Foundation: Career Search

To follow are some general points and insights about interviews, which include:

• live and pre-recorded virtual tips, 
• pandemic-related questions, 
• closing questions.

General points

Answer the question. Although this sounds simplistic, it is critical. 

Stories can answer interview questions in a relational, memorable way (it would be rare for two stories to be identical; or that a situation is approached in the same way). These concrete examples demonstrate the required qualifications the employer seeks. Herein lies the reason for the prompts and ways to develop stories/examples throughout the Resource.

Usually there are several interview questions that pertain to transferable skills, however they can be addressed (asked) indirectly.

For example, describe a time when you had a conflict with… a colleague, a client, etc.

[Identifiable transferable skills: collaboration, communication, possibly creative problem solving]. 

Or, tell us about a situation when an employee on your team was not completing their projects on time. How did you approach the situation and what was the result? 

[Identifiable transferable skills: collaboration, communication, possibly creative problem solving].

Be mindful of your body language—based on the anglophone, Canadian workplace context:

• Lean in,
• Do not cross your arms or fidget,
• Make eye contact, and
• Smile.  

Live and pre-recorded virtual interviews

Live virtual interviews are conducted like face-to-face interviews, except via a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Pre-Recorded virtual interviews are one-way recorded interviews.

• An email from the employer will include detailed instructions with the time of the interview, a link, and other particulars the employer wishes to share
• There will be a set of questions. Normally, there will be a certain amount of time given to formulate your answer, as well as a specific time allotted to answer the question
• It is common practice to be given at least two attempts to record your answer.
• Your recorded interview will be reviewed either by a human (manager or human resources) or artificial intelligence (AI). More on the ins and outs about AI and recruitment in this module.

For live and pre-recorded interviews pay attention to:

• Lighting (above and/or towards you, do not have the light source behind you facing the camera).
• Ethernet connection (stronger than Wi-Fi).
• Background, no clutter (for Zoom, you can change your background image).
• Quiet space (put your cell on do not disturb).
• Distractions (pets, kids, cell phone).
• Dress (as you would for a face-to-face interview).
• Look into the camera or webcam (not the monitor).
• Sit in a stationary chair (swiveling in your chair is distracting)

Potential interview (pandemic) questions 

Following are a few potential pandemic-related questions.

• What lessons did you learn from your experience through the pandemic? What changes have you made from the lessons you learned?
• Can you tell us how you fostered collaboration with your team/colleagues through the pandemic?
• Describe how you demonstrated a flexible and adaptable mindset through the pandemic.
• How do you maintain your motivation and focus working remotely?
• Describe what happened for you, your position, your department/team when the first wave of the pandemic shut everything down. How did you manage all the changes

For leadership roles,

• How did you lead your team(s) through the pandemic? What measures did you take to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of your staff? 
• What is your process for virtually onboarding new employees and integrating them into the team?
• Describe influential considerations and actions to cultivate positive and meaningful team dynamics remotely

Closing Questions

At the end of the interview, when asked, do you have any questions for us? This is code for: tell us how much you know about us and the role by asking a few strategic closing questions. 

While these final questions may seem insignificant, they can be equally weighted/valued as any other interview question. So, if you do not have any questions to ask, you could potentially lose ‘points.’ In addition, you miss out on an opportunity to portray your interest in the company or glean additional information about the position that was not presented in the job posting or interview.

Closing questions can be about the position, corporate culture, management, product or service delivery, and/or the hiring process. Here are a few examples of potential questions to ask at the end of the interview.

• Could you please describe the onboarding and training processes, and expectations within the probation period?
• What would you say are the most challenging aspects of this position?
• How would you describe your management style?
• How do you/the team acknowledge successes?
• Could you describe the attributes of the company's high-achieving employees? What do you see brings out their best?