I have just had an interview, damn nervous stuff, and I feel that it could have gone better. I also think that at least one stage of an interview should be changed. You are given 30, 40, 50 minutes in which to show that you are what they want, show your wisdom, wit and intelligence. Some companies do have aptitude tests and other such programs, but at the end of the day they need to establish if they can work with this nervous wreck sitting infront of them attempting to act cool and exude confidence. How can you understand what your realtionship with them will be like after you have been, even if it is unintentional, causing them sheer terror and to sweat profusely.
How will this allow you to understand the person fully? Some people just cannot take pressure and some people thrive, in each category you will have good and bad. Why not, for one part of an interview process, invite say... 5 prospective employees, to spend the day or several hours in the pub/going bowling/watching a cricket match/doing some communal activity with you and 4 others from the company? In that situation people will eventually relax, especially if you are dirnking in a pub, you will be able to understand more about them better, saving that not too much alcohol is consumed. You will observe their ability to interact with others will have topics of conversation outside of the basic interview questions. HOW COULD THIS BE A BAD IDEA?! Company would have to pay for everything just in case the brightest star is strapped for cash, and if they offer to pay for something you will learn a little more about them.
I think the phrase ryhmes with clucking bells, dam fopping interviews. Harumph!
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2 comments:
Anyone can come across well under a relaxed environment, and that is not what they want to see. They want to see how well you cope under pressure, and to test your ability to think on your feet while focusing on a challenge. It is also a chance to work out if you've lied on your CV (though this could happen in a relaxed atmosphere as well).
The idea of spending a day, or even half a day with candidates is often used these days - I've been on 2 in the past year, though they usually involve aptitude testing and short, subject specific interviews rather than bowling! And they work very well, but the cost to the company is not just the cost of putting on the day, but the lost income that could have been generated by the staff if they were doing other things. Four 30 minute interviews takes up far less time than a 6 hour testing session, especially if senior members of the company need to be involved.
Pah! I want to be interviewed in the pub!
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