promoter – talk about skills and experiences relevant to the job role, the essential criteria
  • Use confident communication to engage the interview panel
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Best Job Interview Books for 2022

2022 will see an increase in job interviews as employers recover from pandemic and great resignation.

Already there has been a significant rise in job vacancies. The office for national statistics said “The number of job vacancies in October to December 2021 rose to a new record of 1,247,000, an increase of 462,000 from the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic level in January to March 2020”

Source.

Competition for job roles is at an all time high, with a higher number of degree-level qualified career professionals looking for new career opportunities.

Technology and remote working has open the job market up to a global audience.

To be successful in a job interview, the candidate not only has to have the best experience, skills and qualifications, they also have to be the best interviewee.

Below is a list of the 5 best job interview books for 2022 to help you land your next job role.

job interview coaching

Job Interview Book – what is your interview identity?

Pre-released at the end of 2021, the interview book ‘what is your interview identity, both paperback and hardback versions, were in top ten of Amazons new release books list.

The books explains the psychology of the recruitment process and how an employers perception of an applicant at the interview start creates a lasting impression that influences the scoring of the candidates job interview answers.

The ‘interview identity’ is the Myers Briggs of job interviews. The book also discusses the power of unconscious bias and explains the academic research findings of what creates a successful job interview.

Suitable for all job sectors, a must have for any career professional.

Amazon link – what is your interview identity

Job Interview Book – Cracking the Coding Interview

The programming sector, and the technology industry as a whole, is one of the biggest recruiters,

In tech job interviews you are asked very specific tech related job interview questions. To prepare for a programming job interview it is important to have technical interview answer prepared.

Cracking the code shares 189 programming interview questions and solutions to help any programming interviewee prepare for the job interview.

Amazon link – cracking the coding interview

Job Interview Book – Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

With over 4 million copies sold, the crucial conversation book is a wide read book.

Crucial conversations explains how to communicate in high stake situations. The book delves into the emotional reactions of individuals helps to influence and persuade.

The book explains the seven step model for crucial conversations; start with the heart, stay in dialogue, make it safe, don’t get hooked by emotions, agree mutual purpose, separate facts from the story and agree a clear action plan.

Amazon link – Crucial Conversations

Job Interview Book – Why You 101 Job Interview Questions

The forth book in the list is why you – 101 interview questions that explains an approach to answering the various job interview questions from the classic ‘tell me about your weakness’ to the famous sales job interview question ‘sell me this pen’

Amazon Link – Why You – 101 job interview questions

Job Interview Book – How to get hired

The how to get hired book covers more than just interviews, talking about the application process, identifying the right job and salary negotiation.

The book is framed as an inside guide (from an experience recruiter) on what works across the whole recruitment process to find career success.

A clearly written book that touches upon the various ways a candidate can successfully land a job of their dreams.

Amazon Link – how to get hired

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Interview Questions for Retail

Retail is one of the largest job sectors with over 2.9 million employees in the UK alone.

This article will focus on the job interview questions for a retail worker which incldues:

  • Shelf-stacker
  • Till operator
  • Customer service

Retail supervisors and managers attend a more structured job interview where they are asked leadership questions.

A third of retail staff are under the age of 25 and over half are part-time employees. This role attracts both students, looking for a part-time income and full-time retail staff looking for a career in retail.

In the main, the larger retail organizations have an ongoing recruitment campaign and like to hire a diverse workforce.

Due to the time spend on recruitment, many employers deliver short informal interviews that are designed to check a applicants work-ethic, attitude and personal skills.

This article will list the commonly asked interview questions for a retail position, and explain the best way to answer each question.

How competitive is a Retail job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Informal job interview lasts around 30 minutes with 6 questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Retail job interview?

  • Customer service skills
  • Communication skills
  • Numeracy and literacy
  • Reliability
  • Flexibility
  • Teamwork
  • Till/handling cash experience
  • Stock rotation knowledge
  • Sales techniques (for some roles)

Check the average pay for a Retail job role.

Retail job interview questions will vary from one retailer to the next. As an example a food retailer will ask about stock rotation and food hygiene awareness, whereas a clothing company will focus their interview questions on personal skills – being helpful, smart in appearance and communication skills.

All retailers will ask a variation of the common retail questions listed below, but it is important to follow the three rules of a successful job interview:

One – identify the skills and experiences each retailer requires you to possess

Two – be a self-promoter by highlighting customer service skills, reliability and your work ethic

Three – communicate confidently. In retail communication and customer service is a key skill. The whole of the job interview is an assessment of how you come across to a potential customer.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Retail Position.

To pass a job interview for a retail position is relatively easy.

Employers don’t ask tricky interview questions, they are rarely ‘scary’ and in the main try to create a relaxed environment to help the interviewee to open up.

At the bottom line, the interviewers want to get to know the potential employee.

The barrier here then is the number of applications each employer receives, which is much higher then the number of job vacancies.

To pass a retail job interview, it is important to predict the interview questions and practice the delivery of the interview answers.

  • Mock interviews help to practice an interview in full
  • Re-writing interview answers helps with memory
  • Talking in slower pace (as interviewees then to speed up due to nervousness) helps the employer to record your experiences and skills

Below is a list of retail questions and an explanation of how to answer each question.

Retail Interview Question 1. Tell me a little bit about yourself?

In all retail job interviews, the hiring manager will ask a generic opening question:

  • “Tell me about yourself?”
  • “Do you have any retail experience?”
  • “Give me an overview of your relative experience?”

The idea with asking a generic interview question is for the interview panel to get to know the job applicant, while at the same time getting them to open up.

By talking about oneself often gives confidence to the candidate, which helps later in the recruitment process when the hiring manager will ask more specific questions.

Employers will make a hiring decision based on the interview answers each candidates give. For a retail job role, the employer using a applicants retail/customer service experience as well as their personality/confidence to create an opinion.

We call the the interviewees Interview Identity.

Interview Answer Template.

“I have worked in (retail/customer service) roles for ‘X’ number of years. I really enjoy the (state a positive challenge) aspect of the role.

One of my key skills is (add retail related skilled IE customer service, sales, problem-solving) an example of this is when I was working as a (job role) at (company). A customer (describe action) to help get a positive result I (describe actions). The outcome was (positive outcome)

People describe as (list qualities). In my last role I was known as the employee who would (add quality; arrive on time, help customers, go above and beyond).

I am currently (studying full-time/looking for a career in retail) and I applied for this position because of (reference a positive aspect about the company)”

Retail Interview Question 2. Why did you apply for a job with our company?

Retail managers know that there is a vast amount of retail job roles, all with varying pay and conditions, available for people to apply for.

With this in mind, a high number of hiring managers will ask the reason why a candidate is applying for their vacancy rather then another.

The reason for this interview question is due to staff retention. The longer a staff member/retail team work for one company the more skilled that team will become (as well as saving on recruitment cost).

Don’t answer the ‘why us’ question with any of the following reasons:

  • Financial
  • Near to my home
  • I just need a job
  • Don’t know

Instead create an interview answer that highlights how the company values, vision and culture appeal to you.

Interview Answer Template.

“When I started job searching I saw a high number of retail vacancies, but when I saw that your company was advertising I knew I had to apply.

What I like about your company is the fact that you (add a company value/vision). This is something I can relate to. I also am passionate about (add a passion that relates to the company value/vision).

I also like where the company is heading. When I was researching the organization I read how you are (add a recent quote from a media source) I think this is a great idea as more people are (give a future action related to the quote IE shopping online).

One of the main reasons I applied for the role, is because I shop at your company and I love (the products/the way customer are treated/the environment)”

Retail Interview Question 3. What does customer service mean to you?

Customer service is a fundamental part of any retail job role.

Retail employers always ask a customer service related interview question:

  • “Tell me about your customer service experience?”
  • “What would you do if a customer did X?”
  • “Give me an example of going above and beyond for a customer?”

An article on Salesforce talked about the 8 principles of customer service:

  1. Teamwork
  2. Listen and share
  3. Friendly
  4. Honest
  5. Improved empathy
  6. Deep product knowledge
  7. Timeliness
  8. Improving processes

One way to answer the customer service interview question is by stating what makes good customer service and then giving an example of delivering excellent customer.

Interview Answer Template.

“For me, customer service is the key part of my job role. Good customer service includes being a great listener and communicator, while being able to build rapport. It is also about being a time-sensitive problem solver and looking at a customer problem from their viewpoint, and most importantly its about helping to create loyal customers.

I have always had a natural ability to give great customer service, as I am a natural peoples person. An example of this was when I was (describe a situation), to help the customer I (add 3 steps: Listened to the issue, discussed options and used my personal skills to get a positive outcome)”

Retail Interview Questions 4. How would you handle a rude customer?

Helping a pleasant customer is easy, they ask for help, help is given and everyone is happy.

On the other hand, having to deal with an angry, rude or disruptive customer is much more difficult.

In fact, the whole reason that customer service is the hot topic in retail job interviews is because of the fact the employers need to hire retail staff that can respond professionally to any customer service situation.

An article on MindTools explains 5 steps to dealing with a rude customer:

  1. Stay calm and don’t react
  2. Don’t take it personally
  3. Listen and apologise if needed
  4. Stand firm
  5. Solve the problem

Interview Answer Template.

“I have helped many rude customer in the past. I don’t get affected by a rude customer as I don’t take the rudeness personally. I know that many customer s act rude because they are frustrated and once they see that I am willing to help them resolve their issue, they will calm down, often applogise and become helpful.

An example of helping a rude customer is when I worked at (company name) and a customer was angry because of (state issue). First I stayed calm and listened to their complaint without interrupting. I then summarised their problem and asked what outcome they wanted. I then though about two options (describe options) and asked the customer a few questions to help them decide which option was best. By being calm, patient and by wanting to solve their problem I was able to get a customer, who initially was rude, to leave a positive comment on a store feedback card.”

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Retail Interview Question 5. Do you work well within a team?

A retail store is a well oiled machine.

All the various cogs; shelf-stackers, cahiers, cleaners, security guards, customer service desk, buyers, warehouse staff, etc, etc work together to display products that customers want to buy.

The team collectively works well when all team members embrace being team.

Many retail company’s will create a team culture through teambuilding activities, team meetings and highlighting team achievements.

In a retail recruitment process, the hiring manager isn’t just looking for a skilled worker they are searching for a team player.

The best answer to give is to share an example of teamwork in action. When sharing a teamwork example it is important to explain the problem the team were facing before the candidates shares what actions they took to help the team achieves its goal.

Interview Answer Template.

“I really enjoy working within a team. I like that everyone helps and supports each other to achieve a common goal.

An example of me working within a team is when I worked at (organisation). The team had to (achieve an objective) but the problem was (describe a barrier the team faced).

The team didn’t know what we should do, so I suggested that everyone should share an idea. We all did, and that led to a natural discussion. I took the lead and asked my team mates for their opinions on the ideas and before long it was clear that we all wanted to try a particular suggestion. We the divided up the jobs, I was responsible for (task) and went to work. By the end of the (day/project/task) we had (positive outcome).”

Retail Interview Question 6. Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

  • Can you talk me through the training that you offer new staff members?
  • What are the busiest times of the year?
  • How would you describe an average day?
  • How would you describe the culture of the company?
  • How many staff work full time and part time?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.

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Four Day Work Week Job Interview Questions

A six month pilot, to test the benefits of a four day work week, has seen hundreds of businesses register their interest.

If a four day week becomes the norm, employers will want to know how employees will adopt to working less hours. It will be in the job interview where hiring managers ask about productivity in the hour-day week world.

In this article, we will list potential four-day week job interview questions and answers.

Less hours equals more productivity?

The 4 Day Week Global will see a reduction in the number of hours an employee with the hope of increasing production.

Three universities; Oxford, Cambridge and Boston college (US) plan to sign up around 30 companies during this new initiative. The idea is that less work equals less stress, and less stress increases productivity.

The trio of universities will collect data from the trial, including evaluations via an interview method, to check the advantages and disadvantages of working just 80% of the (current) working week.

Currently three official businesses have signed up to the trial, with the experiment needing a variety of job sectors to participate to test the impact of a reduction in working hours. MLB Seminars (a training company), Yo Telecom and Hutch Games (computer) are currently testing the four day week.

The data gained from the UK companies will be assessed along side data taken from similar experiments across the globe. It is predicted that different sectors will have to vary how they adapt the four-day week to meet the needs of their industry.

In a four day week trial in Iceland the results show how reducing working hours increased smarter working, with staff managing their time better, reducing time spent in meetings and improving internal communications.

Employee wellbeing had a significant improvement, with staff stating how they felt more positive and happy. Experiments has shown this before, where overworked staff working more hours are less productive then staff working the average number of hours per week.

The goal is to offer employees less hours with the same pay (rather then compressed hours in a four day week), not to decrease hours and pay. The concept is referred to as the 100:80:100 model. Employees receive 100% of pay for 80% in exchange for 100% productivity.

As AI becomes more embedded within organizations, a 20% cut in working hours could easily be accommodated with technology automating business as usual low skilled tasks. The pandemic has taught businesses time-saving lessons, as an example virtual project meetings has reduced the total number of travel hours, to and from the meeting, of the participants.

Looking at the wider picture, a four-day week can also support the green agenda. In 2019, Microsoft Japan’s trailed a three-day weekend that resulted in a recorded 40% productivity but also increased efficiencies, such as 23% electricity savings.

Employers look for productive staff

Each recruitment process is designed to predict the job performance of the interviewee, their productivity.

The evidence is clear, happy fulfilled and trained employees are more productive. Whereas a stressful working environment reduces each employees productivity.

From an employees perspective, the workers expect that employees create processes and procedures that help create a productive workforce. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory states that their are two categories for workplace motivation:

Motivation factors that give employees a sense of satisfaction

  • Work that has a purpose
  • Greater autonomy
  • Recognition

Hygiene factors that determine the basic level of stability and job security:

  • Pay
  • Job security
  • Working conditions

On the other hand, employers expect a level of output from a paid employee. In the job interview the job candidate, through their answers, makes a pledge of their skill set and work ethic which the hiring decision is based on.

As with all new initiatives that get launched, the organizations that take part in the trail will have a vested interest in the initiative and happy to work within the guidelines. As the initiative becomes common place, other organizations get on board rather then being seen to rock the boat.

The problem here is that the latter employers may need commitment from the interviewee, at the interview stage, that they can and will offer 100% productivity during a four-day week.

Four day week job interview questions

In the main, employers will ask four day week job interview questions that come under one of three categories:

  1. Time management
  2. Output
  3. Wellbeing management

How will you maximize output while working a four day week?

Employers are looking to hear what tasks or last time activities can be reduced to increase productivity.

Job interview answers should cover time management processes, the use of automated technology/systems and task priority.

Job Interview Answer:

“Output is improved through the management of tasks. The time management matrix explains how tasks can be prioritised based on their urgency vs importance. Tasks that are highly urgent and important must be completed straight away, this could include (example).

One of the common task in our sector is (add task) which often takes up (number of hours per week) but can easily be automated through (system/procedure/software). Another common task is (second task and third task) which is required in several departments. I propose, to save time, that these tasks are job shared. With one department completing all (task one) and the other all (task two).

One the reasons why I always have a high level of productivity is due to my wellbeing management. The research shows how stressed employees have less production, whereas motivated staff are highly productive. Personally, I keep motivated by regularly (add activity)”

What ways can you think off that will help reduce time spent on non-productive tasks?

Each sector varies, but generally speaking their are a number of ways to reduce time.

When answering the time saving interview question, it is important not to use examples that make the candidate to be viewed as lazy IE ‘I would talk less’. Instead think more strategically, as an example having ‘task and finish’ team meetings or shared calendars that reduce planning time.

Job Interview Answer

“Thinking about our industry there are two areas that could be changed to reduce the amount of time spent on non-productive tasks. The first is (add specific situation). Time is wasted here because of (give reason), instead we could save time by (give solution).

The second area is (add specific situation). A number of hours are wasted because of the amount of people who do (add time wasting task) Instead if we were able to implement (solution) we could save a (give percentage) of time.”

An example of a solution to a time wasted tasks is in the recruitment sector, where many companies are now using AI bots to read job applications rather then leaving it to humans.

Give me an example of how you managed your stress levels during a busy period?

When giving a real life example of part of a job interview answer, it is important to create context by describing the situation – the why this was happening.

Then, specifically explain what actions were taken to create a positive outcome. Ideally, the example used must be relative to the position being applied for.

Job Interview Answer.

“A couple of years back, I was working at an organization named (company name). I was part of a team working on (a specific project). The project was highly important as (describe how the successful completion of the project would have a benefit to the employer).

The timeframe for the project was tight, we had to complete (task) within a (add timeframe). the reason this was difficult was (give specifics).

It was a very stressful time for everyone, but I was always able to manage my stress and stay motivated and productive.

To stay motivated and to have good wellbeing I (generic stress management technique). When on a tight deadline I always (stress management technique)which helps me to stay on track. When working in a stressful environment or when other colleagues are stressed I will (stress management technique).”

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Job Interview Questions for a Learning Mentor

There has been an increase in learning mentoring roles as education providers employ supportive roles to help struggling students.

In the main, learning mentors work with children, but some positions include mentoring adults. Other vacancies are for specific areas IE young offenders, SEND pupils, etc.

Employers are looking for ‘skills’ as well as experience. When giving examples, applicants need to check if the new job role is mentoring groups and/or 1-2-1s.

This article will help mentors prepare and pass a learning mentor job interview.

How competitive is a Mentor job interview?

Medium in competitiveness

Interview Specifics:

Behavioural job interview, last 45 minutes with 8 questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Mentor job interview?

  • Discussing pupils learning needs to create a plan of action
  • Creating strategies and supportive actions to help increase a pupils confidence level
  • Working in groups or 1-2-1 to help an underperforming pupil achieve realistic educational outcomes
  • Understanding safe-guarding practices
  • Have an awareness of learning styles and techniques
  • Monitor and report on a pupils progression
  • Great questioning and listening skills
  • Support with transition, including report writing

Check the average pay for a Mentor job role.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Mentor.

In addition to a structured job interview, many high-school mentoring recruitment process also include the delivery of a presentation. To prepare for your interview presentation click here: How to deliver a job interview presentation.

This article, though, will focus on the answers to behavioral job interview questions.

Behavioral job interview questions ask for examples of passed experience. This means that giving examples is the best way to answer the job interview question.

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Tell me about your experience as a mentor?

Not all employers require the successful job applicant to have direct mentoring experience.

Instead, most employers are looking for certain skills – the ability to mentor a (specific group).

It is important to create a job interview answer that highlights to relevance of the example by following the three rules for a successful job interview:

  1. Identify the job criteria – the skills and experiences required for the mentoring job position
  2. Be a self-promoter – giving detailed descriptions of relevant skills
  3. Communicate with confidence – engage the interview panel with tonality, expressions and gestures, while having clear diction and a nice pace

Example interview answer:

“I have worked as a (job role) for the past (number of years) where I was responsible for (list duties).

I have undertook (list relevant qualifications) which taught me the importance of (a particular knowledge base).

The reason I am so passionate about mentoring is because (reason IE supporting/helping) An example of this is when I was working at (company) where I was mentoring (cohort). to support the client (describe mentoring technique in detail) which resulted in (positive outcome).

To summaries, I have X number of years experience and I am highly passionate and skilled at mentoring others.”

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Give me an example of mentoring a student who was underperforming?

When answering specific ‘example’ questions it is important to give context by describing the situation.

Context allows a hiring manager to understand the difficulties and actions taken.

It is also key to explain any ‘basic’ everyday tasks. A large number of interviewees don’t state ‘obvious’ duties because it is a task they complete everyday.

But, because interviewers follow use a structured job interview process, candidates must state all essential job criteria to receive full marks.

Example interview answer:

“I was working with one mentee recently who was undeforming in (subject) due to (reason). Because of this (reason) the mentee was (describe state – quite, angry, demotivated).

Because I was aware of the situation I, prior, to the mentoring session (actions took to help make the mentee more relaxed, open and feeling safe. This could also include any research undertaken)

When I met the mentee I split the session into three stages: contracting, open questions and goals. It was important to contract because of (reason).

In the mentoring section, I asked, initially very open questions, including (add questions) to help the client open up. The conversation become more specific as we built trust and talked more in-depth about underperformance. We focused mainly on (add detail).

By the end of the mentoring session I signposted to (source) and encouraged goals, including (state goals)

The result of the planning and my communication style was (describe a positive outcome for the client)”

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Tell me about a safe-guarding issue you have had to deal with?

When applying for a mentoring role that works with children’s or vulnerable people, you will be asked a safe-guarding job interview question.

Employers need to check that a mentor knows the correct procedure when a young person discloses that they are in harm.

There are six guiding principles of safeguarding:

  1. Empowerment
  2. Prevention
  3. Proportionality
  4. Protection
  5. Partnership
  6. Accountability

It is important in the safeguarding interview answer to highlight a level of knowledge of safeguarding.

Employers ask for a safeguarding example, to check how the principles have been used in a real situation.

Example interview answer:

“I was mentoring one mentee who disclosed a safeguarding issue. At first the disclosure was made in passing and the mentee, aware of what they have said, tried to deflect the statement by talking about other things.

This where my excellent listening skills come into their own. I also make lots of notes when I am mentoring someone to ensure that the information I have is accurate.

I was aware that the mentee was (embarrassed/upset/angry) and initially I used (open body language/soft tonality/additional questions) to (desired outcome).

I then asked a direct question about the disclosure, this resulted in the mentee (outcome). To gain more information I then asked specific follow up questions. At this stage it was clear that their was a risk of harm to the young person. I asked the mentee to remember at the beginning of the session where I had ‘contracted’ explaining what I have to do if there is a safeguarding concern.

In that company we had to follow a strict procedure when a concern was disclosed, which included 1) informing a line manager, 2) making a social service referral and 3) completing the paperwork.

The mentee was in fact happy to be getting support, but was scared about the process and what would happen long term. To support the mentee I (action – confirmed that I would be able to be in the interview with the social worker/talk to professionals on their behalf/gave an explanation of what would happen in the way of a case study.

The long-term outcome was (state details).”

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Give me an example of successfully mentoring a group?

In the main, mentoring is delivered on a 1-2-1 basis.

Often, though, mentors will deliver group mentoring workshops.

Delivering workshops takes an additional skill. Many employers, to test the delivery styles of applicants, will request for the interviewee to deliver a short interview presentation.

In addition to the presentation, there is often an interview question about group delivery.

The focus of the interview answer should be aimed at the session impact:

  • Was the trainer able to engage all pupils?
  • Did the session fulfil the training objectives?
  • Did the trainer think about individual learning styles?

Example interview answer:

“As well as having (X) number of years experience mentoring in 1-2-1 situations, I am also highly experience in the delivery of groupwork.

The barrier with group engagement is the number of participants. In a 1-2-1 mentoring session, it is easy to adapt the delivery style to encourage and support the mentee.

Whereas in a group setting, it is the planning of the activity which is key. When I plan an activity I first ask about the group – do any have support needs? What are their learning styles? have they volunteered to attend the session?

To plan the session in full, i think about the desired outcome and how I can embed visual, audio and kinesthetic learning styles. I also think about any objections or challenges the participants may have and think of ways to overcome this.

An example of this is working with introverted pupils. As I am experienced with this, I know to ask the group a question IE anyone can answer, and then to follow by asking individuals questions to help engage the whole class.

Last week I was working with one group to help them think about (career goals, improving exam results, motivation, etc). The group was made up of (age/gender/generic barriers). To engage the group I (told stories/created a game/presented facts/played a video).

I also set individual and team tasks, and walked around the room looking for anyone who would need support.

Because I knew that (group/person) had (describe barrier) I (state actions took) which resulted in (positive outcome).”

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Mentoring Job Interview Question: Tell me about a time when you have successfully mentored someone to achieve their goals?

In short a mentor will help an mentee achieve their goals.

There are a number of mentoring models that can be used, with the most famous model being GROW – Goal, Reality, Options and Will.

When giving an interview answer to a 1-2-1 mentoring experience question, it is important to state the required skills used while following a mentoring model such as GROW. These include:

  • Listening
  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Creating accountability
  • Encouragement
  • Note taking
  • Safe guarding awareness

Example interview answer:

“I have many examples I could use. My favorite is when I was working at (company) and I was mentoring a client who wanted to achieve (goal).

The mentee, when I first met them, was (add barriers; quite, reserved, extravert, demotivated, scared) This was because of their (describe situation).

My first task was to establish rapport, I did this by (sharing stories, listening, finding commonality, not interrupting).

Once the mentee trusted me, which was reinforced by my ability to listen without interrupting, being patient and communicating of their level, I helped them establish their goals.

Initially their goal was ambiguous, which was one reason why they struggled to take action. By asking questions to gain a specific and measurable goal, the client was able to see the realism of achieving their objective.

We discussed option and I would often challenge their goal, thought process or suggestion to help them reflect on what they would need to do and achieve to feel successfully. This reflection technique was something the client hadn’t done before and the outcome was that they felt excited about their potential future.

The reason this was a real success, was due to my emotional intelligence. Because I was working with the client over a number of weeks, there were time when the client was feeling good and other times when they felt down. Having an agile approach allowed me to communicate in a way that suited the situation, increasing trust between myself and the mentee.

There were also times when we went off-topic and talked about hobbies and interest instead of the (goal), which was suitable at that time. And sometimes, when needed i would sign post to suitable agencies where the mentee could gain expert advice and support.

The outcome was that the mentee achieved (long term outcome) and short term felt (motivated/inspired/excited) helping them to take more action.“

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Do you have anything you would like to ask us?

  • Can you describe the duties in an average day?
  • What development opportunities can employees access?
  • Do you specialize in any particular mentoring areas?
  • Are you looking to expand the business?
  • How would you describe the culture of the company?
  • What, would you say, is the management style of the company?
  • How is the mentoring project funded? Do you see nay future risk to funding?
  • What is the customer feedback like?
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Tips for Group Interviews

Group job interviews are a common recruitment stage for customer-facing job roles, and for leadership and management positions.

In addition, group interviews are used as a screening interview for organizations that receive high number of job applications.

A high number of job candidates struggle to pass a group interview due to a lack of understanding of the group interview format.

In this article, you will learn the structure of a group interview, how interviewees are scored, and what a job candidate can do to stand out in the group interview to ensure an offer of a second interview round.

Group Interview Format

Unlike a structured job interview, where each applicant is asked the same number of interview questions that are then graded with the help of a scoring system, the group interview is an observation interview round.

Group interviews are often part of a full-day recruitment process, which includes:

  • A tour of the company
  • Technical test
  • Role plays
  • Structured panel job interview
  • Group exercise interview

The group interview takes around 45 minutes to complete.

The employer will first put the interviewees into groups, before stating the task each group has to complete.

Often the task is a problem-solving task, in the form of physical exercise IE ‘make a bridge over a river using the objects’.

The task isn’t always relevant to the job sector because the task itself isn’t important.

What is important are the qualities of each applicant.

This is because the employer uses a group exercise to better understand how each job candidate acts when working collaboratively in a stressful situation.

Some employers increase the stress by giving a short time frame to complete a difficult task or will ask the groups to attempt a very difficult brain-teaser task.

After the group exercise time-frame has come to an end, the group may be asked to feedback.

The three stages of a group exercise are:

  1. Introduction to the group activity
  2. Group completing the set task
  3. Feedback from the group

What is being assessed during a group interview exercise

Technical interviews are designed to test competencies and knowledge, whereas a group interview exercise is looking at a candidate’s personals qualities:

  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Teamwork
  • Supportiveness
  • Listening
  • Temperament
  • Following processes (set out in the rules of exercise)
  • Creative thinking
  • People skills

In one group exercise for a large airline company, looking to recruit a number of customer service employees, the hiring managers ask that each candidate stands on a stage and deliver a short 60-second introduction speech.

The recruitment team stated that the rest of the applicants, the audience, to listen to the speaker and give a round of applause at the speech end.

Around 6 hiring managers stood around the room observing and taking notes. The hiring manager, though, wasn’t watching the speaker, instead, they observed the audience, making notes of who, instead of listening, was checking updates on their phone and which applicants had their full attention on the stage.

Anyone who was seen not to be fully listening to the speakers didn’t make it to the second job interview stage.

A second employer asked groups of applicants applying for a managerial position were asked to complete a physical brain teaser – dropping an egg from a height without the egg breaking, by using a range of potential random objects to reduce the like hood of the egg breaking once it hits the floor.

Three hiring managers observed the groups. With the position being a leadership role, many of the applicants wanted to stand out by taking the lead. One potential manager grabbed the instructions and started to assemble the equipment. Another directed the group participants to delegate roles. A third candidate, in their team, asked questions and encouraged people to become involved in the task.

Three candidates acted in three separate ways, all examples of various managerial styles, but which approach was best?

The three rules for a successful job interview are:

  1. Identity the job criteria
  2. Be a self-promoter
  3. Communicate with confidence

Rule number one is key here. What is the culture of the organisation? What is the employer’s preferred management style? Which leadership style best fits the job sector?

How to pass a group interview

In the main, the group interview exercise looks at personal skills and qualities.

The aim is to complete a task, even though a group task is the required action, instead the objective is to observe how each applicant acts and interacts when given a potentially stressful task.

Employers observing group exercises like to see:

  • Leadership
  • Encouragement
  • Teamwork

To be seen as a highly valuable potential employee follow these three steps:

  1. Take charge
  2. Encourage involvement
  3. Create a team approach

Take Charge of the Group Exercise

In the main, most people in a group interview won’t take the initiative.

Taking the initiative creates the ‘leadership’ position. being seen as the natural leader creates a subconscious high-status persona that results in other candidates referring to the ‘group leader’.

In all group exercises, the employer will state the exercise details and give a duration.

The specific details for the task will be written down and one of the group members will have to collect the instructions from one of the hiring managers. This is the first opportunity to take a leadership position, by being the person who stands up and collects the written instructions.

Once, with the instructions in hand, others will naturally look towards you.

Remembering that the whole group exercise process is being observed, read out the instructions to the group.

After reading out the instructions, summarize these and then ask an ‘encouragement’ question to encourage involvement from the rest of the group: “Has anyone had to complete the (task) before?” while looking at each member of the group in turn.

Next, suggest and guide the group by asking for suggestions on how they should approach the task. If the group has introverted members, specifically ask for their opinion.

If there are several good suggestions, recommend the group take a vote as the task needs to be completed within a short duration.

If there is only one idea (you should also have suggested an idea or approach) or once the vote has been completed, explain that everyone should have a role and ask: “Who would like to do X?” or “Who has the skills to do X?”

End, the planning phase of the group task by giving encouragement: “I think it was really good that we were able to share some ideas and pick roles. We have X time left so let’s go for it. I know we can be successful with this task.”

Encourage Involvement

Many of the group tasks during a recruitment event are difficult.

Purposefully difficult, because the employer is observing how candidates act during a stressful situation.

The difficulty of the tasks results in several of the group, getting ‘stuck’ or feeling ‘lost’. Be aware that the ‘lost’ feeling will happen, and look out for when this happens.

When a team member becomes lost, give encouragement. Ask: “(name) is everything ok, need a hand?”

You can also assist: “have you tried doing X?”

Also, offer praise to others: “great job (name), that’s really going to help.”

It is the leadership and teamwork skills that employers are looking for, not the completion of tasks.

By communicating, listening, encouraging, in short – leading the group, the hiring managers will be impressed with the skillset on show.

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Create a Team Approach

There is a balance between being the leader and creating a team environment.

Being to directive could be seen as a negative (depending on the job role) by the hiring managers and some candidates sensing that the contrast between the candidate taking the initiative and themselves could make them look bad might start to challenge you.

The goal then is to create a sense of collaboration, teamwork.

If a candidate challenges the leadership role, encourage their ideas. Ask: “great, what’s your plan/idea?” or if they have relevant experience ask: “That really useful, what do you recommend?”

The goal here isn’t to stand out as the leader. By being the person who collects the instructions, reads them out, and ask the group for ideas and suggestion, the recruitment team will already have noticed you. Encouragement to others, throughout the task, only helps to reinforce the positive first impression.

The real goal, therefore, is to create a productive team, which is why it is suggested to ask for other peoples ideas, and thoughts.

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Customer Service Manager Interview Questions

Customer service manager job roles vary across a wide range of industries. Depending on the company the job title may differ:

  • Customer service manager
  • Customer care manager
  • Customer relationship manager

In all customer service managerial role the main duties are similar; providing a customer focused service to exceed standards that results in an increase in customer loyalty.

In recent years, the role has evolved into customer service in the virtual world as well as physical customers.

A large part of the job role is to:

  • Develop and implement customer service policies and procedures
  • Use data to measure customer satisfaction, needs and sales
  • Improve the overall customer journey
  • Increase online positive reviews
  • Manage a customer service team and/or collaborate with senior stakeholders

The job interview has a large focus on understanding the applicants approach and previous experience in excelling in improving customer service,

How competitive is a Customer Service Manager job interview?

Medium in competitiveness

Interview Specifics:

Structural job interview last 45 minutes with 8 interview questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Customer Service Manager job interview?

  • Create a customer service process and procedure for business as usual tasks
  • Lead on new customer service initiatives and project lead on customer service strategies
  • Investigate and solve customers’ problems, which can include online negative reviews
  • Authorise refunds or compensation to customers as required
  • Analyse customer data and statistics to be used in project planning
  • Develop customer relationship building activities
  • Write detailed reports
  • develop feedback or complaints procedures for customers to use
  • Staff recruitment and management

Check the average pay for a Customer Service Manager job role.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Customer Service Manager.

Generally speaking, customer service managers for medium sized organizations will be invited to one structured job interview.

Senior managers overseeing customer service at a strategic level are likely to attend an average of three job interviews including a structured job interview, a strength-based interview and an assessment.

This article will cover the commonly asked interview questions for a customer service manager in a structured job interview.

Tell me about your experience in customer service management?

The initial job interview question is designed to check suitability – does the applicant meet the job criteria?

Opening questions are also generic, to help the interviewee to speak with a view that they will be more relaxed when asked specific job criteria questions later in the interview process.

A savvy candidate can use the opening question to help create intrigue by stating their unique selling points.

Interview Answer Template

“I am highly skilled in customer service management for roles. For the past (number of years) I have been responsible for (add job-related duty). This included (A, B, and C – give detail).

I possess a qualification in (add sector-related qualification) which taught me the importance of (sector-related model or theory), an example of using this in day-to-day tasks is when (add example).

My main strengths include (add unique selling point). To conclude, I am a skilled customer service manager with over X number of years experience, qualified to X level.”

Give me an example of how you would implement a customer service policy?

As one of the main job duties of a customer service manager, explaining the process what implementing a customer service policy is one of the key job interview questions.

The ‘policy’ question must be answered by using the interview answer model – ME (Model and Example).

The model and example interview formula is highly powerful when it comes to technical job interview questions.

By stating the model, in a step-by-step process, all elements of setting up a customer service policy will be discussed analytically, ensuring that all the job criteria on the interview scorecard is referenced.

Much research shows how storytelling increases the likelihood of passing a job interview. This is because stories create an emotional reaction in the hiring manager, and emotions are the doorkeepers to decision-making.

The power of emotions is the reason why a logical answer alone isn’t enough. Once a step-by-step process has been explained, a real-life example must follow.

Interview Answer Template

“Policy creation and implementation is one of my key strengths. The five steps for creating a policy are, 1. identify the need for the policy, 2. gather data to support the creation of the policy, 3. involve stakeholders and draft policy, 4. gain approval for senior managers, 5. implement policy.

An example of creating and implementing a policy is when I worked at X company. At the time (explain barrier/problem). To help define the policy I (searched for data) which helped to create a policy that embedded (a particular requirement). Also, I worked with (stakeholder) as they had a vested interest in the policy outcome. After the policy was approved by (manager/board) I created an implementation plan which included (actions with reasons).”

Describe your managerial style?

There are various management and leadership styles. In the main, most managers have a natural preference for one or two management styles.

Often employers are looking to hire managers who possess the management style that fits within the culture of their organisation.

Interviewees, if required, can review the employer’s culture to help prepare a high-scoring interview answer.

A safe way to answer the management style question is by explaining how you choose your management style based on the situation.

Interview Answer Template

“Situational leadership theory explains there are four key leadership styles; directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. All managers have a natural tendency to prefer one style due to their temperament.

What an experienced customer service manager, such as I am, must do is choose the most suitable leadership style for each individual situation.

As an example, my natural preference is (name a leadership style). This is ideal when (state situation) but isn’t as useful in (second situation). In this situation, I would use (second leadership style).

I think one of the reasons for my successful career as a customer service manager, is my ability to manage tasks by reflecting on the situation, the project timeframe, and the skills of my team.”

How do you review customer standards within an organisation?

New customer service policies, processes, and strategic plans must be based on data.

Employers will check that a customer service manager makes logical decisions to create change through the analysis of data.

Customer service data can be gained from very sources:

  • Surveys
  • The number of customer complaints
  • Monitoring social media
  • Online reviews
  • Increase or redcutaion in footfall/sales

The customer service answer is best answered using the STAR method.

The STAR method uses an example to show the candidate’s level of competencies.

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Actions, and Results.

Interview Answer Template

Situation – start the interview answer (the example) by describing in a few lines the situation that the company was facing.

“While working as a customer service manager at (company name) we analysed data that compared (a good vs bad customer service outcome)

Task – The task part of the STAR method should state the specific required task. The task is different from the situation (many interviewees miss the task section of the STAR method). The situation is the big picture, whereas the task is the specific plan the team/employee was required to complete

The data showed how we needed to (improve customer service outcomes). To achieve this, I was responsible for (describe task)

Action – Each stage of the STAR job interview method is more specific then the previous one. In the action section, the interviewee needs to explain what is was the did to help bring around a positive outcome.

The action segment is the crux of the job interview answer. The employer isn’t interested in what the team did or a generic cover-all description. Instead, the hiring manager wants data that they can cross-reference against the job criteria.

Specific information can be measured.

To ensure that the best action was achieved I first spent some time planning. There were two possible actions I could take, the first was X and the second Y. The advantage of doing X was (add detail) but the dis-advantage was (add detail). Whereas the disadvantage for Y was (give detail), put the pro’s included (give detail)

I choose (X or Y) because (reason). To start, I first (describe initial actions) as this (add outcome from initial actions). Next, I (describe actions) which helped achieve (outcome). Throughout the task I reviewed my actions to ensure that the task would be completed to the highest quality. Finally, I (add action).

Result – To end the STAR interview formula, the interviewee must state the result or outcome from the action described.

The result should be a positive outcome that helped achieved a particular goal.

My planning, reviewing and my ability to (describe a positive trait) ensured that we were able to (positive outcome) which had a massive effect on (part of the business)

Give an example of helping an underperforming employee to be more successful?

A large part of a customer service manager job role is the managing of staff.

Most questions, relating to performance, are framed as a ‘support’ question.

It is important to talk about a process for managing underperforming staff and to give an example. Again, this question is best answered using the ME – model and example formula.

Interview Answer Template

Not all underperforming staff members underperform for the same reason. As an example if a staff member was previously one of the best performing employees and only recently started to underperform, this maybe an indication that something may have effected that persons motivation or stress.

Compare that employee to a staff member who has underperformed no matter part of the business they are working with.

Generally speaking, if an employee has started to underperform whereas the rest of team is performing well, indicating that the underperforming employee needs support tor motivating I following the three stages that most HR teams embed in their policies: review, training, disciplinary,

The initial stage is bringing the underperformance to the team members awareness, asking, in a 1-2-1 what support they need from myself? This is an informal discussion, that can lead to some actions being agreed.

If performance doesn’t improve, the next meeting is formal with an action plan being created. The action plan can include training, mentoring, work shadowing and a list of priorities action for the employ. The idea is that following the plan will naturally improve performance. The main discussion should challenge the employee to help understand the reason behind the underperformance.

Finally, if performance still hasn’t improved over the duration set out in the action plan, then a more formal meeting will be had that involves the HR team. In short, as a manager i would try to do what I can to support an employee until it is required for HR to get involved.

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Do You Have Any Questions for the Interview Panel?

  • What areas is the business looking to expand into?
  • What development opportunities are available to new staff members?
  • What is the company’s biggest barrier to achieving its KPIs?
  • Who would you say is the company’s biggest competitor?
  • How would you describe the culture of the company?
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What Will a Job Interview in the Metaverse Look Like?

On 28th Oct 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebrand of Facebook to Meta, signifying to the world the importance of their investment into the Metaverse.

The Metaverse will be a crucial element in the future of hiring staff, requiring career professionals to understand what a Metaverse job interview will look like.

The Metaverse will be an interconnected online experience that merges work and life across a wide range of platforms, from VR headsets to AR implementations.

The Metaverse won’t just look like a virtual reality computer game where everyone communicates via their avatar, instead, it will be a mix of a physical and virtual world, with its own economy and users will be able to take their avatars and goods throughout the metaverse.

This video is an example of how the online and real-life workspace could interact.

Is the Metaverse a fad?

Skeptics say that the Metaverse could be a fad, and that Zuckerberg launched Meta as a ploy to divert attention from other issues.

No matter what the reasons were for Facebook to change to Meta, those who are looking at what is happening in the tech world know the Metaverse is coming and coming soon.

Facebook won’t own the Metaverse, instead, it will be open-source, just as one single website doesn’t own the internet.

Many large tech giants; Microsoft, Apple, and large gaming companies are investing tens of billions of pounds into the Metaverse. In a recent CBSNews article, they highlighted how tech companies have been working on virtual reality tech for several years:

  • Google Cardboard might be the most successful VR project in history
  • In 2015 Microsoft announced Holoens mixed reality glasses

During Zuckbergs Meta launch, he explained how the Metaverse could open up the global job market: “..giving people access to jobs no matter where they live..”

Verdict looked into the future of AR and VR, saying: “This could be just the beginning. While the AR market was worth a fairly restrained $7bn in 2020, Global Data estimates that it will generate revenues of $152bn by 2030.”

The article goes on to explain how workplaces will and are evolving into the virtual world: “One of the biggest trends in the AR and VR space in 2022 will be the use of immersive technology and VR in the workplace”

In an article on Reworked, they talk about the potential of VR in onboarding new staff: “VR has huge potential for the digital workplace as a training tool for remote workers and onboarding new employees”

This is because avatars will be able to mimic facial expressions, gestures, and body language.

It is the development of avatars that can mimic a hiring manager while testing the applicant’s competencies that will see a move to recruitment in the Metaverse.

While discussing online staff training, the Reworked article explains: “These VR modules can use video recordings or animations to simulate tense scenarios for managers to practice their handling and ability to navigate through the issue successfully.” This same tech could easily be adapted for an assessment job interview.

RCP mag, talking about Facebook and Microsoft, two tech giants who are keen to have a big presence in this future territory, said: “(Meta and Microsoft) just announced that they are partnering to integrate Microsoft Teams with Workplace by Meta (formerly Facebook Workplace), which will allow Teams users to live-stream video into Workplace groups, and to view, comment and react to meetings in real-time without having to switch between apps.”

Virtual Reality in Recruitment

In a recent article, Employment King said: “The metaverse will bring enormous opportunity to individuals who want to work from homes and employers will be able to test how the employee would work remotely (and in the metaverse) and collaboratively on projects.”

Virtual reality recruitment and training is already here.

Deutsche Bahn, the Berlin-based mobility and logistics company, in 2015 needed to hire 10,000 new employees. To help with recruitment, they would take VR headsets to assessment days and career fairs, allowing candidates to virtually observe a train electrician and engineer doing their job. The result was a massive increase in applications.

A Forbes article talking about AR and VR trends explained how Walmart used tech to train 17,000 staff in compliance and customer service. While going on to discuss the US Army’s deal with Microsoft to use Hololense technology in military training.

Metaverse Recruitment

Recsite design, in July 2021, discussed the increase in VR recruitment: “According to a study carried out by the Employment Law Advisory Services, 43% of companies that employ VR use it to help introduce new members to their existing teams.”

The British Armed Forces saw a 66% rise in applications after using a Samsung Gear VR headset to let candidates experience driving a tank.

Recruitment is as much about the applicant finding a suitable employer, as it is about an employer finding a suitable applicant.

The Metaverse will help applicants and employers find their match.

It is highly likely that future job fairs will be held virtually. Initially, in-person job fairs will use VR tech to allow future employees to view what it would be like to work at the organization by having them view the workplace with a VR set.

The natural evolution will be a live screen, via a VR set, of the workplace. Before long, the candidates will be meeting current employees, take part in a workplace walk around to better understand the company culture, and try out company benefits such as ‘cinema rooms’ or ‘skill training’ sessions all via the Metaverse.

Job Interviews Conducted in the Metaverse

It is predicted that staff recruitment, staff training, and staff onboarding will be some of the most commonly used functions, for employers, during the early days of the Metaverse.

Candidates, in the metaverse, will be able to ‘show off’ their competencies. Interviewees avatars can manipulate objects, create images, write and interact with other avatars.

Being able to physically move around (in the Metaverse job interview), applicants will demonstrate their skill set, from a retail candidate dealing with a simulated customer complaint to a surgeon demonstrating an operation in real-time.

Sounds farfetched? VR for training surgeons has been around for many years: “In 2009, a Halifax-based professor of neurosurgery, Dr. David Clarke, performed the first-ever virtual reality (VR)-based simulated surgery to remove a brain tumour”

Many recruitment processes, for high-skilled positions, have an assessment stage. Now, VR will take this one step further to help a hiring manager predict the job performance of a candidate through human and AI observation and interaction.

Scenario-based simulation exercises will test an interviewee’s skills and competencies, reducing any job interview deceit, white lies, or extensions of the truth, as increasing levels of complexity will be tested throughout the assessment, checking the level of each candidate’s abilities and knowledge.

Part of the recruitment process will be observed and assessed by humans, but as AVIs – Asynchronous Video Interview continue to be ever more popular with employers, AI bots will continue to play a large part in the hiring of new staff, reducing time and money employers spend on staff recruitment.

The 5 Stages of a Metaverse Job Interview

Much research is showing an increase in the number of stages of interviews for a high-skilled position, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the recruitment process.

The result of AI robot interveiwers, and the required interview stages to check the candidate’s suitability, will create a blended AI and human recruitment process in the Metaverse.

Metaverse Interview Stage 1

The initial interview stage is likely to be a short screening interview via an AVI – Asynchronous Video Interview AI bot.

Job applicants will enter the companies metaverse recruitment room and be given a short introduction to the AVI.

The AVI will last for around 15 minutes, and job candidates will be able to choose their own date and time to conduct the interview – ideal for career professionals applying from countries with different time zones.

The AVI will ask 3 job interview questions to check suitability. The questions will vary, but in the main, they will focus on the essential criteria for the job role.

During the interview, the AVI will ask each question in turn. Currently, interviewees have 60 seconds to digest the question before recording their interview answer which has a limited time capacity of 2 minutes.

As AVI technology advances, it is highly likely that the candidates will answer the interview question in real-time without a time limit attached to their answer.

Once the duration for conducting for all applicants to have completed the screening interview, the AVI AI bot uses a complicated algorithm that could include analyzing facial expressions, tonality, gestures, and body language to predict a persons temperament, will make a decision of which applicants will progress to the second stage of the recruitment process.

Metaverse Interview Stage 2

Staff retention is a big issue for many employers, as younger generations don’t consider a job for life and are more likely to job-hop at a moment’s notice. The great resignation is evidence of this new attitude.

To improve staff retention, employers will focus part of the recruitment process on selling the benefits of the organisation to increase demand for the position, allowing the employer to increase the number of first-choice applicants accepting the position.

Stage two of the Metaverse interview will be a virtual walkaround of the organisation. The virtual walkaround will be miles away from a simple VR walk-through of an office. Instead, interviewees will be able to visit, in live-time, the employer’s Metaverse workplace.

The walk-through could consist of visiting work-stations, observing meetings, attending auditoriums, lecture halls, and checking out the company benefits: relaxation rooms to de-stress after a hard day in the office, or a creative space for generating ideas. Companies will also have game rooms and specialist areas of increasing skills such as a brainteaser room or access to hundreds of volumes of industry-related books, academic research papers, and company history.

The main focus of the walk-around will be to showcase the company culture and its values. Employers, by highlighting how they conduct business as usual, their vision, and current projects, can attract career professionals with a similar attitude, helping to create high-performing teams.

Metaverse Interview Stage 3

From an employer’s perspective, the recruitment process is designed to predict the potential job performance of each applicant, resulting in the hiring of the (potentially) best performing interviewee.

Currently, assessment centers use standardized tasks that gather relevant information about an applicant’s capabilities.

In the Metaverse the assessment stage of the interview will go one step further. Imagine, in the near future that a high proportion of work-related tasks are completed partly or fully within the Metaverse.

AI will be able to replicate a previous project in the Metaverse, including the personalities and potential reactions of team members. Interviewees will then be asked to complete the task which is assessed on two levels. Level skills and competencies, and level 2 how the applicant would fit (or not) within the current team.

Employers will be able to observe the interviewee’s actions, but also compare the outcome from the tasks with the actual outcome from the original completion of the task in real-life. It is this comparison that can help a candidate to stand out.

Tasks that will be assessed will be the main duty for the job role, and could include:

  • Project planning meeting for a project manager
  • An operation for a doctor
  • Customer service scenareo for a retail assistant
  • A high risk situation for an air traffic controller
  • The delivery of a lesson for a teacher

In the future, large employers won’t hire for a particular role. Instead, global companies will have a constant recruitment program, via the Metaverse, to search for and hire exceptional career professionals.

For these exceptional professionals, job roles will be created for them.

In the assessment stage of the recruitment process, the assessment of a task will increase in difficulty to test an applicant’s ability allowing the human resource team to find the right role for each successful applicant.

Assessment centers will test for:

  • Creative problem-solving
  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Stress indicators
  • Values
  • Temperament
  • Industry knowledge
  • Strengths vs weaknesses
  • Attitude and work ethic

Metaverse Interview Stage 4

The first three stages of the Metaverse job interview will be designed to reduce the number of applicants who are put forward for a human delivered structured job interview.

A structured job interview, research shows, is currently the best predictor of an applicant’s job performance. This is because each candidate is asked the same interview questions in the same order with answers being marked against a specific scoring system on the interview scorecard.

The human interview will also be conducted in the Metaverse, as the Metaverse will be part of day-to-day life.

Some interviews will be conducted by the employer’s hologram or their avatar, depending on the job sector.

Interviewers are quite likely to receive an ’employability suitability’ report prior to the interview based on the previous rounds of interveiwers, created by AI big data program.

Applicants will be asked 8-10 job interview questions by a member of the human resource department – a trained interviewer.

Questions will be a mixture of strength-based job interview questions and Metaverse related job interview questions:

  • Why did you choose that particular avatar and what does it say about you?
  • How do you decide what tasks to complete in the Metaverse and which duties to complete in the phyiscal work palce?
  • Give me an example of collaberating in the Metaverse?
  • What percenatge of your working week do you expcect to spend in the Metaverse?
  • How do you monitor your motivation and stress levels?
  • Give me an example of how you priotise Metaverse tasks?
  • How do you keep work orgnaised when working in the Metaverse?
  • What Metaverse ‘skills’ do you have?

Metaverse Interview Stage 5

The final round of job interviews will be only available to 5 successful candidates.

To be offered the position, the final job interview round will be conducted by the applicant’s future line manager – an expert in the job role/industry.

The interview questions will be focused on the business as usual tasks and the candidate’s sector knowledge.

Interview questions will include:

  • What do you expect the daily tasks to look like?
  • What is your approach to (task)?
  • Describe the theory for (task/process)?
  • Give me an example of doing (task)
  • If (problem) happned what would you do?
  • How you would you handle (X) situation)?
  • What would you prioritise first (X) or (Y) and why?
  • Give me an example of collaberating with stakholders?
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The job interview process is evolving.

Over the past 12 months, there has been a significant increase in AVI – Asynchronous Video Interview and ATS – Application Tracking Systems with over 98% of the top fortune 500 companies using recruitment automated software.

And where large companies lead, small to medium size businesses follow.

Progress in creating recruitment tech that can be used in the Metaverse as well as applications for completing work-related tasks virtually is happening all the time.

It is clear then that the future of job interviews will involve the use of AR and VR technology.

Job Interview Coach and Author of ‘what is your interview identity’

Chris Delaney

Chris Delaney is one of the leading job interview coaches in the country, helping career professionals to successfully pass job interviews. Delaney is the author of several job interview reference books including ‘what is your interview identity’
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5 Most Common Types of Job Interviews

The recruitment process is changing due to issues such as the great resignation and the global job market.

Since the start of the pandemic, career professionals have been reflecting on how their employers have treated them.

The great resignation is an economic trend that started in the United States which saw a large number of employees resign from their job roles.

With a high number of vacancies on the increase: 2.4% of job roles were vacant in quarter 1 of 2021, career professionals are feeling confident when it comes to job-hopping.

Depending on the employer, businesses are being affected in various ways.

For small to medium-sized companies, the advice is to shorten the hiring processes as the number one choice applicant gets bored and quits the application when it is long and slow.

This ‘quit and jump’ strategy is a big problem when it comes to filling a position. Indeed state that the average number of days a job is live is 30 days and other sources indicate it is more like 42 days, which has led to employers having to sweeten the deal by increasing salary and company benefits.

Global brands are on the opposite scale with businesses receiving a record number of applications for an advertised role that has led to the increase in automated recruitment processes.

One reason for this is the global job market. With advances in technology and remote working becoming the norm for employees, career professionals living in one country can apply for a position in a second country.

Technology is set to change the workplace with tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg investing in the metaverse –  a digital environment where multiple people can interact in a 3D world, which could lead to a future where many jobs take place in the virtual world, from the comfort of your won home.

In an article on Microsoft, they stated how they received over 7 million visitors to the career section of their website.

As global brands see a year-on-year increase in the number of applications they receive for each job vacancy, many of them are turning to automated recruitment options such as asynchronous video interviewing and application tracking system software.

The great resignation and the global job market have resulted in employers testing new job interview processes.

Top 5 Job Interview Processes

Below is an outline of the various and most common job interview stages an applicant may have to attend to land their dream job.

Depending on the organisation and role, job applicants are likely to have to attend between 2-6 rounds of job interviews.

Preperation is key to a successful job interview. To prepare, career professionals must understand the various steps in the recruitment process.

Asynchronous Video Screening Interview

Global brands, big businesses, and high-paying employers are receiving record numbers of applications.

The extremely high volume of applicants is simply too much for a human to contemplate. Rather than hiring additional human resource staff to read and interview each career professional who has shown interest in the vacancy, organisations have turned to technology.

AVI – asynchronous video interviews are used as a screening process.

The AVI interviewed won’t be scheduled on a particular date and time. Instead, the applicant can choose a time most suitable for themselves (as the interviewer is an AI programme, not a human).

Each AVS lasts for around 15 minutes.

During the 15 minutes the interviewee has time to prepare themselves; check the voice and video systems are working correctly, take a practice interview test, before being interviewed by the AI programme.

The actual interview takes around 10 minutes, with an average of three job interview questions being asked.

The interview question will appear on the screen and the candidate will have one minute to prepare for their answer.

After the minute is up, the video recording takes place. During the recording, the interviewee has only two minutes (on average) to answer the interview question, before the recording stops, in readiness for the second or third interview question.

As the 2 minutes are coming to an end the AVI will let the interviewee know that there are 30 or 10 seconds left to go.

For more information on AVIs click here: what is an AVI

Values Job Interview

The days of a job for life have long retired.

Employees, more than ever before, job hop, resign out of the blue, and are approached online by recruiters and employers if a suitable vacancy is available.

Global problems such as the bank crisis and Covid19 have shown how a business one year is a success, but the next year is making redundancies.

No job is safe.

Employers, to help recruit the most suitable and ideally long-lasting employees are turning towards a new way of recruiting based on the values of the organisation.

The ‘values’ job interview is designed to hire staff members who are likely to 1) go above and beyond for the company and 2) improve staff retention as the job interview asks questions about the applicant’s own values before cross-referencing their answers against the values of the company.

In the main, the interview questions will be about the company values:

  • Can you name the 7 company values?
  • Which of our values would you say in most important to you?
  • When working in a team what is your main priority?
  • What does success sound like to you?
  • What motivates you to get out of bed on a Monday morning?
  • How do you know when you have done a good job?
  • How would you (value) when working on a project?

Research is required for a values job interview. Without an awareness of the employer’s company values it is unlikely that any of the job interview answers will state enough relevance to gain a high-scoring mark.

For more information click: what is a values job interview?

Strength-based Job Interview

A number of employers are embedding strength-based job interviews into their recruitment processes.

Similar to the ‘values’ job interview, the strength-based job interview is looking at suitability from the perspective of the ‘company fit’.

Each strength-based job interview question is about the employee’s preference – the way they prefer to work, their natural motivators and are crossed reference against the company culture.

There is an obvious cross-over with company culture and values which is why a values job interview and a strength-based one are similar.

In the main, but not always, the questions are asked about preference:

  • Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?
  • What is more importnat to you starting or finishing a project?
  • Do you like variety or routine?
  • How do you work best, when you are woking on one importnat task or when you have to multitask?
  • Choose a statement that best suits you: I prefer creativity or I prefer following processes and procedures?
  • When do you excel when being told what to do or when telling other people how to do things?

For more strength-based interview questions, read this article: Strength-based job interviews

Behavioural Job Interview

The final two job interviews that will be discussed are both from the structured job interview family.

Both the behavioral and situational job interviews are well-known and well-used recruitment tactics.

Previously, employers, especially in small to medium-sized organisations where the interviewer is the potential line manager, not a trained HR interviewer, the interview panel asked a mixture of behavioral and situational job interview questions.

More recently, employers are understanding the importance of how they frame a job interview question, as the frame can influence the type of answer an applicant gives.

This understanding has led to organisations using a specific structured job interview: Behavioural or situational. Amazon, as an example, is known for asking behavioral job interview questions and even going as far as referencing this on their career page.

“Behavioral job interview questions are questions framed in the past tense. The idea being, that past behaviors predict future actions – a zebra cant change it stripes”

Chris Delaney author of What is your interview identity

Behavioral job interview questions sound like this:

  • Tell me about a time when you were faced with a problem that had a number of possible solutions?
  • When have you learnt from a mistake?
  • Describe a time when you took the lead?
  • Tell me about a time that you collaberated with others?
  • Have you ever gone above and beyond?

Situational Job Interview Questions

Situational job interview questions are future-based scenarios.

Behavioral job interview questions are ideal when an employer is recruiting a highly experienced and skilled employee, someone, who must demonstrate their work experience.

On the other hand, many roles are suitable to a qualified individual without the need for several years experience:

  • Graduate positions

  • College jobs

  • Internships

  • Newly created roles/job sectors (as no one will have direct experience) created through the advancement of technology, politics, and globalisation

    • Situational job interview questions sound like this:

  • What would you do if you were working on a project and (X) happened?

  • If you were hired as a team member what would your first priority be?

  • How would you go about solving (X) problem?

  • How would you motivate your team?

  • What do you forsee the problems to be?

    • Other Types of Job Interviews

    Technical Job Interview

    Technical interviews assess the candidate’s technical ability to complete a certain technical task.

    Some technical interview questions look at skills required for the technical role: problem solving or numerical reasoning, with some questions being in the form of a brain teaser.

    Common in engineering, science, and IT roles.

    Group Job Interview

    Team to group interview tasks are common during full-day assessments.

    As part of the recruitment process interviewees will be put in groups to complete a simple task.

    Several interveiwers will observe the groups and mark each person on their communication, leadership, and teamwork skills.

    The task normally lasts around 30 minutes.

    Role Play Interview

    The use of actors and/or hiring managers acting a part and situation that the interviewee has to deal with while being observed and marked by additional interveiwers is very common in leadership and high-paid positions.

    The idea is for the employer to see in real-life (or as near to as possible) how the applicant will react in the (common) situation.

    The person playing the part/situation will often be having a problem or being disruptive, and it is for the interviewee to show their professionalism and skill set to find a solution to the problem.

    The recruitment process is changing.

    There will be an increase in automated job interviews and resume/CV selection.

    Large employers will continue to see an increase in the number of applications per vacancy.

    Competition (for many roles) will be global.

    Technology will continue to change the jobs on offer.

    Many employers will use multiple stages of interviews to help recruit a high-performing team.

    Hiring managers will ask more interview questions around company values and culture.

    Employers will continue to adopt the structured job interview process as it has been proven to be the best indicator of a candidates job performance.

    It is highly likely that recruitment will be completed in the metaverse or as part of a virtual reality interview process.

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