{"id":4876,"date":"2014-05-15T08:37:32","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T15:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recruitloop.wpengine.com\/?p=4876"},"modified":"2023-05-15T10:45:35","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T17:45:35","slug":"7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Interview Tips From Bob The Builder And Five-Year Olds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of course I have always loved recruiting for my clients and helping them build their teams. But the excitement and adrenalin levels certainly go up a notch when you\u2019re recruiting for one of your own.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had a few candidates share feedback with me like \u201cI didn\u2019t think this interview was going to be so gruelling<\/em>\u201d; \u201cSome of those questions really made me think<\/em>\u201d; \u201cThank you for seeing past the nerves. That was awesome<\/em>\u201d; \u201cThere\u2019s no way I could have prepared for that<\/em>\u201d; or \u201cYou must have been the interview master back in your day<\/em>\u201d!<\/p>\n

Back in my day? Really?<\/p>\n

So I just wanted to share a few tips whether you\u2019re interviewing candidates over the phone, on Skype, or in person to ensure you don\u2019t accidentally miss out on your next rock star.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Chip away slowly at first<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You know what it\u2019s like. There\u2019s a candidate sitting opposite you and you can tell straight away that they\u2019re pretending to be somebody else. It\u2019s important that you see past \u201cMr Uber Confident<\/em>\u201d or \u201cLittle Miss Enthusiastic<\/em>\u201d, but it might not happen immediately. Tell them to relax and to just be themselves. Don\u2019t launch into interrogation mode straight away. Try to get them to open up a bit. Sometimes it even helps to say something like \u201cBefore I ask you any more questions, I just want to make sure I\u2019m talking to the real<\/em> [insert candidate\u2019s name]\u201d.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Just keep digging<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In\u00a0one of our recent webinars<\/a>\u00a0I discussed the importance of asking specific or situational based questions during every candidate interview. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep digging until you get to the core of the response.<\/p>\n

For a complete ‘STAR<\/strong>‘ answer, you need to ensure you drill beneath any generic or superficial response until you are satisfied that your candidate has described a specific S<\/strong>ituation; the exact T<\/strong>ask that they were faced with; the A<\/strong>ction they took to tackle it; and of course the final R<\/strong>esult.<\/p>\n

One of my favourite reactions to even a slightly generic response is to say, \u201cOK. Thanks for the textbook answer. I\u2019ll let you start again<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Watch their reaction. It works.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Keep your torch on at all times<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Candidates often have the innate ability to give very convoluted responses to even the most basic questions. It could be nerves or it could be that they\u2019re not really listening. Don\u2019t let them lead you down the wrong path or give you the response they think you need to hear. Make sure you keep them on track. Guide them in the right direction. You don\u2019t actually want them to get lost or to fumble along blindly in a dark cave.<\/p>\n

You just want to know whether they can honestly answer your questions. Keep the spotlight on them (no \u2026 not like in a police interrogation situation) so that they know you\u2019re actually there to help them get through the interview.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0No really \u2026 how? Tell me how<\/em>?<\/h3>\n

I remember my nephew once asking me how \u2018they\u2019 could build a tunnel under the harbour.<\/p>\n

I am not exaggerating here but after at least 10 \u201cbut how?<\/em>\u201d or \u201cbut why?<\/em>\u201d questions, I had actually given the most detailed explanation so that even a five-year old had no more questions and was satisfied with my description of the engineering feat behind the tunnel\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n

Kids know how to keep asking (often incessantly) until they\u2019re happy with the answer. Take a leaf out of their book, and if your candidate\u2019s response isn\u2019t detailed enough, throwing in a few \u201cbut hows<\/em>\u201d can suddenly provide you with the response you\u2019re really after.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Slow down and tell me what actually happened<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A child runs inside. You hear the words \u201cmean<\/em>\u201d, \u201csandpit<\/em>\u201d, \u201chit<\/em>\u201d, \u201cspit<\/em>\u201d and \u201chate<\/em>\u201d before the outburst of tears.\u00a0A kiss on the head, a hug, or perhaps the bribe of a piece of chocolate and suddenly the tears stop and you\u2019re able to make sense of it all.<\/p>\n

Aside from the textbook answers I mentioned above, there are candidates out there who have a habit of talking about situations they weren\u2019t even involved in.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t fall for it.<\/p>\n

The most obvious sign of a candidate \u2018twisting\u2019 the truth is where they speed up, start dropping in buzz phrases, and basically try to baffle you with bullsh*t. There is nothing wrong with telling the candidate to slow down and then (without coming across like an angry parent) asking them to tell you what really<\/em> happened.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Don\u2019t be scared of the dark<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No \u2013 this one is not the kids\u2019 equivalent of the miners\u2019 torch scenario above.<\/p>\n

Interviewing candidates can be terrifying for many first time hiring managers. But rest assured, \u00a0you\u2019re not going to come across any monsters, witches, ghosts or bogeymen.<\/p>\n

You may well need to close your eyes and take a deep breath before walking into your first few interviews. But just remember an interview is simply two adults having a professional conversation.<\/p>\n

Oh \u2026 and by they way, there\u2019s a chance that your candidate is actually more scared than you are.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Are there any questions?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Remember back in infants\u2019 school when you\u2019d have to stand up for \u201cNews<\/em>\u201d or \u201cShow and Tell<\/em>\u201d?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a nice flashback for you.<\/p>\n

At the end of our little presentations about what we did on the weekend or over the holidays, we\u2019d have to ask the class \u201cAre there any questions?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Would you prefer to face a group of cross-legged blank stares sitting in front of you on the mat? Or would you rather they ask you more about your day at the zoo or what you ate for dinner at your aunt\u2019s place in the country?<\/p>\n

Wrapping up an interview can be difficult \u2013 especially if there\u2019s an awkward silence. So make sure you ask your candidate if they have any questions. If they don\u2019t, it usually means they\u2019re just not interested or they can\u2019t think on their feet. It definitely doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve covered everything.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Oh and in case you\u2019re wondering, we\u2019re currently on the hunt for exceptional Sales Executives on both sides of the Pacific. That\u2019s right \u2026 Sydney and<\/em> San Francisco. So if you know any results-driven go-getters, please feel free to send them our way<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Drills, tunnels, torches, monsters, ghosts and bogeymen. Is this an episode of Bob the Builder meets Scooby-Doo? No. I just wanted to share a few interview tips to ensure you don\u2019t accidentally miss out on your next rock star.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[73],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n7 Interview Tips from Bob The Builder And Five-Year Olds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are a few interview tips to ensure you don\u2019t accidentally miss out on your next rock star.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Interview Tips from Bob The Builder And Five-Year Olds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here are a few interview tips to ensure you don\u2019t accidentally miss out on your next rock star.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zippia For Employers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zippia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-15T15:37:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-15T17:45:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paul Slezak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@paul_slezak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ZippiaInc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul Slezak\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/\",\"name\":\"7 Interview Tips from Bob The Builder And Five-Year Olds\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-15T15:37:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-15T17:45:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/#\/schema\/person\/c478f8c08326837c1f7ab69f7e6a5569\"},\"description\":\"Here are a few interview tips to ensure you don\u2019t accidentally miss out on your next rock star.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/7-interview-tips-from-bob-the-builder-and-five-year-olds\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"7 Interview Tips From Bob The Builder And Five-Year Olds\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/\",\"name\":\"Zippia For Employers\",\"description\":\"How to find the best employees.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/#\/schema\/person\/c478f8c08326837c1f7ab69f7e6a5569\",\"name\":\"Paul Slezak\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5dadfdf3e6ce17183206e7ca7d1e36f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5dadfdf3e6ce17183206e7ca7d1e36f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Paul Slezak\"},\"description\":\"With over two decades of experience in the recruitment and human capital industry, Paul Slezak has established himself as a transformative force in the realm of leadership and career coaching, group facilitation, and talent acquisition. 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