How do you deal with poker faced job interviewers?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Good question! How do you deal with poker faced interviewers?

One of the things my clients find difficult to handle in interview, is the person who gives nothing back except a “blank stare”, so no “nods”, no “ah ha’s”, no “reallys?”, no “rights” – nothing for the other person to work with.

I don’t think we realize how much we need visual and verbal cues when communicating until we are confronted with none. Then the conversation feels plain weird. Interviewers who do this deliberately are disturbing. There is no way you can get good information from someone if you make them feel uncomfortable.

When candidates, or anyone really, are confronted with a poker face person, they can talk too much as they think the other person doesn’t believe them (like the interviewer over-talkers I describe in this post). This doesn’t work. The more people talk, the less sense they can make, or they lose the heart of the message in the detail.

Other people give up and shut down.

Like most people I struggle with managing this. So I asked a couple of communications trainers what they suggest to their clients, when they see an audience full of blank faces. They said some people do not know they do poker face. So if you’re presenting or communicating, and get nothing back, do something to break the moment. Ask the audience if you’ve lost them. Change the tone. Tell a joke. Use a visual. Flip the topic.

To do this in interview I think you’d need to be pretty brave. Unlike a presentation the direction of an interview is not in your hands.

If you’re reading this post and you’ve got a suggestion or a funny story on how you’ve dealt with a poker faced person, outside of taking them outside a game of cards and beating them up, I’d love to hear from you.

Need to get ahead of the pack for your next interview?

Get our free e-book The 7 Deadly Sins to Avoid at Job Interview!

Deborah Barit wrote this book. She is one of Australia’s leading interview coaches.

To get your free e-book and some of our best interview tips direct to your inbox, simply click on this link.

Here’s what happy readers said about the e-book and interview tips:

“Deborah Barit is a very smart lady…She is good at figuring out what an employer is looking for. It’s like she has ESP, with her help in preparing, I found no surprises in a recent interview and I was prepared for every question….” Cathy, Leichhardt, NSW

“Because I read so many of your posts, I feel as if you were my personal employment coach. I start my new position in two weeks. I had so many obstacles to overcome and each day you posted a solution to my dilemma and how to improve my search. Thank you so much for your input and PLEASE continue to do what you do!”

Click here to get access to the e-book.

{ 8 comments }

Lies on resumes are on the rise!

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

I seem to be on a theme this week about dishonesty in interviews. Then this popped up in my inbox from Recruiter Daily. A background screening company, First Advantage found that the number of candidates lying on their resumes is on the rise.

They claim resume fraud has increased significantly over the past few years.

Recruiter Daily reports:

“Misrepresentations about candidates’ employment history and educational qualifications have doubled since 2004. Some 40 per cent of employment history checks uncovered an inconsistency, most commonly relating to an inflated salary (13%) or a previous position held (10%). And one in every 18 applicants inflated their previous salary by more than $10,000.

First Advantage research shows that younger applicants (aged 21-30) are the most likely to falsify something on their CV, with the risk trending down for older applicants.

Banking and finance applicants are most likely to be caught out, but this possibly reflects the more comprehensive screening conducted by employers in these industries.

HR professionals are least likely to include false details on their applications.”

(Interesting that HR professionals are the least likely to include false details. Perhaps they know about the consequences of resume fabrications.)

So what does this all mean for the average job seeker?

Whatever you say on your resume or in interview, a recruiter can check out. Many recruiters will ask that they speak to at least one of your direct managers for a reference. They will also question your salary details. One head-hunter friend I know asks to see a copy of someone’s last pay review.

I’m often asked the question “what should I say if the recruiter asks me what salary I’m earning?” People want to know if they should inflate their current salary so they can ask for a higher salary. Apart from the honesty factor, I don’t really see the point. You just make it clear what you would move for, and if you need to, why you can justify that amount.

Be warned also. I’ve also seen quite a few employment contracts where someone’s continued employment is contingent on the applicant representing themselves honestly throughout the recruitment process.

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What does this job interview feedback mean?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

job interview feedbackHow to translate job interview feedback…

Often job interview feedback is not as it seems.

I know I don’t need to tell you this, if you’ve come across this post.

So I thought I’d explore this feedback puzzle I received from a blog reader that would make interesting reading for anyone wanting to move from a government role into a job in the private sector.

John, my emailer, was told after an interview that the employer was concerned about the length of time he had been in government, even though the vast majority of his experience has been in the private sector.

For any recruiters out there, reading this blog, I’d love your take on this feedback….

Here’s the weird job interview feedback.

Hi Karalyn

I’m presently employed in government.

I was approached by a Tier 1 IT multi-national non-government IT organisation for a high profile role. I progressed through hour long first and subsequent hour long second interviews with the T1 corporation without issues.

I then had a 15 minute face to face with the T1 client I would be working with and was told this was a “rubber stamp” process to securing the role. In that third interview I was constantly asked about the pressure situation that I would have in a government role in comparison to the client (a financial institution).

I felt I addressed the questions and concerns leaving no doubt about my capability to handle the pressure of the role. I learned 30 minutes later that I was unsuccessful because they felt my term, not my current role, with government would not prepare me to handle the pressure of this role. I have only been with this government role for 3.5 years. The remainder of my 30 years has been predominately with non government.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. I was wondering have you had people approach you on this and if so what are some of the successes to overcome these challenges?

John

Here’s what this feedback could mean.

Hi John,

There could be a few things going on here. The first thing to remember is that hiring someone is risky and expensive.

So sometimes people are looking for ways to eliminate you rather than make you fit. If you are not the perfect match, some re-shuffling may be required.

Change means effort.

People, and myself included, often struggle to look past the last five years or so on your resume. So 3.5 years is a significant chunk of that.

As a recruiter I would look at all your experience and say: “why move into government?”

Because often these roles are seen as slightly, if not completely “cushy”.

That’s not always true, but that is the perception. You may be being seen as someone who could not handle the pressure of a private sector role. Therefore you chose a government role.

It is interesting that you are coming across this in IT, though.

I would have thought that the challenges of an IT role, given technology and the way it is set up would be fairly similar in both the public and private sectors.

Saying that, plus the fact that you have moved so far through the hiring process, and the fact that this has happened a few times, leads me to think that something about your demeanor or the way that you answer questions around pressure, is letting you down.

I would say that if the only real focus of your final 15 minute interview was around pressure, then this is the last concern the organisation needed to tick off about you, when everything else seemed to fit OK.

That may have been the nagging concern of everyone in the hiring process to that point.

The conversations around the recruitment table could have been:

“We like John, but we’re not too sure of his performance under pressure?, Why has he moved to government?, Let’s get him in for a final interview and see how he’d cope?” Often at this point the person whom you’ll be reporting to just says “send them in, I’ll sort them out.”

Enter you.

I think whoever gave you the feedback that it is the length of your employment, is being honest, but you do need to unpack what that means.

When people reject you for a role, they can often give you a factual reason that you cannot dispute, rather than getting to the heart of the issue.

It’s easier to do particularly if they cannot really articulate a gut feel concern.

Go back to the person who said that and see if they can give you more detail around what “term” means. I would put it back to the recruiter and say “were they concerned about my ability to cope with pressure, as that was the focus of the interview?”

See what comes from that conversation.

Regardless of the feedback, the best way to prepare for any interview is to try to get a really strong sense of the challenges and pressures associated with the job. You have to join the dots for people. So try to find out what kind of “pressures” you would face in any advertised role.

Good questions to ask are “What are the expectations, three, six and twelve months out?”, “What are the challenges of this role?”, “What did the incumbent find challenging?”, “Why did they leave?”

That way in interview, you can confidently relate examples of where you have experienced similar challenges or pressures.

You could also sit down with a professional, or someone who will give you some honest feedback and ask how you come across.

Do you look like you have the right energy for the role? Have you given relevant examples? Do you actually look and sound like you can cope when the “silicon” chips are down, so to speak!

Hope this helps in some way.

Karalyn

Need to get ahead of the pack for your next interview?

Get our free e-book The 7 Deadly Sins to Avoid at Job Interview!

Deborah Barit wrote this book. She is one of Australia’s leading interview coaches.

To get your free e-book and some of our best interview tips direct to your inbox, simply click on this link.

Here’s what happy readers said about the e-book and interview tips:

“Deborah Barit is a very smart lady…She is good at figuring out what an employer is looking for. It’s like she has ESP, with her help in preparing, I found no surprises in a recent interview and I was prepared for every question….” Cathy, Leichhardt, NSW

“Because I read so many of your posts, I feel as if you were my personal employment coach. I start my new position in two weeks. I had so many obstacles to overcome and each day you posted a solution to my dilemma and how to improve my search. Thank you so much for your input and PLEASE continue to do what you do!”

Click here to get access to the e-book.

{ 5 comments }

How to spot job interview lies – part two

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

In my last post I asked a few recruiters for tips on how to spot job interview lies. Steve Ludlow from the Harlow Group commented on Recruiter Daily and then wrote an interesting post on his blog.

Steve’s group recruits sales and marketing executives. Here are his tips on spotting job interview lies.

Steve asks the question “what percentage of budget did you achieve in the last measurable year?” If his candidates say 100% he questions further. Steve says top sellers will know exactly how far they are above 100% and will mention it in interview.

Steve also says those that just hit target, will be able to remember the percentage as they will have been focussing on it to achieve it. But people who fall a long way off budget, will tend to give vague or evasive answers. If Steve receives a vague response he probes further, and follows up in a reference check.

Need to get ahead of the pack for your next interview?

Get our free e-book The 7 Deadly Sins to Avoid at Job Interview!

Deborah Barit wrote this book. She is one of Australia’s leading interview coaches.

To get your free e-book and some of our best interview tips direct to your inbox, simply click on this link.

Here’s what happy readers said about the e-book and interview tips:

“Deborah Barit is a very smart lady…She is good at figuring out what an employer is looking for. It’s like she has ESP, with her help in preparing, I found no surprises in a recent interview and I was prepared for every question….” Cathy, Leichhardt, NSW

“Because I read so many of your posts, I feel as if you were my personal employment coach. I start my new position in two weeks. I had so many obstacles to overcome and each day you posted a solution to my dilemma and how to improve my search. Thank you so much for your input and PLEASE continue to do what you do!”

Click here to get access to the e-book.

{ 3 comments }

How to spot job interview lies

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

I have been to fascinating recruiting seminars over the years. One in particular was by a gentleman who called himself the “Human Lie Detector”, Steven van Aperen. A former policeman who has worked on high profile investigations, he now trains corporations and government agencies on how to spot whether someone is lying. He uses verbal and non verbal cues plus behavioural analysis questions.

In his seminar Van Aperen gave similar advice to Pamela Meyer, author of “Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception” who was interviewed in this post, on Smart Blogs on Workforce.

In the blog interview Meyer gives these signs as indications that an interviewee is lying:

  • Nonverbal tells. Liars don’t rehearse their gestures, just their words. The cognitive load is already huge, so when they tell their story, they freeze their upper body, look down, lower their voice, and slow their breathing and blink rate. And they will exhibit a recognizable moment of relief when the interview is over. Interrogators will often end an interview prematurely just to look for that shift in posture and relaxation.
  • Verbal tells. People who are overly determined in their denial resort to non-contracted rather than relaxed language. “Did not” rather than “didn’t”. They will use distancing language as in “that woman” rather than someone’s name. They will often pepper their story with inappropriate detail as if to prove to you they are telling the truth. They will look you in the eye too much, as if to appear honest, when in fact most people telling the truth only look you in the eye a comfortable 60 % of the time.
  • Stories told in perfect chronological order. Try to get them to tell their story backwards. They can’t do it. Honest people remember stories in the order of emotional prominence. Liars tend to concoct a time-stamped story but they falter when asked to recount it differently.

These are excellent tips but it can be difficult to judge whether someone is lying in interview.

It’s hard to be truly objective when, say, you desperately want to fill a position. Or as a recruitment consultant there’s your salary and client at stake. With that going through your mind, the signals never jump out at you. It’s also easy to overlook those uncomfortable niggly things that don’t quite add up, as you may not want to see them.

Using the pointers above you’d also need to know whether someone’s body language, eye contact, tone and the like, are different from what they are normally like. Nerves can make everyone behave in strange ways. A visible sigh of relief can also just be that, a visible sigh that the interrogation is over.

To make an un-biased judgment as an interviewer, some self awareness helps as well. As an interviewer, my basic premise is that I believe someone. I generally like people and want them to do well. But I know that can cloud my judgment, especially when someone is super nice and accommodating in interview, or if they’ve buttered me up.

So I never ever make a decision on the spot. I make copious interview notes, and when I have finished all the interviews for the day, I take a break and review what each interviewee actually said. That, for me, removes the impact of their personality and allows me to question the logic of the information they’ve presented. I can then judge the interviewee just as much on the content of their answers, not just on whether I think they’re a nice person and couldn’t possibly “stretch the truth.”

For my blog readers out there, I’d love to hear what other interviewers do…

– Watch out story tellers! This first tip comes from Donna Svei @avidcareerist on Twitter:

“@InterviewIQ: An interviewee who claims all credit for a significant accomplishment makes me wonder.”

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Six career killers on Facebook

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

I know many Aussies who read my blog don’t love social media like I do, for job hunting at least. I know this because I’ve had clients ask me if I tweet about eating spaghetti bolognaise.  I did a radio interview recently on social media and job hunting and the producer asked me before the show if I tweeted about eating a hamburger. (For the record, I do eat, but I don’t tweet what I eat), unless it was exceptionally good and I want to say thank you to the chef!)

Yes I am a big fan of social media because if you manage what you do, and you do it well, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can help you find your next job. From a job hunting perspective, even for me, having this blog, and tweeting regularly, has landed me some big and totally unexpected opportunities from big and totally unexpected directions. In short I’ve been headhunted.

If you do want to use social media, you do need to be educated about how you use these tools. This article: “six career killing Facebook mistakes” popped up in my inbox today, listing career killer moves on Facebook.  These are:

–  Posting inappropriate pictures

–  Complaining about your current job

–  Posting conflicting information to your resume

–  Statuses you wouldn’t want your boss to see

–  Not understanding your security settings

–  Losing by association: what your friends post on your profile

I had a depressing conversation with a headhunter recently and asked him how he used Facebook.  He said he started one search on Facebook and eliminated someone immediately from his shortlist because of a profile photo they had of themselves. He didn’t look at their page. He didn’t look at their status updates. He didn’t look at the company they kept. He just looked at their photo.

Scary stuff and so many question marks!

The writers of the article suggest:

“The best advice is to lock down your personal profile so that only friends you approve can see anything on that profile. Then, create a second, public profile on Facebook purely for professional use. This profile functions like an online resume, and should only contain information you’d be comfortable telling your potential employer face to face. Having a social networking profile is a good thing: it presents you as technologically and professionally savvy. Just make sure your profile is helping to present your best side, not the side that got drunk at your buddy’s New Year’s party”.

PS: Anyone interested in whether Australian job seekers are using social media – read this article from Destination Talent’s Phillip Tusing.

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