The '10-Second Rule' in Interviewing For a candidate, interviews can be an intense and nerve-wracking experience, especially when the job in question is an attractive one. The stakes are enormously high. Each interaction feels make-or-break. Imagine you’re in the candidate’s shoes. You’re finally in the room (or on the Zoom) with your would-be boss and you’re asked a thoughtful question about some element of your prior experience. You want desperately to pick a story from your memory bank that best fits the bill. You pause for a few moments to think and . . . the interviewer jumps in to rephrase the question. Were you too slow to respond? Are they frustrated that you didn’t have a great story perfectly lined up? Now the pressure is on, so you throw out a second-rate, multipurpose story that you’ve already told three other interviewers. And you’re mildly annoyed at your would-be boss. Effective interviewers are ones who allow silence when it really matters. Yes, it’s important to avoid wasting time in an interview, but time management is more about avoiding long backstories and low-value tangents. It’s not an invitation to rob candidates of those precious few seconds of silence when they are searching their memory banks for a compelling story from their past. It’s critical to understand the “time warp” that’s at play in these situations. If you’re a candidate, a five-second gap feels like nothing. Time appears to pass very quickly, because your cognitive load is high when you’re in data-retrieval mode. If you’re the interviewer, there is very little cognitive load. You’re just waiting for a response, so time seems to be crawling by. Three seconds might even feel a bit awkward. We have observed many mock interviews and timed the question-response gaps. Interviewers consistently overestimate how much time passed relative to candidates. Overall, it takes a lot longer for the gap to feel awkward to the candidate than it does to the interviewer. Silence is occasionally golden, so embrace the “10-second rule” We recommend a “10-second rule.” When you ask a candidate a question, be comfortable allowing a full 10-second gap before you attempt to “rescue” them and step in to rephrase the question. You will rarely need the full 10 seconds, but when you do, the candidate will thank you. One last thing to note: If candidates routinely hit the 10-second mark when responding, your questions may be too complex. Perhaps there are too many qualifiers or filters in your phrasing or some tricky spin that may be throwing them off. Keep it simple. Candidates will certainly thank you for that as well.
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Senior HRBP. Cluster HR Head. Vertical Head Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, HR Operations, Facilities & Administration. Head of Operations in Hospitality Business.
Many hiring managers does this mistake while taking an interview. Avoid the same. Yes, this is called Halo effect. Halo effect (or Halo error) is a cognitive bias that occurs when an initial positive judgment about a person unconsciously colors the perception of the individual as a whole. Halo effect is not only related to individual attending interview, it can affect customer's perception about a product or brand, a tourist's perception about a place or a country or it tends to happen while we interact with a new person or stranger. But here we stay focused on the detrimental outcome of Halo effect during an interview. Such cognitive bias often causes interviewer to make assumptions about a person's abilities, skills, and characteristics based on limited information or a single positive trait. This is often caused in the interviewer's mind by the candidate's initial impressions, dressing style, opening dialogues. Even sometimes the Halo effect starts from the CV, the layout of CV or the photo which is used in the CV or in the application form. We can understand that many of these starts forming automatically in the interviewer's mind leading to Halo effect, more so, when the interviewer is not experienced to handle such cognitive bias and is not conscious enough on how to overcome the same. Needless to say, Halo effect during interview may cause unnecessary rejection of well capable candidates, as such bias colours the interviewer's mind which leads to rejection of the candidate without properly probing during the interview. The opposite also happens. Due to Halo effect formation in interviewer's mind, less capable candidate may get selected without he or she being evaluated properly for his or her knowledge or level of competencies required for the job. So, it is very much important for hiring managers to tackle Halo effect during interview to do justice to the candidates. The only way we can screen them is by properly probing them during the interview, based on their knowledge, skills and attitude. Selection or rejection decision of candidates should be based on fair judgement of their level of competencies required to perform the job. Through self-reflection and conscious personal awareness, the interviewer can beat the Halo effect. The interviewer must watch out for such biases in their own thinking and decision making: sufficient time should be taken, one should question own thoughts, intentions and motivation; consult with others; in such way can guard themselves against this common thinking traps. So if you, as a hiring manager know about Halo effect and it's detrimental outcome, you will remain conscious to avert the same during interview. Else, you may fall into this trap causing rejection of good candidates or selection of not so deserving candidates. Please share your experience, have you ever experienced occurance of Halo effects when you have been an interviewer or interviewee?
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5 Things to Look Out for in Interviews 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐭: First impressions matter, and often, you can tell within the first 10-20 minutes whether a firm is the right fit for you. Pay attention to how you feel during this initial period. Are you comfortable, engaged, and interested? Or are you feeling uneasy and disconnected? 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞: During the interview, take note of who you’re meeting with. Are they people you’ll be working with regularly? If not, ask yourself why. A good interview process should involve potential colleagues and team members, not just managers or HR representatives. This inclusion shows that the company values collaboration and that team dynamics are important to them. If you’re only meeting higher-ups or people outside your day-to-day interactions, it might indicate that the company is more hierarchical or that decisions are made without much input from the team. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬: Pay close attention to the atmosphere of the interview. Is it all business, or do the interviewers create a relaxed, informal vibe? The tone of the interview can tell you a lot about the company’s culture. A firm that balances professionalism with a friendly, informal approach is often one where trust and autonomy are valued. They’ve already reviewed your resume and know your qualifications, so if the interview is overly formal or intense, it could be a sign of a micromanaging environment. On the other hand, if the interviewers are relaxed and conversational, it suggests they trust your capabilities and are looking to see if you’ll fit into the team. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫: The person who could be your future manager is a critical part of the interview. Do they make you feel relaxed or anxious? Consider how they handle pressure and whether they give off an air of calm under stress. A manager who remains composed in tough situations will likely be someone you can rely on to guide you through challenges without adding unnecessary stress. If, however, they seem flustered or overly critical, it might be a red flag that they could transfer that stress onto you. Your manager should be someone you can trust, confide in, and feel comfortable with, especially during high-pressure moments. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: Pay attention to how the interviewers conduct themselves. Did they arrive on time? Were they focused throughout the interview, or did they seem distracted or rushed? These details can reveal a lot about the company’s culture and how much they value their employees' time. If the interviewers are late, need to leave early, or seem disengaged, it might indicate a lack of organization, poor time management, or that they’re overworked.
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5 Things to Look Out for in Interviews 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐭: First impressions matter, and often, you can tell within the first 10-20 minutes whether a firm is the right fit for you. Pay attention to how you feel during this initial period. Are you comfortable, engaged, and interested? Or are you feeling uneasy and disconnected? 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞: During the interview, take note of who you’re meeting with. Are they people you’ll be working with regularly? If not, ask yourself why. A good interview process should involve potential colleagues and team members, not just managers or HR representatives. This inclusion shows that the company values collaboration and that team dynamics are important to them. If you’re only meeting higher-ups or people outside your day-to-day interactions, it might indicate that the company is more hierarchical or that decisions are made without much input from the team. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬: Pay close attention to the atmosphere of the interview. Is it all business, or do the interviewers create a relaxed, informal vibe? The tone of the interview can tell you a lot about the company’s culture. A firm that balances professionalism with a friendly, informal approach is often one where trust and autonomy are valued. They’ve already reviewed your resume and know your qualifications, so if the interview is overly formal or intense, it could be a sign of a micromanaging environment. On the other hand, if the interviewers are relaxed and conversational, it suggests they trust your capabilities and are looking to see if you’ll fit into the team. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫: The person who could be your future manager is a critical part of the interview. Do they make you feel relaxed or anxious? Consider how they handle pressure and whether they give off an air of calm under stress. A manager who remains composed in tough situations will likely be someone you can rely on to guide you through challenges without adding unnecessary stress. If, however, they seem flustered or overly critical, it might be a red flag that they could transfer that stress onto you. Your manager should be someone you can trust, confide in, and feel comfortable with, especially during high-pressure moments. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: Pay attention to how the interviewers conduct themselves. Did they arrive on time? Were they focused throughout the interview, or did they seem distracted or rushed? These details can reveal a lot about the company’s culture and how much they value their employees' time. If the interviewers are late, need to leave early, or seem disengaged, it might indicate a lack of organization, poor time management, or that they’re overworked.
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Mum | Managing Director of FWA with over 35 years of experience in empowering lawyers to achieve their career ambitions.
Interview As An Equal. Most candidates are faced with anxiety and nerves before and during an interview, wondering if they are saying the right things and reacting quickly enough to the interviewer’s questions. With all this and more going on in a candidate’s head whilst answering tricky questions, they likely feel they are being interrogated which will result in an unsuccessful interview on both parts. No firm or organisation wants an interview to end with both participants feeling that it didn’t go well. The candidate could leave with a bad impression of the firm or company, it could seem like an unorganised, unfriendly place to work. Interviewers can help put candidates at ease during an interview easily by making it their mission to bring shy candidates out of their shells. It only takes a few simple adjustments to their technique and some genuine interest and sincerity in what the candidate is saying. You need to get the best out of the Interviewer to get the best of the candidate. These few tips will benefit both the interviewer and the interviewee. -Realise the power of the pause – well-timed pauses are good, this will give the candidate time to properly think their answer through and also can act as a silent probe to get more information. -Mirror the candidate’s body language – this will subtly engage with the candidate, and they will unconsciously feel that you are equals. -Research the candidate just like they would you – this will establish a few talking points that will make the candidate more relaxed. -Before the interview ensure that the candidate knows exactly what to expect and there are no surprises – there will be no uncertainty for the candidate before, and they will be fully prepared reducing any pre-interview jitters. -Note to Interviewers – don’t take over the interview. This will automatically make the interview feel like an interrogation and will be uncomfortable. The interview should have the flow of a conversation rather than a question and answer. Remember that a new employee’s first day isn’t their first official day; their first day is the day they first engage with you in the hiring process, and that’s when their experience with you starts. Make it a good one. Please feel free to get in touch with us on a confidential basis and we would be happy to chat through any aspect of the recruitment process and how we can support you. #interviewpreparation#twowaystreet#fwalegalrecruitment
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Writer, speaker, and consultant on hiring, compensation, performance management, succession planning, careers, and talent management.
Red Flags That Interviewers Watch For Astute interviewers are doing several things during the interview. First, they are trying to make you feel comfortable and relaxed so you will enjoy the interview. Second, they are listening carefully to what you are saying to determine if you have the skills and experience to do what the job requires. And, third, they are watching for red flags—warning signs that something may be amiss or at least needs to be questioned further. What are some of those red flags interviewers watch for? I’ve interviewed over 15,000 people during my career. Here are 17 types of red flags I have noted and what they may indicate (shown in brackets): 1.Speaking negatively about former employers (always blames others for problems) 2. Long, rambling answers (disorganized thinking; unpreparedness) 3.Displaying little or no enthusiasm for the company or the job (poor attitude; applying for wrong reasons) 4.A pattern of leaving jobs due to disagreements with their boss (difficult to work with) 5.Ambiguity about why they left a particular job, especially when they weren’t moving to another one (hiding something) 6.Consistently using buzzwords without being able to back them up with real examples (superficial) 7.Starting to answer questions before interviewer has completed asking the question (poor listening skills) 8.Not asking questions at conclusion of interview (lack of curiosity) 9.Not knowing the names and positions of people who are interviewing them (unpreparedness) 10.Poor eye contact (poor listening skills) 11.Unreasonably high levels of self-confidence (arrogance) 12.Particularly brief (or particularly long) answers to interview questions (hiding something) 13.Unreasonable demands around compensation, benefits, perks, and work schedule (focused on self only) 14.Lack of specific work examples to back up answers (doesn’t have the skills) 15.Using inappropriate language during the interview (condescending, racist, sexist) 16.Inconsistent work history such as frequent job changes, questionable career moves, and unexplained gaps in employment (spotty track record) 17.Unsuitable attire (lack of self-awareness)
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Thoughts on Interview questions and how they can exclude potential great employees. After reading and article out of the UK on interview questions - I thought I would share some thoughts and see if I can assist in improving how you recruit, specifically on interview questions. Autistic people held back by job interview questions - report - BBC News What questions do you ask during interviews and why do you ask them? Do you have a bias on the answers you want? – do you rule someone out based on your preconceived idea of the right answer? Question- why do you want to work here? Now a Neurotypical (NT) person will know what you want to hear and give you that answer. Xxxxx's focus on making environmentally friendly and sustainable products and what they do for abc. They are lying, they just want the job, but they know this is the answer that you want. A Neurodivergent (ND) person will be direct and honest, I need a job to earn money so I can move out of home or buy a car. Your located close to home and it's a full-time role I want to work fulltime. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What a crap question - what's the goal of it? NT person will make up something that they think you want to hear. ND person will be honest, and it will probably not fit with your preconceived idea of the right answer. You probably don't provide questions to candidates before interviews. So, a ND person has to take time to understand the question and to answer on the spot may be difficult and make them uncomfortable, cause them to flounder and not be able to answer the question. You might believe it's about getting to know the person. That's crap, if you want to get to know someone ask then what they like we are doing, find out what they enjoy, what are their interests. Who you structure questions can be challenging. I know I have asked interviewers before I'm not sure what you’re asking I could take your question a few ways. But I'm comfortable to ask a person to clarify what they mean. Can you do hands on assessments – get them to show what they can do, so much better than answering a question and it’s fair to all There’s a lot of untapped ND talent out there, that are rule out through outdated recruitment practices. I challenge you to change your practices to make a good business choice and transform your environment into accepting & inclusive of neurodiversity and more fair and equitable recruitment to get the best candidates – hello@ndbus. Sally is a neurodivergent HR professional that wants to help.
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Career Coach and Expert | Helping professionals to discover their value | Hiring Manager for over decade | Providing solutions to boost leadership team and processes within organisations | Femme Palette Mentor | Trainer
9 Interview Mistakes That Scream 'Don't Hire Me! Interviews can get tricky. Subconsciously the hiring managers start looking for potential red flags in candidates. It's super hard to score an interview these days, so here are 9 red flags you absolutely need to avoid to clear your next interview. 1. Being unprepared: Failing to learn about the company and position you are applying for is a bad way to go into an interview. The interviewer will immediately feel you are lazy and uninterested in the role. 2. Arriving late: "If you are five minutes early, you are already ten minutes late,". The quote suggests that being exactly on time is not enough. First impressions matter in business. Arriving late shows you don’t respect the interviewer’s time. It tells them you struggle with poor time management. 3. Dressing inappropriately: Your attire should match the role you are interviewing for. Rocking a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to a corporate interview immediately puts off your interviewer. 4. Talking too much or too little: This one is a little tricky. If you babble when responding to questions, you risk going off-topic. Or worse, boring your interviewer. If you say too little, you give the impression of lacking knowledge or interest. 5. Sharing Unnecessary Personal Details: While it's important to build rapport, oversharing personal information may distract the interviewer from your professional qualifications. You end up leaving the interview with a lot of question marks. 6. Interrupting the Interviewer: Avoid talking over the interviewer. Constantly interrupting and cutting in before the question is done, shows impatience. Additionally, if you fail to understand the questions before responding, you could answer incorrectly. 7. Having the Wrong Mindset: The company opened the position to solve a need. Failing to focus on how you can solve that need will cause a disconnect between you and the interviewer. 8. Skipping the Opportunity to Ask Questions: “No” is the wrong response when an interviewer asks “Do you have any questions for me?”. It shows a lack of preparation and interest in the role and the company. It always pays to have at least one question prepared for the interviewer. 9. Bashing past/current employers: Being openly critical of your current or past employer only paints you as a difficult employee. It doesn't matter if your claims are valid or not. You could be perceived as a complainer and a potential risk to team harmony.
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Curious about you and your future.. | Executive Coach | Career Consultant | Coaching Supervisor | Facilitator | Career Transition | Associate Team Lead | NLP | Leadership Development | Mentor | CV Expert | DISC |
What's your interview preparation strategy? When preparing for interview, you may think about what questions you might be asked and how to answer those questions. You might think about the questions you could ask the interviewer, and what might they say in response. You might say, I want to make sure that I've got a pen & book to write in. I've printed my CV off, my experience examples, the research on the organisation... Basically an interview toolkit in hand. I have had many debates with people about whether taking a notebook in is good or bad, I think it's good, it shows you're ready. But that's another topic.. The point I'd like to talk about today is your "Tell me about yourself statement". Your extended elevator pitch, your positioning statement. Whatever label you choose to give, to the time that you have to introduce yourself to somebody else, is what I'd like to focus on. It's really important to get into the psyche of the people that you will be interviewed by. There's potentially many phases to an interview. A pre screening with a Recruiter. An informal chat (should that exist), a formal interview or series of them. It might be with one person, a panel. Some people are set tasks for the interview preparation where they have to do an assignment or presentation. If you can get into the psyche of the person.... each person may have a unique set of things written down, high priority items that they must hear you say, that will influence the decision maker in taking you further. If you're speaking to a HR person, their top six might be slightly different to the recruiters, and to the hiring manager and so on. So for each stage of the interview, sit and write down the top three or top six, what are the top priorities, what is it that they hope you can deliver, on or help them with. What should you include in your Tell me about Yourself Statement? Here are my five tips. 1) Start with "I am A" 2) Share recent but relevant experience. There is no need to give a timeline of your whole career. They will get bored. 3) Tell them three really important things that they must know about you. Perhaps those three things are included in the top six? 4) Play back a little bit of research, empathy or reflection on the role, the industry, the challenges they or the organisations/profession are facing. 5) Also, you want to include the why me? "So the reason I'm excited to be here is because" I know I can add value here, here and here. Perhaps this is another opportunity for you to showcase areas within the top six priorities. The stage is yours for about one and a half minutes. If you could encourage your introduction as soon as possible, go for it.... This is your moment
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Here is why some of your favorite interview questions aren’t very effective. Many interviewers like to ask candidates hypothetical questions, starting with something like "What will you do if [you face this problem you are likely to face in this job]"? Many interviewers also don't like asking behavioral questions, starting with, “Tell me about a specific time you [faced this problem you are likely to face in this job]." Interviews often like hypothetical questions because they allow the interviewer to evaluate how the candidate breaks down and solves problems. The answers to hypothetical questions are usually easy to evaluate. As an interviewer, I might think something like this, "I'd solve the problem these three ways, and they mentioned two of the ways plus one other creative solution. That's pretty good." or "They only mentioned one of the ways I'd use to solve it, and the rambled a bit. Not great." Hypothetical questions may illuminate information about the candidate's intelligence, which is a crucial aspect of most complex jobs. However, you likely don't want to hire someone who is just book smart but ineffective or lazy at applying their intelligence in complex situations. Hypothetical questions are typically only marginally effective at showing whether the candidate will effectively solve your challenges. Behavioral questions are harder to evaluate. Interviewers often don't like behavioral questions because many candidates can give a prepared answer that isn’t very illuminating. You must get the follow-up questions right to be effective with behavioral interview questions. You cannot just accept a three-minute rehearsed answer and then move on. You have to listen carefully. You have to wade through understanding complex situations and actions. You need to keep asking for a level of detail that the candidate will only provide if they’ve actually experienced this complex situation. You must ask follow-up questions to ensure you understand the situations presented to you by the candidate, to understand the plan of action they took, the reasons for the plan of action, the lessons they learned, and how they’ve applied those lessons in other situations. You typically need to spend a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes on each question. If it goes well, the result of all of this follow-up is that you'll learn about the candidate’s intelligence. You learn how they approach complex problems. You learn whether they keep going in challenging situations. You learn how determined they are. You learn whether the candidate is both smart and effective at solving problems and achieving results. Hypothetical questions are tempting for an interviewer because they are more straightforward and easier to evaluate. Research shows that for complex jobs, behavioral questions are more effective. They can provide a much richer canvas to go deeper to learn more about the candidate.
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A piece of advice for interview candidates: When the interviewer gives you an opportunity at the end of their segment with you to ask any questions of them, one thing you should generally NOT ask is about how you did. Questions like "How did I do?", "Did I get X question right?", "What can I expect from here?", etc., are difficult for interviewers to answer on the spot, and sometimes we are forbidden from answering them at all. At least in large companies, trying to answer a question like that can set false expectations on a potential hiring decision - especially when the person trying to answer is not the hiring manager. Different companies of course have different approaches and policies, but in my experience, it's the recruiter's job to communicate the final decision to the candidate, and that only happens after the decision has been made through a thoughtful review process. On multi-person loops, that debrief usually occurs after all of the people on the loop have spoken to the candidate and shared their feedback with the hiring manager. In many cases, different people have different feelings on whether to hire the candidate, hence the need for a consensus. As such, an individual on the loop needs to avoid saying things like "You did well/poorly" or provide much feedback on your performance, as it could come across as a promise to hire or an indication that you won't be hired - neither of which are necessarily true at that moment. The questions I usually look for at the end of my segments are things that show interest in the company, e.g. "How do you like working there?", "What is the culture like?", "What would I be doing on a day-to-day basis?" (That last one may also be hard to answer, but for different reasons.) As I've said in prior posts, good interviews emphasize wanting to work WITH you as a colleague, so showing that you want to work with us means a lot when we assess your fitness for the position.
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