Study: Brain teasers in job interviews mainly reveal the sadistic traits of the interviewer

a post by Scotty Hendricks for the Big Think bog

Which has more advertising potential in Boston, a flower shop or a funeral home? How could you solve humankind's biggest crisis given $1 billion and a spacecraft? What is the number of new book titles published in the U.S. each year?

You probably don't know the answers to these questions, and they don't really have anything to do with what most people do on a day to day basis, but brain teasers like these — the kind that Google became notorious for asking its job candidates — can pop up during job interviews anyway. While they might not be of much use for understanding how well people can do their job, a new study shows that the brain teasers tell us a lot about the person who asks them.

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Using Storytelling as a Job-Search Strategy

an article by Karl L. Smart and Jerry DiMaria (Central Michigan University, USA) published in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Volume 81 Issue 2 (2018)

Abstract

This article demonstrates and reinforces the role that well-told stories play in the success of the job-search process. Building on narrative theory, impression management, and an increased use of behavioral-based questions in interviews, well-crafted stories about work and educational experiences demonstrate skills applicants possess and convey them to interviewers in memorable ways.

The article shows how to construct stories based on an applicant’s experiences and shaped to the needs of a potential employer.

Additionally, the article demonstrates how a job seeker can create a collection of personal stories that can be adapted to varying job interview situations.

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The Employer Who Asked to Look Inside a Job Candidate’s Purse

an article by Alison Green published in SLATE

How the weird power dynamics of job interviews can brainwash you into putting up with outrageous behavior.

Few people are as knee-deep in our work-related anxieties and sticky office politics as Alison Green, who has been fielding workplace questions for a decade now on her website Ask a Manager. In Direct Report, she spotlights themes from her inbox that help explain the modern workplace and how we could be navigating it better.

One of the weirdest and most stressful parts about looking for a new job is figuring out how to navigate the power dynamics that exist between employers and job candidates. I’ve been writing the workplace advice column Ask a Manager for 10 years now, answering questions about everything from how to ask for a raise to what to do if you’re allergic to your boss’s perfume. One of the most frequent themes in my inbox has been rude and power-tripping behavior from prospective employers during the interview process. In letter after letter, people have written about feeling obligated to suck it up and deal with it because they think their interviewers hold all the cards.

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Alison has been writing her advice blog for 10 years, and I have been reading it for about the same length of time.
BUT
I rarely share onto my blog because many of the issues discussed are specific to the USA where the employment laws are very different from those in the UK.
Job interviews are, however, universal.
Good luck!

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Things You Wish You’d Known Before a Job Interview

via Lifehack by Brian Lee

A job interview is one of the most important events that can change the direction of your life. Even if you have spent many hours preparing for interviews, it can’t guarantee that you can get through it successfully.

Classes and Careers has created an infographic that provides you with some things you wish you’d known before your job interview that may just increase your chances – or at least prevent you from making a mistake.

Access the infographic here

Hazel’s comment:
Classes and Careers is an American site but some readers may find it useful to check occasionally.
I couldn’t find any information about copyright on the infographic.

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5 Video Channels For Learning Basic Job Interview Skills

an oldie from makeuseof but still useful although I have to admit I thought that much of the advice was too American for a UK audience and I really cringed at the tweeness of some of the videos I watched (even on eHow which I use frequently for craft ideas for the group of kids I have on a Friday night).

eHow

BrianKreuger's YouTube Channel

DenhamResources YouTube Channel

Interview Dos and Don’ts

Career Strides

Try them for yourself and please comment on all or any of them.

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