The Changing Face of Job Interviews

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

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Topics: Career Development

In the last few years, the way that job interviews are conducted has changed across numerous industries and organizations. Part of that was driven by necessity (the pandemic), and part of it is as a result of greater understanding of how to select the best candidates in an ever more crowded pool of applicants.

However, I frequently see candidates—and to a lesser extent, interviewers—who haven’t adapted to these new approaches. So, how can you set yourself up for success?

Start with what you need to know
You need to prepare by ensuring that you have the knowledge necessary to be considered a potential candidate, and you need to be able to demonstrate that knowledge during the interview.

But what might surprise you is what that knowledge is. It’s not about knowing the answers to questions that you might be asked. These days, at least for project management roles, those questions are much more focused on behavioral characteristics, leadership styles, and how you would respond in certain hypothetical situations.

The knowledge is about the organization, department and role that you are applying for. You wouldn’t believe how many people I have seen attend interviews with only a vague understanding of what the organization does, or without a clear picture of what the role entails. I realize that with the ease of applying for jobs today, there…

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