1. Legal Issues

2. Interview Scenarios

3. The Interview

4. Self-Evaluation of Interview

5. Reference Check Questionnaire

6. Selling Yourself: Successful Job Interviewing, Video

7. Sample Interview Questions

Interviewers and others involved in the hiring process must be aware of liabilities involved in recruitment and selection. The most common mistakes occur during the interview process. In order to reduce the chances of legal complications or litigation, the interviewer should focus solely on the information necessary to determine if the candidate is qualified for the job. A simple way for the interviewer to stay on the right track is to ask "What is the purpose of this question?"

All applicants should be asked the same questions to prevent any discrimination during the interview process. All candidates should also be given approximately the same amount of interview time to prevent disparity in the process. Notes should be kept during the interviews and then submitted to Human Resources to be kept in the requisition folder. Please remember not to make any comments on your interview notes that could be interpreted as illegal or discriminating. (For example, writing "shifty" on your notes rather than a more appropriate comment such as "doesn’t make eye contact")

Questions that refer to race, religion, age, sex, marital status or national origin are violations of Federal and State laws, unless a bona fide occupational qualification. http://www.ohrc.on.ca/

At the interview stage of the employment process, the employer may expand the scope of job-related questions if necessary to determine, for example, the applicant’s qualifications of his her ability to perform the essential duties. Inquiries in relation to the "Exceptions", outlined below, are also appropriate at the interview stage. Examples of permissible interview questions follow:

Students will read the following Interview Scenarios and complete a written response to each question.

Evaluation:

(Did the candidate identify another individual’s goals and create a joint understanding of how group-goal behaviour would lead to individual rewards? Was there failure to use specific goals for both an individual and the team?)

1------2-----3-----4-----5

We cannot do everything ourselves. Tell me about a time when you dealt with this reality by contributing to a team.

Evaluation:

(Did the candidate refer to single discussion with one individual or was there mention of dealing with the team as a group?)

1-----2----3----4----5

Building rapport (relationships) is sometimes challenging. Give an example of a time when you were able to build
a rapport with someone, even when the situation was difficult.

EVALUATION:

(Was there interest in interacting or building a warm relationship?)

1-----2-----3-----4-----5

Give me an example of a time when your positive attitude caused others to be motivated or energized. Be specific.

EVALUATION:

(Did the candidate use positive actions, speech, gestures, and/or examples to build energy? Was there autocratic direction, negative/dysfunctional feelings, and/or withdrawal/escape?

1----2-----3-----4----5

A. Give me an example of any specific time in which you found it necessary to give long hours to the job. For example, tell me about the period when it was necessary to take work home, work on week-ends, or maintain unusually long hours. Be specific.

EVALUATION:

(Did candidate show self-direction and initiative in working particularly long hours, with a clear dedication to a meaningful objective? Was there compliance to routine work requirements, possibly with some resentment about what was expected?

1------2-----3-----4-----5

B. We both recognize that being successful takes more than luck. Hard work is necessary in order to achieve. Tell me about a time when you had to work very hard to reach you goals and be specific about what you achieved.

EVALUATION:

(Did the candidate make an unusual commitment in order to reach an objective, reflecting both high effort and accomplishment? Was there a routine response to work demands, rather than self-directed effort?

1-----2-----3-----4----5

6. Creativity: Able to develop unique and novel solutions to problems, use intuition and a new way of thinking to give birth to new ideas; to present information in an attention-getting and interesting manner.

Creative persons seem to offer fresh insights frequently and regularly. Give me an example of a time when one of your insights or suggestions was particularly well received by others.

EVALUATION:

(Did the candidate receive public recognition for innovation by an award, praise, and/or special comment? Was there awareness of the value of innovation, but with trivial/Impractical application?

1-----2-----3-----4-----5

A. Tell me about a specific experience of yours that illustrates your ability to influence another person verbally. Feel free to use an example that involves changing attitude, selling a product/idea, or being persuasive.

(Did the candidate successfully develop a persuasive approach for a specific individual? Was there a one way communication, failure to listen, and/or lack of willingness/confidence/skill in presentation?

1-----2-----3-----4-----5

7. SPOKEN COMMUNICATION: (CONTINUED)

B. This job will require you to spend a large amount of time talking to others. When have you had to work in this kind of situation and how did it affect you?

EVALUATION:

(Did the candidate express an idea clearly, perhaps involving careful choice of words, gestures, and/or stories? Was there an absence of preplanning, little choice of words, impulsiveness, and/or withdrawal?

1-----2-----3-----4-----5

Name:____________________ Evaluation- /16

"Remember.....CONFIDENCE is very important."

The more preparation you do, the easier it will be for you to create a good impression on the employer. Evaluation - one point per question.

1. What are your career plans? Your answer will enable the employer to assess your ability to organize your life and set objectives for yourself. He/ she wants to know what your goals are.

2. While you were at school, did you take part in extra-curricular activities? Here you could explain to the employer your interest and participation in activities other than those that were compulsory. This will give him/ her an opportunity to assess your sense of initiative and your hobbies and interests.

3. At school, what subjects did you like the most? What subjects did you like the least? Why? Your answers will enable the employer to find out where your interests lie and compare them with the company’s needs. Make sure that your answers fit in with the duties and requirements of the job.

4.What did you do during your summer vacations? This question will enable you to explain what experience you have had in the line of summer jobs or volunteer work, as the case may be. For example, you could show how you applied your academic knowledge to a job.

5. Did you pay for your education yourself? Here the employer is giving you an opportunity to show your commitment to your education, your sense of responsibility and your maturity.

6.What leisure-time activities do you enjoy? How do they relate to your work? The employer wants to know whether you have interests other than work.

7. How do you get along with your parents? Do you live with them? Here you could emphasize the positive aspects of your family upbringing and the skills that you were able to acquire despite any problems you might have encountered.

8.What do you think of your former teachers, employers, if any, and the labour market? It is important for the employer to know whether you will get along easily with your prospective co-workers.

9.Do you think you worked as hard as you could have at school? If not, answer frankly, but try to show the employer that you are now interested in giving all you’ve got to the job you are applying for.

10.What abilities or skills do you have that are directly related to the job you are applying for? What makes you think that you are going to succeed in this field? Here you have the opportunity to describe your skills and qualifications, in other words, to "sell" yourself. This type of question gives you a chance to use your education/ employment inventory when you answer.

11.What salary would you accept?(a) What will likely happen if you indicate too high a salary? What will happen if you indicate too low a salary? (b) If the job offer does not specify the salary, what will you do to find out the going rate of pay in that field?

12. What makes you think you will like this type of work? Here you must show that the job you are applying for is in ligne with your interests.

(a) What will happen if you do not give the real reason for leaving? (b)If you were dismissed how could you use this to your advantage?

14. Would you agree to take training to obtain a job or promotion? The purpose of such a question is to assess your motivation toward and commitment to work and your development.

15. Do you prefer to work along or in a team? This question may give the employer an idea of where to place you in the company.

16. Do you prefer a job where work is routine or where there are constantly new tasks? This question will enable the employer to determine the type of responsibilities he/she could assign to you.

All employers are governed by human rights legislation that prohibits discrimination in employment related matters. If you have questions and / or are experiencing difficulties, discuss them with your employment counsellor.

Remember, it is prohibited for an employer to refuse to hire a candidate based on the grounds of discrimination. The Canadian Human Rights Act, 1987, lists ten prohibited grounds of discrimination, namely: race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age sex, marital status, family status, disability and criminal conviction for which a pardon has been granted.
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/publications/hr-code-guide.pdf

Employment Interviews:

SELLING YOURSELF

SUCCESSFUL JOB INTERVIEWING

Name ______________________ Evaluation /16 points

The following represent the five stages of an interview. Please define each.(one point each)

1. The Opening_____________________________________________________________

2. Questions and Answers_____________________________________________________

3. Job Expectations__________________________________________________________

4. Salary Negotiations _______________________________________________________

5. The Closing______________________________________________________________

These questions are provided as samples only. Rephrase them as necessary so that you are comfortable using them. Perhaps they will stimulate the creation of other questions for the same behavioural skill.

Sometimes it’s necessary to work in situations that are rapidly changing.

When have you ever found yourself in that position?

How well did you deal with it?

There are work situations that are unstructured.

Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with a situation like that on the job?

How did you deal with it?

Tell me about a time when you had to cope with tight time demands.

How did you handle the situation?

Was there ever a time when you had unreasonable expectations placed on you?

How did you react?

Tell me about one of the most stressful situations you have had to deal with.

What did you do?

Under what circumstances do you work best?

Give me an example.

What kinds of pressure do you feel in your job?

Tell me about them.

How do you deal with them?

Tell me about a time when you had to ‘sell’ an idea to a boss or authority figure.

Tell me about a time when you were faced with this issue.

Tell me about a time when you had to be persistent in order to get a task done.

Tell me about a time when you had to motivate yourself to reach your goals.

Lots of us can solve routine problems.

Tell me about a time when your unique solution solved a problem.

Creativity can be stepping back from structured ways of thinking.

Tell me about a time when you did that.

What are some of the most imaginative or innovative things you have done in your present position?

Can you think of a situation you had to handle in which old solutions didn’t work?

What did you do to handle it?

What did you do differently than your predecessors in the position?

Describe the last problem in your organization what was solved in a highly imaginative manner.

What part did you play?

Tell me about a task that proved to be easier due to the interactions on a team.

What was your role?

Tell me about a time when you had the greatest success in building team spirit.

Have you ever had the opportunity to create a team effort to solve a problem?

solving a problem - then tell me how you analysed the information to come to a decision.

Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision.

What was the situation and how did you go about it?

Tell me about a time when you avoided that temptation

Tell me about a time this has happened to you.

Give me an example of a time in which you had to use your fact-finding skills to gain information for

Able to conform to established policies, existing solutions to problems.

Tell me about a time when you decided to work around an established policy.

What were the outcomes?

Tell me about a time when you were able to find a method to do something on the job that was adopted by others.

Do you set daily/monthly/yearly goals for yourself?

Tell me how you track the progress.

Tell me about a time when you were successful in prioritizing goals on a project to be sure that the work gets done.

Utilization of appropriate interpersonal styles and methods in guiding individuals (subordinates, peers, superiors) or groups toward task accomplishment.

Tell me about some of the toughest groups you have had to get cooperation from.

Did you have any formal authority?

What did you do?

What are some of the most difficult one-to-one meetings you have had with coworkers?

Why were they difficult?

Have you ever had problems in getting your coworkers to accept your ideas or department goals?

What approach did you use? How effective was it?

Specifically, what do you do to set an example for your coworkers?

Tell me about a time you were able to motivate people to get a job done.

Have you ever had to rely on authority to get something done?

Tell me about it.

How did it work?

Tell me about a time when you used reason to motivate someone to take action.

Ability to assimilate new information quickly, identify what is relevant and apply the information.

Tell me about a time you had to learn something on your job.

How did you go about it?

How did you decide

1.What to delegate

2. To whom to delegate it?

Explain your biggest mistake in delegating

Explain your biggest mistake in not delegating.

Ability to work with subordinates to develop their skills and achieve their potential through job experience and education.

Who is

1. Your most effective subordinate?

2. Your least effective subordinate?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

What have you done to develop each of these subordinates?

How are you helping your subordinates develop themselves? Give examples.

Tell me about a time you had to change your direction in order to reach a goal.

Tell me about a time you decided not to change your direction in order to reach a goal.

Why did you make this decision?

Describe an incident in which you disagreed with your superior.

How was it settled?

What are the occasions in which you feel you must consult your boss before taking action?

What kinds of decisions do you make in your present job? Give me some examples of major decisions.

What changes have you tried to implement in your area of responsibility?

What have you done to get them under way?

Give me some examples of doing more than required in your job.

Considering your relationship both inside and outside the organization, give me an example of where you have been particularly effective in relating with others.

Give me an example of where you might not have been particularly effective in training others.

Tell me about a time you felt you were a contributing member of a team.

What did you do?

The extent to which activities and responsibilities available in the job overlap with activities and responsibilities that result in personal satisfaction.

What do you like about your most recent job?

What do you like least about your most recent job?

Give me some examples of experiences in your most recent job that were satisfying, some examples that were dissatisfying.

Ability to reach conclusions and solutions based on sound principles of reasoning.

Give me two examples of good decisions you have made in the last six months?

What were the alternatives?

Why were they good decisions?

What are the biggest decisions you have made in the last year?

Tell me about how you went about making them.

What alternatives did you consider?

What were the toughest decisions you had to make in the last year?

Tell me about them.

What alternatives did you consider?

Tell me about a time you feel you exercised good listening skills.

Achievement of personal satisfaction from managerial tasks; identifying with and accepting the problems and responsibilities of management.

Give me an example of when you worked the hardest and felt the greatest sense of achievement.

What have been the most important events or people in your own development?

Have you ever been promoted to a position that required you to manage former peers?

How did you deal with this rather touchy situation?

Tell me about a time you had difficulty getting your message across verbally.

What decisions have you made that impacted another part of the organization?

Give me an example.

What did you consider in making this decision?

What was the impact?

Tell me about a time you had to be very organized.

What was the situation and how did you go about it?

Can you walk me through last week and tell me how you planned the week’s activities and how the schedule worked out?

How have you determined what constitutes top priorities in scheduling your time?

Give examples.

Describe a situation that required things to all be done at the same time.

How did you handle it?

What was the result?

Have you recently made any decisions that really were not yours to make?

If yes, what were they?

Why did you make them?

Describe some recent decisions that carried more than the usual element of risk.

Describe the biggest calculated risk you have taken in your most recent job.

Tell me about a time you had to teach someone else about the technical aspects of your work.

How did you go about it?

Ability to author a written product that is clear and understandable.

What kind of writing have you done?

Can you give me some examples? (Follow up on one example).

How did you approach it?

Tell me about its content and reactions you got.

-What kind of revenue does the store do?

-What has been the lowest volume store that you’ve supervised? - The highest volume store that you’ve supervised?

-What did you find to be the biggest differences/challenges between the two?

-How many employees did you supervise?

-Can you describe for me how the organization is structured?

-What is the square footage of the store?

-Describe the physical plant (location)?

-What areas do you focus on when out on the sales floor/on a store visit?

What do you see yourself doing in the next few years?

-What personal learning or experiences have you had that lead towards those goals?

-How did the performance of your team/store/stores rank with other teams/store/stores in the company?

-What were some of the reasons for this performance?

-What was your involvement in affecting the performance?

-What reports/financial reports/tools did you use to evaluate performance, evaluate trends, or anticipate future results?

-Which areas do you focus on?

-Can you give me an example of when you have used the reports/financial reports to address an area where the performance was not up to standard?

1.Have you ever had to be persistent or dedicated to reach a goal?

2. Tell me about a time where you needed to be very persistent to reach your goals.

(Identifies with athletes for their passion and spirit of competition).

3. How have displayed these qualities in the past?

4. If you made a billboard and you were the subject, what would your slogan be?

To... Expand Understanding of the

Focus an Idea
1. Listen to the candidate’s answer.
2. "Clip" the candidate and probe.

To... Clip and Probe to Make the Interview More Efficient.