Strategies for Practicums during Interviews (applying, job interviews, application, employer)

[bUU]

One of the more interesting changes I've noticed as compared to twenty years ago is the prevalence of the use of practicums during job interviews. I'm not talking about paper or computer-based testing, and I'm not talking about "What would you do ... ?" behavioral questions, but rather I am referring to physical role-playing through contrived scenarios. Obviously, this kind of thing would only pertain to jobs where human interaction is of-issue, and where the employer is aiming to gauge skills and capabilities including facilitation, interviewing, negotiation, application of in-the-moment analytical techniques, etc.

I'm wondering if anyone, with experience on either side of these portions of job interviews, has insights into how to best handle them, as a candidate, and/or strategies for coming across as expert even when the contrivance is such that doing so is prodigiously difficult.

[2nccoast]

Originally Posted by bUU

.. doing so is prodigiously difficult.

I don't find those questions difficult at all. If you have a few years of work experience, you should be able to find situations that you can use in your answers. Be clear, be concise, and end with some kind of statement like "what I learned from that situation is..." to show that you got something from the episode.

I think such questions do flush out the folks who cannot communicate well. For some jobs it's not too big a deal, for others you need to come across clearly and succinctly, like in the medical field which I am in now.

[bUU]

Originally Posted by 2nccoast

I don't find those questions difficult at all.

To be clear, I'm not talking about "What would you do ... ?" behavioral questions... I am referring to physical role-playing through contrived scenarios. This is after you've shared your SOAR/STAR stories.

[BMW R1100]

I've run into this before. "How do you..." "What would you do if...." It doesn't matter what you say, what matters is the attitude you project. Emphasize that you're a team player and willing to go the extra mile to be a part of the team, is what employers want to hear.

[bUU]

Originally Posted by BMW R1100

I've run into this before. "How do you..." "What would you do if...."

Again, those aren't the questions that I'm referring to. I am referring to physical role-playing through contrived scenarios.

From the responses I'm getting, I'm beginning to get the impression that my specific discipline is unusual in administering these practicums during job interviews.

[tnff]

Could you describe some of the scenarios? I get what you're saying, but have never been in such an interview, from either side.

[bUU]

Originally Posted by tnff

Could you describe some of the scenarios? I get what you're saying, but have never been in such an interview, from either side.

Sure: "The client is currently a paper and phone operation. They want to automate their operations including the ability for customers to do business with them online. Facilitate a requirements gathering session with us playing the client and show us how you would gather and organize the information you gather."

There are standard techniques and such, and of course the intention is demonstrate that you know those techniques and can apply them effectively, even in these contrived circumstances without benefit of the appropriate preparation and background research. For people who have been doing the job for ages it might be no problem. However, some of us have been applying nonstandard processes and, which worked for our employer but wouldn't serve the need of this scenario exercise. We have only have read about the standard techniques.

The only viable suggestion I've gotten (from elsewhere) is to seek out others in my discipline, and create a small work group within which we can play out such scenarios with each other. Of course, only others in search would be willing to spend the significant time needed to do so, and even then I'm not sure I could find anyone who would be willing to do so. So I'm still looking for ideas for doing better than "muddling through" the exercises.