Page 72 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Unit 3: Interview Skills

Correctional interviews should be conducted when both the parties are calm. If a mediator or Notes
some representative of the employee or some union leader is also allowed to attend the interview
along with the employee, it might prove useful.

Behavioural Interview

A common type of job interview in the modern workplace is the behavioural interview or
behavioural event interview. This type of interview is based on the notion that a job candidate’s
previous behaviours are the best indicators of future performance. In behavioural interviews,
the interviewer asks candidates to recall specific instances where they were faced with a set of
circumstances, and how they reacted. Typical behavioural interview questions:
1. “Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream.
What did you do?”

2. “Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do?”
3. “Describe the worst project you worked on.”
4. “Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn’t like.”
5. “Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you had made, even though it
made you very unpopular.”
6. “Give us an example of something particularly innovative that you have done that made
a difference in the workplace.”
7. “What happened the last time you were late with a project?”

Informational Interview

An Informational Interview is a meeting in which a job seeker asks for advice rather than
employment. The job seeker uses the interview to gather information on the field, find
employment leads and expand their professional network. This differs from a job interview
because the job seeker asks the questions. There may or may not be employment opportunities
available. The term was coined by Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the bestselling career
handbook, What Color Is Your Parachute?

Informational interviews are initiated by the job seeker. There are many avenues the job seeker
may pursue to obtain the informational interview. Career and social networking, newspaper
want ads, job boards, placement services, company websites, human resource contacts, job
search engines, and professional recruiters.

Case Interview

A case interview is a job interview in which the applicant is given a question/situation/problem/
challenge and asked to resolve the situation. The case problem is often a business situation or a
business case that the interviewer has worked on in real life.
After the applicant is given information about the case, the applicant is expected to ask the
interviewer logical and sequential questions that will enable the applicant to understand the
situation, probe deeper into relevant areas, gather pertinent information and arrive at a solution
or recommendation for the question or situation at hand.

Case interviews are mostly used in hiring for management consulting and investment banking
jobs. Firms use case interviews to evaluate analytical ability and problem-solving skills; they
are looking not for a ‘correct’ answer but for an understanding of how the applicant thinks and

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 65