Collaborative Interviewing:

Techniques and Strategies

The Interview: Maximizing Your Impact

The successful candidate in the contemporary marketplace has effective professional documents and is also prepared for the most important stage of the application process: the interview. Interviewing skills, both those of the candidate and the interviewer or interviewing team, are often underestimated.

Interviewing skills are learned skills that require experience and practice. In addition to résumé preparation, I often work with clients on developing their interviewing and general presentation skills.

I personally believe that good job interviews are the right and the responsibility of both interviewer and candidate and should reflect the following:

• I believe that a constructive, collaborative, and hence productive interview situation should be "human" and "humanistic". It should also be well-organized and thought through carefully out of respect for the candidate and in order to promote the objectives of the interview.
• Language can often be misleading or unclear. Interviewers themselves should know exactly what they want to know and why they want to know it.
• In my opinion, the best interview situations are collaborative working sessions. All parties concerned are already "on the job" and prepared to discover the best in each other and to put all their skills to work in the most appropriate and productive manner possible.
• An interview should not be a trial run nor an endurance test; this kind of interviewing ultimately is counterproductive.
• The tone of the questions asked by the interviewer is extremely important. In general, a level of trust, confidence, and respect should be established as soon as possible and be seen as a prime objective of the interview.

Dynamic Interviewing Questions

Ideally, an interview situation should be challenging and enjoyable for both interviewer and candidate. The following questions were formulated for a professional interviewer.

Questions like these create an effective interview situation. I often use them as practice questions with clients in order to assess their "presentability" and ability to respond in an effective manner.

The bank of questions below are designed to give a candidate the opportunity to do well. Although challenging, they are not designed to put the candidate at a disadvantage. Furthermore, they should not be considered the only interview questions one would encounter. An interviewer would of course not ask all of these. Finally, the questions also are in no particular order of priority.

1. Many companies today need employees who are advocates for their clients. Can you talk a little bit about how you think you could be an advocate for a client?
2. Integrity is a key word in our industry as it is in many others. Throughout your career, what has been the importance of integrity?
3. Could you suggest to us how you might differentiate between assuming responsibility and delegating responsibility?
4. Our client requires employees who are very adept at critical thinking. Can you talk to us briefly about what you think critical thinking is and how you have demonstrated it in your professional life?
5. I'm sure you are aware of the emphasis in the marketplace on the concept of interdependence (free trade zones, outsourcing, service-based industries are examples). To what extent do you think you have been successful working in an interdependent mode? What does the word mean to you in practical terms?
6. Our clients tell us that "professionalism" is a key characteristic they look for. What is professionalism to you and how do you feel you have demonstrated it?
7. In project-based operations, problem-solving is of course a key skill. How have you demonstrated this in your career? Can you "walk us through" a specific example where you have used problem-solving to achieve positive and profitable results?
8. Can you describe an incident or situation in your career when you thought you were less successful than you might have been? How did you come to that assessment? What did you learn from the experience? What new approaches or strategies did you implement as a result of that learning process?
9. In today's business world (and based on your own personal experience), how would you say a successful employee is both goal-oriented and results-based? Is there any difference?
10. How have you been successful in not only gathering and communicating information but in implementing it. Can you talk to us about specific examples from your work history?
11. How in your career have you demonstrated both short-term and long-term thinking. When, in your opinion, is each most appropriate?
12. We all know that the human dynamics of the workplace is critical to successful and profitable operations. Can you describe a working situation you have been involved in in which you recognize that the human dynamics were at their best, were optimal? What role did you play in those dynamics?
13. How would you apply the following terms to your particular style or skills: conceptual, pragmatic, knowledgeable?
14. In your professional life and your personal life, where would you say your key motivation comes from? How do you use your personal experience to motivate others?
15. What do you think is the most productive achievement to date in your career?
16. What project that you have been involved in do you think best shows your initiative? Can you describe how your initiative made the project a success?
17. Our clients often require employees with strong interpersonal skills. Can you describe for us your concept of such skills and those that most apply to you?
18. In your opinion, what are managerial skills? How have you demonstrated them?
19. Can you talk to us briefly about a situation in which you have demonstrated decisiveness?
20. One of our sources has described critical thinking as a three stage process: (a) defining what is happening for sure (b) defining what definitely is not happening (c) determining what might happen. Can you describe for us how you think this applies to your field of work? How have you perhaps accomplished this in the past?
21. We are told that the workplace of the twenty-first century requires individuals with Ageneralist@ skills; skills that are "transferrable". What would say are your strongest generalist and transferrable skills?
22. With reference to the companies you have worked for, could you suggest how the company=s attributes and your own attributes were successfully integrated?
23. Can you talk to us briefly about how your professional career has enhanced your own personal development?
24. Can you comment on the statement "Every employee is a key employee." (perhaps with reference to your work experience)?
25. What would you identify as the three key ingredients of a high performance employee? To what extent do you believe you have these qualities?
26. Predicting, we are told, is essential to critical thinking. How has this skill played a role in your career? How do you use prediction in your profession?

Understanding A Company's Culture and Vision

The interview questions below are real questions that were designed for an actual professional interviewer. These are company-specific questions that reflect the "vision" of a major financial services company that was hiring. It is important that candidates do their homework, research companies to which they are submitting applications. Understanding the culture and vision of the company is very important.

1. What do you think are the unique needs of business and industry today?
2. How have you demonstrated innovativeness? Effectiveness?
3. How do you establish trust and confidence with your clients? With your co-workers? With management of the firms your work for?
4. How have you demonstrated a flexible, collaborative, and cohesive working style?
5. What, in your opinion, are the strengths and challenges of a the multi-functional team approach? [At a certain point in the questioning you can give the candidate room to provide proof, evidence, examples without being prompted.]
6. Personal commitment to the organization is a key priority of our clients. What does such a commitment mean to you and how have you demonstrated it?
7. You have an impressive and diverse résumé. Can you talk to us briefly about how the term "technical excellence" applies to you?
8. Can you describe the kind of "vision" or "culture" that a company would have that would make you want to work there? How would you contribute to that vision or culture?
9. How do you think a company can create a sense of identity among its employees? How could you contribute to such a collective identity?
10. Can you describe for us incidents or events in your professional life that best exemplify what we might call an "affirmation" of who you are as a professional?
11. How in the past, have you provided your clients and your employers with "value"?
12. What role has loyalty played in your professional life?
13. How throughout your career have you not only met the needs of your clients, but exceeded their expectations?
14. What have you enjoyed most about jobs you have held? What has given you the most personal satisfaction and pleasure?
15. How do you hope to continue to "evolve" as a professional? What are your aspirations? How do you hope to reach your full potential?
16. Do you have any questions you wish to ask us? [This usually only gets asked if the candidate has not already asked any questions; which is not a good sign.]