Tag: job interview questions

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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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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).”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

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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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.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

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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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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    What is a Values Job Interview?

    A large number of organisations are choosing job applicants not just based on their experience and knowledge, but also on their personal values.

    More importantly, employers use ‘values’ interviews to review if the candidate’s values, their behaviors, and their likelihood to fit within the company culture.

    The values interview is very similar to a strength-based job interview which asks questions on the interviewee’s preferences – how they best like to work?

    Both, strength-based and values job interviews are often part of a longer recruitment process. Either used at the start or end of a 3-4 stage hiring process the idea behind the values interview is to help avoid recruiting an employee who may be, at worst, disruptive or simply not a good fit within the team.

    How to prepare for a Values job interview

    Value interview questions, in the main, are asking – do you embody the company values?

    More specifically, the vales job interview questions ask – how do you embed the company values into the day-to-day operations?

    There are two approaches to asking value interview questions:

    1. Asking direct vaue questions
    2. Embedding value questions into a structured job interview process

    An obvious first step to prepare for the values interview is research.

    Any organisations adopting this job interview strategy will showcase the company values on their website.

    Some businesses will have a dedicated values page (often an indication that values questions will be asked at some point direction the hiring process) or on the ‘about us’ page.

    Once armed with the company values, the career professional must understand their own values. As each interview value question will be about how the applicant’s values match the employers.

    Values are the drivers of motivation – you are motivated to action because of your values.

    An example of value motivation is working overtime. One employee will work overtime because they value money (the additional pay for the extra hours) whereas a second employee may value customer satisfaction (the overtime results in a completion of a task on time that makes the customer happy).

    Career professionals all value different things. There are no good or bad, right or wrong values, instead, it is (often) an unconscious trait that motivates that person.

    Values can include:

    • Quality
    • Quantity
    • Finance
    • A job well done
    • Being quicker/better/more knowledgebale than others
    • Praise
    • Fame
    • Caring for others
    • Independence
    • Collaberation
    • The end result/finishing a task
    • Professionalisum
    • Trust
    • The bigger picture or specfic detail
    • Processes and procedures

    Values are often viewed in the behaviors of colleagues and the language they use within the workplace:

    • Detailed value: “I like to cross the Ts and dot the Is”
    • End result: “Lets fisish what we started”
    • People: “Look how happy they are with (product)”
    • Finance: “One more sale and I will have made my bonus”
    • Praise: “I know my (manager) wil like that I did this”

    Carer professionals can identify their own values by asking:

    1. What five things are important to me in my job?
    2. Which is more important A or B? (ask this for all 5 values)
    3. What motivates me in the workpalce?
    4. What demotiavtes me?
    5. What makes me the most fulfilled?

    Which sectors use value interviews?

    There has been an increase in the use of value job interviews, as more employers are taking steps to hire long-lasting employees.

    The main driver for change in the recruitment processes of organisations is the data that is showing the increase in job-hopping from one employer to another.

    By hiring a career professional whose values are in line with the organisations values (and their vision) the new employee is likely to be happy, and therefore stay, with the employer.

    The following industries are adopting the values job interview:

    • Healthcare
    • Sales
    • Education
    • Animal care
    • Science
    • Finance

    Job Interview Structure

    As mentioned, there are two types of value job interviews – direct value questions, and embedded questions.

    A direct value job interview is when the employer asks questions based on their company values.

    Direct value interview questions can include:

    • Can you name the company values?
    • Which of the company values most resinates with you?
    • What are your personal values and how do they relate to the company values?

    Other direct questions ask about the implementation of the value into business-as-usual tasks:

    An example of this is when an employer values quality. The interview question may be: “How would you ensure the quality of (product/service) while increasing the number of outcomes?”

    Or, as a second example, an employer who values integrity, could ask: “Describe a situation where you have demonstrated integrity?”

    The hiring manager in a direct values job interview will ask one question for each of their list of company values.

    Indirect job interview questions

    Embedded value interview questions are hard to detect.

    Hiring managers ask standard job interview questions:

    • “Tell me about how you would fit this role?”
    • “How do you make a decision?”
    • “How do you manage conflicting deadlines?”
    • “Tell me about a time you have made a mistake?”
    • “What would you do if a client gave an unrealisitic timeframe?”

    On the face of it, the questions seem to be one of the most commonly asked job interview questions. The difference is, the employer is making note of the job applicant’s values, preferences and motivations.

    The framing of job interview questions

    Clues to what an employer is looking for, what will score high, is leaked by the structure of the interview question.

    An employer who asks: “Have you ever gone the extra mile to satisfy a customer?” is quite likely to value customer satisfaction.

    Whereas an employer asking: “how would you say no to an unrealistic customer demand without running the customer relationship?” may be more quality or process-focused.

    Employers who ask: “Are you willing to work overtime?” would only ask the question if they require flexibility in their workforce.

    Value job interviews often last for around 30 minutes and are conducted by a trained HR practitioner.

    Remember value questions can be, and often are, embedded within a behavioral or situational structured job interview.

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    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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    Job Interview Questions for a Care Manager

    How to pass a care manager job interview.

    Data is showing how people at living longer then they did 30 years ago.

    As more people live longer, more care managers are needed, with some research stating that over 67 million people over the age of 60 will need caring support.

    Each residential home, and there are over 15,000 residential care homes in the UK, require a care manager.

    A care manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the care home: managing the care assistants, budgets, health and safety, recruitment, and the quality of service (to meet national care standards).

    Type of Care Homes that interview care managers.

    • Nursing homes for the elderly
    • Supported housing for young people or adults
    • Children’s homes, often run by social workers
    • Hospice care homes run by NHS nurses

    Each specialist care home will look to hire a care manager with relevant experience. During the job interview, questions will be asked about the specific needs to the residents IE a elderly care home manager, may be asked situational questions about end of life, whereas a children’s home care manager is likely to be asked interview questions around child exploitation.

    But, all care manager roles have generic duties, requiring specific skills and knowledge. It is this crossover of duties that allow care managers to work in various care home positions.

    The interview questions asked, for a care manager position, will be common across all types of care manager job roles.

    Care Manager main duties.

    Interview questions are created based upon the job duties of the advertised position.

    Job interview questions will vary depending on each individual job role, but as there are common duties across all care manager positions, a number of commonly asked job interview questions can be predicted.

    Being able to identity the job criteria, is the first of the three rules of a successful job interview outcome.

    With a list of potential care manger job interview questions, applicants can spend time crafting a high-scoring interview answer.

    To help, below is a list of commonly asked care manager interview questions and an outline of how to answer each question.

    Commonly Asked Care Manager Job Interview Questions.

    99% of care manager interviews come in the form of a structured job interview. Each interview answer must reference the job criteria to ensure a high-scoring outcome.

    Managers are encouraged to read the Interview Questions for Managers post, as this outlines a selection of managerial interview questions and answers.

    Talk me through your care manager experience?

    The opening care manager interview question, is designed to get an in-depth look at the candidates suitability:

    • Are they an experienced or new care manager?
    • Is the experience relevant to the specific needs of the care home?
    • Does the applicant have the skills and knowledge to overcome the problems the care home is currently facing?
    • How would the applicant fit within the company culture of the care home?

    In short, a care manager when answering the first interview question will need to communicate their competences confidently.

    Answer the interview question by stating a specialism. A specialism could include:

    • Duration in the industry or a sought after qualification
    • A unique skill, as an example being able to prepare care homes to pass OFSTED inspections
    • Won awards

    Next, give specific care manager skills, knowledge and duties for business-as-usual task. Then, state any relevant qualifications before summarizing.

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “First, thank you for inviting me to interview for this position. I applied for this role as I very passionate about caring for (add specific group). I know that if I was employed I would be able to add value to the company because (add unique selling point). I am also highly experienced in (list business-as-usual tasks). I have a (add qualification) as well as (add any relevant care home related certificates). In short, I am highly experience care manager who is able to (repeat one of the unique selling points).”

    How would you manage the care home finances?

    Each care home, depending of the care home size, will have varying budgets.

    Care managers need to have an organised approach the budget management as well as being able to manage budget risks and hiring managers need to be reassured that the candidate has an organised approach, with an eye for detail.

    To answer the finance interview question, detail of how the care manager manages the budget short and long term needs to be stated.

    Budget management tasks:

    • Using finance spreadsheets
    • Forecasting spend including salaries, utilities
    • Reviewing spend vs income
    • Completing financial risk assessments
    • Managing cash-flow
    • Raising purchase orders and Invoicing
    • Recording daily transactions

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “I enjoy the financial aspect of the role. In all my previous roles, I have been responsible for the finances in the care home. The reason why I have a goof eye for finances, is because I have a good eye for detail, I’m very good at seeing errors. My organised approach also helps to ensure accuracy.

    When given a budget I first project the care home spend which includes staff salaries, building cost (add anything specific to the type of care home you work in). I also create a risk budget for unexpected cost (you can add an example here). This allows me to breakdown the budget by month. During the financial year, I complete daily/weekly/monthly booking keeping tasks, including (add specifics) to stay on top of the finances and I complete regular quality checks to ensure accuracy before sending the ‘books’ to the finance team.

    Give an example of creating a person-centered care home?

    The Care Act 2014 set the terms for the development of social care for the foreseeable future. The act, for the first time, puts personalisation on a legal footing. For the recruitment process, this means hiring managers will be asking more person-centered questions.

    In the interview answer the candidate needs to cover:

    • What personalisation means to them
    • How person-centered is about identifying the individuals – their personal history, needs and strengths. Also their hopes and ambitions
    • Experienced of person-centered approach

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “My experience has shown how a regimented non person-centered care home isn’t as effective as a person-centered care home. In my previous care home, I created a person-centered environment putting the residents at the center of all decisions. In fact, we would actively involved them in the planning of the care home, an example of this was (add example). This resulted in (add outcome).

    To create a person-centered care home you have to start by understanding the residents, their past, their strengths, their ambitions. You need to ask the residents what they need and respect who they are. One way I use person-centered planning is to (add person-centered planning technique)”

    How would you maintain the required quality standards?

    With numerous inspects and legislations, care homes need to remain at the adequate quality standards. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates all care homes, and provides guidance to help support care homes to adhere by the regulations it enforces.

    According to CareHome.uk, a care homes must:

    • Provide person-centred care
    • Treat residents with dignity and respect
    • Acquire consent before giving any care or treatment
    • Ensure they do not give unsafe care or treatment, and that staff have the qualifications and skills to keep residents safe
    • Safeguard residents from any form of abuse or improper treatment
    • Provide food and drink which keep residents in good health
    • Keep premises and equipment clean, suitable and looked after
    • Offer a complaints system, investigate incidents thoroughly and take action
    • Have plans in place to ensure they can meet above standards and systems to check quality and safety of care
    • Have enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff to meet standards
    • Only employ staff who can provide care and treatment appropriate to their role
    • Be open and transparent about care and treatment
    • Display their CQC rating clearly and make their latest report available to you

    Employers are looking for a care home manager who knows and can enforce the legislation into business-as-usual tasks.

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “Quality for me is my first priority. As a care manager I ensure that all staff know and adhere to the quality standards set by the CQC, which include (name 3). To embed quality standards into business-as-usual tasks I (talk about staff recruitment and training), In addition I (explain how you create and embed processes and procedures) and (explain your internal quality check process).”

    What is your approach for recruiting care assistants?

    Care homes need staff to run them.

    Staffing is a real issue in the care industry. Blue leaf care stated that “There are numerous social and economic reasons why staff shortages in care homes are at an all-time high. However, most of the vacancies can be linked to three key causes: an ageing population, the stigma in the care industry and the uncertainty of Brexit.”

    Employers know that a string recruitment process can improve staff retention.

    In the interview answer, explain recruitment, staff training and staff retention.

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “Overall I have a good track record with staff recruitment and retention, which has a direct impact on expenditure and time. The reason why I have had so much success in recruitment and retention is due to (add interviewing, staff CPD, or creating a positive working environment).

    To ensure I gain a high number of applicants, on the interview advert I explain (the duties, available training, expectations, salary). In the interview I use a structured job interview process as this, research shows, is the best tool for predicating applicants job performance.

    Once employed a create a positive working environment by (add details) and ensure staff retention by (explaining management styles; CPD, setting up processes and procedures, door-open policy)”

    How do you manage your time?

    Each day brings its own challenges in a care home, as no one week is the same.

    Employers are looking for managers who can manage time, priorities tasks, delegate duties and respond to unforeseen incidents, while not forgetting business-as-usual tasks.

    In the above manager job interview questions link, there is a section on discussing the time management matrix model when answering the ‘time management’ interview question. Read this now.

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “As an experienced care manager, I know the importance of time management. Working with (add specific group) no two days are the same, and urgent tasks can present themselves daily.

    To manage my own time I (add organized approach: diary management, to-do list, automated reminders, etc) When an unexpected emergency happens, I prioritize the most urgent and important tasks first. For lesser urgent tasks, I may delegate this to the care supervisors or even create an automated process such as (add example).

    To ensure that all tasks have been completed I (explain end of day checks you complete)”

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    Give an example of working with residents families?

    As discussed previously, care homes are moving to a more person-centered approach. Working with resident families is part of the person-centered approach.

    One way to answer this question is to focus on person-centered approach theory.

    Families are a vital part of a residents life. Being able to work with family members can improve the experience and life of a resident. This interview question, therefore, is best answered with a real-life example.

    To answer the interview question use the following template:

    “To improve the life of a resident I take a person-centered approach and work collaboratively with the resident, their families and friends, often creating a personalized plan for each resident.

    An example of this was when I worked at X. There was a resident who needed (adds support needs). His family and friends included (add details). To create a person centered approach I (explain who you were able to agree a meeting) to discuss the residents needs and wants. In the meeting (explain how you chaired the meeting to get everyone involved, to hear opinions of the resident and to challenge assumptions). The outcome was (give learning points and outcome)”.

    Do you have any questions for us?

    • How many residents do you have in the care home?
    • What is the priority of the care home over the next 12 months?
    • What score did you get in the last inspection?
    • Is the care part of a larger group?
    • What would my first 3 months look like?

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    What No One Tells You About Job Interviews

    What is the one thing all career professionals have in common?

    Each must attend a job interview to advance their career.

    Understanding the recruitment process, therefore, is key to a successful career, gaining promotions, and increasing a salary.

    On average, career professionals will change jobs at least once every three to five years. The days of working in one organisation for life have long gone.

    Are you interview-ready?

    Even with regular job interviews, the number of job hunters who prepare in advance for a job interview is extremely low.

    Being ‘interview ready’ means an increase in confidence. Confidence increase self-promotion and self-promotion increases job offers.

    More importantly, understanding the secrets of a job interview can lead to consistent high-scoring interview answers.

    What makes a successful job interview?

    Research has shown that an applicant’s ability to predict the job criteria, due to possessing a high level of sector knowledge/experience, results in the interviewer being able to accurately predict the job performance (the objective of the interview process) of each candidate.

    This means, the more an interviewee reference industry jargon, sector models, and relevant working examples, especially when communicated confidently, the more an employer will presume or predict that the applicant is well suited for the advertised role: the applicant’s interview identity.

    Each interview answer is referenced against the job criteria on the interview scorecard as part of a structured job interview – the most commonly used recruitment process. Answers that don’t highlight the candidate’s high level of expertise are likely to score low.

    The interview is a two-horse race.

    On average, applicants are asked 8 job interview questions, with each question scored on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the best scoring answer.

    The total number of points available is 32.

    Because weaker applicants are shifted out during the application process stage, the candidates being interviewed will all score, in the main, 3’s or 4’s for each interview question.

    This creates a close race, where every point counts.

    Employers have told us how the winning interviewee will only have one or two additional points above the next most suitable applicant.

    Unforeseen forces affect the interviewer’s allocated scores, such as job interview unconscious bias. But in the main, the candidate’s ability to communicate competencies creates high or low scoring answers.

    How to ace the job interview.

    The three rules for a successful job interview outcome are:

    • Identify the job criteria
    • Be a self-promoter
    • Communicate with confidence

    In addition, there are psychological interview tactics that can be embedded into the recruitment process including the process of creating likeability.

    The common mistakes applicants make in job interviews are:

    Using the same job examples in all job interviews

    Having pre-prepared interview answers is a must in a job interview, as the rehearsal of the perfect answer ensures that the answer is delivered with confidence – rules 3.

    The barrier though is ‘laziness’. Many career professionals will re-use the same interview stories time and time again.

    Yes, their answer is perfectly delivered, as practice creates perfection. But, the original answer was designed for a previous role.

    Rule 1, is to identify the job criteria. Creating interview answers based only on the job criteria for each position ensures that each answer will score high as the examples used will reference the required skills, knowledge, and experience for that role.

    The same example or situation can be used for multiple recruitment processes, but the frame of the answer – what the example is highlighting has to be specific to the advertised position and the culture of the organisation.

    Reserved or forthcoming?

    In the UK, especially, job applicants like to be reserved. They will answer interview questions, but the answers lack the benefits, fail to self-promote and in general the interviewee is unforthcoming.

    The job interview is the one place where you must be a self-promoter – the 2nd rule of a successful job interview.

    To self-promote candidates can ustilse verbal and non-verbal communciation:

    Non-verbal communication

    • Smiling is associated with confidence and competence
    • Nodding in agreement as the employers speaks and this helps to build rapport
    • Open body language, gestures and a relaxed postures is linked self-esteem
    • Strong eye-contact while speaking creates authority
    • What you wear can influence how the candidate is seen – desirable or unsuitable

    Verbal communication

    • Long descriptive paragraphs help to paint the scene allowing an employer to understand the relevance of the job interview answer
    • Positive language is associated with a good worker
    • Mentioning the job criteria (rule 1) shows suitability
    • Giving examples highlights experiences
    • Explaining models and theories shows expertise
    • Changing pitch, tonality, and volume help to maintain employer interest

    Is confidence charismatic?

    Certain people stand out in the crowd.

    We don’t know why our eyes are drawn to them, but something about them; how they dress, their posture, the way th move, or maybe a communication of facts make them a focus point.

    It is the same in a job interview. A team of interviewers speak to numerous applicants throughout the recruitment period, with most candidates having a similar level of skills and experiences, but one or maybe two applicant stand out – why?

    It is often the self-assurance of an applicant that increases their internal level of confidence. An increase in confidence, increases charisma.

    Imposture syndrome, not believing you are at the right level for the job in question (even though you meet the criteria for the advertised role), is the biggest barrier to interview confidence.

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    Are you an anxious interviewee?

    Anxious interviewees will:

    • Fidgeting, which distracts the employer’s attention
    • Mumble and use excessive filler words
    • Give short snappy answers to technical interview questions
    • Often look down, killing any previously built up rapport including that from the halo effect
    • Self-disclose weaknesses and past errors which results in low scoring interview answers

    Charismatic and highly confident applicants will:

    • Frame interview questions so all answers sound positive
    • Focus on solutions, not problems
    • Create a conversation by asking questions throughout the job interview
    • Have a relaxed manner; sitting back in the chair, taking their time to reply, and using anecdotes and stories
    • Eye contact is strong, and they speak using natural gestures
    • Interview answers are detailed and well structured
    • Answers naturally reference several key job criteria
    • Give their full attention to the interviewer

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    How to plan for a care assistant job interview

    Care assistant employers, when interviewing applicants, look at candidates’ work ethic and personal skills.

    A desire to help people is key, but employers also look for communication skills, empathy, patience, calm when in a stressful situation and an employee who can follow directions accurately.

    Care assistants can work in a care home or in the community, supporting vulnerable people living in their own homes. The interview questions asked in a care assistant job interview will be based on the applicant’s temperament as well as their ability to perform caring duties which can include;

    • supporting people with their physical needs
    • completing household tasks – washing, cleaning and cooking
    • monitoring health and communicating with nurses

    To prepare for a care assistant structured job interview, applicants can answer many interview questions by relating to real-life experiences, from helping their own family members to volunteering in a caring role.

    Care Assistant Job Interview Questions and Answers

    Below is a list of the most commonly asked care assistant job interview questions and a detailed breakdown of how to answer the question.

    Do you having any caring experience?

    Normally an opening question, applicants can easily answer this question using a common interview formula; stating duration, qualification and selling point.

    The interview answer starts by reassuring the interviewer by stating the duration in the industry “I have over 10 years experience as a care assistant…” For applicants new to the industry this answer can be slightly tweaked “In all my previous roles I have had to support and help vulnerable people…”

    Applicants can continue by giving additional detail about a previous position “…while working at X company my key caring duties included (add duties)..”

    Next, candidates can explain their level of qualification (only suitable for applicants with an industry qualification) “….In 2010 I gained a caring assistant Btec Level 3 diploma, during he course I leant (add sector theories and models)…”

    End with a unique selling point. This could include a care assistant skill or a personality trait “…I’ve applied for this role because I am passionate about caring for vulnerable adults…”

    What support do you expect a vulnerable person requires?

    Answers to this interview question need to be relevant. If working with the elderly, explain what support an elderly person requires. If working with an ex-addict, discuss the barriers they face.

    When answering the ‘vulnerable’ question, answers can be split between a logical and an example answer.

    Initially start the interview answer by listing what support an average (vulnerable group) requires. Listing all common support needs shows an awareness and here an applicant is likely to hit the required criteria the interviewees are marked against.

    Next, use a story to highlight sector related experience “While working as an X, I worked closely with Y (vulnerable person). It was clear that the client required Z (support needs), so I (explain the action you took)….”

    When providing personal care how would you maintain a person’s dignity and respect?

    This question is key to a successful job interview outcome. Employers in the care industry are looking to hire empathetic professionals.

    The reply to this answer can be broken down into the 3 Cs:

    Confirmation – state how a person’s dignity and respect are at the uppermost importance

    Communication – explain how your communication is designed to be respectful. An example of this would be asking a vulnerable person who had been in the bathroom for a long duration ‘if they need any assistance’ rather than asking ‘whats up, you have been ages?’

    Clarity – many vulnerable people are very independent. Having someone ‘do everything’ for them can be demoralizing. Explain when working with a new vulnerable person you, through a rapport-building conversation, will clarify what support the client requires and what they need the care assistant to support them with.

    Give an example of being in an emergency situation?

    During the lifetime of a care assistant, they will come across many emergency situations from an elderly person having a heart attack to a vulnerable person attempting to commit suicide.

    Example job interview questions require storytelling First, it is important to pick an example that is relevant to the job role the applicant is applying for. This is because the employer will have a list of job criteria that they score each job interview answer against. The highest scoring interview questions result in that applicant being offered the advertised position.

    When answering the interview question with an example give context by explaining the situation and vulnerable persons’ background. This makes the interview answer relevant and easy to understand.

    It is important, when explaining the steps the applicant took, to explain how they remain calm and professional throughout the emergency situation, even going as far as explaining how they had prepared for this, or similar, situation.

    Next, discuss the policies and processes the candidate followed; informing social services, family members, managers. If they had to take notes or update systems.

    How would you support a person who suffered from X?

    Some interviewees feel that this interview question is a curveball, but in fact it isn’t.

    If asked a specific technical question it is because this X is the employer’s bread and butter. Here, the candidate needs to show their level of knowledge and experience.

    Explain, initially, the competency level “I have worked with X client for the previous 10 years” “in all my previous roles I have supported service users suffering from X” “I cared for my mother for 20 years who had X”

    Next, show knowledge by discussing X in detail: “a symptom of X is…” “What care assistants have to be aware of is ….” “A side effect of X is…”

    To end the interview question, spell out the actions required to support a person with X and how this positively implements on the vulnerable person life and wellbeing.

    How do you feel about working flexibly?

    Care assistants don’t have time off. That, obviously, is an exaggeration, but the truth is care workers (or the care team) are required 24 hrs a day 352 days a year.

    Employers, therefore, need to hire care assistants who are willing to work bank holidays, over the Christmas period and during different shifts.

    Some career professionals prefer the variety of working different shifts, is this is you make this clear in the job interview. Experienced care assistants can also reference how they have previously worked varying shift patterns, and how for them time is irrelevant, as they enjoy the work of a care assistant so much.

    Why are you drawn to this area of work?

    Question around the reason for applying for a position within an organization or industry come down to one thing – passion.

    Employers know that if they hire a team of passionate employees with a strong work ethic that they will be highly productive. This is especially true in the care sector, where workers will go above and beyond to support their charges.

    Not only does this interview question need to be answered with the right language, but the non-verbal communication of an applicant must also emphasise the passion of the words.

    Stories relating to how an applicant has cared for a parent work well, as does explaining how for you working in the care sector is more important than a higher-paid none caring job role.

    Highlighting ones values (everyone should have a decent life) also reinforces the passion of the applicant.

    But hopefully, as you are applying for a caring role, this interview answer comes easy to you.

    Is there anything else you would like to know?

    At the interview end, the employers will ask each applicant if they have any questions about the job role or company.

    Questions to ask an employer in the care sector can include:

    • What different vulnerable groups does the organisation work with?
    • Is there any specific training to support staff when working with a certain vulnerable group?
    • How is the organisation funded?
    • What is the size of the oranisation?
    • Do you invest in staff development?

    Job Interview Advice

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    Interview Question Formulas

    To be seen possessing a high level of knowledge and experience, interviewees utilise interview formulas when answering interview questions. The interview formula allows applicants to have a structural approach to the job interview. 

    Having a structure to fall back on not only increases confidence, as the structure creates an order for the applicant to follow, but also presents the candidates competencies clearly to the employer, increasing the likelihood of a high scoring interview answer. 

    The formulas can be adapted to job roles across all sectors, and only requires the applicant to embed their own knowledge and experience to each formula. 

    Model and example (ME)

    Referencing industry relevant theories and models in the interview answer highlights a level of knowledge, as the model is explained as a step-by-step process, before experience is shown through giving a real life example of using the model in a work situation. 

    This formula is powerful as it adds content to interview answers that may lack substance. The two parts complement each other as they repeat the same process but in two different ways logical (explaining the model and emotional (via storytelling) 

    Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

    • ‘How do you assess risk?’
    • ‘How do you collaborate with stakeholders?’
    • ‘How do you manage your time?’

    Example answer: 

    “When X I use the Y model (explain model in a step by step process) an example of this is when I (add example; situation, action, outcome)”

    Experience, Qualification, Selling Point (EQS)

    Stating the duration working in a sector improves perceived competencies as the association between time-served and knowledge is closely linked. Reinforcing sector knowledge by describing industry related qualifications backs-up the time-served/knowledge link. But as many interviewees will have a similar background, applicants need to stand out by highlighting an unknown unique selling point – explaining what they can bring to the team. 

    Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

    • ‘What is your experience in this sector?’
    • ‘Why should I hire you?’
    • ‘What can you bring to the role?’

    Example answer:

    “With over X years in the sector and a qualification in Y, I have worked as a Z (add various roles). In that time I have been able to (add unique selling point)”

    Problem, Actions, Outcome (PAO)

    Behavioral interview questions are designed to predict job performance based on an applicant’s previous actions. Therefore, candidates must ensure they explain the circumstances of the situations they will describe as this offers context to the employer, allowing the interviewer to better understand why certain actions were undertaken.  The interview answer needs to end with an outcome, which could include lessons learnt, a new approach or an increase in profits. 

    Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

    • ‘Give me an example of…’
    • ‘When have you ever…’
    • ‘What experience do you have in…’ 

    Example answer:

    “When working at X, Y happened (add specific problem) which could have resulted in Z. To solve this problem I (add specific actions) which resulted in (add positive outcome)” 

    Barriers, Solution, Projected Outcome (BSPo)

    For future scenario interview answers it is important for an applicant to show how they understand the threat of the potential situation – the barriers this problem would create, as this shows industry insight. Stating the specific actions that need to be taken shows expertise and competencies, and stating how these actions would have a positive intent can highlight the added value the applicant can bring to the team. 

    Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

    • ‘What would you do if…’
    • ‘How would you approach..’
    • ‘If you were working on X project, what would you need to consider?’

    Example answer:

    “If this situation was to happen, my concerns would be A (add potential barriers). To take action I would B (add specific actions). The outcome of this would be C (state positive outcome including the benefits to the company) 

    Pro and Con (PC)

    The frame of some interview questions can be seen as a trap, with an interviewer asking for an opinion. If the opinion given by an applicant is one that resonates with the employer the interview answer will score high, but if the opposite is true the answer will be marked low.

    In this situation, applicants can hedge their bets by answering all options in all ways, ensuring one of the elements of the interview answer will resonate.

    Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

    • ‘What is more important X or Y?’
    • ‘What is your opinion about X?’
    • ‘Are you A or B?’

    Example answer:

    “What I like about X is (add pro’s) but you also have to consider (add Con’s)”

    For the multiple-choice answer, applicants can repeat the formula for the second part of the question. The 3rd example interview question is often stated to check an applicant’s temperament or working style – “Are you a task starter or task finisher?” This type of interview question is used in strength-based interviews. Similarly, applicants can explain the pro and con of each trait, but it is likely that the interviewer will push for a direct answer.

    Job Interview Advice

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    Everything You Need to Do to Prepare for a Job Interview

    The job interview is one of the most important meetings in life.

    Why? Because being successful in a job interview has a direct impact on a person’s work/life balance, their stress and motivation levels, potential salary earning which links to the person’s lifestyle.

    So, it makes sense to prepare for this highly important event.

    This article will cover everything any job seeker and career professional needs to do to prepare for the job interview.

    To help job seekers find employment, we will link to relevant articles under each of the interview sub-headings allowing each interviewee to read the source article for a more in-depth understanding of each job interview topic.

    What to wear to a job interview

    Your outfit is your armor.

    What you wear in a job interview makes a difference in two distinct ways: 1) ‘dress to impress’ increase personal confidence levels, 2) a professional look changes the employer’s initial impression of a candidate.

    Down to basics:

    Wear smart professional clothing.

    What an applicant wears influences the interviewer’s first impression of a candidate. Interviewer’s, as does everyone, has ‘unconscious bias’ – an opinion is made based on how one person views another. Research shows how an interviewee’s outfit can create a positive or negative opinion.

    The ‘professional look’ can only help to increase likeness.

    Avoid:

    • Unironed clothes
    • Casual wear
    • Not shaving
    • Dark colours
    • Getting caught in the rain (resulting in you looking helpless)

    There is something about the choice of clothing that affects the emotional state. Dressing in gym wear, as an example, will result in a person being more likely to complete exercise. In the same sense, dressing confidently creates confidence.

    Source: what to wear for an interview

    What you need to research before a job interview

    Pre-interview preparation creates perfection

    Prior to the job interview, there are 2 must research objectives: 1) company research 2) interview question research.

    Initially, applicants need to research the organisation to ensure that this is a position they would like to accept, once offered the advertised role.

    3 key facts that affect workplace happiness

    1. The company – does the company vision and values align with your own?
    2. The boss – does the boss’s managerial style motivate you?
    3. The co-worker(s) – does the company culture draw you in?

    The pre-interview research on accepting a hiring decision can save time – only attend the interviews with employers you are interested in.

    Once an applicant knows which organisations they are interested in, the next step is to prepare for the job interview by researching the potential job interview questions.

    • Check potential questions by reading the job profile for the advertised role. Each essential duty will be referenced as a job interview question
    • Use the internet to search for the organisation asked out the box job interview questions
    • Plan your interveiw stories as storytelling interview answers often rate higher on the job interview scorecard

    Source: questions to ask before accepting a job

    How to plan for the interview

    The initial interview planning is based on the type of job interview the candidate has to attend.

    Job interview types include:

    Understanding how each job interview is different gives the pro-active job seeker an upper hand. As an example, most screening job interviews are conducted over the telephone.

    The interview itself needs planning for. For an online interview, ergonomics is key. A clear background, eye-level screen and clean space, not only helps the applicant feel relax, there are no visual distractions for the interviewer.

    A common mistake career professionals make is their interview preparation. Most job seekers will check the duration from their home to the interview establishment, this is good, pro-active. But the mistake is made at the time of night they choose to prepare for the job interview.

    Most people prepare for interviews at night and plan, using an online map, the duration of travel. But if the job interview is scheduled early in the morning, the duration to the venue can change, as travel times vary depending on the time of day.

    The barrier here is that a late applicant creates a negative impression that distorts how the interviewer views the applicant during the course of the job interview. Is easy to make error can have a lasting effect on the job interview.

    Source: types of job interviews

    How to prepare for the first impression

    The first impression defines the rest of the job interview. The initial barrier is the interviewers unconscious bias, and then their reaction to how they perceive the applicant will perform once employed.

    The initial impression is formed by the senses taking in billions of pieces of information, which is then filtered by the interviewers values, beliefs and experiences, resulting in an impression being created within milliseconds of the interviewer coming face to face with the candidate.

    These 5 factors affect the initial impression:

    • An applicant’s smile – smiling helps build rapport. Research has shown how a smile improves likeability
    • What the candidate wears – association from clothes to persona is powerful. If you dress ‘professionally’ you will be seen as a ‘professional’
    • The firmness of the handshake – a firm handshake shows strength and confidence, both of these traits improve how an employer views an applicant
    • Eye contact – strong direct eye contact shows confidence. Weak people will often look down or away. Employers for all job roles are looking for confident employees who can make decisions and take action
    • The level of confidence in communication – asking questions, varied tonality, a strong pace are all ways to communicate confidently. Confident communicators score well in job interviews as they are able to give answers that reference the job criteria

    Source: Make a good first impression

    How to reduce interview anxiety

    Job interview anxiety is the number one reason why job applicants fail in job interviews. A lack of confidence can only result in a poor job interview performance.

    Confidence can be improved. The biggest barrier to self-doubt is comparison. Often employees will compare themselves to another colleague prior to the job interview. This behaviour is unhealthy and effects the nervousness level in a job interview.

    The comparison leads to self doubt. Self doubt, is extreme cases, lead to some career professionals finding excuses not to attend the job interview, and those that do often perform badly.

    Confidence in the job interview can be improved by making a few tweaks to your thinking. Having self-appreciation instead of self doubt increases self-esteem.

    For career confidence, listing your achievements, your skills and abilities change the focus of thinking, helping applicants to realise their worth, improving their self-worth.

    Source: how to boost self-confidence

    What to do to stand out during the job interview

    The competition for the advertised position is competitive as everyone attending the job interview has a similar level of skills, experiences and qualifications, at the minimum the applicants all meet the job criteria or they wouldn’t have been invited to be interviewed.

    What this means is that you need to stand out in the job interview.

    First, is the basics; having killer answers to tricky job interview questions but more importantly successful career professionals need to go one step further.

    A simple and underplayed stand out tactic is being enthusiastic.

    Think about it! Most interviewees are nervous, resulting in standard job interview answers communicated in a monotone voice. If the next interviewer delivers strong interview answers, delivered with passion and enthusiasm, they will grab the employer’s attention.

    Creating an interview conversation, rather then just answering questions is enough to be uniquely, as is bring evidence of your expertise in the form of stats, graphs and references. Having a growth mindset, showing you can take the initiative and simply becoming confident create a string persona because most applicants are, well, nervous wrecks.

    Source: stand out in a job interview

    The pre-interview checklist

    1. You know the date and time of the interview
    2. The interview venue, building name and room number is correct
    3. A copy of the application, ID and certificates have been prepared
    4. Research on the organisation has been completed
    5. Potential interview questions have been researched
    6. And answers to interview questions have been prepared and researched
    7. For online interviews, the room ergonomics have been reviewed and for face to face job interviews, the duration to the venue has been checked
    8. The interview type has been checked and actions completed to ensure confidence levels are high for all interview types
    9. A self-review of industry skills has been completed to increase confidence
    10. Many mock interviews have been completed, as practice makes perfection

    Job Interview Advice