If you interview people what makes people stand out (for the right reasons)

[newlabelwriter]

Just that really, I've had a few interviews recently which I've thought have gone well and either not heard back or made it to second stage and then nothing. I think I'm personable and reasonably confident but obviously I'm not doing that great. I'm really hoping to be put forward for a couple of interviews this week and would love some advice. All interviews are on Zoom etc BTW if that makes a difference. TIA

This may sound unfair, but I have never appointed someone I didn't like. I or the rest of my lovely team are going to have to work with them after all. So yes we have to do competencies and STAR based stuff, but we don't have to take the highest scoring person. For us if you get enough points (which more or less everyone does after careful shortlisting) then we pick the person who we liked the best, the most relaxed or funny or interesting or enthusiastic or just someone we can imagine working well with for the next god knows how many years. And we reject the ones who are scary (a surprising number of knowitalls come to interview) or tedious or who look bored, or are defensive etc. I think it really helps if you can let your personality shine through.

Don't tell them this isn't your ideal job 😆. Had that when I was on a panel recently. When we finished we were incredulously saying 'did she actually just tell us this isn't her ideal job!'

Research the company, the role and the actual team. Many who we interviewed had no idea what our team do. One got in wrong and had researched a very small part of it based on the manager's title and that's not even part of the role of the job we were advertising.

Don't bullshit. We had one waffle on a lot about how it was her calling. I highly doubt that!

Actually sound interested and like you want THIS job. One had done zero research, knew nothing about us or the job and gave incredibly short answers even after gentle prompting.

Don't go on and on about your old job with nothing about the job WE are offering.

Don't cut someone on the panel off because you very much like the sound of your own voice more.

One had a family member who worked in our company, who had very clearly coached her into giving a lot of information about our company. Her knowledge seemed impressive. Except there was zero personality and she was quite clearly reading it all from a bullet pointed list just to the side of the screen.

If it's a scored interview, you score higher for mentioning certain words. For example admin roles we are lookig for team player, organised etc. Data Protection can be a huge one. It's the main part of our jobs and hardly anyone mentioned it and the ones who did got much higher points.

I definitely noticed the ones who dressed well despite it being on Teams and were confident and friendly but not cocky and irritating.

Good questions helps. I ask if there is anything I can do to prepare for the role should I be successful. That usually goes down well. I also ask them what they like about their jobs. Which again goes down well. I have asked what a typical day would be like if it isn't too obvious. Plus the usual on days/times if that hasn't been stated.

For private sector - enthusiasm, but not in a fake way - I like applicants to be genuinely interested in the job I have to offer. I used to interview graduates and I was amazed at how many of them told me earnestly that they wanted to work overseas or in a related area and never said they wanted to work in the job at hand.

On time, polite, confidently spoken but not brash, appropriately dressed.

Knows how to answer “tell me about yourself” - ie, give me a rundown of your current job and experience - and can explain why their experience makes them a good fit.

Can answer questions or talk about topics that suit the level of experience shown on their cv.

Listens when I tell them, at the beginning, what I am looking for ie I have just told you how to get this job, did you pay attention?

I never do any trick questions, logic puzzles etc - that tells me nothing about what I want to know.

When answering questions don't use 'we' if you don't mean it. Use 'I'. As an interviewer, I want to know what you did and answering 'we' all the time can mean I am unsure what part you actually played in the example you are using.

Also I'm looking for someone the team can work with, not just the candidates experience. We all muck in when we need to, so someone who doesn't have that mindset wouldn't fit with the team.

@rainkeepsfallingdown we definitely have a problem with senior management. This isn't the first time they have taken someone on just because they drop in buzzwords and are enthusiastic. Mostly they realise they are out of their depth and leave but not this one as he has no ambition and wouldn't be able to get such a well paid job anywhere else.

I agree that enthusiasm is important but not in place of experience. A PPmentioned taking on someone withno experience but loads of enthusiasm and I just wouldn't do that.

I recently interviewed for an admin role and 2 candidates scored the same and we went for the one with the sunny personality and enthusiasm. He also had the experience though andtechnical knowledge of systems.

@Ineedaduvetday I helped interview recently for quite a senior role and one candidate answered almost every question with 'first I would have a meeting about it'. I got the sense they had never made any decisions in work.

Can someone explain why Star based interviews are more difficult for older people?
Because, amongst other things, it's easier to structure a high-scoring response if you have a single example gleaned from a week's work experience than it is if you've ten years' worth of experience and examples to draw on

Thank you... while we're on the subject on interviewers, I've just had an email for a job I applied for and have just been told it's now unpaid until they secure funding and to see if I'll work for free until then To be clear, I've been doing my job for 15 years + and would earn ITO £45k (as would anyone doing my job!) So fucking rude to ask. Anyway, I digress...

Great points about the STAR method being difficult with more experience (older people such as myself) it's something I've found hard to get my head around but getting there.

Less relevant for Zoom interviews, bit be pleasant to every single person you come into contact with during the recruitment process. You'd be amazed how rude some people are to receptionists and the staff running the interview process. As an interviewer, I'd always ask the team how each candidate came across outside the interview room.

Warmth and clarity of thought. They should also be presented appropriately for interview.

• answer the person who asked you the question, not the most senior person in the room
• unfortunately, understand Star (hate it myself)
• don't be afraid to ask questions to clarify - no point going off on one without being sure of the question
• Take a very good look at your skills and present them factually - a woman I interviewed seemed to ONLY give herself credit if someone had told her she was good at something. I had to really work to find out what she'd done, because if someone hadn't noticed, then she wouldn't say it.

In fact, in spite of being the most senior person in the room who would be their line manager, I've had male interviewees unable to look me in the eye.

My last hire was a woman who gave VERY detailed answers. It could have put some people off but she's bloody brilliant. OK, her emails are a bit of a chore, but the detail she provides is fantastic.

@newlabelwriter

Thank you... while we're on the subject on interviewers, I've just had an email for a job I applied for and have just been told it's now unpaid until they secure funding and to see if I'll work for free until then To be clear, I've been doing my job for 15 years + and would earn ITO £45k (as would anyone doing my job!) So fucking rude to ask. Anyway, I digress...

Wow, that's some cheek

Hi OP - Loads of great advice here. I wanted also to say, don’t give up! It’s incredibly competitive out there.

I’ve gone through several periods of job interviewing and most of the time when I asked for feedback I was told I did well but someone out there had more experience/went with an internal hire etc.

You can be doing everything right and still not get it. Perseverance is the most important thing. It’s all too easy to get depressed so take heart that you are making every effort now to do your best.

You’ll end up in right place for you!

STAR is a useful model to structure answers but make it feel personal rather than working your way through a formula. Use it as a framework but tell the story of what happened and highlight your role in whatever you’re talking about, I want to get a sense of the person underneath the story.

@newlabelwriter flipping heck that's cheeky, I'd ask if they'd work part of the week unpaid to subsidise your salary, see how they like to be asked 🤷‍♀️

I used to conduct a lot of interviews. It was often my experience that candidates who had done less well in interview asked a lot of questions, when the interview panel were ready to move on to the next candidate. I would suggest it is best to keep questions to one or two at most.

Good questions that I've come across:

How did you come to work for company x? Or What made you choose to work for this company? What's the best thing about working for this company? What one thing do you think everyone should know about this company? (All variations on a theme)

I see that company y lists x values on its website, what does that mean in practice on a day to day basis?

I see company x has links with Europe, what plans are in place to manage brexit? How has company x managed the covid situation/what impact has covid had on business/growth/turnover etc (or other topical question).

Anything that demonstrates research, knowledge and a bit of critical thinking is great, so pick something you know about the company, such as their 5 year sales target, and ask something insightful about how they're proposing to meet those targets for example.

As a pp says, don't ask something for which you could find the answer in the public domain. And don't just Google. Check linked in, other social media, industry publications too. I managed to build a rapport with someone who interviewed me by congratulating them on an industry recognition award their company had won, and asking what internally had led to the nomination.

A lot of companies expect the star approach to competencies. Star being situation, task, action, result. But it doesn't have to be so rigid. Think of it like this, you need to tell the interviewer what was going on, what needed to happen, what you did, and what impact that had. Sometimes the situation and task blur together. What is important is to get across is what you did and why, and how that solved the problem.

All of this is irrelevant though if you show up late, poorly organised or badly presented, either in person or on video. You still need to dress for a zoom interview, and take care that what is in the background creates a positive impression.

And always send an email thanking them for their time afterwards.

@newlabelwriter

Thank you... while we're on the subject on interviewers, I've just had an email for a job I applied for and have just been told it's now unpaid until they secure funding and to see if I'll work for free until then To be clear, I've been doing my job for 15 years + and would earn ITO £45k (as would anyone doing my job!) So fucking rude to ask. Anyway, I digress...

Also, you know, illegal.

I've actually had people offer to work for free before (the desperate times we live in), but there's such as thing as NMW legislation to comply with in this country.

@motorcyclenumptiness

Can someone explain why Star based interviews are more difficult for older people? Because, amongst other things, it's easier to structure a high-scoring response if you have a single example gleaned from a week's work experience than it is if you've ten years' worth of experience and examples to draw on

You just use your most recent and relevant ones.

On Zoom/Team Calls you are allowed to have your CV in front of you, and regardless I always have a notepad and pen with me.

I agree with Jelly, STAR is helpful for structure so you cover all your points. For example if you tell me you looked after budgets and saved 20% in one year, it doesn't help without saying how much the budget was in total. Could be £20,000 or £2 million.