Interview/ and Persuasion Communications

Interview/Persuasion

Communications

The recruiter opened slightly awkwardly with the comment that the interviewee should call her Liz (line 3); not only did it strike an oddly informal tone that was not at all maintained throughout the rest of the near-textbook interview, which seemed generally stiff and highly formal. It was obviously not expected by the interviewee, whose rather stammering and noncommittal response (line 4) shows the degree to which he is taken aback. This was also rather unnecessary, as shown by the lack of the applicant calling the recruiter anything at all during the entire interview. The awkwardness of the recruiter's transition into the truly substantive portion of the interview (line 7) could also be problematic. The recruiter's closing is stronger, seeming perhaps a bit abrupt although this would be expected given the scenario in which the interview is taking place and the rushed schedule. Her closing "good luck" comment (line 53) could also be interpreted negatively by the applicant (i.e. taken as a sign that there would be no job offer), but this is not exactly the recruiter's fault.

The questions asked were rather general and expected, and while they helped to gain some insight into the applicant they were not especially strong, nor was the probing that followed especially profound. Though initially asking about a problem-solving scenario (line 19), the probing led more to an understanding of the applicant's interpersonal capabilities. This would be useful information, to be sure, but it was not the point of the recruiter's questioning and the overall line of questioning let the applicant direct the interview.

In some other areas, the probing was simply non-existent, as in the question regarding the applicant's interest in TBD (line 33). The largest section of the interview is taken up by the applicant's effective direction of the interview to focus on his teamwork focus and his degree of leadership skills and interpersonal capabilities. Again, this is not bad information to have, but it shows a continued deflection on the part of the applicant that the recruiter allowed to persist. This did not allow the recruiter to gather the information she actually wanted, nor did it give time for the full probing of other categories that would be desired. In order to improve the interview, it is recommended that the recruiter develop a clearer and more certain focus on the type and direction of information she is after, and to ensure she actually makes a point of probing in these areas and of not letting the interview be derailed. A certain level of freedom in the applicant's responses is to be desired, of course, but the recruiter must remain in charge of the interview.

Part 2:

The applicant certainly did not answer the recruiter's questions in a way that would create a generally favorable impression; not a wholly negative one, but at best a mediocre or non-committal response. Though the applicant was quite frank in his admission of why he chose to transfer to Long Beach (line 10), he could have answered honestly and more favorably at the same time by simply talking about the program at the school. He also could have responded more at length about his interest in TBD rather than continually providing rather bland assertions of simply being excited and liking the company.

Many of the questions were not really answered fully or directly. As mentioned above, the applicant spent a great deal of time talking about his teamwork and social skills, and managed to find a way to twist many different questions into ways to provide responses on this topic. The question of why he would make a good hire is also something that could have used a more in-depth and personal answer, and is definitely something the applicant should have been prepared to respond to. The fact that he lists his "good GPA" first when it is only a 2.9 -- decent, perhaps, but certainly not outstanding or especially noteworthy -- is also a problem in this particular question (lines 36 & 38). The recruiter likely has an image of the applicant as rather focused on social skills and building/maintaining social relationships, and as rather unprepared to enter the rigors and the responsibilities of the workforce in any key position. The applicant does not seem unintelligent or horribly inept, but he did not create an impression of being truly skillful in dealing with this type of higher-pressure meeting, nor does he have any qualifications or strongly encouraging or even identifying signs that would make him truly stick out as a potential hire.

The applicant would be well advised to prepare for standard interview questions with practiced answers, as he clearly is not well suited to winging it. He should also be aware that even the most innocuous of questions is a means of judging him for appropriateness as a new hire, and thus even casual and "chatty" questions should be answered as professionally as possible. Keeping an eye towards his goal in all answers is the best advice for the applicant.

2. Question Responses

A.

At one point I found myself with a coworker who would talk incessantly, no matter what tasks were being carried out; she would even attempt to hold conversations while I was speaking with clients or with other coworkers. This was personally annoying and distracting from my productivity, and so I was faced with the task of needing to get this coworker to change her interruptive behavior without overstepping my authority or causing personal conflict, as this was someone I was going to continue seeing daily and working with on a regular basis. What I ultimately did was take to purposefully saying, "I'm sorry, but I really can't chat right now," or something similar, then turning my body completely away from her as I continued talking with clients or resumed with my work. I had to say this several times the first time I tried this, then only once, and then the problem pretty much went away -- the coworker stopped trying to start conversations at inappropriate times. I did notice a slight personal tension for a few days, but I think in all this was resolved smoothly.

B.

During a particular project at work that aimed to restructure and rebuild a client database, a project that was almost my sole responsibility during hours not occupied with the day-to-day tasks of my position. Unfortunately, it turned out that the existing database (in addition to being poorly organized and not especially well maintained generally) was split between two different machines running different programs that were not entirely compatible (actually, it was two different versions of Microsoft Excel from different years, but there were still compatibility issues), which meant a great deal of manual data entry had to be accomplished. After spending several hours searching for solutions and workarounds, it became clear that this time was being wasted when it could be sent simply putting my shoulder to the wheel and getting the grind of the work done. This is exactly what I set out to do, and instead of trying to make the software work I simply set about taking the numbers from one machine and moving them to the other, where I had built a more organized database in which to compile all of the client data we had collected. The project ended up taking several times longer than I had initially anticipated, but my supervisors were still thrilled with the result, which gave much easier access to needed information.

C.

Client problems are always some of the most important, so when two clients have problems that need to be solved the situation can be complex. I once had a situation where to clients required immediate attention to problems they were having with orders placed with the company. I had to decide which one to help first and which to place on hold, as there was no other relevant party available to handle one of the issues. Rather than trying to weight client importance, I simply dealt with the quicker issue first as this would allow me to handle both clients with the least amount of upset. The second client was still upset at having been put on hold for several minutes, but their problem ended up taking nearly half an hour to solve, and this would have undoubtedly lost the first client that had been helped.

D.

There are several instances where I think I have showed leadership despite the lack of a real leadership position, but the most interesting situations for me are those where an unusual problem needs to be solved. One such situation occurred when a basic maintenance issue in the workplace resulted in the inability to use several workstations. The problem was not anything especially dangerous or requiring special equipment, nor were the workplaces dangerous; it was simply a matter of getting sufficient power to the workstations and providing adequate lighting while a larger building reorganization plan was underway. Using a few rather novel solutions and enlisting and directing the help of a few other coworkers, I was able to get the workstations running in under an hour -- not something that had anything to do with my day-to-day job at the company, but a project that I thought would be fun and that I knew would be appreciated. By taking the initiative to accomplish this task, I showed leadership skills that my supervisor later praised me for, which was definitely encouraging.

E.

My supervisor was excellent in many aspects of her job, but could be forgetful when it came to returning client calls or attending to invoices that came due. When an item requiring her attention came across my desk, I would always be sure to have a face-to-face conversation with her, and to hand her a written not regarding the details of the same issue. I found that by communicating in both verbal and written messages it was far more likely that the needed information would actually be not only remembered but acted upon by the supervisor. The writing helped to ensure accuracy, of course, but I think it was of greater importance that she had a physical artifact simply to remind her that there was any information to remember at all more than the actual contents of these written notes. Transmitting the details via verbal communication helped to bring her immediate attention to the issue, and the written note would remain around until the issue had been dealt with, so both supported memory and action.