Looping Back
Looping back is a technique an interviewer uses when he or she senses you're holding back vital information. The more you're questioned, the more evasive you become. In that situation, the technique used by the interviewer may be to drop the line of questioning and return to it later... not by repeating the line of questioning verbatim, but by approaching the subject from a different direction. It is different from a repeat question in that the interviewer will attempt to get at the same information busing a completely different approach.
For example, you may have a gap in your employment record, and you may have filled it in by saying that you were a consultant during that period. The interviewer will question you about the kind of consulting you performed, who you consulted for, and so forth. In reality, you may have been unemployed and were consulting one or two days a month over a long time span. As the interviewer probes deeper and deeper into your activities as a consultant, you become more and more evasive. The interviewer will appear to drop the line of questioning and move on to another subject. Later on during the interview, you may bask to provide your annual earnings as reported on your W-2 forms. If your earnings during your consulting period do not substantiate full-time consulting, the interviewer will have obtained his or her answer to previous questions by using a completely different approach.
Once again, be prepared to present consistent information that will hang together under all kinds of questioning techniques. Being aware of the "looping back "technique will enable you to recognize the motive behind seemingly innocent questions wherein the interviewer subtly returns to seeking vital information and hopefully catches you off guard.
Requesting Specifics
Another technique that may be used on you is that of requesting specific examples. For example, if you indicate liking for assignments with considerable responsibility, you might be asked to describe the most responsible assignment you have had during the last six months. You should be prepared to render examples of any tasks or assignments that you point out to the interviewer. Further, you should be ready to answer specific questions that will be asked in connection with any examples you furnish. Try to supports your example of a tough problem you solved during the past year. After you cite the example, you should be prepared to answer such specific questions as:
"Did you have any help in solving that problem?"
"What percentage of the work can be directly attributed to your efforts?"
"What recognition did you get for solving the problem?"
"Who else was recognized?"
"Was the solution accepted by your supervisor? Was it implemented? Was it a creative solution or an application of an existing solution?"
When you furnish an example, give one that truly represents your own work and not that of others. By doings, you'll be able to answer any questions with a thorough knowledge and high degree of confidence. That knowledge and confidence will show through, and you'll rate highly in the interview
Exploring values and feelings
Interviewers can gain considerable insight into your personality not only by exploring your accomplishments and background but by exploring your values and feelings as well. The experienced interviewer knows that some questions call for more or less factual information. These are called "objective questions." Other questions key in on your values, opinions, and feelings. These are "subjective questions." A subjective question might be:
"After a hard day's work, how do you feel?" Or
"To .what extent do you think people try to take advantage of you?" Or
"How often do you feel so strongly about something that you really push and support it?"
Inexperienced interviewers may be unaware of whether their questions ask for subjective or objective information. Consequently, they frequently use sequences of questions in which they pursue a line of subjective questioning. Then, as you approach greater depth in speaking about your personal convictions, the interviewer will un- knowingly break abruptly with the previous line of subjective questioning and begin asking you objective questions. Thus, the inexperienced interviewer may have lost a prime opportunity to. Learn more about your values, feelings, and opinions. The experienced, professional interviewer, however, will continue to ask you questions calling for subjective answers and will be able to learn a great deal about the real you. If the interviewer keeps boring in with subjective questions, you'll know you're in the hands of a pro.
Silence
There's a maxim in selling that at a certain point in the sales call, the first person who talks-salesperson or customer-loses. That is, if a salesperson can remain silent while the customer is making the buying decision, that customer is more likely to buy. If, however, the salesperson talks on past the close, he or she will lose the sale.
In the interview process, the interviewer uses silence in a similar way. There may occur a point in time in your interview when the interviewer will suddenly clam up. When this happens, you can bet that the interviewer issuing this silence to embarrass you into elaborating on sensitive subject. Or the interviewer may be testing you to see how poised you can be. Many applicants, nervous at the thought of a minute or two of silence, gush on nervously about the first thing that pops into their heads; others sit back and try to out wait the interviewer. Either approach might show you off in the worst possible light. Let me suggest a third alternative. Give the interviewer his or her few seconds of silence. Then, after a reasonable interval has passed, politely ask: "Is there anything we haven't covered?" or "Would you like for me to elaborate on anything I've mentioned?" This puts the ball back in the interviewer's court where it belongs, and it indicates you're with the interviewer mentally, step by step.
Let's sum up
We've talked about the open-ended question, the direct question, the reflective question, and the interpretive question. We also discussed elaborating and clarifying and how they are employed, and we discussed several techniques that may be employed with you during the interview process. Remember, there is no fixed way for sequencing questions, since there are too many variables in the interviewing process. However, sometimes an interviewer may prepare and memorize a set of questions. This doesn't happen often, because it defeats the purpose of anon directive interview. Most interviewers won't follow asset pattern. More likely, they'll jump from subject to subject.
A common approach to questioning is the use of open-ended questions early in the interview. If these produce specific information, then only encouragements and possibly clarifications will be asked of you. The interviewer will want clarification when your responses have not been very clear or when they have been too concise. While you're speaking, the interviewer will probably make mental or written notes of points that need expansion or clarification. Or the interviewer may note allusions you made to other areas that should be followed up. Any apparent contradictions made by you will be pursued. Some topics that may have been overlooked will also be noted. These may be followed up with a high proportion of direct questions and some open-ended questions in order to filling the voids quickly.
In the course of the interview, the initiation of the topic selection will move between you and the interviewer. These shifts will be reflected by changes in question form. If the approach to questioning is mainly nondirective, you can assume you're perceived as an intelligent and articulate applicant who prefers to share in the responsibility for topic selection and development. If, on the other hand, you have difficulty in organizing your ideas and expressing yourself, you may cause the interviewer to more clearly structure the interview or to use a more directive approach. After the interview, the interviewer will interpret the data you've given. This is a crucial step in the interview process.
