what is your interview identity Archives

January 26, 2023January 26, 2023

3 indicators that you are just about to fail your job interview

Jobs are notoriously difficult. Research shows, how on average, it takes at least 2-3 interviews to be given a job offer. And how just under half of employers won’t offer a position to an interviewee who lacks job interview confidence. The key then, to a successful job interview, is to identify during the recruitment process itself if you are juts about to fail the job interview and to quickly change tack.

Knowing the 3 indicators that highlight the possibility of a potential failed job interview can help job applicants reassess their interview identity to help increase job offers.

Signs of a bad job interview

Anticipation, nervousness, and being the center of attention affect a job candidates interview performance. A highly experiences, skill, and qualified career professional, one who is highly thought off in their current role, can been viewed negatively if their interview answers lack substance and are communicated without confidence.

The first sign that an employer isn’t impressed is by the lack of follow up interview questions.

Employers, in the main, utilise the structured job interview approach. In a structured job interview, the interview panel ask a number of behavioural and situational job interview questions.

Each job applicant is asked the same questions, in the same order, and each interview answered is scored against a set criteria. Each member of the interview panel will have a list of interview questions, and example answers for each of the scoring criteria, which, on average, is a 1-4 scoring system.

Under each job interview question is a further list of follow up questions. Employers know that most people will be nervous during the job interview, and their initial response to the question may lack detail, be off point due to the question being misunderstood, or the employer will intuitive know that there is ‘more’ to be uncovered.

If a sought after applicant gives a weak interview answer, members of the interview panel will ask an additional follow question, or more clarity, or for a specific piece of information that relates to the scoring criteria.

As an example, if the interview question relates to time management and the interview answer is focused on using calendar reminders, to-do list, planning out work in advance, but the employer is more interested in how the potential employee decides on the priority of a task, the interviewer may asked a follow up question for this specific element of time management.

The asking of additional, and specific, questions can be the difference between an interviewee gaining a three or four scoring on the interview scorecard.

The first indicator that the interview isn’t going well is the lack of follow up interview questions.

This is especially true for job applicants who know they have given a weak answer, or if an interview example was short in duration (and lacking detail), or when the same ‘example’ has been used multiple times.

At a subconscious level, an employer who initially likes an applicant, due to the halo effect, will want that interviewee to do well. A naturally occurrence of willing someone to give high-scoring interview answers, is giving a helping-hand, by asking an additional question that allows the presumed suitable applicant to divulge more information.

On the other hand, an applicant who is viewed as not a good fit will have the opposite effect on the members of the interview panel. In short, the interviewers won’t want to waste their time on prolonging an interview that they believe isn’t going to have a positive outcome.

Subconsciously, wanting the interview to end quickly, stops the asking of additional information. If an applicant senses the lack of supportive questions, they need to start giving more detailed answers using a powerful interview formula that results in high-scoring interview answers.

The second sign of bad job interview is the interviewer not taking notes

As mentioned, during a structured job interview each member of the interview panel will possess an interview scorecard, which has a list of job interview questions and the scoring criteria. Under each question is a space for the interviewers to make notes – the recording of the candidates answers.

The idea is that at the interview end, the recruiters can cross reference their notes, what the applicant has discussed, against the job interview criteria, before allocating an interview score.

When an interviewee is giving a relevant and detailed answer, the employer will often make notes verbatim, attempting to catch as much information as possible, so they can accurately score the candidate at the interview end.

Often when a job candidate gives constant weak answers the employer will write far less information. Or in some cases they wont record any of the information at all. In some cases, if the interview answer is off point, a panel member may ask a follow up question, but again if the answer doesn’t result in the employer scribbling on their forms, its possible the answer hasn’t hit the mark.

It is hard to remember exactly what a person has said, which is why employers make notes. After a full day of interviewing, it is difficult to remember which applicant gave which example. This is why note taking, or the lack of recording interview answers, has a powerful impact on who the advertised job is offered to.

A good sign the job interview is going well is when the employer states: “sorry, I will juts be a few more seconds writing down what you have just said”

The third indicator that you wont be offered the job role is the employer reluctance to discuss the job role

The goal of a job interview, from the employers perspective, is to predict the job performance of the job candidates. A secondary goal, is to promote the benefits of working at the organisation to successfully recruit first-choice applicants.

To ensure a job offer results in a job hire, employers throughout the job interview will highlight benefits of the organisation, including the company culture, available training, leadership styles, their vision and vales, all to create an overall positive package that would be hard to refused.

Employers do this in two ways. The first is at the interview start, when the employer will outline the job role and company, and why the position is currently available. In this section the interviewer will, often, discuss the long term objective of the organisation, where they sit in terms of competitors, and future goals. They create a carrot for the applicant to chase.

Secondly, the interview panel will ‘sell’ the company in an unplanned way. As an example, if a first-choice applicant is talking about their passion for learning and development, and how they always look for roles that can help them grow. An employer, who is feeling positive about the interviewee will sell a benefit of the company: “In our team we have a learning and development budget that all employees can access to purchase relevant training, including recognised qualifications”

Selling is an effort, and what is often the case is that people only make an effort if they truly want something. In the interview scenario, if the employer doesn’t believe the job applicant will be a good fit, they wont make an effort to promote the benefits of working within their team or for their organisation without being promoted or asked by the interviewee.

The 3 signs of a failed job interview

The 3 indicators that the interview wont result in a job offer are, a lack up additional questions to gain more scoring related criteria, a absence of note taking, and little communication around what makes their company great to work for.

Five additional signs that the job interview isn’t going well

The employers look at each other with a confused impression after an answer
A lack of smiling and positive body language during the interview
A much shorter than expected interview process
The interview panel didn’t ‘sell’ the company to the applicant
The interview seem rushed and the interviewers seemed distracted

Get interview ready by taking the interview prediction grid test

January 12, 2023January 12, 2023

How to answer the job interview question: ‘what is your professional development plan for the next 12 months?’

Many employers will ask a job interview question to help better understand the job applicants’ motivation to develop professional skills. A candidate that can clearly communicate how they are a lifelong leaner, and how they have attended regular professional development opportunities to improve industry-related skills and knowledge, is likely to score high on a ‘continuous professional development’ interview question.

This article will help a job interviewee prepare for the job interview question: ‘Can you give an example of working towards your (CPD) continuous professional development?’

Professional development plan

Career professionals have a clear career goal and a professional development plan. Continuous professional development, is the ongoing process of gaining the required skills to keep up to date with changes happening within the job sector. As technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, customer demand, and global politics, continue to change the job market, today’s employee needs to continue their development to be seen as highly employable.

Employers understand the importance of recruiting staff that have a passion for the sector and are motivated to attend training, to gain new skill sets, and become more knowledgeably about their industry. For this reason, the interview question: ‘tell me about any recent continuous professional development opportunities you have attend?’ is a commonly asked job interview question.

The interviewee needs to answer the question by discussing relevant information. Talking about public speaking or art for a role where these skills aren’t required won’t meet the job criteria on the recruitment panel’s interview scorecard. When hiring a new employee an organisation needs to ensure fairness, research has found that a structured job interview – asking each applicant the same interview questions and scoring each interview answer against the criteria on the interview scorecard, results in the most appropriate hire.

To gain a high-scoring job interview answer, the job candidate can use the job advert, role description, and their own industry knowledge to create a list of the job duties, required skills, qualities, and knowledge required to be successful in the advertised position. The insight of the job role allows an applicant to tailor their job interview answer to meet the essential skills and requirements the employer has associated to the job position.

In addition to meeting the essential job criteria, each job interview answers must be communicated confidently in a self-promoting way. Within a job interview downplaying a skill set or knowledge rarely pays off, as research has shown how self-promoting interviewees are much more likely to gain job offers.

Returning to the professional development plan, the plan should list the required skills needed for a certain job role and how they can be gained. In some cases, the plan will include industry qualifications, sector-related skills, and personal qualities. Each required skill should have an achievement deadline date, and a milestone. For ease, most career professionals will embed course links into the plan, and or add, application deadline dates.

For sector knowledge, the development plan may list useful industry magazines, blogs, or books. These articles may possess relevant information that can be used to showcase industry professionalism.

Answering the job interview question: ‘what is your professional development plan for the next 12 months?’

The interview will, in most cases, take under one hour to complete. A panel of three senior employees will be seated on the interview panel, with each panel member asking two to three interview questions. The interview question ‘what is your professional development plan?’ is generally asked in the later stages of the interview.

A lack of a development plan, especially in fast-paced job sectors, can be viewed as a red flag. Applicants who mumble something about ‘wanting’ to develop skills are seen as having an ‘insincere’ interview identity.

Whereas a charismatic interview identity will confidently deliver a detailed answer that highlights their interest in the job role, their enthusiasm for the sector, and their plan for developing relevant skills and knowledge.

How to answer professional development plan interview questions

Start with a confirmation statement that highlights a passion for professional development:

‘Yes I have a professional development plan that I have been working towards for the past 12 months with the aim of gaining X (sector knowledge/skill)…’

The second line of the interview answer needs to give more specific information by discussing the development plan, and detailing actions taken:

‘To achieve this development goal, I have started a course in (course name) where I have learned (industry-related knowledge) and to date, I have successfully passed (unit/qualification). X months a go I also attend a (short training course) to improve my knowledge in (sector-related knowledge) and I am currently working on (detail current development opportunity….’

Follow the past and current professional development opportunities with future actions:

‘My CPD actions for the next 12 months include (give course date, desired outcome, and duration)…’

End with a summary:

‘To summarise, I have passionate about professional development as I believe that having up-to-date industry-related knowledge will help me improve my performance in work.’

All job interview questions, especially the interview question around continuous professional development, must be answered in detail, by positively communicating (selling yourself) specific information.

October 17, 2022February 22, 2023

Studies into job interview stress and anxiety

Many people suffer from anxiety, in a US study it found that around 20% of the population could suffer from an anxiety disorder.

Particular situations, such as the workplace, can increase the feeling of anxiety “It is not surprising that anxiety is an inherent part of the interview process, as the employment interview is a highly evaluative situation” (Heimberg, Keller, & Peca-Baler, 1986) source

Along with being ‘evaluated’ job applicants, and people in general, feel increased pressure when they are the centre of attention and the feeling of a lack of control.

Research around the impact of job interview anxiety has found that an anxious candidate is likely to score less on the interview scorecard than a less skilled, but more confident interviewee.

Anxiety pre-interview training and/or coaching can help to reduce job interview anxiety, and therefore increase the likelihood of a career professional gaining job offers.

Confidence, data has proven, improves the interview performance as a self-assured interview identity is more likely to give a measurable and detailed interview answer. In addition, confidence is seen as a valuable asset in an employee.

Being a confident interviewee also helps when self-promoting skills, qualities, and experiences. Relaxed applicants communicate better, a key skill in a structured job interview.

Smiling can negatively impact the job interview

Confident job applicants are more likely to express emotions through facial expressions, gestures, body language, and verbal communication. Relaxed interviewees are more likely to smile compared to nervous candidates. Smiling creates a positive loop, when we feel good, we smile. When we smile we feel good.

Therefore, a job seeker at ease in the interview process will feel good, increasing a ‘natural’ smile. A number of studies have found that when a person observes a smiling face, the observing brain releases the feel-good chemical – endorphins. An interviewer through observing a smiling candidate should therefore increase likability for the applicant, increasing that applicant’s chance of gaining a high-scoring interview outcome.

Some research has found the opposite to be true. In an experiment to check the impact of smiling on the outcome of a job interview, it was found that smiling could decrease the likelihood of a job offer. The findings show the importance of job choice. Applicants were rated less favorable for careers associated with a ‘serious demeanor’ if they were found to be smiling. Another experiment (Able & Deitz, 2008) found that DJs were seen as being more hireable based on smiling vs non-smiling photographs.

Other research backs up these findings. The job stereotype can increase or decrease desire for an applicant depending on the applicant’s image compared to the interviewer’s perception. An experiment that looked at the effects of appearance on job evaluations found that the ‘beauty is beastly’ stereotype can influence hiring decisions, an ‘attractive’ female applying for a traditionally masculine job position, could be related lower than an ‘unattractive; female with the same knowledge/experience.

Smiling is often associated to attractiveness. The ‘what is beautiful is good’ bias shows that attractiveness can increase job offers, as humans link physical attractiveness to the perceived suitability of the applicant to the job role.

In the research on smiling vs job interview offers, the hiring of an applicant was maximised if smiling was lower in the middle of the interview – during the competency-based section of the interview, compared with smiling at the interview start or end.

Does power posing create power?

Highly confident and egocentric types are more likely to adopt the power pose in a job interview.

Low-confident interviewees waiting to be interviewed will slump into their chair, hunch over their phones, and adopt powerless body-language. A self-assured person adopts confident body-language, mainly open gestures compared to closed-off body-language such as self-hugging.

As discussed previously, the body and mind are connected creating positive or negative loops. Above we discussed how when we feel good we smile. And when we smile we feel good. The same connection between mind and body is a result of gestures and body language. High-status people adopt power poses. And Power poses help people to feel high status. Source.

Power poses create the feeling of power, confidence, risk tolerance, and memory for positive words and concepts, cognitive processing, thought abstraction, and being action orientated. And importantly, reduces the feeling of fear. Other techniques help with the feeling of power. One experiment found that recalling a time that a person felt powerful increases the feeling of power, but not as strong as the power effect of a power pose.

The secondary gain from a power pose is the increased feeling of confidence which creates enthusiasm throughout the job interview. And creates a calm and collected mindset that decreases anxiety and stress.

Pre-interview preparation is required, as those looking to ‘fake it’ during the interview itself may be found out. Experiments looking at the impact of acting high-status, using self-promoting stories, positive language, etc, found that the longer the job interview was the harder it became for the anxious interviewee to ‘act’ confident. An expert interviewer using a structured interview process was also able to find flaws in the applicant’s fake persona, leading to the hiring managers perceiving them as manipulative and inauthentic – a dishonest interview identity.

Using power poses prior to the interview creates confidence with improves both ‘what you say’ and ‘how you say it’. What you say encompasses positive language, self-promoting answers, and the duration of the interview answer. Whereas how you say includes volume, emotions, tonality, and being enthusiastic.

Is enthusiasm key to job interview success?

Hiring managers, as well as looking at skills, experience, and knowledge, look for potential. An interviewee’s enthusiasm is key here. A lack of enthusiasm during the recruitment process creates a negative perspective of the applicant; they are viewed as anxious, a weak communicator, and less likely to complete the job role to a satisfactory standard.

How are anxious interviewees put off by an employer?

Job interview anxiety doesn’t only affect the job hunters’ interview performance, it also has a direct impact on the acceptance of job offers for those lucky few who make it through the recruitment process. Anxious job applicants are more likely to turn-down a job offer from an employer if they, the applicant, felt nervous during the recruitment process. This is due to the psychology of projection where you attribute feelings that you are uncomfortable with on to someone or something else, IE the employer.

Employers, therefore, would benefit from adopting techniques to help relax candidates before a job interview. The benefits would be two-fold. One, a calm and relaxed interviewee will offer up a more detailed answer that the interview panel can measure against the job criteria, to help hire the most suitable employee. Second, first-choice candidates are more likely to want to accept a job role from a positive experienced job interview.

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’

October 10, 2022February 22, 2023

Should AI Hiring Robots Be Banned from the Recruitment Process?

A study, by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Gender Studies, published in the journal Philosophy and Technology, found that AI robot interviewers discriminate while making hiring decisions.

Initially, AI entered the recruitment arena to create a fairer, and faster way, to hire new staff members. This tech came out fighting with successes across sectors. Global companies such Amazon, Google, Starbucks, Hilton, Ikea, and many more are known for their use of AI in their recruitment processes. In fact, some research shows that 99% of Fortune 500 companies have adopted AI tools for recruitment purposes.

The benefits of AI recruitment software along with the boost in their use during the pandemic where in April 2020 46.6% of employees worked from home, led to an overall acceptance for being invited for an AI bot interview.

Even though many job seekers had an increase in job interview anxiety when being interviewed by a bot instead of a human, applicants also liked the benefits of the AI recruitment process: being able to choose your own date and time of the interview, short and snappy interview questions and the ease of being interviewed from their own home.

Do AI Robots Make Wring Decisions?

A large number of AI-powered software companies claim that the robot hiring managers will lead to a more diverse workforce and the hiring of staff that fit the culture of the company. Importantly, the sales pitches explain that AI won’t bring unconscious bias into the recruitment process, something humans cannot achieve.

The study by the University of Cambridge disagrees. The data found that minor details such as the interviewee’s clothes, lighting, and background influenced the interview outcome. The study also found that the AI bots favoured backgrounds with art or bookshelves, applicants who wore headscarves and judged applicants wearing glasses as less conscientious.

It seems apparent that interview technology hasn’t been effectively tested which will result in many changes over the next few years. In March 2020, HireVue discontinued the facial expression reading element of its recruitment algorithms after controversial concerns about AI robot assessment process and a complaint to the federal trade commission.

At the same time is clear that virtual job interviews are here to stay, with many believing that the evolution of recruitment will find job hunters involved in an interactive hiring process in the metaverse.

Chris Delaney

October 5, 2022February 22, 2023

Why You Are Failing Job Interviews

For an activity that is so regular, many job seekers fail to prepare for the job interview.

A lack of preparation results in common, and avoidable, mistakes being made that often result in a job rejection.

This article will explain the top 5 common job interview mistakes and how to avoid them.

Believing that all interview questions are the same

A common misunderstanding is that interviewers across all job sectors ask the same interview questions.

This is why searching for ‘job interview questions’ is more commonly searched (around 1-10k per month Source Google keyword planner 20/22) than, as an example, ‘job interview questions for engineering’ (around 100-1k per month. Source Google keyword planner 20/22).

There are a few commonly asked job interview questions, that we will list at the bottom of the article, but in the main, recruiters ask specific questions relevant to the job role and company culture. As an example, a teacher job interview will be filled with questions about lesson planning, classroom management, and preparing for Ofsted visits. Whereas a manager job interview will feature questions on financial planning, leadership skills, and project management.

That much is obvious. What isn’t as obvious is the difference in interview questions for the same, but in different organisations. A misconception is that all (sector) employers ask the same questions. This is true to an extent. A retail interview, for various retail outlets, is likely to feature a job interview question relating to customer service. This doesn’t mean that every question will be repeated with each employer.

With the retail example, one interviewer from a food retail outlet may focus questions on stock rotation, dealing with spoiled food, and food contamination. A second retail recruiter, from, let’s say a clothing retail store might ask questions on communication, fashion knowledge, and dealing with returns.

The first rule for a successful job interview is to identify the job criteria. Review the job specification, read the job advert, research the company culture, vision and values. In fact, researching values and company culture is highly important as more employers use ‘value interviews’ and ‘strength-based interviewing’ as part of their recruitment process.

Only using examples from your current role

The most popular job interview is a behavioural interview, part of the structured interview process. The behavioural interview asks for examples of how the candidate has previously acted in past situations.

Example behavioural interview questions include:

Give me an example of when you have collaborated with stakeholders?
Have you ever had to deal with competing deadlines, what did you do?
Describe a time that you have influenced others to agree to one of your suggestions?

Most behavioural interview questions can be predicted. The key common tasks for the new role, in most cases, will be discussed in the job interview in the form of a set of behavioural interview questions.

The problem comes when a candidate is nervous. An interviewee’s anxiety level affects their memory professing. The increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, results in memory loss. It becomes harder to recall details, such as answers to interview questions, or remembering the details of the experience the job candidate planned to discuss during the recruitment process.

The interview stress problem results in the overuse of one example. The interview panel ask an easy-opening interview question about a generic skill, teamwork or communication, and the applicant gives an example of using the required skill. The second question becomes more specific “Tell me about a time you used (required skill or knowledge)?” The nervous applicant struggles to find a suitable example, so reverts to using the same example from question one: “As I said, when I was…(previous example)…I used (required skill)”

From the interview panel’s perspective, the repetitiveness of the same situation doesn’t showcase enough variety, experience or knowledge for the recruiters to see the value of hiring the nervous applicant.

This is a very similar problem to only using examples from the current employer. In a job interview, when anxiety is often higher, it is easier to recall information from the current role. This is fine, often expected, for a least one or two interview questions.

Using only one employer example has one key barrier – the candidate can only highlight the skills and knowledge from that particular role, rather than showcasing a diverse set of skills, knowledge and experiences, that is gained by sharing examples from various roles and positions.

To prepare for a job interview, write down at least 10 behavioural interview questions that are likely to be asked. Next, reflect on 5 situations from at least 3 different employers.

The situations will become the examples that will be embedded into the interview answer. The ideal situation is one that required multiple skills and knowledge to create a successful outcome; teamwork, communication, leadership, industry knowledge, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, etc.

This allows the savvy interview applicant to reframe the example and situation depending on the interview question and the required skill or knowledge the employer is looking for the applicant to discuss. Remembering 5 examples that can be used for multiple interview questions is much easier than having to prepare 10-15 single-use interview answers.

Believing the interviewer is psychic

There is a myth that interviewers are superhuman.

The nervous interviewee believes that the employer is highly confident when interviewing, in fact, many are just as nervous as the job applicant. Some organisations allow their trained HR team to conduct the job interviews, which means they are skilled in interviewing but not always with the sector technical know-how.

The biggest misconception is that the interview panel is psychic. A high number of career professionals fail to mention key information during their interview answers. As an example, the applicant will describe a problem they faced and the actions they took to overcome the problem. On the face of it, the interview answer format sounds positive. In reality, the interviewee will delete essential information from the interview answer:

Decision-making skill
Reasons for declining an option
Creative thinking process
Time management
Communication skills and stakeholder relationships
Work ethic and commitment

The list can go on and on. It is important, therefore, to give as much detail that relates to the interview question as possible. In fact, some research has found how the higher number of words per interview answer increases the likelihood of a positive interview outcome.

A more basic problem for internal interviews is not understanding the impact of an interview scorecard. In a structured interview, each interview answer is cross-referenced against a set of job criteria recorded on the interview scorecard. The criteria includes skills, qualities, and experiences. Each interview question is scored on a scale, for example of 1-4. The interview panel can only score an applicant high if they reference all the criteria on the interview scorecard. This is why ‘identifying the job criteria’ is of the most importance.

Because the applicant, in an internal job interview, knows the interviewer has seen their work, they will naturally miss out key information. This lack of detail only results in a low-scoring interview answer.

To overcome the missing information problem 1) identify the job criteria 2) be a self-promoter 3) communicate confidently

Disclosing irrelevant information

If you this next common interview mistake you must stop straight away

One of the worst errors an interviewee can make is the self-discloser of weaknesses. Time and time again candidates will randomly disclose a weakness even when they haven’t been asked.

When asked a technical question, it is easy to let slip out ‘I’ve never worked on something like that’ Instead it is better to confidently communicate your knowledge on the subject. Discussing knowledge will create a stronger interview identity than explaining that you lack experience.

Other negative slippage includes ‘I prefer working on my own initiative..’ to questions about teamwork. Or, ‘Others in my team focused on that area of work’ when asked about a particular skill.

The interview isn’t just about past experience, its about potential. Negative slippage ruins a positive interview identity. The barrier here is that career professionals don’t even know they are leaking negativities. When I coach career professionals to pass a job interview, I will record and list all of their negative communications – verbal and non-verbal, and most applicants are unaware of around 95% of the negative communication that is affecting their chance of winning a job offer.

Not being ready for the basics

Understanding the job interview format creates familiarity, familiarity increases confidence.

Failing a number of job interviews have a secondary gain, the applicant becomes familiar with the interview process, which in turn increases their self-esteem during the recruitment process.

You don’t need to fail to win. A little research and some mock interviews are enough to become more confident. By understanding the format and preparing for commonly asked interview questions (as well as sector-specific interview questions as discussed above) helps reduce interview anxiety.

Most job interviews last around 45 minutes. The interview panel is made up of around 3 staff members, often including a HR manager. Interviewees will be told about the interview process before being asked, on average, 8 questions, including sector-specific questions and a few of the generic questions recorded below.

The 10 most commonly asked job interview questions:

Do you have any questions for us (asked at the job interview end)
Tell me about your experience
What are your weaknesses
What do you know about our organisation
Give me an example of using (skill/knowledge)
Describe a time that you worked well within a team
How will you manage your time when you have competing deadlines
Explain how you would (deal with a future duty/task)
What are your salary expectations
Give an example of developing your skills or knowledge

Chris Delaney

August 19, 2022February 22, 2023

10 Job Interview Facts You Must Know Before Your Next Interview

10 Job Interview facts

Everyone, at some point or other, will attend a job interview. In fact, most people will attend 20-50 job interviews over their lifetime.

These 10 amazing job interview facts will help you to better understand the interview process and help you to land the job of your dreams.

The first job interview ever was conducted by Thomas Edison in 1921

Job interviews are conducted every day, for every job role, in every job sector, and in every country around the world.

Why are job interviews so popular and how did they originate?

In 1921 the New York Times headline read: “Edison’s questions stir up a storm” To gain a better level of employees Edison created the ‘Edison test’ – the original job interview.

There were hundreds of questions that could be asked, with people complaining that you needed to be a ‘walking encyclopaedia’ to be hired.

After being interviewed, Edison would take successful candidates out for dinner to be tested by eating soup. The famous ‘soup test’ was simple; Edison would watch if the candidate would salt the soup without tasting the soup first. This is because Edison wanted to hire ‘curious’ people and felt that people who salted the soup without testing it – as Edison didn’t want to hire people who replied on assumptions to make opinions.

Source

Since the pandemic, 86% of recruiters have been conducting virtual interviews

Prior to the pandemic recruiters had stated to use virtual job interviews. Covid, which kicked off the work from the home initiative, simply sped up the use of video technology in job interviews.

Online job interviews include human-delivered Q&A interviews, online psychometric tests and AI bot interviews – being interviewed by a robot.

Virtual interviews save time, no travel is required but do require an investment in technology and good internet speed.

Many HR professionals say that virtual interviewing is the new standard with an additional increase in AI bot systems being a major factor in hiring decisions.

Source

The average time for a job interview is 45 minutes

The interview process is in the process of change, especially for high skilled roles.

Previously one or two job interview rounds were enough to highlight enough of the job criteria to gain a job offer or rejection.

The structured interview, which is adopted by most employers, is the key recruitment intervention in the hiring decision. In a structured or formal interview, each applicant is asked a series of job-related interview questions within a 45-minute time frame.

In the main, the applicant is asked 8 interview questions, which are verbally answered by the applicant. Each answer, on average, lasts for around 3 minutes. Some research shows how the longer the duration of the answer the more likely you are to score higher on the interview scorecard, as long as the answer is relevant to the job criteria.

Interview identities, with a high position on the confidence axis, are more likely to give a self-promoting and detailed reply.

Source

Most applicants expect to hear back from an employer within 5 days of the interview

We have all been to a job interview only to wait days, weeks and sometimes even months to hear back from the employer.

There are numerous reasons for a delay in response; multiple interview rounds, staff sickness, and job offers need to be signed off by senior leaders, to the requirement of a DBS check.

Currently, with an increase in job vacancies due in part to the great resignation, job seekers are becoming restless – they want a quick turnaround.

In fact, the late response is affecting the recruitment of first-choice applicants. First-choice applicants, those candidates who are offered multiple job roles won’t hold out for job offers, even for recognised brands.

The average time for hearing back from an employer following a hiring round is 1-2 weeks.

Source

Over 75% of hiring managers use behavioural interview questions to test soft skills

There are many different types of interview questions from situational interview questions to value-based questions.

When hiring, employers need to evaluate sector knowledge, level of expertise, and essential soft skills needed for the advertised position.

The structured job interview is proven to be the best way to predict job performance. Two common types of interview questions, within a structured interview, are behavioural and situational questions.

Situational questions are based on future scenarios and behavioural questions are based on previous behaviours in past job roles. These questions include the famous opening: “give me an example of using X skill”

This type of questioning does have a downside. The best way people learn is through making a mistake. Also, job maturity changes the way a person would approach a similar work base situation. The framing of the question in the past can limit how the applicant responds and promotes their skills.

Source

On average 250 applicants apply for every advertised job

If a future me were asked how many job applicants apply for every advertised position, I would likely say 500, 1000 or even 5000.

These large figures may sound ridiculous. But it wasn’t that long ago when the average number of applicants was around 25 per position. Further, we have already seen some companies receive over 25,000 applications for a job role.

The number of applications increases because of two key reasons. One, technology and globalisation are allowing people around the globe to apply for roles. Two, it is much easier and quicker to upload a resume, CV or application than it was to hand write an application as was previously required.

Source

60% of skilled workers will quit in the middle of an application if it is too lengthy

Applications are boring! The biggest killer of talented and high-skilled applicants is having a long and boring application process with various steps, assessments and uploads.

These days job seekers want to apply for lots of jobs quickly. Ideally by uploading an application, CV and Resume for various positions.

Some large organisations have already recognised this barrier to recruitment. Companies like the NHS allow a job seeker to upload one application that they can then send off for various NHS roles – each application can be edited if the applicant prefers.

Other research shows how having a count down ‘only two questions to go’ or ‘page 2 of 3’ can keep candidates engaged, as they know the application process is soon coming to an end.

Source

Only 2% of applicants receive a job interview

The top 2% have what it takes…to write a good application.

The problem with job hunters wanting a quicker application process is that the targeting of individual applications is highly reduced. A reduction in targeting, and therefore meeting the job criteria, reduces the perceived value an applicant can bring to the company which results in a higher number of rejection letters.

The acceleration in AI bot automated tracking systems, where the AI bot scans an application searching for job criteria before deciding whether of not to offer the applicant a job interview, has a big impact on those job seekers who use the same generic application for all roles and for various organisations who have their own specific criteria based on that company’s values and vision.

Recent research found that 98% of fortune 500 companies now use an application tracking system.

Only, around, 8 applicants receive a job interview. This means competition is high. Some sectors will have a more flexible approach to recruitment as there is a need for staff but in others, where recruitment is less of a problem, a generic application just isn’t good enough.

Source

40% of employers decline interviewees who show no enthusiasm during the recruitment process

The logical hiring process, scoring interviewee answers against the interview scorecard, isn’t that logical.

All logical hiring decisions are influenced by the emotional section of the brain. It is this part of the mind that uses unconscious bias as a starting point in the recruitment process.

The research for the interview prediction grid model – a framework to reflect on how an interviewee is perceived during a job interview and therefore the outcome of the recruitment process, states the importance of confidence within a 1-2-1 or panel interview.

Confidence creates likeability and is associated with other positive attributes; being enthusiastic, intelligence and teamwork.

It is clear then that a lack of confidence during the interview reduces the chances of a job hire.

90% of people who use an interview coach get a job offer as twice as fast as job seekers who don’t prepare

More and more people are now booking job interview coaches. This is especially true for high-skilled roles where competition for positions is high.

Interview coaches increase confidence through role plays, feedback and sharing job interview techniques.

The main reason why job seekers turn to professional interview coaches is that public speaking is cited as the number one fear in the world.

Chris Delaney

August 11, 2022August 16, 2022

Does your background matter on a virtual job interview?

The number of online job interviews has rapidly increased over the past two years and only seems to be becoming ever more popular. In a recent Indeed poll, 82% of employers said they are using virtual interviews.

A virtual interview, from an employer’s perspective, is quicker, easier, and cheaper. The convenience of being interviewed at home also has similar advantages for the potential employee – no travel required, saving transport costs, and having to put time aside to travel. But it also has a downside, the hiring manager gets a glimpse at the applicants’ private lives.

This sneak peek is a peephole into an applicant’s personal life. Just like a face-to-face job interview, where the candidate’s clothes create an unconscious bias, the background of a virtual interviewee can influence the employer’s hiring decision-making process.

Background Matters

Many online platforms offer fake backgrounds; a beach, a beautiful countryside, or an office setting. These backgrounds either look fake, seem inappropriate for a job interview, or create a ghost effect – where the applicant’s body has a white shadow around it.

The number one rule for a virtual job interview is to use a real background.

3 Background choices

With a real background there are three obvious choices:

Clean space (often a white wall)
Single item (plant)
Full view (able to see the whole room)

It is common for interviewees to choose a clean space, a close-up camera that captures the applicant’s face with a blank background – a painted wall.

The camera position is highly important as discussed in our ‘online interview tips’ article. But a blank background can be boring. A white wall doesn’t say anything about the candidate’s personality. Some hiring managers may even feel the applicants are hiding something.

If a blank wall is chosen, use a coloured wall. Ideally blue. Blue conveys relaxation, calmness and as discussed in Very Well Mind, blue is associated with stability and reliability.

Your Background Shows Who You Are

The background an applicant chooses says a lot about them, often speaking to the employer’s subconscious decision-making process.

Having one or two items in the background makes the who image a little more interesting. Too many items make a ‘busy’ image that can be distracting.

The question is, what to choose to place in the background? A bookshelf filled with industry-related books can create the impression of authority or knowledge. But bookshelves can be overcrowded.

A few books on each shelf separated by an additional item can make a cleaner and more professional background.

Plants are ideal for an online interview background. Potted plants, especially in bloom, are pleasing to the eye. They look good in the background and help create a calming atmosphere.

Ensure the plant isn’t looking dried up, shriveled, or dead.

Whichever object is chosen should be to one side of the frame, not taking more space than 1/6^th of the whole space.

Don’t Show Everything

A full room frame is bad for virtual interviews. One, in a full view, shot the applicant’s face is less clear which leads to less non-verbal communication, facial expressions.

In addition, a full view of the room will either show too much – which is distracting, can highlight mess which doesn’t create a good impression, or has lots of clear space, which is seen as boring.

Camera, Lights, Action

Finally, think about the essentials of creating a video. The virtual interview setup is similar to setting up a space for a video or film.

One of the most important elements of being on camera is the lighting. Some candidates will set up the camera with a large window behind, where the sun blinds the interview panel, hiding the applicant’s face.

Others will set up the video call in a dark room with little like creating dark shadows that create a horror film type of environment.

If a job seeker has the equipment, they can set up lighting behind the camera facing the interviewee which lights up their face. If not, a cheaper option if to have the camera in front of a large window, facing the job candidate, allowing the sun to naturally light up the room.

The idea is to find a well-lit clean room where the job hunter feels relaxed and calm. Ensure the room is clean and add one or two small items in the background, a flower or book.

August 10, 2022August 10, 2022

7 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Job Interview Outcome

Job interviews are tricky, aren’t they?

Most job applicants fear the job interview. Some, who are highly anxious, will even go as far as turning down an interview offer due to excessive low confidence.

This fear is real. In fact, the fear of speaking in front of strangers or in public – also known as glossophobia, is the number one fear in the world.

The job interview can double the impact of glossophobia and many candidates put an ‘all or nothing’ association on the job they are applying for – “if I fail this job interview, I will always be stuck in a job I hate”.

An article on Psychology Today explained how confidence comes from experiencing achievement in a task. There more you are successful in a task the more confident (in that task) you will be.

Most people fear public speaking, job interviews, or talking to strangers because of a previous negative experience. The experience of failure increases anxiety and fear.

As an example, a job hunter will fear being invited to an interview for a job they truly desire because of a past memory: when they were asked to read out a text in front of their classmates in school or their first public speaking experience that ended in disaster.

The job interview should be easy. Interviewees are asked questions about something they know well – themselves. Job applicants’ confidence should be high. If an application has resulted in a job interview offer from one company, it should then result in a second interview from another organization. This means a failed job interview can be a learning point that will increase future job interview performance and the applicant’s interview identity.

These 7 ideas will help you improve your interview confidence and interview performance.

People buy what they like.

In the psychology of sales, the ‘liking principle’ is quoted as one of the key determinators in persuading customers to make a purchase.

It works through creating a likeability association. As an example, many brands will use celebrity endorsements to sell their products. Example: The audience likes George Clooney, so they will like a coffee brand if they see Clooney drinking that coffee brand in a TV advert – even though the audience knows Mr. Clooney was paid to star in the TV commercial.

Tupperware famously embedded likeability into the sales of its product. Rather than have their products in retail stores (they tried this approach and it failed) they created Tupperware parties. A host would invite friends and family round for a party and promote the Tupperware products. People purchased the products, not because they were good or they needed them, they made purchases because they liked the host – their friend or relative.

To improve your interview outcome, you can create likeability.

Likeability can start prior to the job interview. We know from recent data that 70% of employers check social media before a recruitment day. Create likeability through a second persuasion law – authority. If an employer views an applicant’s LinkedIn profile and the feed is filled with relevant industry insights, sector-related intelligence, and positive opinions the employer will create a halo effect that will have a big influence on the interview outcome.

Research has also found that commonality creates likeability. By disclosing information that highlights commonalities with the hiring manager a positive impression will be made. Commonality can include, well anything: same interest or hobbies, attending the same university, or living in the same town.

Which interview timeslot to choose

Timing makes all the difference. The interview timeslot allocation given to each interviewee makes seem unimportant. In fact, the timeslot can change the way an employer scores the applicant.

The timeslot is related to the hiring manager’s confidence in conducting the interview, the interview panel’s tiredness or alertness, and if you become the baseline applicant.

Research has found that the first interviewee becomes the baseline applicant – following interview scores for other candidates are influenced by the original scores given to the initial interviewee.

The final applicant of the day is often interviewed by a panel of hiring managers who are tired from a full day of recruitment affecting how they view the last interviewee. And post-dinner candidates are affected by biology – the process of digesting food affects a person’s decision-making processes.

It’s the second or third interview time slot around 10:30-11:00 that is the ideal interview timeslot.

What we see we feel

Whatever the mind focuses on the body feels. A person looking forward to a holiday, a networking event or a job interview will feel positive. Whereas someone who fears flying, is anxious about meeting strangers or someone who hates talking about themselves will have a negative response to a holiday, networking event, or job interview.

Perspective creates motivation. Previously we mentioned how confidence is created through positive experiences. What is interesting is that the brain doesn’t see the difference between a real-life experience and a vivid memory. This is why dreams can feel real.

If what you imagine you feel, you can feel positive about a job interview by imagining yourself being successful in a forthcoming recruitment process.

To have a lasting impact, the process has to start with a relaxed state. Taking deep breaths or imagining being in a relaxed place; a countryside or peaceful beach helps to calm the mind and body. In this peaceful state imagine by relaxed during a job interview, then imagine being confident in a job interview, and final imagine being charismatic in a job interview. Make each visualisation vivid; see yourself confident, hear yourself being confident, and feel confident.

The repetition of the visualisation creates new neuro-pathways that create a positive association: job interview = calm and confident.

The hands have it

A little technique to help improve the first impressions is to manipulate the hands.

Anxiety kicks off the fight or flight response which sends oxygen from non-virtual parts of the body (hands and feet) to essential organs. The redirection of the blood cells leaves hands feeling cold and clammy.

At the initial introduction, where a welcome handshake is expected, the first impression is weak as a damp and cold handshake has a negative unconscious bias.

To be viewed as confident requires a warm and firm introductory handshake. When you arrive for the interview, either accept a cup of coffee (and wrap your hands around the warm cup) or visit the bathroom and hold your hands under the warm water for a few seconds, to warm the hands.

Turn off your phone the night before

One sleep study showed how using your phone three hours before you plan to go to bed can disrupt your sleep.

In addition, many people charge their phones overnight in the bedroom. If the phone is left on small LED lights will be on display. The brain is trained to stay more awake when there is light. Charging the phone in a different room, and having thick curtains to cut out any streetlights allows for a deeper sleep.

Deeper sleeping restores energy, increases blood supply, and improves cognitive ability. All this helps the brain to respond to tricky interview questions.

Create high status

How we view ourselves, as high or low status, is leaked through our language. The language used in a job interview is subconsciously filtered by the hiring manager creating a ‘gut feeling’.

As an example, a low status would use weak language such as ‘try’ – ‘I would try my best’ compared to a high-status person who uses assertive language ‘will’ – ‘I will achieve the task’.

One experiment found that writing a letter to yourself that assertively states skills, strengths and abilities increase self-worth, creating high status. The letter must use positive language, be true, and be assertive.

Get good at asking questions

The tip to improve a job interview outcome seems a little odd, it’s to be good at asking, not answering questions.

Obviously, in a job interview, the ability to confidently communicate competencies within a job interview answer is essential. But what makes a person stand out is their ability to ask the interview panel questions.

Questions create a conversation. Conversations improve likeability. Likeability, or rapport, increases job offers.

Also, the ability to ask questions relaxes the interviewee and helps them to clarify the required content of the interview answer.

At the interview start, the applicant can ask the interview panel questions about their day or the company.

During the questions, the candidate can ask for specifics to generic questions and can ask the employer’s opinion or an aspect of the interview question.

Towards the interview end, the employer will allow the interviewee to ask any questions to help clarify the company culture and job role.

Asking questions shows confidence, and confidence is a quality that all employers want staff to possess.

Questions, or their answers, also allow the applicant to decide if the employer is one they want to work for.

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022

Best Job Interview Books for 2022

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

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

Source.

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

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

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

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

Job Interview Book – what is your interview identity?

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

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

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

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

Amazon link – what is your interview identity

Job Interview Book – Cracking the Coding Interview

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

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

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

Amazon link – cracking the coding interview

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

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

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

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

Amazon link – Crucial Conversations

Job Interview Book – Why You 101 Job Interview Questions

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

Amazon Link – Why You – 101 job interview questions

Job Interview Book – How to get hired

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

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

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

Amazon Link – how to get hired

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021

16 Job Interview Identities

To increase job interview success, career professionals need be aware of their own interview identity – how the applicant is perceived by the interview panel during the recruitment process.

The 16 interview identities sit within 4 overarching identity categories, based on the candidates perceived level of knowledge and experiences vs the applicants level of confidence.

The two axes, knowledge/experience and confidence, have a low to high scale. The 4 interview identity categories create a generic opinion.

Low level of knowledge/experience and a low level of confidence
Low level of knowledge/experience and a high level of confidence
High level of knowledge/experience and a low level of confidence
High level of knowledge/experience and a high level of confidence

It is important to remember that the interview identities have no relation to a career professionals ability to perform tasks in the real world or work, instead they are the employers perception of the applicants predicted job performance.

“A skilled worker who fails to communicate their competencies confidently can be seen as less skilled then they actually are”.
Chris Delaney author of ‘what is your interview identity’

The four characteristics of an interviewee.

The interview prediction grid model states that there are 16 interview identities that fit into four categories:

Incompetent (low/low)
Deceitful (low/high)
Uninterested (high/low)
Employable (high/high)

Incompetent

Incompetent job applicants have a lack of job experience and confidence, resulting in a nervous display during the recruitment process and a misunderstanding of the job interview questions.

Deceitful

The deceitful characteristic comes from a high level of confidence with a low level of industry knowledge and experience. They talk the talk, but cant walk the walk, resulting in an increase in destruct.

Uninterested

Career professionals with a high level of knowledge and experience, but who lack the confidence to express their competencies during the interview, can be seen as uninterested in job position – why else would a highly skilled applicant give short snappy answers?

Employable

Being skilled at communicating competencies confidently creates a persona of being employable, or highly employable. Descriptive and detailed answers, delivered well using a number of non-verbal communication skills, creates likability and desire from the interview start.

Take the interview prediction grid test:

16 Interview Identities.

As each of the interview identities is the employers perception of the applicants ability to complete business-as-usual tasks, the generic opinion can easily change if the interviewee can improve either their perceived level of knowledge/experience or their level of confidence during the recruitment process.

By understanding the sixteen interview identities, job applicants can tweak how they confidently communicate their competencies to create one of the more positive identities’ that often results in job offers.

A detailed description of each interview identity can be found by taking the interview prediction grid test.

Comes across as lacking the required skills and experiences for the role
Has a low opinion on self
Struggles to give detailed interview answers

Struggles with challenging or technical interview questions
Lacks industry related knowledge and experiences
Gives short snappy answers

May possess the required soft skills for the advertised role, but cant communicate any relevant experience in a way to gain a high-scoring answer
Doesn’t always understand the meaning behind the interview question
Gives answers that not relate to the job criteria

Can be seen as suitable for low-skilled roles or for positions where the employer can support the employee, a level 2 apprenticeship as an example
Answers are more detailed when talking about a personal experience, compared to answers for situational job interview questions
Not as self-assured as some of the other interview identities

A very confident communicator who will express themselves well, but who may hint to having skills and experiences that they don’t possess
Struggles to answer technical interview questions due to a lack of industry experience/knowledge
Doesn’t understand industry jargon and acronyms which can lead to answers that are irrelevant to the job interview question

A highly confident interviewee who believes they are more suitable for the role than they actually are
Skilled at self-promotion, but lacks the industry insights that is required to produce high-scoring interview answers
Answers questions quickly, assertively and confidently, even when they don’t have the required criteria mention in the interview question

Possesses enough sector-related experience to give detailed interview answers, but not enough prior experience for this to be consistent throughout the recruitment process
Employers are often impressed with answers relating to personal skills and qualities, as the applicant is a self-promoter
Struggles to recognise the job criteria for high-skilled roles

A self-assured applicant who is consistent with their own self-promotion
Lacks a deeper understanding of sector related models and theories that highlights, to the employer, their lack industry experience
May argue a point with an employer, even when lacking industry knowhow

Has a good level of industry knowledge, which is hidden away by their lack of ability to share their experiences
Interview answers are often short and snappy, filled with filler words
Employers initial opinions are negative due to the applicants lack of rapport

The quality of interview answers is sporadic, with the applicant able to talk more in-depth about business-as-usual tasks, but struggles when the employer challenges them
Some answers will promote a unique selling point, but others may self-disclose weaknesses
Potentially, a highly-skilled worker, who may struggle from imposture syndrome

A highly employable applicant, due to the a large amount of industry experience and academic qualifications, but struggles with their own self-esteem and confidence
Interview answer’s are short , snappy and fast-paced in delivery with the applicant keen to get the interview over with
Employers will recognize the wealth of industry expertise, but on the other the interviewer will be concerned about the candidates confidence levels and how that may effect the team once employed

Answers are mixed, with some being technical and in-depth, while others lacking any real substance
The candidate can come across as standoffish when the applicant doesn’t respond to follow up questions with a detailed reply. But can give enough evidence to show their range of job related skills
A highly-skilled individual who will open up to a ‘warm’ interviewer, but can shut down when interviewed by a ‘cold’ employer

Applicants are aware of their own abilities and expresses these well throughout the job interview
Rapport is easy to build and employers often have an instant liking towards the self-assured interviewee
Cam debate subjects, but cant persuade as well as some of the other high/high interview identities

Able to communicate their competencies confidently throughout the recruitment process, with employers seeing potential from the interview start
Can be argumentative when challenged on a particular subject or knowledge, which can be their undoing
Has a strong presence, with the employer having a positive ‘gut’ feeling about the obviously highly-skilled applicant

A high number of years in the industry and the easy to recognise specialist skills results in consistent job offers
Consistently delivers strong interview answers with examples while stating industry models and sector processes
A very confident applicant, but not being a the over top of the confident scale can, sometimes, effect the impact of their interview answers

The highest level of knowledge/experience and highest level of confidence, out of all the 16 interview identities, does create regular job offers but not as consistently as the egocentric applicant would like
A self-promote who can easily showcase their value while impressing the employer with their personality traits
The self-absorbed characteristic and their inflated view of self can place seeds of doubt in the employer minds