All that matters is being good at interviews

[Wendiy]

so many people come in and are mediocre/ poor at the job. But they were often great at interview. Then people who I know would be great do badly at interview, these are Cs competency interviews. It is all so depressing. I feel my kids just need interview confidence to get on in the world

We’ve got this with a line manager at work. Totally promoted above their level of competence and is barely literate and corrupt. It’s awful but they’re unable to get rid as probation was passed and their reputation is so awful that no other team will have them. Their line manager is weak too. Makes for a miserable work experience.

And for all the people who bemoan presentations and drama at school, these are the kinds of situations those experiences are exposing young people to.

Exactly! It's why I encourage mine to do things like drama /activities that put them in leadership positions etc

It is a case of practice makes you better

I’ve seen it a few times when the interview has gone spectacularly well but when the candidate starts working properly they are terrible, once I was convinced a candidate must have sent an identical twin, the contrast was that bad.

Tasks help- although it’s not always easy to come up with the right one for a role! But a good task filters out the articulate but incompetent people.
Also giving interviewees the questions in advance- it helps the people who panic show their skills properly, and actually makes it much easier to spot the bullshitters. It makes it hugely easier to distinguish the people having a terrible day from the people who are just not right for the job.

Interviewing is a skill which can be learned, it's not rocket science and you're not born with the ability. You learn. There are methods and you can do coaching on it etc.

If you are looking for a job, there's no excuse not to brush up really, with access to Google and AI most people can learn how to sell themselves at interview.

I interview a lot of people, and one of the frustrations for me is when people I just know will be great for the job give a terrible interview.
Being public sector and having to stick to the recruitment rules, I can't just score them up and appoint them anyway. You have to appoint whoever scores best on the day. And although you can do your best to enable the right candidates to shine (sending questions in advance for example, which is becoming more common; and including practical tasks) some people still fall apart on the day.

It's surprising how many people fail to give good examples, fail to provide outcomes, and waffle. I know a lot of that is nerves but, equally, I see a large number of people who don't seem to have practised at all.

Part of the issue as well is that so many people who don't get jobs then challenge the decision and HR need to review all the paperwork to ensure the process was fair. Leaves no wriggle room for "yes they were crap on the day but we know they would be good in real life" appointments.

I'm a great bullshit detector and don't tend to appoint useless people by accident; but in the structures I'm in, sadly there's not much you can do to make good candidates appointable if they fluff the interview process.

NHS Band 8a here and had several interviews lately where I have been told I was the best candidate based on my presentation and/or unseen task, but I just haven't ticked all of their boxes at interview - despite both me and the interview panel knowing that I could do the job standing on my head given the chance! It's so frustrating. I've given 90% of what they're looking for but lack that last little bit - and it's not something you can really train for if you don't know the questions! I am autistic and could ask for the questions in advance (of course they would then be provided to everyone) but I also feel that at my level being 'that person' would put me on the back foot from the off...

@pinkglove84 I’m public sector and if the whole panel is in agreement you can give them whatever score you want really (I mean you shouldn’t, but it’s entirely plausible if all the paperwork adds up), so you could upscore them if you really wanted if you genuinely thought they could do the job, but I know for me if someone really isn’t capable of interviewing well I will always question how well they will do the job. I only really interview senior roles these days, and if someone can’t interview well I’d be wondering how they’d deliver briefings, conduct meetings, handle pressure etc. As another pp says it is a learned skill, not an impossible one, and a lot of transferable skills to what a role requires, especially at a senior level.

My goodness just be that person!! If you are not getting the jobs now you’ve nothing to lose!
I’m a huge fan of giving questions in advance, I think it’s a real pity when organisations only allow it as a reasonable adjustment.

To some extent, yes, I think you’re right. I recently didn’t get a job that I was seconded to because they said I didn’t perform in the interview.

In my eyes, the interview is supposed to ascertain if you will be good at doing the job. When they told me that I hadn’t been successful, they told me he had absolutely nothing to do with my performance in the role and they were really pleased with me.

The person that did get the job has been absolutely terrible. They are making big mistakes and it became apparent that they didn’t have the basic skills needed to complete the role (Excel and reconciliation)

The fault was with the interviewers, they didn’t understand the role properly so they rolled out standard star questions that had nothing to do with the actual job. The other person interviewing had sight of the questions before as they were involved in previous interviews for other roles so naturally they were able to answer them. The hiring manager has admitted to me that the wrong person was picked for the role.

It’s all worked out okay though, as I have just accepted a role at a new company for a lot more money. The previous interview had really knocked my confidence but the interview for this role went really well because they actually asked me questions about my skills rather than stupid questions like tell me about a time when you’ve worked with someone diverse. I think a good interviewer will get the right outcome from a candidate

I guess the bigger question is - does school adequately prepare young people for the workplace? Does it teach the kinds of skills that businesses need and, if not, why not, since surely that's the whole point of education?

I agree that drama should be compulsory. The skills it teaches for overcoming the fear of speaking in front of strangers, speaking clearly, preparation of what you're going to say, etc, are essential in many different kinds of workplace.