Gilpin ESD

Executive Recruitment | Belfast | Northern Ireland

Posts Tagged ‘interviews’

Tackling Changing Job Interview Techniques

Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

?Why is a manhole round?? is an interview question made famous by Microsoft. Interview 1It was designed with the intention of gaining insight into how a candidate structures their thoughts in order to answer the questions. By doing so, an interviewer can quickly decipher if you are a logical, creative or an emotional thinker. As the economy continues its recovery, there are a growing number of opportunities on the job market, and as a result, recruiters are becoming more creative with their interview techniques as a way to test a candidate?s character, ability and suitability for the desired role. Here are three examples of some increasingly common interview techniques:

  1. Group Interviews. Group interviews are often implemented to directly compare the (more…)

The ‘X Factor’ finally revealed….preparation

Monday, November 11th, 2013

You can’t escape reading the paper or surfing the internet on a Monday morning without a weekend’s round up of the X Factor. When the programme buy cialis 5mg started nine years ago, there was clearly a market for it, but since then,many now argue that every year is just the same as the last. One recent online article which backed up this theory examined the vast number of times particular songs have been performed on the live shows. The winner? ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone, followed closely by ‘One’ by U2 and ‘Don’t want to miss a thing’ by Aerosmith.

You could argue a job interview is somewhat akin to the X Factor- clearly practise makes perfect and evidently there are always typical songs performed/ typical job questions asked.

The following questions are invariably posed which are also not easy to answer if you haven’t thought about them beforehand. (more…)

Fifty shades of research

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013

You can’t have escaped hearing about the phenomenon that is ‘Fifty shades of grey’ over the past year, but interest is set to grow still as news on the film adaptation emerges.

I’m not one to normally comment on such a salacious novel, but it was interesting to read that the lead actor, announced just a few weeks ago, has now quit before the director could even shout, “Silence Please…and action!”

News reports are suggesting that Charlie Hunman decided to resign after scrutinising the script in detail and making his own suggestions and amendments, which angered bosses and were, evidentially, denied.

It’s been a costly move for the film makers and reiterates the fact that, before starting any job, it’s essential to read up on the company, its ethos, and of course, the role itself, as making the wrong career move can be very detrimental and disruptive.

Clarifying your fit within the corporate culture of a prospective employer should be one of your top priorities during the interview process.

I suggest you complete the following so that you get a better feel for future realities: (more…)

Why the recruitment process is actually more than the job application and the interview

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

An independent report published on Friday (4th October) found that the way in which the UK’s very first youth police and crime commissioner was recruited was “robust, transparent and well run”.

You’ll remember that 16-year-old Paris Brown was appointed to the high profile role in Kent in April, but quit in a blaze of criticism over comments (considered racist and homophobic) she had made on Twitter prior to taking up the role.

Kent’s police and crime commissioner argued that the force had not asked for social network vetting to be carried out, and the new report last week found that the entire recruitment process was, indeed, vigorous.

It comes as employers are, increasingly, looking at job candidates’ personal lives in order to help them make their important employment decision, such as their online presence, or contacting referees, not simply to find out if the candidate can “do the job” but to read between the lines of submitted CVs.

So what do potential employers look for outside of the application and job interview? I would suggest the following: (more…)

Would you dance for success?

Monday, September 9th, 2013

I have to admit that I was a little astonished last Friday when I saw news reports that one branch of the electrical chain Currys had asked candidates to dance in a job interview.

Yes, you read it correctly- dance.  (For the record, the song was a Daft Punk number.)

While dancing isn’t necessarily part and parcel of job interviews nowadays, it is indicative of more and more employers choosing to bringing candidates out of their comfort zone to see which ones can handle the difficult questions.

I’m often asked if there are any strange questions employers might ask and the one that always comes to mind is, “How do you fit a giraffe into a fridge?”

While this might sound extremely amusing, this exact question was one asked by an investment bank in the City of London and was meant to test candidates’ problem solving skills.

For example, the employer wanted to hear the interviewee ask questions such as how big (more…)

When interviewees become the interviewer

Tuesday, August 6th, 2013

You’ve reached the end of a job interview having previously thought about every possible question the company could ask you, when you are faced with one you maybe didn’t contemplate- “Have you anything to ask me?”

For many, the natural reaction is to nod, smile and say: “No, I think that’s everything.”

People don’t want to ask about salary, hours of employment, extra benefits, for example, for fear of coming across as too pushy and instead, they try to wrap the interview up quickly.

But there are many reasons why asking questions is important, not least the fact that you need to fully understand what the position entails before accepting any potential offer.

The following questions will help you know more about the job and, indeed, the company: (more…)