Sample Interview Guide.
This guide will help you conduct an effective interview with Elizabeth. In addition to confirming the information provided by the assessment, it will be important to ask Elizabeth additional questions regarding experience, background, training, special skills, concerns, etc.
We recommend you do not give a copy of these reports to Elizabeth during the interview process.
Steps
- Review the Job Fit Report for Elizabeth
Before you read further, completely review the Job Fit Report for Elizabeth. - Prepare for the Interview
In each section of this guide, there is a suggested script for you to follow in your interview. The general idea is to read key statements to Elizabeth, get her reaction to the statement, and then ask a number of follow-up questions.
As you ask questions and listen to her stories, you are mentally trying to confirm and validate the assessment, expand what you know, imagine what to expect if Elizabeth is in the job, compare her to others or to people already in the position, and determine whether or not you wish to move forward with Elizabeth. - Conduct the Interview
The interview will begin with questions about key areas where Elizabeth matches the job requirements. This will be followed by quesitons where Elizabeth does not match the job requirements.- Open the interview by building rapport with Elizabeth for a couple of minutes.
- Tell Elizabeth you are going to share information from her assessment by reading key statements to her from her Job Fit Report.
- After reading each statement to Elizabeth, ask her how the statement sounds to her and then get examples to validate her thinking.
- Ask probing questions. The more questions you ask, the more you will know about Elizabeth. Feel free to edit the questions we have provided, delete them, or add your own.
Job Matches
Elizabeth matches the targets on all of the traits in this section. As you read statements to Elizabeth and ask follow-up questions, listen for examples that demonstrate the fit between Elizabeth and the job of Service Advisor.
Adaptability
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth can be fairly assertive and decisive in situations that are structured and where rules and regulations are clear. She often prefers to go "by the book" and depends on being correct in order to exercise her authority and meet designated standards.
Ask Elizabeth
- Sometimes it makes sense to step back and assess a situation rather than jump in and take action. Tell me about some times where you waited before moving forward. How did this approach work for you and others?
- In dealing with others who've worked with you, think about your most effective team member or manager. What would she or she say about how you use your assertiveness to get the job done? What would this person say about situations when you might have used either more or less assertiveness and been more effective?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Logical Problem Solving
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth is a good logical problem solver when the situation demands. She is able to slow down and tackle more complex issues by taking them apart and thinking through the elements logically.
Ask Elizabeth
- Thinking back over the past year, tell me about a particularly complex problem you faced. What level of responsibility did you have for resolving the issue? Walk me through the plan you developed for implementing your solution. How did you involve others in coming up with the plan? How did you determine the timeframe you'd need? What issues did you anticipate up front that might potentially be a challenge? Once you started, what roadblocks did you face? How did you handle those issues? How did you feel about the results?
- Tell me about a time during the last 6-12 months when you faced a particularly complicated issue. What role did you play in solving the problem? How did you go about assessing the issue when you first became aware of it? Walk me through how you investigated the situation and/or gathered your information to determine what was going on? Once you felt like you really had a handle on the issue, what options did you consider for fixing the problem? How did you decide which one(s) to go with? Once the problem was resolved, how did you feel about the end result? How did things go from that point forward?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Rapid Problem Solving
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth reaches conclusions quickly and likes dealing with a lot of new issues every day. She is intuitive in her approach, and she can easily tackle one problem and then move rapidly to the next.
Ask Elizabeth
- Over the past six months, would you say you've spent more time solving small but urgent problems that popped up or digging into bigger, more complex issues? If you had to pick, which one of these do you prefer handling? Why? What were some of the crises you had to deal with most recently? How did you know how to resolve them? Tell me about a time when you were working with someone you felt was dragging her or her feet in handling a problem. How did you step in to help resolve the issue?
- Tell me about a time you felt like you were putting out fires at work. What kinds of problems were being thrown at you? How long did you have to come up with the solutions? Give me examples of a couple of the solutions you had to develop on the fly. How did you know what to do in these situations? How did you feel during the times when you had to react quickly and think on your feet?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Sociability
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth is analytical and introspective, and she tends to assess people and social situations with a certain degree of reservation. She likes time to gather information and to calculate her social initiatives. She is at her best socially when she is fully aware of the expectations and needs of others and has confidence she can satisfy them.
Ask Elizabeth
- Certain jobs require a high level of people contact while others allow you to work more on your own. Which of these situations have you encountered in your past jobs? Which ones did you find most comfortable?
- Some people are commonly referred to as "social animals" because they need constant people contact. Others are very good working on their own handling projects, tasks, and assignments. Given your past work experiences, where do you see yourself as being most comfortable, and where do you see yourself as being most challenged? Give me examples of times you've found yourself in both situations.
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Vocabulary
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth retains information and is able to use learned ideas to solve new problems. She can readily understand most concepts in the workplace. She is interested in learning and new ideas. She has the ability to pick up on some nuance of communication.
Ask Elizabeth
- What was the most recent skill you had to acquire, either as part of your job or outside of work? How steep was the learning curve for you? What parts did you feel were easy to learn? What areas in particular did you find most challenging? How long did it take you to feel like you were up to speed?
- When it comes to learning something new, what's the most challenging skill you've had to acquire over the last twelve months? Which parts do you feel you picked up on quickly? Which ones were more frustrating or time consuming? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being very complex, how complicated did you find the concepts you had learn?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Job Mismatches
Elizabeth did not match the traits listed in this section. As you read the statements to Elizabeth and ask follow-up questions, listen for examples that demonstrate the mismatch or fit between Elizabeth and the job of Service Advisor.
Structure
The Structure job target is Medium. People with medium Structure have the ability to pay attention to procedures and guidelines but are also comfortable acting independent of rules. Elizabeth scored somewhat above the Structure target.
- She may be overly concerned with details and getting everything right.
- At times she may need to step back and look at the big picture.
- She may be more concerned with procedures and accuracy and a little less so with the overall outcomes than necessary.
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth's very strong structure orientation can be valuable in the right job. She tends to be steadfast in her efforts to attend to details and accuracy and to conscientiously meet quality control standards. She is not inclined to bend the rules or to take short cuts.
Ask Elizabeth
- While you personally have the ability to operate with structure and systems, some people don't. Tell me about some times you've had to work with others who lacked this ability.
- How do you think structure and adherence to procedures can be significant contributors to success? In your experiences, how has this been of benefit to you?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Optimism
The Optimism job target is Medium. People with medium Optimism show a mix of receptivity and skepticism about people they meet and/or situations in which they may be involved. Elizabeth scored well below the Optimism target.
- She may not connect with new people very quickly.
- Others may see her as not being very friendly.
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth is not outwardly effusive or gregarious and tends to maintain a healthy skepticism in her approach and outlook. She has the ability to visualize things and anticipate what might go wrong or may not turn out as planned.
Ask Elizabeth
- Some people seem to feel that everything will probably be OK. Others seem to be constantly looking for what might go wrong. Where do you come out on this? Give me a couple of examples.
- Some people take others at face value, while others always seem to wonder what's really going on with people they meet. How would you describe your take on this? Give me some examples.
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Intensity
The Intensity job target is Medium. People with medium Intensity have the flexibility to either react quickly or stop and think when hitting obstacles. Elizabeth scored somewhat above the Intensity target.
- Others may at times feel that she is not listening or that she will not compromise.
- Others may at times find her slow to compromise.
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth has a very high level of emotional intensity at work which can spur her to take action. When frustrated or committed to a cause or direction, she responds with a great deal of energy.
Ask Elizabeth
- All of us have times when we get frustrated with something at work. Some people express their frustration outwardly, and some keep it contained. Which one best describes how you typically react? Give me examples of a couple of situations where this has occurred.
- Think about a time when you were confident you were correct about an issue, but a decision was made that you didn't agree with. What did you do?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Responsiveness
The Responsiveness job target is Medium. People with medium Responsiveness can be expressive and enthusiastic at times, but they can also contain their responses when they feel it is appropriate. Elizabeth has higher Responsiveness.
- She may find herself often and unintentionally at the center of attention as a result of her impatience.
- She may be intolerant or very impatient if things slow down for long periods of time at work.
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth is responsive and quick to react. She has a natural preference for variety and change, and she is often impatient to complete work. She will want to prioritize and organize her tasks in order to be most effective.
Ask Elizabeth
- How has your enthusiasm and excitement impacted others, either positively or negatively?
- It seems like you have the ability to act and respond quickly. How have you been able to use this to your advantage in your past work?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Adaptability
The Adaptability job target is Medium. People with medium Adaptability are generally concerned about others' feelings and thoughts and may take these into account when deciding what to do or say. Elizabeth scored somewhat below the Adaptability target.
- She may sometimes unintentionally irritate people.
- She may sometimes miss social cues.
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth will normally make her own decisions on the basis of solid evidence and objective thinking. She will not make concessions on important issues just to placate or accommodate others.
Ask Elizabeth
- Some companies will go to any length to keep people inside and outside the organization happy. Tell me about situations where you have been urged to do this but felt it was unreasonable or unachievable.
- There are times when other people will ask us to go beyond what makes sense and is comfortable for us in order to make them happy. Thinking about your work in the past, how have you made decisions regarding whether to either compromise or not compromise to keep someone else happy?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."
Spatial Visualization
The Spatial Visualization job target is High. People with high Spatial Visualization can easily picture and work with multiple dimensions in their minds. Elizabeth scored somewhat below the target.
- She may find it difficult to think about and understand changes to designs, structures, and processes.
- She may not always grasp or be able to visualize tangible objects in three-dimensional form.
Read the following to Elizabeth
How does the following sound to you?
Elizabeth should be able to use technology solutions to solve problems, although it may not come naturally to her. She can follow directions and instructions regarding technology and machinery. She has a basic ability to visualize how systems work.
Ask Elizabeth
- Some people enjoy working with concepts and ideas, while other prefer more concrete, hands-on tasks. Given a choice, which type of work do you feel suits you best? Give me an example of a situation in your current/most recent job when you had the opportunity to do this kind of work. Which parts did you find most interesting? Which ones were the most challenging for you?
- Tell me about one of the systems or procedures you used most often in your current/recent job. How was the system developed? How were you trained to use it? Were you able to follow the established procedure most of the time, or did things pop up that caused you to have to change direction? How did you feel when that happened? Given a choice, would you prefer to have a process to follow or be given the choice to come up with your own method?
Explore Further
- "Tell me more..." or "What's another example..." or "Walk me through..."
- "Give me an example of how that shows up in your prior experience."