Page 75 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes Technical Interview

This kind of interview focuses on problem-solving and creativity. The questions aim at your
problem solving skills and likely show your ability and creativity. Sometimes these interviews
will be on a computer module with multiple-choice questions.
Personality Interview

This form of interview evaluates you as an individual in terms of your response to certain
situations set before you. The emphasis is not on what you answer, but on how you answer. The
whole range of non-verbal communication skills are brought into play to demonstrate you as
an “all round personality”.

Fundamental Principles of Interviewing
Notes
Most employment decisions are based on interviewing the applicant. However, most
interviews do not provide us with sufficient information to make an informed decision.
As a consequence, most hiring decisions are based on who the interviewers like best. To
conduct more effective interviews, follow these principles:
1. Ask questions that allow the candidate to do at least 70% of the talking. For the most
part, avoid questions that can be answered by a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. The best questions are
ones that make the candidates recount their past experience.
2. Phrase your questions so that the desired or ‘right’ answer is not apparent to the
applicant.
3. Ask only one question about one subject at a time.
4. Ask the easy questions first so as to make the applicant feel comfortable.
5. All questions should be directly related to finding out about the applicant’s ability
to do the job, not about his/her personal life.
6. Spend the entire time writing and recording the candidate’s answers and any
assumptions you are making.
7. Interviews are generally a poor place to test the candidate’s skills, other than the
skill of being interviewed. Some interpersonal skills can be tested, however, through
the use of role-playing with the applicant.
8. While you are writing, not occasionally to let the applicant know you are listening.
9. If the applicant does not respond right away to a question, wait. Give him/her time,
while you add to your notes.
10. Follow up: ask the person to tell you more, to give more details.
11. Ask the candidate to describe his/her past behaviour in the kind of situations he/
she will encounter on the job.
12. Alternate between easy non-threatening questions and more difficult pointed ones.
13. After you have asked the candidate all your questions, allow him/her time to ask
you any questions he/she might have about the job.

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