JOB SPECIAL...THE MODERN DAY INTERVIEW

THE MODERN DAY INTERVIEW

Today, during a job interview, your recruiter is not interested to find out where you see yourself five years from now. The modern-day interview questions are insightful, well-researched and slightly twisted

Prashant Deo Singh, head HR & group affairs, Panasonic India
Asking offbeat questions isn't a trend, but a need most HR managers are addressing to hire the right candidates equipped with:
a) The potential to grow (one who displays the curiosity towards how he/she develops and invests in his/her learnings);
b) Problem-solving abilities;
c) Team-management and collaborative skills;
d) Analytical abilities;
e) A more strategic rather than an operational approach (with more emphasis on the "what" and "why").
Tanvi Chaturvedi,  product development leader, Pearson Talent Assessment
Prepare yourself for:
If your work-life were to feature in the news, what would the headline say and why?
What your reply should be and why: This is the mundane "Tell me about yourself" question revised. Through this question, the employer can gauge how a job seeker perceives his/her work-life and the critical incidents that have impacted workplace behaviour. There is no right or wrong answer to this question; simply, justify the "headline" you have suggested by sharing critical incidents. This question is not intended to assess creativity (as it looks like!); rather it assesses the fit between the candidate's potential and organisational culture.
Come up with an imaginary co-worker and describe that co-worker to us
What your reply should be and why: An individual's perception of others, even imaginary ones, suggests a lot about an individual's "psychological capital", a cluster of personality and values. There is no specific answer to this; however, it is observed that the participants who envisioned positive co-workers contributed more to the actual workplace.
Gone are the days of:
What do you think is your biggest weakness?
Why it's boring: Applicants typically responded to this question by disguising a positive trait into a weakness. Some standard responses, which people gave are ‘I'm a bit of a perfectionist' or ‘I tend to work too hard and expect others to do the same'.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Why it's boring: Basically, an employer needs reassurance that despite being achievement-oriented, one is not going to ‘jump ship' to a competitor in a year after joining.  As critical this question seems, it fails to meet the purpose. One should not make five-year plans for the company. Rather, they should concentrate on what aspirants can do for the organisation in the present, and whether they show the resilience to adapt to changing business conditions in the future.
Gurmeet Singh, area director of HR, India, Maldives, Marriott Int'l Inc
He feels that it's vital to customise interviews for junior, middle and senior levels and ask questions around two vital parameters: adaptability and talent management.
Adaptability (Junior & Mid-level):
a) Tell me about a situation in which you had to adjust quickly to a significant change in the organisation, department or team priorities. How did the change affect you?
b) Describe one of the most stressful interactions you've had with an internal/external customer. How did you react?
c) Give me an example of a time when you felt overwhelmed at work. How did you react?
Significance for asking these questions: These questions are asked in order to understand if the candidate maintains his/her performance under pressure or when experiencing changes or challenges at the workplace.
Talent management (senior level):
a) Tell me about a time when you gave feedback to reinforce someone's effective performance;
b) Tell me about a time when you conducted on-the-job coaching;
c) Tell me about a time when you provided feedback to someone after that person performed poorly.
Significance for asking these questions: These help understand whether the candidate is equipped with skills needed to strengthen competencies of juniors. They gauge team skills and one's ability to collaboratively establish goals that champion positive results.
Prashant Bhatnagar, Director hiring, Sapient India
He lists the top 3 job interview hits and misses:
Out with the old...

• What are your interests or hobbies?
• Why do you feel you are right for this job?
• What are your short-term/long-term goals?

In with the new

• What excites you about your work?
• If you had to do things differently in your role, what would they be and why?
• Tell me about a time when you had to go over and beyond your job role and how did you handle it?

- Viren Naidu ASC 120207