Featured What makes a great job interview?

As interviewee:
I ask a lot of questions about the opening. I ask about specific role responsibilities and expectations. I ask about the Team and structure. I also ask about what the team/role needs or is missing. I ask about the training and onboarding plan. I ask about the current workload and future projects. I'm trying to gauge what I'm walking into.

Interviewer:
I ask about times projects or work that went wrong. What was learned.
I ask about future career goals and what an ideal day looks like.
I ask about what interests the interviewee about this position.

 

When interviewed I like feeling them out, what my work environment will be like. I like knowing what they expect of me, how they feel about their job, and what the job is like - is it fast paced? do people come & go often? I also love asking random questions about my surroundings like "what does this do?" "that acronym, it stands for this doesn't it?" "so if we were to do x then we'd expect y, right?".

My interviews were often busy (understaffed) so I took that time to walk them through some of the basic work we'd be doing. Again feeling them out was important to me - are they a fast learner? do they look engaged? do they feel like they'll upset my team's balance?
There's only so much we can learn from people through prolonged first-encounters. A lot of hiring is hit & miss. One of my favorite things to do was, I'd ask a prospective employee to run with me down to a dollar store across the parking lot, and if they did I'd buy them a drink, and we'd run back. Sometimes we raced, and other times we talked about stuff on our way there. Their attitude by the end gave me a good impression how they approached & felt about work or the job. And it was fun too ^_^

 

Authenticity....I wanted to see that first if possible. Then I would look at their work experience and try to put myself in their life's position. And then ask questions to myself before asking of them...is this a good move for them, and us? where would they best fit in our organization regardless of the position they are interviewing for? Is this a place they could grow into a position that was beneficial to them and us? I also wanted to be in a position that if they were not approved for the position we asked and they called me to wonder why, I would be able to provide them information that was helpful to them in their next move.

 

I've interviewed a few people for my small business.

I guess the main things I'm trying to test in an interview is whether the person is easy to communicate with (efficient communication is important for me, but might not be for other employers), whether their ego can handle being told what to do, whether they're diligent and reliable, and finally, whether they're likely to remain in the job long-term.

It's a big expense, hiring someone, and like buying an expensive car, you don't want a bunch of headaches for the outlay. Almost any adjective you can apply to a good car to buy, you can apply to an employee: efficient, quiet, reliable, low maintenance, versatile, etc.

 

When I interview candidates, I'm usually trying to assess if they actually understand the technical material vs. regurgitating it. It's important that someone in a technical role has a good intuitive foundation... I also check for red flags regarding communication and how they might work with others. Software candidates tend to be really introverted so I don't really expect much gregariousness, but I've interviewed a couple grumpy-pants types that I was a hard pass on.

 

Positive job interviews for me have been ones in which I am knowledgeable, experienced and passionate in the position/field. Then I speak confidently about those things as relevant to the position and it feels like joining forces. Best have been where the interview is more like a conversation with people I share a mission or goal with. I'm no good at bullshitting or schmoozing. So if the conversation flows naturally it's good.

It's been a long time since I interviewed but I'd try to get a feel for the culture. Is it laid back, fast paced? Are employees given autonomy or micromanaged? Do people seem easy going or stressed out?

Any job I've ever had I applied because I cared about some aspect. Even the entry level ones. I expect that the interviewer will be professional and knowledgeable and ethical yet approachable and friendly. But I have had interviews where it seemed good until the person interviewing me was asking me to commit to something I couldn't commit to doing (Bringing a number of my clients over. I couldn't assure that because it's the client's choice not mine and I'm not going to pressure anyone into anything.) It's considered solicitation and I'm not in sales but human services so that was a pass for me.

 

When being interviewed: be on time, be prepared. Also, let's not kid ourselves: this is about work and money, not friendship so we don't have to be super cool with each other and you don't have to try hard to "build rapport". Mostly, I care about the work and how much autonomy I'm going to be given -- that's it. I'll even compromise on salary for increased autonomy because it's that necessary for me. I can not work in places where there are direct managers over me and I'm actually pretty upfront about this because they need to know it, too. There's no use pretending it would be a good fit. Most of the time, I'm being hired for leadership / senior positions anyway so it's a moot point.

I like to hear about their problems. I will ask something like: "what are your three biggest problems that you need help solving? What is something you dislike about this place that you wouldn't want candidates to know?" It's cool if you can spend time discussing a real problem and offer potential solutions. Then everyone gets a feel for how it might actually go when you're in the trenches doing something. Being wooed by their fucking in-house chef or awards wall.. I don't care about any of that.


If I'm interviewing, it's a whole other thing. It really depends on what is needed and when.

 

Great thread, slant. People have covered a lot of good ground here so I'll only add bits that seem relevant to me/my experience.

Like @Korg I care a lot about autonomy, so I'll ask questions to make sure the job being offered doesn't involve excessive supervision. I've had a few experiences where too little autonomy led me to burn out / quit my job early, so I don't want to repeat that experience. It's interesting to emphasise that because there are a lot of people for whom too much autonomy is stressful. Well, for me it's the opposite. The more autonomy the better. But again, this is not meant to be general advice. Some people prefer working in highly structured environments with regular supervision from above.

I'll also want to ask if there will be opportunity to get involved in strategy--which is not always a given because I'm a relatively junior manager.

I work in international cooperation so I specialise in relationship building, which means I'll be excited if the employer is ambitious on that front. Concretely, I'll want to make sure there are new relationships to be built and I'll be the one spearheading that. I want to make sure I'll be adding value (because, unlike @Korg, my job is not ultimately about making money since I work for a government), not filling in some position that needs to be filled where the portfolio is already determined in advance with not a lot of maneuvering possible.

I also like to get a feel of what the atmosphere in the team is like, although it's not easy to tell from interviews alone. But Ni can help with this.

 

Oh yeah, completely agree. But this is the result of experience as well. I've been one of those candidates who are "just aiming to get a job at whatever cost". I learned the hard way!

It's also good, in general, to give the interviewer the impression that you're seeking to learn as much about them as they are about you. It shows that you are sure of yourself and of what you want, and that you have a personality.

 

Lol if I was asked to run across the street to a dollar store I would know immediately the job wasn't for me.

 

I love interviews. I know some people feel they have to go overboard to prepare for an interview but that's just not my personality. When I go into an interview I can say whatever needs to be said to get the job but what I'm doing is trying to feel out whether or not I'm going to get what I want. I like a specific kind of environment and I work well within a specific team structure. I am my best when I can have as much freedom as possible in an already established framework. I like to go in, see what needs to be fixed, get it fixed and then move on to the next thing. Otherwise I feel stagnant and bored. In the interview I actually try to avoid talking about the specific details of the job as much as possible. I try to gear the conversations towards whatever issues exist in the department and what gaps need to be filled so that I can provide solutions. I'm looking to see where any weaknesses are and use them to my advantage so that I can move ahead. I need to get a sense of who the leadership is and whether or not I can get what I need from them. I have no interest in just being another number on the payroll. This usually works really well for me. I generally don't care about what I have to do day to day in the job. I'm trying to figure out if I can use the job to get ahead down the road so there are a lot of things that don't matter to me.

In my industry the foundational knowledge is all the same. I work in international trade. If you've worked in the business and you understand what Customs needs, then you're probably going to be fine. I have not had to conduct an interview in this industry as of yet as I'm just recently breaking into management and I just haven't had the opportunity so I can't answer this.

 

Special Edition--you raise some great points--interviewing is a two-way street. It also seems that you know our likes/dislikes really well. That's so important in seeing the opportunities to leverage your strengths. You make some very thoughtful comments. Thanks.

 

Success! that's how it's supposed to work.
Though it'd be a shame too, you'd be a great employee around.

This makes sense to me. It's a two-way street like @Learner says.

 

I also love interviews. I never interviewed, but I am sure I'd enjoy it too, probably even more.

What I found is that I should not listen anyone for advice. In the past I used to ask either an INFJ or ENFJ for advice, and they always gave me something that was right for their personality type. When I did it, it felt totally out of character, and so I wasn't at my best. In interviews, more then anywhere else, I think it's crucial for people to act in accordance with their character.

I don't like selling myself too much, but I find this isn't a problem. I don't like selling myself because I am never content fully with myself. I always think I could have more education, more experience, more knowledge, whatever. I guess we could call that low self esteem, I don't know. But I just don't go overboard with that. So what I do is just to be open and objective. If I don't have a specific skill they are asking, I just tell them - but also underline that I am a fast learner and I become obsessed until I learn it.

I try to present that I am comfortable with who I am, without trying to sell myself too much to them. I strike for a good balance of self esteem and being 'realistic'.

My approach worked so far, but I cannot say I was applying for some super high skilled positions. It also tends to works better if HR manager is a male. I remember for my first job the HR manager was an ExTJ male, and my approach clicked with him immediately. I was hired on the same day, which he told me is not a regular practice at all.

 

As one who has interviewed hundreds during my career...
Be on time. Be clean. Be honest, because I will find out if you lie. Know about my organization and why you want to work for me. It always amazed me how many could not really tell me why they wanted to work here. Meet the stated basic requirements, don't waste my time of you don't. Be yourself, and most importantly, relax and be real.