Congratulations on completing the Interview Prediction Grid Test (IPG) ©2020.
Below is a breakdown of your Interview Identity
4/8 – Pretender
Self-assurance increases self-promotion. There is a fine line between being viewed as highly confident and being overbearing.
The 4/8 – Pretenders believe they should be offered the position, as they possess a sufficient level of knowledge/experience and, due to high levels of confidence (or in most cases overconfidence) believe they can learn what they don’t already know.
For high to medium skilled positions, employers are looking for a deeper understanding of industry insights that most sufficient levels of knowledge/experience candidates don’t possess. The high levels of confidence increase self-enhancement, with 4/8 – Pretenders downplaying their own limited knowledge and criticising others to be viewed, by comparison, as more skilled.
Being overconfident in the correctness of their answers can ruin the applicants’ job chances, especially if the interviewer is an expert in the field. Expert interviewers will challenge any ambiguous statements they believe to be false. Self-absorbed applicants, preoccupied with their own self-importance, won’t back down on their (potentially incorrect) opinion.
Against other low/high applicants and for low-skilled roles, the 4/8 – Pretender will often be triumphant in the job interview. Against confident interviewees with more industry knowledge, they are unlikely to be successful.
The 4/8 – Pretender, when applying for medium-skilled positions, will claim to know more about the role/sector without being able to back this up with evidence. A trained interviewer will spot the lies through the structured interview process, but an inexperienced interviewer may be duped, due to the candidate’s assertiveness and presence, into recruiting a lesser skilled staff member than they are expecting.
Strengths
Job interview success comes from following job interview rules 2 and 3; self-promotion with confident communication, something 4/8 – Pretender interviewees has in abundance. Their high level of confidence creates a strong identity of self. Believing in one’s own knowledge/experience increases the positive frame of any job interview answer.
Interviewers, when meeting a highly confident interviewee, can quickly be in awe of the applicant, as charming and relaxed people are viewed as powerful, charismatic. With no inhibitions, self-assured individuals will make it clear what it is they can bring to the team, reciting stories that make them the hero. Even with a cold interviewer, the authoritative attitude carried throughout the interview wins the hardest to please people around.
Being skilled in the art of confident communication leads to a persuasive manner, which helps when being challenged on past experiences. Questions that allow applicants to discuss any strengths or successes lead to a powerful and enthusiastic answer that expresses how they, and only they, have the unique talent required for the advertised position.
In unstructured job interviews, interview presentations and at any time when they are in the limelight, being at the top of the confidence scale allows these applicants to showcase all they have to offer, often leading to high-scoring answers.
Development
Highly confident individuals have no qualms about expressing how they will succeed in their career. This self-belief is a knife edge between being seen in awe, or as a potentially awful employee.
Having an inflated view of one’s own worth results in applicants applying for higher-skilled roles before they have gained the relevant industry knowhow.
In some instances, the charming effect created because of high levels of confidence along with sufficient knowledge/experience is enough to land the desired job role. Expert interviewers, even though the initial impression was positive, will, in the main, give low marks as the 4/8 – Pretender’s answers lack expertise. In addition, technical questions have no substance as these applicants have little experience dealing with problems that sit outside of their own area of knowledge.
Increasing the level of knowledge and experience is relatively easy for a ‘8’ confident applicant, as they can easily persuade senior colleagues to let them be a part of a new project, gaining valuable transferable skills and that all important required knowledge and experience.
Many 4/8 – Pretender interviewees also have to learn not to oversell themselves at the interview start. Instead, the applicants can focus on their actual experience and how their knowledge will make a positive impact on the organisation (sell what you know). In addition, any research into the new role will improve their interview performance, as an ‘8’ confident level interviewee is at ease talking about subjects they have read up on.
Advice for the job interview
- Assess the job criteria against actual experience. Deliver engaging stories that focus on added value, highlighting sector-related strengths and qualities to increase high scoring answers
- Use known industry jargon throughout the job interview and build upon any industry facts or data the interviewer presents. This will improve the perceived level of sector knowledge
- Break down processes into a step-by-step explanation as the number of words per answer increases the points awarded to the interview answer
Research: IPG
