Typical Criteria Based Questions
If you meet a skilled interviewer who is working to a set of criteria, you are lucky. They will give you the best chance to show what you can do and will be as keen to discover real talent as you are to display it. What's more, they will happily share their criteria with you and admire your pro-active attitude in asking.
Start work on the interview before you apply for the job. Get your strengths and weaknesses down on paper - then you can tailor yourself to the requirements of a particular job. If you concentrate on the three main areas which concern most interviewers, you can easily pre-prepare some strong, positive, behavioural examples for each area of your life.
- Biographical: evidence of your ability to do a particular job might include experience of living abroad, familiarity with a particular environment or lifestyle, or proven flexibility in living patterns.
- Technical: measurable expertise, including specific qualifications, degrees, certificates, training programmes or experience in a particular area.
- Behavioural: gathering evidence from friends, family and self analysis will help you take yourself apart ready for re-assembly according to a particular job specification. This exercise works both ways. It can help you persuade an interviewer that you are suitable for a particular job, but may also help you check in advance whether that job is suitable for you.
The following are examples of the most frequently used criteria and some typical questions:
Drive and Motivation
Q Tell me about a time when you worked hard but felt a great sense of achievement.
A When planning permission for the new office development was turned down, I carried out another round of consultation and I drew up new plans. At the third attempt, amended plans were accepted and the offices were built.
Communication and Negotiating Skill
Q Do you think problems are solved by better cornmunication?
A During the strike I talked to the staff about what they really wanted. It turned out they were more worried about redundancy than pay. I got management to give them the facts on the threat from our nearest rival and they agreed to a productivity deal.
Interpersonal Skills
Q What unpopular decisions have you made?
A I believe that the benefits of unpopular decisions have to be sold to the people they affect, otherwise they won't work. Recently the tea lady retired and we were going to install a machine on every floor. I called a staff meeting first and discovered people were already grumbling about the system being too impersonal. So we asked them what would work and they voted for a small coffee bar.
Energy
Q Give an example of when you did more than was required.
A When we set up the first self learning groups for employees to develop their business skills, I joined the first three groups myself and went to every meeting to show my commitment.
Honesty/lntegrity
Q Are you trustworthy?
A My current line manager now leaves me to oversee both payroll and purchasing, at the recent audit our department had the lowest number of discrepancies.
Coping with Stress
Q How do you handle stress?
A I work well under stress and I'm good at switching off completely when I need to. In my last job I ran stress management classes for some of the junior executives.
Effort/Initiative
Q Tell me about a project you started.
A Our turnover was falling so I organised a monthly training update programme for the sales staff.
Problem Solving
Q Can you think of a time when you solved a problem where others had failed?
A I was moved to the overseas office to manage a difficult but creative team who didn't want management imposed on them. I solved the problem by making it a two way process, they were to train me in their system at the same time that I was teaching them the new procedures.
Efficiency
Q What's your attitude to efficiency versus staff satisfaction?
A I don't believe there's a conflict. If the system works smoothly it's better for everyone. But if the system isn't user friendly, that in itself leads to resentment and more inefficiency.
Leadership
Q Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower?
A There are always people I can learn from. But when I am in a position of responsibility I enjoy taking the lead. Although this will be my first big promotion, I was elected chairman of the PTA at my children's school three years ago and built up the fund raising committee to raise money for a new swimming pool.
This perfect employee could probably take over from Richard Branson, but you don't have to come up with a real example for every heading yourself. See which ones you find examples for most easily. That in itself will tell you quite a lot - about yourself and your ideal job.
It's hard work but if you don't do it in advance, you'll be hard put to come up with anything convincing in the five to ten seconds you get in interview to describe how you dealt with a difficult employee or improved sales figures.
