DR MOHAMED NOUHI

INTERVIEWING SKILLS
“Luck is what happens when preparation
meets opportunity.”
Seneca, Philosopher
Defining Interviews
After graduation, setting for an interview is a vital requirement for engineers in their search
for recruitment. Interviews offer several benefits to business organizations:
✓In the conventional sense, an interview is an information-giving process of identifying,
collecting, analyzing, assessing, and selecting the suitability of candidates for job vacancies
and employment offers in terms of duties and responsibilities.
✓As an integral part of the hiring process, the interview provides an opportunity for Human
Resource professionals to interact with candidates to gain insights about their
competencies, knowledge, intelligence, personality traits, aptitudes, and qualifications
beyond what can be found in a CV, recommendation, or application letters.
✓ Fair and effective interviews provide multiplicity of measures in order to enhance the
validity, the reliability, and the accountability of the selected candidate for the employment
contract.
✓Interviews are useful to assess and decide whether the candidate could fit in with the
corporate culture and match business norms, values, mission, and criteria.
✓ An interview is a significant selective procedure for the assessment of the candidates potential in terms of communication skills, persuasive argumentation, interactive feedback, critical thinking skills, professional awareness, technical competencies, and social behavior.
Critical Incident Technique:
The method was initiated and developed by Flanagan (1954) under the name
“Business Process Re-engineering”. In this method the emphasis is upon those
incidents that have been significant or critical in determining the success or otherwise
in the job. Through this method, the interviewee is supposed to describe a time when
a behavior, an action, or occurrence impacted positively or negatively a specific
outcome. By exploring these important turning points one may build a picture of
those behaviours that are required for effective performance in the role, and where
lack of the capacity to cope with a particular type of incident would be especially
disabling. These situations then form the basis for structuring the interview: control
of initiatives, making decisions, and taking charge of the events, and exploring
specific behaviour. It indicates the candidates’ responses to hypothetical situations
and to the Patterned Behaviour Description Interview (PBDI) in which they are
asked about their actual experiences. In short, it is a useful methodology to uncover
critical requirements for people, systems, and processes.
FRASER’S 5-POINT SYSTEM VS RODGER’S 7-POINT PLAN
THE FIVE-FOLD GRADING SYSTEM (MUNRO FRASER)
1 Impact on others •Physical make-up
• Appearance
• Speech & manner
2 Acquired • Education
qualifications • Vocational training
• Work experience
3 Innate abilities • Natural quickness of comprehension and aptitude for
learning
4 Motivation • Kinds of goals set by the individual
• Consistence and determination in following them through
• Success in achieving them
5 Adjustment • Emotional stability
• Ability to stand up to stress
• Ability to get on with people
THE SEVEN-POINT PLAN(RODGER)
1 Physical make-up health, physique, appearance, bearing & speech
2 Attainments education, qualifications, experience, achievements
3 General intelligence intellectual capacity, learning, analysis, synthesis
4 Special aptitudes mechanical, manual dexterity, computer literacy, etc
5 Interests intellectual, practical – constructional, physically
active, social, artistic
6 Disposition Maturity, acceptability, influence over others,
steadiness, dependability, compassion, self-reliance
7 Circumstances domestic circumstances, occupations of family,
geographical mobility
The role of competencies:
Executives strong in control of initiatives make a definite decision to
proceed with an action or actions. They see themselves as owners of
decisions and the actions required to stem from them.
Positive indicators Negative indicators
Can identify when a decision to be made. Vague about decision points
Takes charge of a range of activities Lets activities ‘take their courses’
In charge of their own time Event-driven
Statements indicating ownership Ownership for actions
personally or with or through resting with outsiders,
The repertory grid:
One of the most powerful techniques established for determining
relevant dimensions to explore in interviews is the repertory grid. This is
by no means used exclusively for definitions to be fed into interviewing
practice and it is a methodology that can be used in connection with
assessment centres or counselling situations. It was developed by Kelly
(1955), it is a way of sorting out the concepts or constructs a person uses
to describe a particular area of interest. In the case of selection the
area of interest would be the characteristic behaviours or attitudes
relating to a particular job.
STRUCTURED PSYCHOMETRIC INTERVIEWS (SPI): Most often,
psychometric testing assess personality and intelligence, but here it
aims to evaluate Excellence modelling
often delivered by telephone, an approach which appears to work
well. It has the advantage of saving a large amount of time and
money. It can sometimes appear unfamiliar as a method to candidates
and appropriate briefing is necessary. involves the development of
questions, the responses to which distinguish between superior and
ineffective exponents of a role.
THE BOARD OR PANEL INTERVIEW: In the board interview interviewing is
carried out by a group of people, typically acting under the chairmanship of
one of their number; there may be a division of labour, with different
people exploring different aspects of the candidate’s suitability.
1-Observe Behaviour- 2.Record Observations-
3.Classify into competencies- 4.Evaluate against the
standards/Norms
DIRECT INFLUENCING:
The ability to convince others to buy something or to support a recommended course
of action, and the ability to reach a compromise between two conflicting parties.
Behavioural indicators
Persuades others by pointing out benefits to them and Presents own position
persuasively.
Uses information or data effectively to persuade others or
Offers several different arguments to persuade or support a
Explains complex ideas by using well-chosen examples from personal experience.
Prepares for presentations with documentation, facts and figures.
Anticipates and prepares for how people will react.
Identifies the most important concerns and issues to others.
Tailors own language to the level of audience.
Makes a special effort to relate to people and their own level of understanding.
Case Questions: are often used by consulting companies to assess analytical and problem
solving skills. The interviewer presents a situation and asks you to discuss possible solutions. A sample
case question is, "Describe a managed care company that you think is successful and explain why. What
do they do that works? What are their potential problems? What is your outlook for their future? What
suggestions do you have for their future?"

Behavioral or situational questions are used to assess how you would behave
in different circumstances and to predict your behaviour in future, similar situations. An interviewer may
ask, "Tell me about a time when a team you were working on was unable to proceed due to some
interpersonal conflict. How did you respond, and what role did you play on the team?"

Role-play questions entail the interviewer asking you to put yourself in another role and
decide how you would handle a specific problem.

Industry-specific questions are questions regarding the latest trends or issues in the
industry. An interviewer may ask, "If you were a CEO of Microsoft’s main competitor, what actions would
you take in the on-line services market?“
Question types and formats in Interviewing:
1.Leading questions: A leading question is one in which the response is assumed.
‘Don’t you agree that . . .’ ‘Some people say that a manager should be able to do
everything that their staff can, while others say that this is not necessary and may
incline the manager to get trapped in detail. How do you feel about that?’
2.Closed questions: Those that only admit of specific answers such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Examples of useful closed questions are, ‘When did you work on product X?’, ‘Did
you have direct or functional responsibility for the accountants in division Y?’, ‘How
long did it take to develop that plan?’
3. Open questions: They are means of generating information. These invite views:
‘What are your opinions on…?’, ‘How did you find X…?’
4. Probing and Portmanteau Questions: Probing question, which may be used to
generate further information using ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions. The portmanteau
question puts forward a series of propositions. In response to portmanteau
questions, the interviewee might be required directly to demonstrate intellectual
powers rather than reviewing only some aspect of her career or experience.
 Useful tips for Successful Interviewing
Before the Interview
Research the Company - A company's website is an excellent place to begin. It usually gives you
information on whether it is international or domestic, what its revenues are, how many locations it has, and the nature
of its major products. Most companies are very proud of their websites. Don't be surprised if one of the first questions
interviewers ask when you arrive is, "Have you have had a chance to look at our website?

Practice interviews - Write down a list of possible questions that you think may be asked, then
have a friend act as an interviewer and direct them to you in a practice interview situation. Don't stop until you feel
comfortable answering each question. Practicing beforehand will make you feel more comfortable and relaxed during
the interview.

Dress Professionally - In today's environment, wearing a suit isn't always necessary. Contact
the HR Manager of the company or your recruiter, and find out what the dress code is for the company at which you
are going to interview. Then dress one level above. For instance, if it is business casual, men can wear dress pants, dress
shirt, and sport coat. Women can wear a pantsuit, dress, or a skirt and blouse. Visual impressions are very important.
Therefore, if in doubt, always dress on the conservative side. Arrival - Try to arrive at the interview location a little
early. This gives you time to determine where you need to go, and will give DO NOT arrive late. Nothing destroys your
at impressing an employer more than arriving late and offering no explanation. If you learn at the last minute that you
are going to be arriving late at the interview, call and let the interviewer know. Interviewers understand that things can
come up suddenly. You are never considered late if you call and make them aware of the fact.
 During the Interview
First impressions - First impressions take only thirty seconds. Establishing rapport,
direct and sustained eye contact, a firm handshake, a warm smile, good posture, and
introducing yourself in a confident manner are important ingredients. A well-
groomed, professional appearance is critical. Greet the interviewer with a firm
handshake, whether it is a woman or a man. (No one likes a weak handshake.)
Always maintain eye contact while shaking hands.
Smile - A smile denotes confidence in a candidate. Try to smile often. Also, don't be afraid to
use some hand animation while answering questions. This suggests enthusiasm in a candidate.
Body Language - Use good posture, and look the interviewer right in the eye. Sit up straight.
Never slouch.
Speak Clearly - Don't mumble. It portrays a lack of confidence. Speak with assurance. This
indicates confidence.
Listen Before Answering - Allow the employer to begin the interview; Make sure you
understand the question. If not, ask the interviewer to clarify it. Don't be afraid to take some time
to think before answering. Interviewers are impressed with someone who thinks out an answer
before speaking.
Give Brief Answers - Make your answer concise and to the point. Rambling tends to suggest
that you really don't have the answer to the question(s) asked.

Previous Employers - Never, ever say anything negative about your present or previous
employers. No matter how much you may have disliked someone, find a way to give your experiences
a positive spin.

Be Truthful - Don't lie when asked about something you haven't done. The next question will
be "tell us about it.“ Know Your Resume - Be prepared to talk about every fact that is on your resume.
Many people embellish their accomplishments on their resumes. Avoid this, since the only point of
reference an interviewer has about you is the resume you provide to him/her beforehand. Keep things
at a professional level - Sometimes near the end of an interview, the two parties start feeling
comfortable with each other. Don't let this comfortable feeling lead Page 3 of 5 you to telling them
something about yourself that they really shouldn't know. Always keep things at a professional level.
Five things that You Should never do in an interview
Swear: Four-letter words might be much more common and socially acceptable
these days but they remain jarringly inappropriate in the context of a job
interview.
Overshare: Ideally, avoid bringing up your personal life at all. If it can’t be
avoided, don’t go any further than referring to ‘a personal issue’ – a job
interview is never the place or time to discuss the impact a relationship
breakdown had on your career path.
Veer into over-familiarity: Establishing a warm rapport is good;
overstepping professional boundaries is not.
Leave your phone on (or, even worse, look at it)
Either make sure you’re free of any potential digital distractions before entering
an interview or double-check they are switched off.
Ask about the perks: extras like leave entitlements, company cars and
subsidised gym memberships. But at the interview, ask not what the company