There’s an eyeopening article in today’s Wall Street Journal, http://tinyurl.com/nn5uut, about some of the hoops that job seekers have to jump through when applying for an open position these days. Go to an interview and you won’t just be answering complex case questions or providing an on-the-spot business analysis. In an effort to really determine what a potential employee is “made of”, interviewers are posing intrusive and highly sensitive personal questions, or asking candidates to perform outrageous acts such presenting a play with other applicants on a sidewalk next to a highway. Get through this process without losing your cool and there’s a good chance you’ll get to the next round.
The point is that it’s a buyers market and hiring managers are using that advantage to get the very best candidates for any open position. Whether tactics like these can really uncover who will perform best when they’re on the job is another question. But like it or not, if you’re looking for a job these days, you’ll not only have to put up with the current interview tactics, you’ll have to excel at them if you’re going land the gig. I cover stress questions and marathon interviews in my book “When Can You Start?” http://www.gethired.com/books/ And there’s a wealth of material online that can help you as well. The key is preparation and rehearsal.
With bonafide hiring interviews such a rare commodity these days, treat it like the precious opportunity that it is. Prepare and rehearse but don’t be surprised if an interviewer wants you to do something or asks you a question that makes you want to respond with bodily harm. And remember, it’s not always what you say, but how you say it that can get you to the next round.