Why Interviews Often Reward the Wrong Things
In an interview, the person who talks easily, makes quick eye contact and fills silences often seems like the strongest candidate. Those are often signs of a person who leads with D or I. A person who leads with S or C may answer more slowly and more carefully, and come across as less confident, while being the better fit for a role that needs patience or precision.
The interviewer's own style adds to the problem. People tend to warm to candidates who are like them. A manager who leads with D may favor the candidate who pushes back. A manager who leads with S may favor the candidate who seems easy to work with. Both preferences can pull the interviewer away from what the job needs.
This lesson works from both chairs. As the interviewer, you learn to hire for the job's daily work, ask questions that show how a person works, and catch your own style's blind spots. As the candidate, you learn to prepare for each style of interviewer.
Hire for the work the job asks for every day, and judge each answer by its content, whatever the speed or polish of its delivery.
Read the whole lesson
This lesson is one of the professional lessons included with WiredType Pro. The rest of it shows how to describe the work a role needs, the interview questions that show how someone works, the blind spots each style of interviewer brings, how to prepare as a candidate for each style of interviewer, and practice scenes with feedback on every choice.
See what Pro includesWhat the full lesson covers
- The work the role really needs
- Questions that show how a person works
- The interviewer's blind spots, by style
- Preparing for each style of interviewer
- Practice: four scenes with feedback