How common is this interview format, and how can I avoid it?
June 22, 2023 4:17 PM Subscribe
Hi everyone. So, I had a job interview this month that was unexpectedly formal and I totally biffed it. I'm confident that it's probably all for the best, but I'm wondering if this format's the norm for particular types of jobs and/or employers. Can you take a look and let me know if there's a way to avoid applying to particular places where I'm likely to encounter this?
This was an interview for a grantwriting job at a public institution. By this point, I had already submitted a resume and cover letter and had advanced to the next stage of submitting a writing sample and sitting for an initial interview. The successful candidate would pass three interviews.
My interview was 30 minutes, on Teams, with three members of the search committee. There were no notes on format, just the meeting time and link.
The format was this:
- Brief introductions for all
- Eight broad questions the search committee had prepared in advance and took turns asking (these questions are identical for all candidates)
- Very brief remaining time for any questions from me
During the eight questions, the search committee was not permitted to ask followups or react in any way whatsoever.
And it felt so weird! I'm sure this style of interviewing is intended to prevent any sort of bias or coaching of the candidates that would lead to unfair scoring, which I get. But I found myself so unnerved by the complete lack of engagement/response that I totally lost my train of thought. It felt kind of like the Still Face Experiment.
Also, there was no significant opportunity to ask about the structure of the team, the volume of work, the current state of institutional support, what it's like to work there -- the types of questions I typically ask to make sure I know what I'd be getting into.
Is style this a government/publicly funded institution thing? I interviewed for a position with the State Department years ago and the interview approach was very similar. In both cases, the interviewers themselves, when able to speak candidly, were genuinely lovely. This is no criticism of them, just the format.
As a note, I'm sure there are lots of amazing resources out there on how to prepare for this type of interview, but right now I'm hoping to focus any answers more on the type of employers I should avoid or pursue while seeking a more conversational interview. I tend to do well with those. Any ideas?
Right now I'm generally looking for writing/editing roles for proposals and grants.
This was an interview for a grantwriting job at a public institution. By this point, I had already submitted a resume and cover letter and had advanced to the next stage of submitting a writing sample and sitting for an initial interview. The successful candidate would pass three interviews.
My interview was 30 minutes, on Teams, with three members of the search committee. There were no notes on format, just the meeting time and link.
The format was this:
- Brief introductions for all
- Eight broad questions the search committee had prepared in advance and took turns asking (these questions are identical for all candidates)
- Very brief remaining time for any questions from me
During the eight questions, the search committee was not permitted to ask followups or react in any way whatsoever.
And it felt so weird! I'm sure this style of interviewing is intended to prevent any sort of bias or coaching of the candidates that would lead to unfair scoring, which I get. But I found myself so unnerved by the complete lack of engagement/response that I totally lost my train of thought. It felt kind of like the Still Face Experiment.
Also, there was no significant opportunity to ask about the structure of the team, the volume of work, the current state of institutional support, what it's like to work there -- the types of questions I typically ask to make sure I know what I'd be getting into.
Is style this a government/publicly funded institution thing? I interviewed for a position with the State Department years ago and the interview approach was very similar. In both cases, the interviewers themselves, when able to speak candidly, were genuinely lovely. This is no criticism of them, just the format.
As a note, I'm sure there are lots of amazing resources out there on how to prepare for this type of interview, but right now I'm hoping to focus any answers more on the type of employers I should avoid or pursue while seeking a more conversational interview. I tend to do well with those. Any ideas?
Right now I'm generally looking for writing/editing roles for proposals and grants.
Best answer: That is exactly how federal government interviews have to be. On the other side, I hate it because I feel like I never know anything about the candidates after and would die to ask follow ups.
posted by cakebatter at 4:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by cakebatter at 4:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I've definitely also had this kind of job interview in public libraries (particularly large unionized library systems.)
posted by Jeanne at 4:46 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Jeanne at 4:46 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I also encountered this formal no response style in early group interviews with a large national nonprofit organization. Things loosened up when I advanced to the final interview.
I will also add, that while I understand this kind of formality can be uncomfortable, I worked for an organization that adopted a version of it to try to make interviews more straightforward and fair. It really did help shake out some of the biased/preferential hiring practices we had over the years. I don't know if that motivation might help it feel less uncomfortable for you.
posted by fies at 4:47 PM on June 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
I will also add, that while I understand this kind of formality can be uncomfortable, I worked for an organization that adopted a version of it to try to make interviews more straightforward and fair. It really did help shake out some of the biased/preferential hiring practices we had over the years. I don't know if that motivation might help it feel less uncomfortable for you.
posted by fies at 4:47 PM on June 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
Best answer: fwiw, I recently interviewed with a public school district for a central office position and they followed a similar format for the 1st formal interview (aka, the one after a phone screen).
I also found it really off-putting! I washed out as well, but like you, feel like it was a bullet dodged.
posted by smirkette at 5:04 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
I also found it really off-putting! I washed out as well, but like you, feel like it was a bullet dodged.
posted by smirkette at 5:04 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Yup, this is how our searches are at my public university - we have to get a questions list approved in advance by HR, and if there is a question on that list that we don't get to with one candidate we aren't supposed to use that question with any of the following candidates for the position. When I interviewed they did warn me this in advance ("sorry that this will come off as awkward, these are our interview rules") and we've similarly given that heads up to candidates for the searches I've been a part of. That said, we're allowed follow-ups within the scope of those approved questions.
That's for our phone/Zoom interviews, but the same rule applies to the formal interview portion of the final in-person interviews - but at that stage, the formal questions hour is just part of a full-day or two-day interview, other parts of which can be less awkwardly formal, so we do get to interact as humans eventually.
posted by erolls at 5:05 PM on June 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
That's for our phone/Zoom interviews, but the same rule applies to the formal interview portion of the final in-person interviews - but at that stage, the formal questions hour is just part of a full-day or two-day interview, other parts of which can be less awkwardly formal, so we do get to interact as humans eventually.
posted by erolls at 5:05 PM on June 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Oh, I should also say we are careful to allow time for the candidate to also ask us questions, at both interview stages, so that part of your experience seems more surprising to me. In the 30 minute phone interview that might only be 5 minutes at the end, but in our case we know there is a full-day in person meeting at the following interview stage where a lot of those conversations can happen in greater length.
posted by erolls at 5:12 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by erolls at 5:12 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Is style this a government/publicly funded institution thing?
This is certainly the style public service agencies I've worked in use and, yes, it's to ensure all candidates have the same chance of demonstrating their capacity against the selection criteria in the job description. The questions have to each be based on and identified against one or more of the criteria, so there's not a lot of room for creativity. We have always been able to ask follow-up questions, though and have not been restricted from reacting at all (that seems weird). The interviews have to be carefully timed and have a fixed duration, unless the candidate doesn't have anything more to say. I've always been able to allow questions from the candidate and, sometimes, these tell you more than their answers to the stock questions.
While this style of interview can be off-putting, it's easier to prepare for, because you just need to make sure you have a response in mind for questions about each of the selection criteria. Unfortunately, it's very advantageous to people that are good at memorising stock responses that make them sound good and terrible for people that are more dynamic in their responses. This often means people get jobs because they're good at being interviewed, which may have no correlation to the skills they need to actually do the job.
posted by dg at 5:27 PM on June 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
This is certainly the style public service agencies I've worked in use and, yes, it's to ensure all candidates have the same chance of demonstrating their capacity against the selection criteria in the job description. The questions have to each be based on and identified against one or more of the criteria, so there's not a lot of room for creativity. We have always been able to ask follow-up questions, though and have not been restricted from reacting at all (that seems weird). The interviews have to be carefully timed and have a fixed duration, unless the candidate doesn't have anything more to say. I've always been able to allow questions from the candidate and, sometimes, these tell you more than their answers to the stock questions.
While this style of interview can be off-putting, it's easier to prepare for, because you just need to make sure you have a response in mind for questions about each of the selection criteria. Unfortunately, it's very advantageous to people that are good at memorising stock responses that make them sound good and terrible for people that are more dynamic in their responses. This often means people get jobs because they're good at being interviewed, which may have no correlation to the skills they need to actually do the job.
posted by dg at 5:27 PM on June 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Having spent my career working with companies on selection issues, I can tell you that these types of structured interviews will become more and more common, especially in the early stages of the hiring process. There are basically two reasons for this: one is that research consistently shows that structured interviews are far more accurate at winnowing candidate pools than anything else, and the other reason is that they are demonstrably non-discriminatory. In sort, they are effective and safe. Later in the hiring process, the interview style will often become less stilted. Although they will still be pretty structured in most cases, there will be room for follow-ups and some opportunity for bonding. For entry-level and unskilled positions, though, the highly structured interview is pretty much all a candidate will encounter before a hiring decision is made.
posted by DrGail at 5:40 PM on June 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by DrGail at 5:40 PM on June 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Yes, I just went through a process that had that as the first interview. The job is great.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:09 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 6:09 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far, everyone.
If it’s outside of federal work and you’re open to sharing the industry or job type more specifically, that would definitely help my search. (And it’s reassuring to learn there’s a code to crack this in the future if I do head in that direction, so thank you.)
posted by mochapickle at 6:19 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
If it’s outside of federal work and you’re open to sharing the industry or job type more specifically, that would definitely help my search. (And it’s reassuring to learn there’s a code to crack this in the future if I do head in that direction, so thank you.)
posted by mochapickle at 6:19 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This has been the interview format for all interviews I've participated in at my institution, a state university, for at least 20 years. Two were as the applicant, and maybe 5 or so were as a hiring committee member. However, we were allowed to ask followup questions and were not restricted from showing reactions. I'm in the IT department, but several of the interviews were for more general roles such as management, HR director, etc. Also, it is becoming a more common practice to make the questions available to candidates at a standard interval ahead of the interview, so each candidate will see them and get the same amount of prep time.
posted by expialidocious at 6:30 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by expialidocious at 6:30 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: And to clarify, I could see an occasional “please continue” sort of head nod, but there were no verbal reactions. Stepping back out now. Thanks again.
posted by mochapickle at 6:33 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mochapickle at 6:33 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In terms of preparing for interviews like this, the key is analysing the job description - everywhere I've worked, this included a section for 'selection criteria' (sometimes named differently, but it will be obvious) but, if it doesn't, you can ascertain what the basis for selection will be through things like 'desirable characteristics' or similar headings.
Basically, make sure you have at least an outline in your head of what you'd say to a question on each characteristic and, importantly, an example you can use to show where you've exhibited that characteristic in the past. It's not enough to just say 'yeah, sure I can do that and I've done it in the past', you need to be able to say 'for example, when I was working on x, I did y' and maybe something where you can talk about how you overcame specific challenges in each of your examples. These interviews do really follow a formula and you can use this to your advantage by following the formula. As much as possible, use examples that are not in your resume or whatever else you submitted to get to the interview stage - make sure you're giving the panel new information to convince them to move you to the next stage.
posted by dg at 6:33 PM on June 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Basically, make sure you have at least an outline in your head of what you'd say to a question on each characteristic and, importantly, an example you can use to show where you've exhibited that characteristic in the past. It's not enough to just say 'yeah, sure I can do that and I've done it in the past', you need to be able to say 'for example, when I was working on x, I did y' and maybe something where you can talk about how you overcame specific challenges in each of your examples. These interviews do really follow a formula and you can use this to your advantage by following the formula. As much as possible, use examples that are not in your resume or whatever else you submitted to get to the interview stage - make sure you're giving the panel new information to convince them to move you to the next stage.
posted by dg at 6:33 PM on June 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I work at a national education nonprofit and we've recently instituted this type of panel interview (same questions and same people asking the questions for every candidate) as part of an effort to be more consistent and equitable in our hiring. I miss the less structured format, but see the value in not letting conversations drift off in different directions. We've also added a "culture fit" panel (internal parlance) where finalists can meet folks in the organization who aren't on the search committee - the questions are still structured but more softball/get to know you, and we leave lots of time for candidates to ask their own questions.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:36 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Yes, these types of interviews are fairly standard in any US based local/county/state government. But even without the ability to ask follow ups people are allowed to be expressive, say thanks, be encouraging, so that part may have been off.
I recommend developing several STAR stories that cover a range of your experiences and accomplishments. That way you're prepared to answer a variety of questions in a way that clearly and briefly (oh how brevity will serve you) convey your skills and accomplishments to a panel.
posted by brookeb at 6:45 PM on June 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
I recommend developing several STAR stories that cover a range of your experiences and accomplishments. That way you're prepared to answer a variety of questions in a way that clearly and briefly (oh how brevity will serve you) convey your skills and accomplishments to a panel.
posted by brookeb at 6:45 PM on June 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Yes, I've experienced this at public institutions, and yes, it is completely unnerving and dystopian to speak to a bunch of blank automatons. I'm surprised to see people have been able to just roll with it. Humans are social beings. Speaking to unmoving faces is absolutely bonkers, and I can't imagine this occurs in many other places on the planet outside the US. I guess humans will adapt to anything.
But yeah, avoid large institutions whether public/non-profit/sometimes private, and any government institutions. YMMV.
posted by asimplemouse at 6:50 PM on June 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
But yeah, avoid large institutions whether public/non-profit/sometimes private, and any government institutions. YMMV.
posted by asimplemouse at 6:50 PM on June 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I work in local government. Both cities I have worked for interview this way. It's safe and usually effective.
posted by notjustthefish at 7:27 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by notjustthefish at 7:27 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've been on interview panels and it is really helpful to rule people out, basically! It's easy to tell when people have a less-than-adequate response. To prepare def do the STAR prep and just have lots of examples in mind. Also don't lie. For some reason in this format even exaggeration is really obvious.
posted by randomquestion at 7:48 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by randomquestion at 7:48 PM on June 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I'm in county government (healthcare) and it's this way for first round interviews, but some of the "we're not allowed to react or ask relevant clarifying questions" is due to interviewers over-generalizing the idea that all interviews have to be the same. I think it veers back into favoring people who are traditionally successful at interviews (i.e., people with societal power) to do the stone-faced, no-help thing. (Though part of that is also because we have to take notes during the interview and turn them into HR to prove... something.)
posted by lapis at 8:10 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by lapis at 8:10 PM on June 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Honestly it sounds a lot like it may as well have been an asynchronous video interview similar to Hirevue or other video interviewing "solutions". I'm in another field entirely but it sounds like a similar experience. A special kind of interviewing hell, but clearly gaining traction. Not sure if it's better or worse to be speaking to humans who don't follow up or just to the void where you don't see faces at all, I've been on both sides of it and having been through it have so much empathy. At any rate, there'll be a better role for you on the other side of the process and I'm rooting for you, it's all just painful!
posted by mireille at 8:34 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mireille at 8:34 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I encountered this for Zoom interviews for faculty positions this year. Mostly at public universities, though not exclusively, and some public universities didn't do it. In all cases it was explicitly to decrease bias by making sure that all candidates had the same experience. In some cases, the questions themselves were provided in advance; in others they were not (but I'd read up on this interview stage and knew broadly what type of questions might show up.) Even in interviews that were a little less structured and had more flexibility for follow-up questions, it was clearly a format that consisted primarily of them questioning me. There was time for a brief question or two from me at the end, but it was clear that at this stage it was not the time to go into details (the equivalent of the team structure, work volume, "what it's like", etc.). Generally I asked about logistics (what was their decision timeline) and something about career development as an assistant professor.
I wasn't a huge fan for the same reasons as you, but I think knowing in advance that these were really a pre-interview screening stage helped me approach them. The next stage in the process was an on-site interview, for 1-2 days. Where I advanced to those in-person interviews, they were all totally normal (only one place had a similarly formal question session, and it was something of a known departmental quirk, consisting of 1 h in a much lengthier interview.) There were plenty of opportunities at this point to ask questions regarding what I'd be getting into if I took a job in that department.
Unfortunately, I suspect there's going to be a decent amount of overlap between places with grant/proposal writing jobs (government, academia, non-profits, cultural institutions) and places that opt for structured screening stages like this in an attempt to decrease bias.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 9:39 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wasn't a huge fan for the same reasons as you, but I think knowing in advance that these were really a pre-interview screening stage helped me approach them. The next stage in the process was an on-site interview, for 1-2 days. Where I advanced to those in-person interviews, they were all totally normal (only one place had a similarly formal question session, and it was something of a known departmental quirk, consisting of 1 h in a much lengthier interview.) There were plenty of opportunities at this point to ask questions regarding what I'd be getting into if I took a job in that department.
Unfortunately, I suspect there's going to be a decent amount of overlap between places with grant/proposal writing jobs (government, academia, non-profits, cultural institutions) and places that opt for structured screening stages like this in an attempt to decrease bias.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 9:39 PM on June 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm not in the US and this format sounds in line with expectations for public sector jobs here. In my organisation we're nice to candidates, we do ask follow up questions to allow people to clarify and the amount of time allocated to candidates questions depends on how long they took to answer our questions. We often include a written test or presentation as well. A lot of our behaviour in interview is also driven by the need to make copious notes for HR, presumably to demonstrate that we have awarded the job fairly, although I've never seen that be a problem in practice.
The STAR format is usually key to doing well in these interviews. They work well in the sense if you have good questions, your appointable candidates give you confidence they can do the job. It's been a long time since I've had anyone not really get the format, but that can lead to otherwise competent candidates doing badly. When I have an interview I prep and revise quite a bit, thinking about what examples I can use for every feature listed in the job description. I wouldn't say I was super successful but I did eventually get the perfect job.
posted by plonkee at 1:16 AM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
The STAR format is usually key to doing well in these interviews. They work well in the sense if you have good questions, your appointable candidates give you confidence they can do the job. It's been a long time since I've had anyone not really get the format, but that can lead to otherwise competent candidates doing badly. When I have an interview I prep and revise quite a bit, thinking about what examples I can use for every feature listed in the job description. I wouldn't say I was super successful but I did eventually get the perfect job.
posted by plonkee at 1:16 AM on June 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: seeking a more conversational interview
I work in a mid-sized international group of nonprofit orgs. Our hiring is always quite conversational, situational, and will lean heavily on your ability (as an applicant) to take the wheel and demonstrate your skills and motivation while minimizing the extent to which the interview must be driecting by interview questions.
You might find the same kind of approach in the universe of careers that might be described as consulting, think tanks, policy shops, and so on.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:23 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I work in a mid-sized international group of nonprofit orgs. Our hiring is always quite conversational, situational, and will lean heavily on your ability (as an applicant) to take the wheel and demonstrate your skills and motivation while minimizing the extent to which the interview must be driecting by interview questions.
You might find the same kind of approach in the universe of careers that might be described as consulting, think tanks, policy shops, and so on.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:23 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was recently on a search committee for an administrator at my private university and we had to follow a similar format. I hated it. Still Face Experiment is right!
We still do our trainee/faculty hires the traditional way, with a series of 1:1 interviews. But those folks have already passed a structured pre-screen including letters of recommendation and CV review, and by the nature of the work, personality/fit is highly valued at the interview stage.
posted by basalganglia at 3:42 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
We still do our trainee/faculty hires the traditional way, with a series of 1:1 interviews. But those folks have already passed a structured pre-screen including letters of recommendation and CV review, and by the nature of the work, personality/fit is highly valued at the interview stage.
posted by basalganglia at 3:42 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Where I work (tech) we just recently overhauled our hiring guidelines to be exactly like this and it is exactly as you say - the intent is to reduce bias. On the other hand, a computer could do it...
posted by kbanas at 5:19 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by kbanas at 5:19 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I had the same thing happen when I interviewed for jobs at a public library and for a city government. It made it difficult for me to be my charming best, since I couldn't read the reactions of the people interviewing me and it felt like I was bombing. (Maybe I was, since I didn't get either job.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:09 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:09 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I used to work in a unionized factory environment, and at one point I applied to an internally advertised position for a skilled trade job. Same format, I had asked some of my buddies about it in advance so I knew what to expect. I feel like it’s more common in government jobs but it also happens in the private sector.
posted by Whale Oil at 7:46 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Whale Oil at 7:46 AM on June 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Federal worker here, and seconding that this is extremely common in our organization. I've sat in on a few interviews as an SME, other interviewers are HR folks. They drilled into me very, very clearly that I could not engage in small talk, all questions were scripted, and we were explicitly prohibited from deviating from the script. I even got admonished once for not maintaining a "neutral" facial expression (God forbid I smile) so...yeah.
My understanding is that this is to avoid even the appearance of bias but I HATED it.
posted by photo guy at 8:27 AM on June 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
My understanding is that this is to avoid even the appearance of bias but I HATED it.
posted by photo guy at 8:27 AM on June 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: City employee here, I have been on interview panels, and yes, that is exactly how the hiring process works (including lapis's comment about the note-taking). It is awful and in too many cases I've seen people get hired who interviewed well (i.e. they had the right answers), but they ended up being a mess, which I think might have been mitigated if we'd been able to have an actual conversation with them.
Honestly, the best way to avoid it is don't apply for public/government positions.
I'm saying this more to myself than to you, as I consider other employment options.
posted by sazanka at 2:41 PM on June 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Honestly, the best way to avoid it is don't apply for public/government positions.
I'm saying this more to myself than to you, as I consider other employment options.
posted by sazanka at 2:41 PM on June 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Yes, that's the long and short of it. The idea is that it ensures all the questions have been pre-vetted, and that they can't discriminate against some candidates by asking them more or fewer questions than others. I also agree it's a terrible way to interview (not that there's really a "good" way to interview).
posted by capricorn at 4:30 PM on June 22, 2023 [13 favorites]