This ‘just in time’ approach is, let’s be generous here, not the most effective or productive method and makes a difficult process even harder. I honesty will never understand this approach but hey, I’m not the one taking the interview!

Only when an interview is actually booked in do most candidates press the ‘start’ button and usually only then as they are in a state of panic. They then try to remember six or seven standout pieces of work that they have done over the years, that they think will match the competencies from the framework that are being assessed (this in itself is going about things in the wrong way and the fix for this is explained in Key Element 2 of our 5 Key Elements for a High Scoring Answer Model).

The problem here is that, at best, our memory of such past events is never really that clear or detailed in nature and, at worse, you can only recall the very basic information. Most candidates I speak with say this is a significant challenge to them and possibly the hardest part of the process. I know for myself I can’t remember what I was doing yesterday most of the time, never mind 2 years ago.

What tends to happen is it’s just really hard to remember exactly what you did, who was involved, what were the key obstacles in that situation and any great detail and depth of what actually happened – which is exactly what you need in your interview and is invariably left out. So, your example answers are consequently vague, light weight and not really an accurate representation of the facts. This lack of detail may even make your answers sound unbelievable (and not in the good way) to the assessors as you can’t supply any specifics and nuance to make them believe it was you that actually did the work.

“Where you really there? Was it really your colleague that drove this?” Hmmm, not sure… fail.

In our opinion and experience you need a much more planned and organised approach.

Painful and laborious though it may be, you need to start planning for success NOW, wherever you are currently in your career or job hunt. This planning should not just be for your next interview but for all future interviews in your career. You need to be prepared, ready to go at the drop of a hat, as you never truly know when an interview will be scheduled and how short the lead time may be. I have spoken to many candidates over the last few weeks who have had just a few days from application to interview – harsh but that’s reality sometimes.

So, the solution is to start to build a comprehensive portfolio of preprepared answers for all the competencies that are relevant for the roles that you are applying for that you can call on and use when the whenever you secure an interview. Start ASAP. Start today. Start now!

From now on, each time you complete a piece of appropriate work you should allocate time to reflect on it and then record your experience in fine detail. Do remember though, the more straightforward situations are, the better, as they are less complicated to explain to the assessors. In your write up include all the points that you will no doubt forget as time goes by. Don’t leave information out at this point – it’s always better to have more than less.

To help you identify which competency these situations are best suited to and to help you write them up in the most effective way you really need to then use the bselected 3 Pillars of Success Model: Content, Structure and Delivery, on which all of our interview coaching programmes is based. This will ensure that you focus on the relevant content that the assessors will expect from you (not just what you think is relevant or important), that you structure your evidence it in a way that is easy for you to verbalise and that is easy for the assessors to understand where you are trying to take them.

Using this approach, when the time comes and you have secured an interview, 90% of the hard work is already done. You can then select the best situations from your portfolio that evidence the required competencies for your interview without the ball ache of having to recall what you did way back when. Winner.

Once selected you can concentrate on learning your answers and improving the delivery of them – which in our expert opinion is arguably the most important pillar of success. Your aim here to be as authentic as possible and not slip into being an interview robot – ‘b more normal’ as we say here at bselected Towers.

Maintaining this portfolio of evidence should be the first stage of your interview preparation and be a core part of your ongoing continuous professional development. The examples in your portfolio should be continually updated and improved as you do more complex pieces of work and your experience of certain situations increases, ensuring that the examples are always role appropriate.

To find out more how we can help you ‘b’ the best you can be at interview, give us a call on 0161 327 2126. We are always happy to have a chat, or take a look at our coaching options here

The post Remembering What You Did – The Hardest Part of A Interview Process? appeared first on bselected.com.

The candidate was telling me that they had failed in a promotion interview process three times previously but had decided to give it one ‘last shot’. “Great!” I said. I then asked the questions that I always ask:

1. What went well at the last interview?
2. What didn’t go so well?
3. What feedback did you receive?
4. How will you change as a result of 1, 2 and 3?

I asked the questions pretty much knowing what the answers would be, namely;

• “Personally I think I had some good examples, I’ve been doing this job for 20 years and so am massively experienced.”
• “I think I just waffled on a bit on this occasion.”
• “Not much, they just said that the examples weren’t all at the required level and that the overall standard was high.”
• “Nothing really, I’ll just work harder next time I suppose.”

This really frustrates me and It’s a common theme that results in candidates lurching from one disappointing result to the next.

So why don’t candidates  do a better job of these re-sits?

I think the answer is that they don’t really know what they should be doing, they are getting conflicting advice on how to best prepare (often from those who have no real idea of what should be done) and lastly it’s just easy to do what you have always done. And this really is the point – candidates don’t change their approach. You all will know the definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I know that many candidates spend a significant amount of time preparing. That’s usually not in question. What is in question however is the quality of that preparation. How many of you sit at your desk and tidy it for 30 minutes so that you are ‘ready’ to study? Or, you watch a few funny videos on YouTube before you get going and I know that you are making an extra brew before you settle in to study!

In my opinion the issue here is two fold 1) You need to learn from your previous experience and change your approach. And 2) you need to focus your efforts better.

The Performance Cycle can really help you with this. It’s a simple concept that is used by most top athletes to help them improve their performance time and time again. To be successful at your board, your need this athletes mindset.

Let’s take a quick look at each part of the process and how it can help you.

Prepare

Preparation really is the key, but it must be focussed. You need to ensure that your concentration is on all the things that will make the difference, and not waste your time on trivialities.

It will be easy to go into your interview without having prepared as well as you could have and say to yourself “I couldn’t have done any more.” But, the truth is that you could have done more. And, if you want to smash the process, you need to do more. You need to leave no stone unturned and be fastidious in your efforts.

You will certainly need to set a goal and a detailed plan of how to achieve that goal. Take a look at our previous blog here to help you with this.

Remember, there is a ‘correct’ way to approach a competency-based interview processes, but the reality is that most candidates do not know this and therefore prepare and practice inefficiently, wasting their valuable time, effort and setting up for failure. Clearly the help of an expert coach can alleviate this issue and help you be as efficient as possible with your precious time. Time you can them spend doing the good stuff like being with your family, going for a run or walking the dog. bselected offers expert coaching that will significantly help with your effective planning and preparation (click here for coaching options).

Execute

Put the plan into practice. Simple.

Review

A key aspect of learning and improving is self-evaluation. All top athletes do this routinely, even after major success.

When you are reviewing your performance you need to be honest with yourself. It’s essential to take the emotion of the situation out and objectively appraise your performance, even if you feel hard done by. You should consider:

• Did you implement your plan perfectly? If not, why not?
• What worked well?
• What didn’t land as well as you thought?
• Which areas of the process did you struggle with?Where did you feel most confident and why?
• What feedback did you receive? Is there a common theme from previous feedback?
• Did you get any feedback at all? If not how can you seek it out?

It’s vital to ask yourself these questions. You will not improve if you do not analyse your performance in depth and use the findings to change and develop a new plan that will mitigate the risks and shortcomings that you identified. It’s essential to hold yourself accountable.

If you do put the Performance Cycle into practice will definitely help you improve your performance at interview, and remember the margins for success are very slim. Just increasing your performance by 1 or 2 marks may be the difference between success and failure.

The post The Performance Cycle appeared first on bselected.com.

Here are a few points that we at bselected think are essential.

Prepare Your Environment

Choose a spot for your interview where you can control the surroundings. If at all possible, take the video interview in your own home, but anywhere quiet with a good internet connection is a viable option and may well be better option than a busy household.

Think through what else is going to be going on near you at the time of the interview. Avoid noisy or busy areas, and if you can, check out the area at the same time the day before your interview for any unwelcome interference from kids, pets or partners!

Clear your desk or table of distractions, and only keep what you’d have at an in-person interview: a glass of water and something to take notes with. You need to be fully present. Don’t have your phone out next to you for example.

Optimise the lighting. Natural light from a window is ideal, whereas fluorescent or tungsten lights can be unflattering and distracting for the assessors. Facing your light source is always better than having it at your back (which creates shadows), but check for glare from your glasses, watch, or jewellery.

If you can, invest or borrow a lighting ring as these can significantly improve how you will look on camera. But if you wear glasses be aware of the reflection of the ring that may be seen in your lenses. You can buy a cheap light ring here:

Prepare the Technology

Check your internet and wi-fi connection. If you can hardwire your router to your computer with an ethernet cable, you should. Every precaution on stopping technical issues should be taken and will help reduce the unnecessary stress on the day.

Make sure that at the time of your interview, use of the internet is at a minimum by those in the house. You really don’t want things to grind to a buffering halt due to the kids (or husband) playing Minecraft or Pro Evolution Soccer.

How you sound is also hugely important. The assessors will need to be able to hear you with appropriate volume and clarity. It is very frustrating as an assessor if candidates sound muffled, quiet or the sound is variable. And remember, if assessors can’t hear you, they can’t mark you appropriately.

Using headphones helps prevent weird echoes and feedback from your computer, and if your headphones have a microphone on them, that will make it easier for the assessors to hear you, but make sure the mic isn’t rubbing against your shirt or banging against your necklace throughout the interview. This can sound VERY LOUD and annoying and you will most likely be unaware of it.

In my opinion, avoid giant over-the-ear headphones or gaming headsets, or at least consider the visual aesthetic you’re creating by wearing them. You are probably not a pilot or a DJ.

To optimise how you sound, we would certainly advise buying or borrowing a good external microphone. They make a significant difference and are a good investment. You can pick up one for around £50. Have a look here.

Set Up the Camera & Shot

Set up your computer so that the camera is close to eye level. If you have to use your phone, prop it up on a stack of books. You’ll avoid that shaky handheld effect, and the extra height will get the camera at the right angle. You certainly don’t want the unflattering ‘up the nose’ shot.

Put the window with the interviewer in it as close to the camera as possible, to help you mimic eye contact with the interviewer. This can make a huge difference to how you come across.

If you are using multiple monitors place the one with the camera on it straight ahead of you so you’re not turning your body or looking away from the interviewer. You can also use the multiple monitors to show your notes or motivational quotes. However, we don’t really advise this as inevitably you end up reading from them and all authenticity is removed from your delivery. Remember, as we say at bselected you need to “be more normal!”

Frame your shot as closely to an in-person interview as you can. So, don’t sit too close to the screen – you need your head and shoulders visible. A good rule of thumb is to leave 10-20% of the screen empty above your head. You won’t be tiny, but you also won’t cut yourself off accidentally by sitting up straighter or gesturing.

There is also good evidence to say that this is needed in order to show your non-verbal communication. Unlike a phone interview, body language is still important in a video interview. Try not to lean in as this can make you look too large and close on the interviewer’s screen. Instead, sit up straight, and smile and nod to show you’re paying attention.

Choose a simple background with no distractions or choose a virtual background, again as plain as possible. These are relatively easy to set up in Zoom or Teams but will usually mean there is a ‘shadow” effect unless you have a proper green screen. So, weigh up what you think is best for you.

In our opinion it really helps to turn your own view off. You may be super good looking, but you know that already and don’t need a reminder for the 60 minutes of your interview.

My Interview Set Up

Test the Technology

Now that you have everything set up, it’s vital to test it all. Test your audio, video, and internet connection using the same software as the interview will be run on (usually Zoom or Teams).

If you do not already have the appropriate software set up on your computer, do it now. You do not want to be downloading any required software on the day of the interview. There is only one outcome there – stress.

Set up a call with a friend and make sure the other person can hear you and there’s nothing distracting them in the frame and ask them to tell you if your gestures or body language look awkward on camera. Ideally do your test run this at the same time as your board will take place.

If you plan to show your CV, are required to do a PowerPoint presentation or share your screen for any reason, make sure you know how to do it. And don’t forget to ensure there is nothing embarrassing on your desktop screen or in any browser tabs, not that you would – you are far too professional.

You need to leave nothing to chance so also consider downloading the software on to a second device, such as your phone, and practise using it on there too, in case your computer fails or starts to do the very helpful ‘updating software’ at the crucial moment.

And please, change the name that will appear on screen to your own – not Grandma’s iPad or similar!

Final Preparation

Practice with a friend or family member beforehand – a lot. You do not want to be speaking your answers for the first time on the day. In my opinion you will certainly stumble over your words if you have not practiced. Not a good way to influence your assessors.

On the day dress professionally from head to toe. You’ll feel and act more effective if you’re not wearing those baggy grey jogging bottoms, however comfy they are and avoid jewellery that makes a lot of noise or is visually distracting.

And Most Importantly

Remember nothing changes in the way you should prepare for the interview and how you prepare your answers. Don’t forget about things you would ordinarily do. Research your interviewer, the company, the wider business context and of course know your own CV inside out.

It’s still just a competency-based assessment at the end of the day. You still need to prepare your competency-based answers with the appropriate Content, Structure and Delivery – the bselected 3 pillars of success. This is the only way to really maximise you chance of success.

And remember, smile! You’re on camera!

bselected offer a range of coaching options to help you ‘b’ the best you can be at your interview or assessment centre. To find out more give us a call on 0161 327 2126 – we are always happy to chat and guarantee that we will make a significant difference to your interview technique.

The post How To Smash A Zoom/Teams Virtual Interview appeared first on bselected.com.

Training for an Ironman is massively time intensive, with up to 16 hours of swimming, running and cycling required each week for 25 weeks prior to the event itself. That’s two standard working days each week. It became very clear, very quickly as I embarked on this challenge that I needed to be all over the planning aspect. Fitting this amount of training in each week was not just going to happen by chance and you can’t risk just rocking up to an Ironman event hoping that you have done enough training. Believe me, that is not a good idea. Ever!

So, rather than me just guessing what training I needed to do (as I have done before for shorter less demanding triathlons) I invested my hard earned cash in a dedicated Ironman training plan called Trainer Road.

This plan broke down what I had to do, when I had to do it – setting out specific training sessions and fitness goals that I needed to hit day by day.

I knew that if I kept to the plan (barring injuries) and monitored my progress against the goals set, I would have a great chance of succeeding in the finishing the race. And just finishing was my overall goal.

Put simply, I knew that effective time planning was critical for my success.

With so much time to think during the hundreds of training sessions required, my mind often drifted back to work, and the parallels between an interview process became clear to me. The time planning process required for success in an interview process or a sporting event is essentially the same.

Most candidates start out on their interview process with high expectations. They envision themselves being successful but, in my experience, many fail to put together a realistic plan, or establish a routine, that will enable them to achieve this success. #epicfail

There are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, and weeks in a month. If you don’t pay attention, life will get in the way, the interview will arrive before you know it and catch you by surprise. It’s all too easy for this to happen. Faced with endless work meetings, frequent interruptions, and urgent last-minute tasks, you can easily be busy all day without making any progress on your preparation.

That’s why it’s so important to know how to plan your time properly – making time to focus on what really matters while still leaving time for family and friends.

Time is the one resource that we can’t buy, but we often waste it or use it ineffectively. Planning helps you think about what you want to achieve in a day, week or month, and it keeps you on track to accomplish your goals.
When done effectively, planning helps you:

• Understand what you can realistically achieve with your time.
• Make sure you have enough time for essential tasks.
• Add contingency time for unexpected issues.
• Avoid taking on more than you can handle.
• Work steadily toward your promotion goal.
• Have enough time for family and friends, exercise or hobbies and thus achieve a good work-life balance.

How to Plan Your Time Effectively

Good time planning is easy really but many officers still fail to do it. There are many ways to manage your time and plan your preparation effectively, some more complex than others. Use whatever technique works for you; just make sure you do it!

Below is a simple method that worked for me during my training that you may wish to follow.

Step 1 – Choose A Planner or Calendar. You need to organise your time using a planner or calendar. Due to the nature of my work I tended to plan on a weekly basis, but clearly you should use a time frame that works best for you.

Apps and software such as Mail, Google Calendar, Outlook etc. are perfect for this. Or you can keep it even more simple, go old school and use a pen and paper. The most important thing when choosing your planner or calendar is that it lets you enter information easily and allows you to view an appropriate span of time (day/week/month) in the level of detail that you need.

Once you have decided which tool you want to use, set a regular time to do your planning, at the start of every week or month, for example.

Step 2 – Start to prepare your schedule by deciding the total time you want to make available for your preparation. There is no right or wrong here, but allocate enough time according to how important it is to you and how close your board is.

Step 3 – Add in all your work time (including travel time) to the planner or calendar.

Step 4 – Create a master list of all the current tasks, appointments and events that you need to do outside of work. These are the essential things that cannot be delegated or avoided e.g. picking the kids up from school, attending a dentist appointment, watching every episode of Breaking Bad etc. Just brain dump this information.

Step 5 – Allocate a time required for you to complete each of these tasks, appointments or events.

Step 6 – Prioritise these tasks into “Urgent – Do now”, “Do this week”, “Do on a certain date” & “Do anytime”.

Step 7 – Schedule the “Urgent” tasks into your planner at the earliest possible date and time. Then schedule the “Do this week” and “Do on a certain date” tasks into the planner. Roll the “Do anytime” task over to your next planning session (recognising that their priority may change). This will now leave you with your remaining availability for your interview preparation.

Step 8 – Now block out your preparation time that you decided on at the start of the planning process. Protect this time at all costs as it is vital to your success. Be realistic, keeping it to manageable chunks that allow you to keep focus and motivation. Quality is better than quantity.

Step 9 – Schedule some extra time to cope with contingencies and emergencies. Some interruptions will be hard to predict, so leaving some open space in your planner gives you the flexibility you may need to rearrange tasks and respond to important issues as they arise. Experience will tell you how much to allow but in general, the more unpredictable your job, the more contingency time you’ll need. If you don’t plan this time in, emergencies will still happen and you’ll end up working late or simply not doing the preparation.

Step 10 – Implement the plan! A plan is only any good if you put it into action.

Other Tips

There are several other tips that will help you accomplish more and make the most effective use of your time. These include:

Buddy Up – It’s often too hard to do these things on your own so it’s wise to seek the help and support of others who are going through the process. You will be more time efficient as you can keep each other focussed on the task at hand.

Look After Yourself – You don’t have to sign up for an Ironman, but getting some exercise, eating healthily and get plenty of sleep will help your performance. If you’re not at your peak, you won’t be able to focus or concentrate, nor will you have the energy or stamina to get your studies completed efficiently.

Be flexible – You can’t plan for everything as unforeseen obstacles are bound to pop up, so you must plan accordingly and be flexible. Don’t beat yourself up too much about missing a study session; just make sure you get back on track as soon as possible.

Delegate & Outsource – Increase the amount of time you have by delegating to other people, outsourcing key tasks, or using technology to automate as much of your work as possible. This will free you up to achieve your preparation goals.

Did The Plan Work?

Well yes. I achieved my goal of finishing the Ironman in a time of 12 hours 40 minutes and 53 seconds – definitely one of the best achievements of my life.

The post Planning For Success appeared first on bselected.com.

So here are 3 simple tips to help you ‘b’ the best you can be.

1 Focus Your Preparation

Most of the clients that contact us are clearly conscientious and have already started to, or know that they will need to, invest significant time in preparing for their interview. What annoys and frustrates them most is when they spend days, weeks or even months concentrating on what they think is important and key for success, only to find out that when they speak to us they have spent all that time and effort focusing on the wrong stuff.

Preparing for an interview is boring and frustrating enough without eventually realising that effort has been wasted and valuable time could have been spent much more effectively or even doing something enjoyable!

So, as a minimum make sure that you know what to expect, how to prepare and how to deliver.

• Read any briefing pack thoroughly. We are constantly amazed at the amount of clients that never do this and consequently miss vital information that can help them focus their preparation in the correct areas.

• Ask questions of those who are running the process i.e. HR or Workforce Development. Seek clarification on any points of which you are unsure

Take advice from others that have been through a process previously with extreme caution. Although their advice is always well intentioned it is often wrong. Listen to the experts.

2 Ensure You Have Content, Structure & Delivery

Whatever exercises you face at your interview or assessment centre, you will definitely need to think of content, structure and delivery:

• Content – your responses needs to include what the assessors are actually looking for and assessing you on. You need to give them what they want on a plate – don’t make life difficult for them.

• Structure – a good structure helps you frame your content so that both the assessors and yourself are crystal clear in what being said and why. Waffle is your enemy.

• Delivery – you need to deliver with impact and authenticity. To many times candidates turn into interview robots at their interview and bore the assessors to tears.

3 Answer The Question

Finally, and maybe most importantly of all, answer the question that you have been asked. Listen carefully to the question and answer it. Hardly rocket science we know, but a very common mistake. Nothing infuriates assessors more than responding “X” when you have been asked about “Y”. Listen, digest and respond.

Clearly at bselected our job is to ensure that every minute of the preparation you do is as focused and effective as it can be. Our job is to make your life easy! If you wish to know more on how we do this give us a call on 0161 327 2126.

The post 3 Top Tips For Interview Success appeared first on bselected.com.

The basic principle of a role-play or interactive exercise is that you are due to meet an individual, for example a peer, direct report or partner, and there is an issue or challenge that needs solving. This could be poor performance in the team, some on-going collaboration problem between the organisation and a stakeholder or it maybe a straightforward sales role-play.

Prior to the meeting you are given a paper feed with lots of relevant information (and maybe some not so relevant) and you have a period of time, say 20 minutes, to read, digest and form your plan of attack. You will then have an additional period of time to conduct the meeting, where you need to convince the role player to take a particular course of action that you believe is the most effective and solves the problem.

In essence you meet someone, have a chat, sort the issue and walk out of the room for tea and medals. Easy.

But invariably candidates execute these exercises very poorly and often it’s the reason they fail the process. The question is why?

In our opinion there are three main reasons that role-plays become a big deal:

1) The first reason is stress. There is no doubt that stress and nerves play a part for many candidates. This is totally understandable, as the outcome of a selection processes is always important. Whether it is the kudos of a new role, an increased salary or the extra annual leave that is the motivation for going through the process – the result always matters.

2) The second reason is that there is no logical flow to the exercise. Candidates ramble and waffle on, not knowing where they are going or how they will get there. If they don’t know what’s going on– how on earth will the role-player? #confused.com

3) Finally, and maybe the most common, candidates simply dismiss what they already know and approach the exercise as if its something completely alien to them. They take a radically different approach to what they would do normally in the workplace, forgetting all the training and experience that they have gained over years and so become ineffective in their approach. #epicfail

What’s the solution to better performance?

The very first thing to remember is the exercise is just another meeting and probably very similar to those that you (hopefully) prepare for in your job many times each and every day.

With that in mind, lets deal with the three reasons for poor performance in turn;

1. Managing Stress

Some stress is good. It means that the process matters to you and you care about the result. So don’t beat yourself up if you do feel stress and nerves – most of your competition will be as well.

In our opinion, the best way to mitigate stress is to be prepared and find out as much as you can about the exercise.

The fact is however, that most candidates just don’t understand what is expected of them and what the role-play exercise is actually assessing. They essentially go into the exercise ‘blind’ with maybe only a vague understanding of what is expected of them. #bonkers

To be successful it’s essential that you learn about competency based assessment theory and how this knowledge can be utilised to help you perform at your very best in the exercise. At a basic level, you at least need to know what competencies the exercise is actually assessing. If you don’t know this, you should, and you should also be thinking how you could deliver against them.

As we say at bselected: Know what to expect, know how to prepare and know how to deliver.

2. Structure is Essential

The key for success here is that you need a plan and a structure to help deliver it.

If you don’t have a clear and simple structure you are setting yourself up to fail. Structure will help keep you on track toward your goal and also help the role player to know where you are going and, importantly, why you are going there.

bselected recommends our unique PASSC^© structure for role-plays. This simple structure helps you plan the meeting and navigate a path to success.

3. Be Authentic

Finally be you! Or, maybe better put, be the very best version of yourself on a workday.

Almost all candidates perform more effectively when they approach an assessment centre exercise as if its just another work task, albeit under more time pressure. Use your experience to help shape and tailor a solution to the problem that you have been set.

These exercises are not trying to trick you – there is no hidden agenda. If the issue is to sort out poor performance in the team, then put a strategy in place to remedy the issues. Far too often candidates overcomplicate the exercise, and themselves tied up in knots. #keepitsimple

We often see candidates change their usual approach to meetings in these exercises and read into them something that is not there. This results in a stilted, inauthentic and ineffective performance.

Follow these three points and remember to #bemorenormal and there is nothing to fear about role-plays! Good luck!

To learn more about essential competency based assessment theory & how bselected’s PASSC© structure can help you smash the role-play book a personal consultation here or if you wish to chat through give us a call on 0161 327 2126

The post Assessment Centre Role-Plays: What’s the big deal? appeared first on bselected.com.

The contradiction here though is that simplicity, making things easy to understand,  is not simple. Keeping or making things simple is hard – it’s much easier to do what you have always done. Making things simple takes commitment and energy to do and complexity can creep in at any moment, it lurks around every corner!

At bselected, I hear this pattern repeatedly in candidates going through their interview or assessment process. There is an inherent trend, a need, and it seems like a compulsion for candidates to complicate, add irrelevant information and just waffle when answering questions.

Even when I am explicit in my direction and coaching saying; “Do exactly as I say. Don’t add anything in and stick to the rules I have given you.”, many candidates still ignore me and drone on and on.

They are seemingly facing an internal battle, thinking, “The answer to that question can’t be that simple, it just can’t. I’d better add some ‘stuff’ in.”

I have news for you – it can be that simple and it is that simple. There is just no need to massively over complicate answers.

So Why Does this Happen?

In my opinion and when discussing this with candidates they;

• Think complex answers sound impressive – they don’t.
• Think complexity improves their chances of scoring highly – it doesn’t.
• Think it is what the assessors expect – nope.
• Think complexity differentiates you from others – probably, but not in a good way.

Think of the poor old assessor. Keep in mind that if it is complicated for you to deliver an answer or response, assessors will have no idea what you are talking about. Assessing is difficult and adding layer upon layer of complexity will merely make their job harder and alienate them. Bias will kick in and they may well mark you down, even if hidden in the fluff and waffle there is a good answer.

Adding complexity is also incremental. Candidates will often add more and more irrelevant or complicated detail, trying to impress and rescue the situation when they see the assessor begin to glaze over. Inevitably they spiral downwards and downwards.

So the question is; how can we fix this?

Top Tips for Keeping Answers Simple & Effective

Firstly, you really need to want and be determined to make answers simple. You must put a high value on the work that will be required or it just will not happen.

– Critically (for my sanity) please Answer The Question! I am continually amazed (and frustrated) by how many candidates just do not do this. If you are asked to talk about ‘oranges’ but talk about ‘pears’, you have no chance of passing.

– Work hard to ensure your answer has only has relevant (& interesting) content that links to the question asked and the competency being assessed. Look at your answers at take out all the fluff. Not everything that is in a first draft really needs to be there. Challenge yourself to discard the waffle.

– It’s much easier to try and modify an existing answer in order to simplify it, but sometimes you just need to start again. Accept that this is a fact. It may help to break your answer down into sections (as I show you in all our Interview Success programmes).

– Resist the urge to add complexity at all costs. Fight it when it is lurking in your head!

– Be extremely cautious with advice from peers, friends & family. Even though it will be well intentioned, it will almost always be incorrect and at the very least complicate matters. Most other candidates who have been successful through a selection process rarely know why they were successful; so will tell you all sorts of weird and wonderful things. The vast majority of this is, frankly, rubbish.

– #bemorenormal – Adding complexity tends to remove authenticity which is critical if you are to have impact in your assessment. Often it just sounds weird.

– If you are following the bselected’s Online Interview Success Programme or have a personal consultation with myself and I tell you to do something – then do it! It’s said for a reason and that is I know it works.

So, if you have a tendency to waffle and need expert help to be as simple and effective as you can be when going through your interview process, give me a call on 0161 327 2126.

I can help – simple.

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As part of my business, I often assess at assessment and selection centres for corporate clients whose candidates, like police officers, are put through competency based processes in order to be promoted or secure a new job.

I am constantly amazed how many of the candidates I assess don’t follow the instructions given to them during the course of a selection process. This is particularly prevalent during the competency-based interview, with many candidates totally failing to answer the questions I ask them. Over the last few months it has been above 80% of candidates. In my experience this trend is mirrored by police officers of all ranks.
So, a critical piece of coaching I can give you is to remember ALF.

A

lways

L

isten

F

irst

You must listen carefully to the question to understand exactly what it is that the panel is asking and what competency they are assessing before you answer.

In other words you must;

Answer the question that you have been asked

It is not good enough to just shoehorn a pre-prepared answer in, even if you have spent hours working on it. You will most likely fail the interview part of the process. Yet this is clearly a very common problem.

Indeed this week I have been running assessment centres for a corporate client and during the set up of the competency based interviews I specifically stated that they must listen and answer the question in order to have any real chance of passing that part of the process. However, on numerous occasions I had to pause the candidates’ response and remind them of the question being asked. They were clearly not listening to me and simply giving a pre-prepared answer that in no way corresponded to the question I asked them.

ALF is hardly rocket science I know, but it is clearly a very common mistake not to listen. Nothing frustrates assessors more than candidates responding “XYZ…” when they have been asked about “ABC…”. This approach will not earn you many (or any) marks and will put you at risk of failure.

So give yourself a fighting chance – ALF and ANSWER THE QUESTION!

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The most famous example of this is the approach of Sir Dave Brailsford who when appointed as performance director of British Cycling was faced with “Years of failure” and a team used to being also-rans in world cycling. Indeed, one pundit described them as “a laughing stock”.

So when he became performance director of he set about breaking down the objective of winning races into its component parts. He believed that if it were possible to make a 1% improvement in many areas, the cumulative gains would end up being hugely significant.

He focussed on the weaknesses and problems in the team and set about improving improve on each of them.

He did a number of different things including:

• Started to use antibacterial hand gel to cut down on infections.
• Redesigned the team bus (the Death Star) to improve comfort and recuperation.
• Using the same mattresses and pillows before/during races so the riders get a good nights sleep
• Sorting out equipment well in advance e.g. buying tyres a year in advance to prevent supply issues
• Using a state-of-the-art mechanics’ trucks that is climate controlled, to make working more comfortable for the mechanics
• Standardising saddle height measurements so bikes are always set up correctly
• Organising wet weather bags for each individual
• Using colour coded water bottles – one for water the other for energy drinks
• Cooling down on a trainer after each event

Each weakness in the team was not a seen as a threat, but as an opportunity to create marginal gains, which began to accumulate, and the amazing results that followed is now well documented.

So this got me thinking… if this ‘Lycra clad ‘approach can have such dramatic results in sport, what could it do to help prepare for an interview or promotion process?

In my experience many candidates do not approach a selection process with the rigour it requires (and shown by Sky in cycle racing), often they ‘just throw their hat in the ring’ especially if there is no filter stage. They are also often accepting of the ‘status quo’ and just accept that what will be will be at the interview or assessment centre with regard to their performance.

However, I believe there are loads of reasons that contribute to poor performance at a selection process. Individually they may not make much of a difference but when added together the effect can be a disappointing fail.

Some of these issues and behaviours include:

• Just rocking up to the interview believing there is nothing more you can do
• Being great operationally but being unable to describe how you have been successful
• Maybe having a ‘chip on shoulder’ and thinking ‘I deserve this more than others’
• Listening and believing the advice of anyone who has already passed a interview (whether they know how they were successful or not)

So, to increase your chance of success at interview or assessment centre do you need to make one huge change or several smaller ones? It is easy to underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that success requires a huge, quick and dramatic change.

However improving by 1 per cent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful in the long term. The difference a small improvement can make over time is amazing. If you can get 1 per cent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.

1% better everyday 1.01365 = 37.78
1% worse everyday 0.99 365 = 0.03

In the beginning, there is basically no difference between making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse. As time goes on, these small improvements or declines compound and you suddenly find a very big gap between people who make slightly better decisions on a daily basis and those who don’t. Now I am not saying that you can get 37 times better at your interview technique in one year but I am saying that you can improve dramatically and be the best you can be at your board, whatever your current level of performance

Here are a few Interviewing Marginal Gains that you could implement NOW.

• Practice delivering your answers for 15 minutes every day
• Change your mind-set. However strong you are operationally, you need to be able to evidence certain competencies to pass the interview. Unfair? Maybe. Fact? Definitely.
• Get an interview buddy who you trust to help give you candid feedback on your performance
• Obsess over the detail in your prepared answers and make every word count. 90% right is not good enough.
• Slow down by 10% in your delivery. Video yourself so you can put yourself in the assessors shoes and see the difference it makes to the impact you have
• Change your mattress & go to bed early for 3 weeks before your interview! Be fighting fit for the day!

Clearly there are many other small changes that you could make as an individual. Start to put together your own list. I would love to hear what changes you intend to make.

So, small choices don’t make much of a difference at the time, but add up over the long-term to a significant difference. You need to be one of the few who takes up the challenge and makes the changes. I guarantee very few of your competitors will take the time and effort to do this… more fool them. This needs to be all about you and your success is the only thing that matters.

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To help build up ‘stage presence’ or ‘strong delivery’, a few easy tips can have a big impact.

Issue

A big mistake I see with candidates is that they move their bodies too much. They sway from side to side, shift their weight from one leg to the other, fidget with their hands (clicking a pen is very common) or play with their hair. People do this naturally when they’re nervous, but it’s distracting for the assessors and can make the speaker seem weak, even if their content and structure is good.

Tip 1

Simply keeping your lower body motionless can dramatically improve your delivery and impact. Plant your feet and try to stick to the spot. There are some people who are able to walk around a stage during a presentation, and that’s fine if it comes naturally. But the vast majority are better off standing still and relying on hand gestures for emphasis.

Issue

Perhaps the most important physical act when presenting is making eye contact. Eye contact is incredibly powerful, and it will do more than anything else to help your talk land with the panel. Conversely, poor eye contact can make candidates look unconfident and possibly untrustworthy. Even if you don’t have time to prepare fully and have to read from cue cards, looking up and making eye contact will make a huge difference to the outcome.

Tip 2

If the panel has 4 or 5 people, pick a couple of the most ‘friendly-looking’ and engaging people and look them in the eye as you speak. Think of them as friends you haven’t seen for a while, whom you’re bringing up to date on your work! It may require a conscious effort from you, but it is essential. At the very least you should make eye contact with anyone who asks you a question.

Issue

Another issue for inexperienced speakers is nervousness, both in advance of the presentation or briefing and while they’re actually in front of the panel.

Tip 3

Acknowledging nervousness can create engagement with the panel. Showing your vulnerability, whether through nerves or tone of voice, is one of the most powerful ways to win over an audience, provided it is authentic. Remember the panel wants you to do well – they have been in your position in the past.

Some experts recommend that people spend time before a presentation striding around, standing tall, and extending their bodies as these poses can make you feel more powerful. But I think the single best advice here is simply to breathe deeply before you begin to talk. It works, I know as I use it all the time!

In general however, candidates worry too much about nervousness. Remember, nerves are not a disaster. The panel will expect you to be nervous to some degree. It’s a natural body response that can actually improve your performance. It gives you energy to perform and keeps your mind sharp. Just keep breathing, and you’ll be fine.

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