Thursday, March 22, 2012

Is This Really a Job Interview?


Are job interviews becoming like reality television? There has been much buzz around “extreme interviews.” Obviously with so many people unemployed and a big selection pool for employers to choose from, companies are using more creative screening process to help in the selection. 
Some are asking strange questions like, “If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, what kind of bush is it?” or “If you were a dish, in whose cupboard would you like to be? Why?”.
Some ask brainteasers like, “Three well dressed women are huddled together. The one who is crying has never been happier and the other two who are smiling have never been more miserable. What is going on?” or “Before becoming an angel, the woman had found herself diving toward hell in a wet suit. What happened?”
Are they designed to see how quick interviewees are to respond?
Are they designed to show creativity?
Are they designed to show how an applicant might deal with frustration or embarrassment?
Are they designed to see how the applicant deals with pressure?
Are they designed to see if the interviewee fits the culture?
Are they designed to see if a potential candidate is honest or knowledgeable?  (Question. What kind of dinosaur would you be? In my case, I don’t know dinosaurs and would say so.)
If an organization seeks a nurturing culture with solid believable values that are lived out loud, then why not have an experience-based learning initiative for several job applicants as well as couple of current employees. This initiative might reveal more than any interview including leadership, trust, encouragement, communication, respect, collaboration and conflict resolution. 
Thoughts?

1 comment:

Lake Cumberland Winery said...

I had a high school english teacher by the name of Don Hollingsworth (this was before there were AP class designations) and he would have us write a 1000 word essay at least twice a week as we sat down in class. They would be on "The contents of a ping pong ball" and other imponderables. Creativity, organization, communication were some of the benefits and it turned out to be the best skill for college and critical thinking that I ever had. It was truly and experiential activity for what was to come.

I would hope that job interviewers are focusing on critical thinking skills and not posing some of your questions thinking there is a right answer, but we live in freaky times! Norrie Wake