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What to expect during the Open Interview and the Structured Interview – Part III



This week’s article includes advice for preparing for the Open and the Structured Interviews Aug 19, 2010 The Open Interview An open interview follows a free and flexible format. You will be asked open-ended questions and you would also be given the freedom to drive the conversation in the direction you prefer. This is a very favorable position to be in because you can easily talk about your strong points to the recruiter. The most effective way to do that is to have ready a short summary of your qualifications and experience highlighting your strongest skills and supported by examples. Classic questions you can expect during this type of interview are the “Tell me about yourself… ”, “Why did you apply for this position?”, “Why should we hire you?”, etc. In order to best perform, we would advise that you: • Prepare examples of your achievements and accomplishments using a PAR structure *PAR – Problem, Action and Result – first you describe the Problem you were facing, then talk about the Actions you had taken and summarize the Results you achieved. • Remain alert for the feedback by the interviewer. Although you are given the lead do not forget what the roles are. Otherwise you risk coming out as dominating – try to remain in your role of an interviewee and answer the questions you are given. • Prepare a list of questions to ask when given the chance. This will help you build an image of someone who has thought hard on the job offer and has studied the company, the sector, etc. You can also use these questions to research the company and find out more detailed information. • Use self-disclose as a tool to build a better relationship with the interviewer. What “self-disclosure” during an interview means is that you take the opportunity to tell something that would complement your profile with background information. It is important that you provide the interviewer with a “feel” of what it would be like to have you in the office, and the open interview provides you with a great opportunity to do so. The Structured Interview It is often the case that the interviewer asks all the candidates the same series of questions in order to be able to more easily evaluate and decide among them. Thus, the structured interview can be seen as somewhat rigid and strict interview, where the recruiter has a clear agenda and is looking to compare the candidates based on the answers that they have given to the same questions. Further, the structured interview will allow the interviewer to get initial data about you, your professional history and get a peek into your personality. The dynamics of this type of interview would greatly depend on the personal character of the interviewer. Thus, we would advise for you to adapt to the interviewer’s style and follow the road where they lead you. • Leave the lead to the interviewer but not the complete control. Even if the interview seems to follow a very predetermined logic, do not miss an opportunity to demonstrate achievements or share information that you think is relevant or beneficial. • Do not get intimidated by what would seem a steady stream of questions that you cannot break off from. Use every answer to highlight your stated competencies and to bring out the best of your professional experience and knowledge to the table. • Project a good attitude. To “click” with the interviewer will increase your chances to get the job or moving to the next stage and your attitude will help you with that. Stress your enthusiasm to work there and your determination to do a great job.   The Growinfinance.com Team   How to do a qualified job search How to Follow Up on Your Job Application First company contact How to prepare for your first interview – Part I What to expect during the different types of interviews you could encounter – Part II What to expect during the Open Interview and the Structured Interview – Part III What to expect during the Stress Interview and the Competency Interview – Part IV