Maybe you are a recruiter, an image consultant, a careers advisor, life coach, HR consultant or job hunter? If so then let us know if you would like to write us a guest blog article, sharing your news, hints, tips and advice with links through to your site!

Simply email jo@personal-marketing.co.uk with your article (around 400-700 words) and  share your expertise. Don’t forget to include a short bio on yourself and your web address if you have one.

Soft skills, otherwise known as “people skills”, can be split into two types: personal skills and interpersonal skills. In other words, how you deal with problems, and how you interact with others.

The “Behavioural Interview” is becoming increasingly popular as it provides an unbiased standard interview for all candidates. This format is designed to assess how you cope in certain situations using your “soft skills”. So, if you are short of work experience on your CV, you can draw on your life experiences. This is definitely good news if you are a school leaver, graduate or returning to work after a break.

Most interviews will consist of at least some behavioural questioning, so it’s a good idea to prepare your examples in advance to prevent any head scratching in the interview room! Often you can tell if the interview will be behaviourally based by looking at the job spec. If there is a list of soft skills, or “key competencies” (the terminology can masquerade under many names!), then be prepared to be asked to demonstrate these.

Write down examples of situations, the outcomes, and what you would have done differently with hindsight for each of the following. Find a work related situation preferably, but draw from other areas of your life if your work experience is minimal:

Personal soft skills

Time management. How do you prioritise tasks? In most jobs you will have to do numerous tasks at the same time. Can you demonstrate how you have handled this in the past? You may be required to drop everything and refocus your attentions on another task. Do you have any examples of this?

Coping under pressure. How do you cope with stress? Can you think of an example that demonstrates a high pressure situation you have had to deal with?

Dealing with change. Companies sometimes restructure and require the work force to be flexible and positive about progress. New policies and procedures are always being introduced. Can you give an example of where you have positively embraced or initiated changes?

Problem solving. Think of an example of a time you solved a problem effectively. Did you save a sale/a customer/a life/the company money?

What motivates you? It could be money, job satisfaction, helping others. Have a look at the job description. For example, if you are going for a job in sales, then “money” is the obvious answer!

Decision making. When have you had to make a difficult decision? Was it the right one? What did you do if you realised it wasn’t the best course of action?

Interpersonal soft skills

Teamwork. Where have you worked well in a team? What was your role in that team? With many workplaces being open plan, employers often look for people that will “fit in” and work easily with others. This doesn’t mean you have to think of a sports team you have been involved with, just a situation where you have worked well amongst a group of people.

Motivating others. Do people like being around you? Can you think of a time when you have encouraged or helped others to complete a task?

Leadership. This could be an example of leading a team at work or in your personal life.

Influencing. Can you think of a time when you have persuaded someone round to your way of thinking; where you have convinced others of a good idea?

Communication. Have you had to write reports in the past or give presentations? Do you speak clearly and listen effectively?

Dealing with conflict. Have you resolved/mediated in any disputes? Are you aggressive, assertive or passive?

These are the main soft skills that employers look for, and to be able to confidently rattle off examples of scenarios will greatly improve your chances of landing the job!

Good luck!

For example:

• a question relating to your age that would not be asked of someone younger, or older, than you would be breeching the Age Discrimination Act (2006)
• a question relating to whether you are male or female, that has no bearing on the role, could be considered a direct breech of the Sexual Discrimination Act (1975)

or,  have you felt uncomfortable with questions about your race, disability or sexual orientation?

I was once asked in an interview for an office job if I was planning at any stage to get pregnant and go on maternity leave as they didnt want someone who was going to be off having children. I was a bit taken aback and asked them if they would have asked that question if I was male and they said, “Well of course not”. I walked out of the be interview. I didn’t want to work for a company like that.

So what is the best way of handling such “illegal” questions? In an interview when you are probably nervous anyway this is added pressure you don’t need. You need to answer assertively to get your point across but without being confrontational.  You could of course walk out, like I did, but if you really want to work for them then responses such as:

“I am sure that question is just a friendly enquiry but I’d prefer not  to answer that as I don’t think it has any bearing on my ability to do the job”

“Can I tell you about my work experience instead?”

Leave a comment about the kind of uncomfortable questions you have been asked that you feel were discriminative (but don’t name the company that asked – I don’t want a lawsuit on my hands!) and the responses you gave. I’m intrigued to know if interviewers are a bit more careful these days or not!

Thanks

Jo

These structured tests, designed by psychologists, provide employers with valid and reliable results on a candidate’s abilities or personality traits and provide a fairer, more standard selection process.

There are two types of psychometric tests – Ability tests and Personality tests.

Ability tests can cover technical skills, numeric reasoning and/ or word skills. These tests are strictly timed. Personality tests however, are not timed and have no “right” or “wrong” answers but different personality traits are suitable for different roles (for example,  a sales person would ideally score highly on the extraversion scale).

One of the most commonly used personality tests is the OCEAN personality test which measures characteristics on the following scales:

• Openness – (inventive / curious vs. cautious / conservative.
• Conscientiousness – (efficient / organized vs. easy-going /careless).
• Extroversion – (outgoing / energetic vs. shy / withdrawn).
• Agreeableness – (friendly / compassionate vs. competitive / outspoken
• Neuroticism – (sensitive / nervous vs. secure /confident).

There are numerous tests on the internet that you can google to have a practice if you suspect that you may be required to sit one of these tests in an interview. Personality tests can’t really be practiced but many people become unstuck on the ability tests simply due to the timed element of such tests.

Click here for examples of timed ability tests.

Personal Marketing, microphone in hand, asked a senior HR Manager in the public sector how these were applied in a large organisation:

Would you use psychometric tests as part of an interview procedure? If so, for which type of vacancies?

Ability Testing – We tend to use verbal and numerical reasoning for Senior Management positions.  The ones we use are the hardest ones as they are measured against  other senior managers. We do expect a high score and most of our managers would be scoring in the top 10% and if they weren’t, we’d look more closely at them in terms of their level of intellect.  We also use Ability tests for technical vacancies – mechanical/spatial ability etc.
Personality Testing – We also use personality profiling for senior management recruitment and may also use them for internal promotions.  Personality profiling is far more subjective and is used to start further discussions relating to the candidate’s personality traits that would not necessarily come up through the usual interview process.

Do  you use psychometric testing as an ongoing career development tool?

Not really although this is probably a better use of them.  We can and have used profiling tests that show career aspirations and ideal job fits, as well as ones that can help ascertain learning preferences (i.e. how is it best for you to absorb information).  We have also administered some limited 360 appraisals, which calls for a manager’s direct reports to complete questionnaires (confidentially).  This should show management style, weaknesses and strengths, and ensure that the manager’s view is similar to that of his direct reports.

How reliable and valid do you consider psychometric tests? Can you spot the “socially desirable answers” that someone may give?

Ability tests are fully valid as they are completely objective, providing that what you are trying to measure is relevant – i.e. does someone need to score in the top 10% in numerical reasoning for a marketing role?

Personality profiling is far more subjective and is only about 70% accurate.  This is why anyone interpreting these tests must be qualified and on the register with the British Psychological Society.  There should always be two way feedback on all personality profiling so that the comments shown can be validated with real examples to show they are accurate or not.  I would never share a document with others in the interview process, but would verbally summarise what the profile and my in-depth feedback meeting had discovered.   Any psychometric testing should only be used to validate or expand on areas already established during the interview process and are not the ‘be all and end all’.  There are indicators in all personality profiling that show if someone has answered in a way to show themselves in a better light, faked “good” answers, or have a disproportionate number of ‘middle’ answers.  This is another reason for an in depth discussion.  This is another area of conflict during the interview process as the whole point as a candidate is to show yourself in a good light!

So, there is not much you can do to prepare for psychometric personality testing except be aware of the traits that would be desirable for the role that you are being interviewed for, and be prepared to back those up with real life examples in the interview.  Once you have landed the job however, you may still be expected to complete psychometric tests throughout your career. So,be sure to take the time every now and then to practice timed ability tests!

You don’t want to show the interviewer your warts as, after all, you really want this job. You want them to know what you are good at, not all the things you can’t do.

So, what is the right way to go about answering this question and still paint yourself in a good light?

Keen to seek the perfect answer, Personal Marketing put the question to a group of job hunters of all levels of experience. The best answer came from the President of an Environmental Service Company. This, is brilliant advice:

“I’m no expert, but here is how I think one should handle this type of question.

1st – identify one of your true weaknesses, everybody has them,
2nd – identify what you’ve done to overcome the weakness or attempt to avoid it or minimise the effect,
3rd – weave yourself a storyline to be used in the interview, make it short and concise so that you can quickly move on to the next question,
4th – include a real world example,
5th – overall be honest with yourself and with the interviewer…after all, the question isn’t intended to actually determine your weakness, it’s intended to see how you handle the question. The worst thing you can do is lie or give a trite answer like “I have no real weaknesses” as a good interviewer will see right through it. Also, if your real weakness is one that truly threatens your chance to be good at the job, maybe, for your own sake, you should be looking for a different job. The honesty part helps you most of all.

Here is my storyline, and it is all true…”I’m a knowledge hound, when I get involved in a new area, I dive in and learn everything I can until I am completely confident in my knowledge. I also enjoy teaching folks and sharing my knowledge. Sometimes, if I’m not careful, I can come off as arrogant. To protect against coming off as arrogant, I have developed a few techniques.

Firstly, I try to ask a lot of questions. This helps keep the conversation two way instead of it becoming a lecture, it also helps me focus on the exact information the other party would like to learn.

Secondly, I developed a specific technique as a result of a specific incident in a sales call. I was once accused of lying. A very technical customer said that it was impossible for me to be able to answer all of his questions, so I must be lying to him in at least one of my answers. After that, I was always sure to intentionally leave at least one question unanswered. I would tell the customer that while I couldn’t answer the question right now, I could get him the answer. Then I would call the customer within an hour after leaving the sales call, and provide the answer. This would work doubly well in that I would never be suspected of lying merely because I was able to answer all the questions, and it would show my commitment to getting the customers’ questions answered by using my network of resources.”

The main thing to remember when answering this question is to ensure that you explain to the interviewer what it is you need to do, or are doing, to overcome that weakness. This tells the employer that you are proactive, you seek to strengthen your skills and would develop within the role.

Everyone has weaknesses, but not everyone has a plan as to what they are going to do about it. Make sure you do!

• I had a candidate cry during an interview. The question that started his waterworks was “So, tell me about your last job.” Ouch.
  
• When I asked the candidate what he considered to be his greatest strength, literally after about two loooong minutes of complete silence while he thought about it, he told me it was his ‘communication skills’. I had to do anything I could just to prevent myself from laughing!
  
• I remember interviewing one person for a Technician/Engineer position, he had very little clue about imperial measures, but even though we are officially metric, we use imperial measurements extensively, so I asked him..”How many feet in a yard?”…his answer was “well, it depends on how many people are in the yard”
  
• Candidate’s question at interview with client, for a Chief Operating Officer position: “How long is the waiting period before psychological counselling will be covered by the group insurance?”

• Candidate said:  “I was I didn’t want to come off as hyper so I smoked some weed before the interview.”

• So today, I asked, “Why do you want to work for our company?”. Her response was, “Well it is a big building”… and she left it at that. Later on, I then asked her another standard interviewing question, “What are some characteristics you would use to describe yourself”. Her response was, “Umm, well, I can’t think of anything”. Last question was, “are you currently working full-time?”. Her response: “Yes, except for the 2 days I don’t work”…
  
• The candidate who told me how he coped with workplace stress by going home and crying into his pillow.
  
• We had one candidate clip his TOENAILS in the interview. He thought he was alone in the conference room which he was, but the room was monitored. We know this because we had closed circuit cameras in the conference room. He was there waiting and just by chance the receptionist peeked on the monitor to see if he was OK, and there he was, foot on the table, clipping away.
  
• Half way through the interview day the candidate asked how much longer she would be there. She said it was close to her nap time and she needed a cigarette. It was 1130am.
  
• I once had a female candidate turn up with a hairy chin. “You’ll have to excuse the chin”, she said. “I am just off to get it waxed at the salon after I’ve finished here”.
  
• After the interview concluded, I went back to my office to find it stinking of  urine. I looked at the chair the applicant was sitting in, and you guessed it… a puddle.
  
• One of my favourite closing questions is often, “When preparing for this interview what was the one question you hoped I wouldn’t ask and how would you answer it?” The candidate responded with a really tough question, one I would never have thought to ask. So, I then I inquired, “and what is your answer?” His response was, “I wish you hadn’t asked me that.”

Always striving to help the job hunter, Personal Marketing posed the question, “What is the worst/funniest thing you have experienced from a candidate in a job interview” to the business networking site LinkedIn  ”Corporate Recruiters” group.

Consisting of 34,000 HR professionals and senior managers, here is a selection of the group’s answers!

“I explained to an applicant that if he were to be hired, he would be required to go through a background check involving a drug screen and finger printing. He stood up and told me he would not allow his “sample” to be taken because he just knew we would use it (as he declared himself a genius) to clone him.”

“I was conducting an interview with a young lady who showed up in a pink jogging suit with the word “Juicy” across the rear end of the pants. Moments after the interview started, the receptionist knocked on my door and said, sorry to interrupt, but the candidate’s young children were in the lobby asking for their mother.”

“Met a girlfriend in an interview: Best. Turned out to be a psychopath: Worst”

“When hiring for my own team, I took a female candidate to lunch. She proceeded to order chicken wings and then went to work systematically cleaning all the meat off of every bone, whilst licking her fingers, as she told me about her background.”

“The interview was going along very well until he told me that the lunch he had was causing some problems with his teeth and if I minded if he could stop and take care of it. I thought, sure, he could take a short break and maybe go floss his teeth or something of that nature. But, no, he just opened his mouth stuck his fingers in there and pulled out his teeth, both the top and bottom set and then to top it off, he put the whole set right on top of my desk.”

“The funniest thing I have ever experienced was; I had a candidate ask me what the dress code was for the interview. I replied “Well, formal is good”. I show up at the client site to meet the guy, and in walks the man in a full blown tuxedo.”

“I had a candidate come from Philadelphia to NY for an interview. The receptionist called me and told me the candidate was here — with his dog. I asked if he was blind and she said he definitely was not. I came out to see him and he said that he drove in from Philly and brought his dog along for company. When he got to the parking garage, the attendant wouldn’t allow him to leave the dog in the car, so he brought him up. At first, we put the dog in a large coat closet off the reception area. The dog started to howl and we had to take the dog out. We put the dog in the mail room and found that one of our mailroom clerks was allergic to dogs. The clerk blew up with a huge rash and had to be sent home. The receptionist then said she loved dogs and we could leave him with her. To avoid the dog’s snapping at visitors, we tethered him to a huge palm tree in the reception area. The dog then started to yelp at the receptionist and visitors, straining at the leash, until he managed to pull the six foot 250 pound tree across the room. While caring for animals is an admirable trait, we nonetheless reluctantly decided not to make a job offer.”

“I was interviewing a candidate, finished my section, and went to get the hiring manager. On my way back to the room, building security rushed past me heading in the same direction. Looking out the front door I saw police cars pulling up and officers jumping out. As I got closer to the room where my applicant was, I realised that security and the police were heading there too. While he was waiting for me to return, the applicant had presssed the red panic button on the wall, which automatically summoned security and rang at the local police station. When I asked him why he pressed the button, he replied that he wanted to see what it would do, and when nothing happened, he pressed it a few more times.”

“When the candidate came in, she was asked one of our typical questions that referred to having to “wear many hats in order to meet all of the needs,” which was analogous to asking about their multi-tasking ability, and ability to do many things at once. The candidate immediately began talking about how funny her hair looks in hats, and how she doesn’t usually wear them because they’re not flattering on her, but she would wear one if she had to for the job…. etc., etc”

It makes no difference if you are a man or a woman. Offer a limp wet lettuce as a handshake and the interview could well be on its way downhill. Likewise, pumping their arm up and down like you are Willy Wonka won’t do much for your chances either.

In fact, one MP has even suggested that those who administer “bone-crushing” handshakes to prove the strength of their personality should be charged with assault.

So, how do you create a confident, not weak and not arrogant, first impression from the outset?

• Make sure that you are holding your coat/bags in your left hand so that you are not fumbling about
• Make sure your hand is clean and dry but DO NOT rub it on your trousers or skirt in front of the interviewer!
• Let the interviewer start and finish the handshake and mirror their grip
• Do not crush the interviewer’s hand as this can come across as over-dominant not assertive
• Do not just stick out a wet floppy hand as this will make the interviewer’s skin crawl and make you appear weak
• Do not hold their hand in both of yours, or go for a “mwah” kiss on the cheek (different rules in Europe)
• Do not touch them on the arm, or anywhere else, while you are shaking their hand
• Do not pump their arm enthusiastically. The handshake should go up and down around three times only!
• Make sure that you stand up to shake hands. It’s only polite!
• Make eye contact and smile with the other person as you shake their hand. (But not a crazy smile!)
• Practise your handshake before the interview with friends and get their opinion

Often only western cultures shake hands so be wary of cultural differences. In the Far East a bow is the usual form of greeting, and in the Muslim world offering the left hand is considered a great insult. Shaking hands with a Muslim woman if you are a non-related male is a taboo. So, don’t take offence if you are not offered a handshake – it could just be a cultural thing!

First impressions are made in the first ten seconds of a meeting so get the handshake right!

Should you put "Extreme ironing" on your CV?

So, you have written your CV and conveyed your skills, work experience and education to a prospective employer. Now you need to get your personality across.

Employers can assume a lot from reading this section and it will open up the interview discussion, so when you are writing your CV this section requires just as much thought as the rest.

It is best to pick hobbies and interests that demonstrate your traits/aptitude for the job you are applying for. Don’t LIE as you may find that you are being interviewed by someone who is an expert and you may become unstuck! If you do find that you have exaggerated or outright lied on your CV then you’d best make sure that you can talk about the subject if cross examined!

If you have listed hobbies such as reading, films or theatre make sure you can answer questions as to the last one you saw or read. Also, that you can answer questions about what kinds of plays/books/films you like. Answers such as “I love erotic novels” or, “My favourite film is Saw – I love blood and gore” might not give the best impression of you!

Here is a list of what could be inferred about your personality from your list of hobbies:

Playing team sports – team player, energetic and competitive
Solitary sports (such as chess) - strategic, quiet, possible loner
Extreme sports – risk taker, adventurous (sales CVs often are full of these)
Reading - intelligent, curious, quiet, solitary (choose examples of your recent reads carefully depending on the job you are going for!)
Socialising and pubs – sociable but may not turn up for work next day due to hangover
TV – has no life and lazy
Gardening and cooking – creative and relaxed
Art - intellectual, creative.
Computers – geeky, shy, lacking in social skills?
Animals – caring, gentle, responsible
Fitness and gym – motivated, energetic and driven
Charity work – (always a good one to include) team player, conscientious, honest, unselfish

Bear in mind that employers looking for an accountant will seek out different traits (e.g. ability to work quietly and on their own) than an employer looking for a sales manager (e.g. outgoing, motivated and sociable), so make sure your hobbies/interests reflect this. Check the job description for the “Person Specification” to give you an idea of how to tailor your interests to the role.

Don’t just list these hobbies as boring bullet points,  if you have something interesting to say about a couple of them, then put this on your CV. They may end up as a conversation point in the interview and help relax the formality of the meeting.

I once had an interview and when I glanced down,  I saw to my horror, that I had peanut butter all down my jacket from hastily eating my breakfast whilst sitting in the car and defrosting the windows.  I didn’t get the job funnily enough.

This week I am keen to know… what has been your most embarrassing interview experience??

Please comment and let me know!