Most interview courses teach the same basic behavioral information that has been taught for years. Yes, behavioral interviewing is important. Yet if practiced at a basic level, behavioral questions are often totally off the mark in predicting who will be a successful performer in a needed role. The fact of the matter is that to the majority of candidates, the prospect of an interview is not something that inspires confidence. With everything from paying the rent to personal goal achievement riding on the outcome of a few questions, an interview is an inherently stressful experience. In spite of this, most interviewers routinely ask questions, many of which have little to do with the job at hand, and make their judgments based on how well a candidate interviews. They fail to make the connection that being a good interviewee will never be part of job description for most positions.

Human biology is such that when there is a real or imagined threat to a person’s goals, values, or well being, there is a biochemical response in the body which has been labeled by many as ‘fight’ or ‘flee’. In this situation, blood flow is diverted from the internal organs and the brain. The blood flows to the limbs so that fighting or running can be attended to. With less blood flow to the brain, we become temporarily less intelligent. If you have ever clutched on an exam and known that you knew the material, but couldn’t get the answers out of your head to save your life, you have experienced this. And yet, how many interviewers take this into account? A candidate who interviews exceptionally well for a position that doesn’t require interviewing as a skill may well be the wrong candidate. Poor performance in the interview may simply mean that the candidate clutched, when in reality he could do the job well.

Interview Bootcamp: Beyond Basic Training was developed to address this issue and provide the background you need to ensure that your selection process is as effective as it can be. It not only teaches an approach for developing questions that are much more on target than those of most approaches, it teaches an interviewer skill set that will help the candidate relax and tell you what you truly need to know. It teaches you how to ask hard questions in a way that is not threatening, and streamline your interview, stay focused, get your answers quickly, and leave the candidate’s self esteem in tact.

Students who attended the opening session of this program gave it very high marks. The comments “A practical approach for obtaining results.” – from a VP of HR, and “Day 2 married Day 1 content with how to put it into practice. Today was very beneficial.” – from a Recruiter, are a small indication of the positive feedback the course received. Interview Bootcamp combines the one-day program Employee Selection: What an Interviewer Must Know with a second day, Controlling the Interview: How to Make Good Questions More Effective.

Interview Boot Camp will be offered by Dallas HR on March 20-21, 2006 as well as August 16-17, 2006. For registration or to download a brochure, click here.

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