Interviewing Preparation Tool

The thinking behind this interviewing tool

In the past, I’ve often found myself looking for good websites or resources to come up with a good and substantive list of ‘standard interviewing questions’, if there is such a thing. The result was a very long, unmanageable list of potential questions that still doesn’t really cut the mustard in many scenarios.

Then I started thinking differently. I started categorising all the questions I found and came up with the set of categories on the tool. I then developed a way of making this work in interviews, resulting in the tool on here.

I’ve used this tool successfully in one to one appointments as well in workshops, to help clients prepare for their job interview.

Its use in one to one appointments:

In individual interviews or job peparation appointments I use this tool to help people with:

• Realising they need to prepare for a job interview and that questions clients find online may not be enough or give them a false sense of security. If the employer asks a different question, they may be ‘thrown off their game’ and stumble.
• Thinking about questions the employer may ask in any of the categories themselves, with my support, so they automatically think about what the employer may be looking for.

…and in workshops

Its purpose in workshops is no different, but since I can’t monitor every participant individually, I have come to use it in a different way. I divide the group up in groups of 3 and hand each group of 3 a copy of the tool. My instructions are that there is one observer, one person asking a question and one person answering a question. I then ask them to rotate who does what each time.

• The observer: has the chance to see what happens, what question is asked (so they learn from this as well) and can offer suggestions, out loud or to themselves, as to how the question could be asked differently.
• The ‘interviewer’: has the opportunity to think of what the ’employer’ is likely to ask and why. What their priorities would need to be and how they would ask a question.
• The interviewee: has the chance to think about an answer to an unexpected question in a safe environment, possibly getting constructive feedback from the other two people in the group of 3.

Hopefully this is useful.

Please click on picture to download:

How you make this tool: What you need: a print out of the .pdf on good quality, ideally thicker, paper a split pin if you like, a laminator and laminatinig pouch How to put together: Laminate the print out before cutting, if required or preferred Cut out the two circles from the paper and also cut out the little triangle with ‘cut out’ in it, (obviously). Arrange one to top circle on the bottom one and perforate through the middle with the split pin, fixing both in place.