2 Responses

1. Resume Analysis & Mock Interview
   Hello Louise,

   I am writing a short Interviewing Skills Workshop for our recruiters, and suppose the following is obvious, but here goes…

   I include the several separate group activities below, interspersed through the instructional part of the workshop, all leading to a final recruiter/candidate role-play scenario, based on a Resume which I have given to each group as a handout.

   The instruction includes a short video analyzing good and bad recruiting techniques as well as good and bad interviewee responses.

   One group will role-play as recruiter/recruiting team and will prepare questions to clarify points in the Resume or to explore them deeper as may be necessary. (The Resumes have intentional weaknesses). I then let the group select a spokesperson or team to conduct a mock interview.

   A mock interviewee/candidate will be selected by another group, which has had the task of studying and discussing the Resume well enough to act out an interview.

   The recruiter uses their group’s planned questions as a starting point, but needs to be able to probe based on responses. The recruiter then has to make a hiring decision and write a Report to support their decision.

   Both have been asked to include MINOR inconstancies/wrong methodology/legal faux pas/etc. in their scenario to keep the other focused and the audience alert. And it can add fun.

   All class members have been provided with checklists/summaries of the workshop key points, so I let thoseothers, not involved in the role-play, give a critique of: 1) the other group’s choice of questions, 2) their interview process, 3) their Report, and 4) the candidate’s performance.

   If there’s enough time, and need, I switch roles of the groups, using a different Resume.

2. Involve projects helping job seekers
   In terms of R&S I would recommend ‘real life’ role plays. The process I have used in the past includes working with a training organisation helping people into work. Using a real job description their ‘candidates’ are selected for interview and the recruitment panel then interviews them – putting into practice all the skills they’ve (hopefully) picked up during the training.

   The course requires an observer to comment on the approriateness of the questions, the way in which the panel conduct themselves, etc.

   THe panel will also need to give constructive feedback to the unemployed people being interviewed to help them in future ‘real’ interviews… thus they get something and the delegates get something too.