While my professional career has been relatively short, I can still distinctly categorize every interview I have had into effective and ineffective. The effective interviews left me feeling excited, connected, and hopeful. The ineffective interviews gave me relief when they were finally over and left a bad taste in my mouth. Poorly run interviews greatly shaped my view of a company or organization I was applying for in a negative way. The majority of ineffective interviews were administered by a person who was uncharismatic, didn’t seem to care about who their audience was, or showed little interest in my interview. The majority of the ineffective interviews I had was within the realm of the construction industry. They asked me questions that seemed geared towards men. While this approach most likely has high utility for their target demographic, it seems it will become increasingly ineffective as the construction industry becomes more diverse.
The most effective interviews I had were with interviewers that were charismatic, sociable, kind, and seemed genuinely interested in my interview. I felt as if they were conducting a personality test. Although personality tests may have some issues with validity, I appreciate them in an interview. While the interviewer is getting to know my personality, I felt as I also got to know the interviewer’s and company’s personality and culture. I feel like personality tests make for an effective interview in the realm of the construction industry. It can be a stressful occupation and finding a person that fits in with the culture of the company.