Tag: job interview

Assessing Joe Biden’s Job Interview

Joe Biden gave a very concise answer in the Vice Presidential debate. His answer illustrates several important facets of interviewing.

I looked at the Presidential debate and assessed the interview performance of Obama on Monday and McCain on Tuesday. Today, I am assessing Joe Biden in the Vice Presidential debate.

Although this debate has many similarities to a job interview, there is one big difference. The candidates in a Vice Presidential debate are focused on getting their running mate hired. Despite this difference, the debate does illustrate some excellent interview principles.

I am assessing each candidate based solely on the content of the first answer they gave in their debate.  I chose the first answer because it was very predictable – a question about our current financial crisis – and it is likely the candidates scripted some or all of their answers.

The transcript of Biden’s answer is in the gray area to the right.

Biden’s Answer

In this answer, Biden begins with a clear positioning statement – that the economic problems are a direct result of the policies of his opponents. He then outlines the criteria for assessing a bailout bill. Biden concludes by stating the benefit of helping the middle class, in an attempt to imply that he will deliver this benefit.

Interview Criteria

I am using the same criteria as I used with Obama and McCain:

  1. Organized clearly and concisely
  2. Focused on the values and needs of the hiring manager and company
  3. Reinforces the skill and experience of the job seeker
  4. Separates the job seeker from their competition with a strong positioning statement
  5. Backs up the positioning statement with accomplishments that demonstrate an ability to succeed
  6. Demonstrates enthusiasm for the job and company

Biden’s Assessment

Biden’s answer is very similar to the Obama answer, in both structure and content, and the assessment is also similar:

  1. The answer is very concise and clearly organized.
  2. The answer explains how helping the middle class will benefit the hiring managers. It does not state how Biden will help the middle class. He only implies this with his answer.
  3. The answer is very light on experience, and only references prior actions in the proposed criteria Obama has put forth.
  4. The positioning statement is very clear. Biden goes one step further by reinforcing that his side’s policies are in fundamental disagreement with his opponents.
  5. The answer has no statement of accomplishment backing up his positioning statement. Biden relies on criticism of the his opponents’ policies to imply that his policies will be successful.
  6. The answer is mainly a statement of position and does not provide the candidate’s motivation for seeking the position.

The clarity of the answer is very good. The wording mirrors the answer Obama provided in his debate. I expect that the positioning statement has been scripted and worked on by the two candidates.

This is excellent tactic to help keep an answer on topic. Write your positioning statement in advance so that you can use it and adapt it during an interview.

The answer is very weak on demonstrating the ability of the candidate to succeed. Biden omits any statement showing his experience. He also does not provide a single example of an accomplishment.

In a typical job interview, you cannot boost yourself by attacking your opposition. You must stand on your own merits. In Biden’s answer, he fails to do this.

The answer concludes by saying that improving the middle class will help everyone. This is an attempt to show a benefit to the hiring managers.

If I was coaching this candidate, I would work with the candidate to change three things. First, I would condense the section that outlines Obama’s criteria for a bailout bill to save time for other topics. Second, I would add an accomplishment that demonstrates success and experience. Third, I would make it very clear how the candidate will directly benefit the hiring managers when hired.

Overall: This answer is a very poor interview answer for one important reason. The only justification given for hiring the candidate is to replace their opponent. In a job interview, it is essential to give a strong positive reason to be hired.

Tomorrow, I’m going to assess the answer from Sarah Palin.

Transcript:

IFILL: The House of Representatives this week passed a bill, a big bailout bill — or didn’t pass it, I should say. The Senate decided to pass it, and the House is wrestling with it still tonight.

As America watches these things happen on Capitol Hill, Sen. Biden, was this the worst of Washington or the best of Washington that we saw play out?

BIDEN: Let me begin by thanking you, Gwen, for hosting this.

And, Governor, it’s a pleasure to meet you, and it’s a pleasure to be with you.

I think it’s neither the best or worst of Washington, but it’s evidence of the fact that the economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we’ve ever had. As a consequence, you’ve seen what’s happened on Wall Street.

If you need any more proof positive of how bad the economic theories have been, this excessive deregulation, the failure to oversee what was going on, letting Wall Street run wild, I don’t think you needed any more evidence than what you see now.

So the Congress has been put — Democrats and Republicans have been put in a very difficult spot. But Barack Obama laid out four basic criteria for any kind of rescue plan here.

He, first of all, said there has to be oversight. We’re not going to write any check to anybody unless there’s oversight for the — of the secretary of Treasury.

He secondly said you have to focus on homeowners and folks on Main Street.

Thirdly, he said that you have to treat the taxpayers like investors in this case.

And, lastly, what you have to do is make sure that CEOs don’t benefit from this, because this could end up, in the long run, people making money off of this rescue plan.

And so, as a consequence of that, it brings us back to maybe the fundamental disagreement between Gov. Palin and me and Sen. McCain and Barack Obama, and that is that the — we’re going to fundamentally change the focus of the economic policy.

We’re going to focus on the middle class, because it’s — when the middle class is growing, the economy grows and everybody does well, not just focus on the wealthy and corporate America.

Full Transcript of the Debate

Assessing John McCain’s Job Interview

John McCain’s performance in the first Presidential debate demonstrates several important lessons to remember in a job interview. McCain’s answer is assessed based on six criteria used to prepare and assess the interview skills of job seekers.

Yesterday I assessed Barack Obama in the first Presidential debate. Today, I am critiquing John McCain. The political debates are essentially job interviews, with the American people the hiring managers.

I am assessing each candidate based solely on the content of the first answer they gave in their debate.  I chose the first answer because it was very predictable – a question about our current financial crisis – and it is likely the candidates scripted some or all of their answers.

The transcript of McCain's answer is in the gray area to the right.

McCain's Answer

In this answer, McCain begins by expressing concern for the medical condition of a political adversary. This ties in with the overall theme of his answer, unity and bipartisanship.

McCain begins his discussion of the financial crisis in a similar manner to Obama, by stating his understanding and empathy for the situation.

He then discusses how the current political situation is unusual with both sides working together. McCain then reviews the significance of the economic situation and reiterates that both parties are coming together to address this. McCain then reviews the reasons why the bailout proposal is advantageous. He concludes by stating that the challenges are significant and will not be solved quickly.

Interview Criteria

The first question of a job interview is typically Tell Me About Yourself.  A successful answer includes the following characteristics:

  1. Organized clearly and concisely
  2. Focused on the values and needs of the hiring manager and company
  3. Reinforces the skill and experience of the job seeker
  4. Separates the job seeker from their competition with a strong positioning statement
  5. Backs up the positioning statement with accomplishments that demonstrate an ability to succeed
  6. Demonstrates enthusiasm for the job and company

It isn't entirely fair to judge the candidates on this standard, since the question wasn't Tell Me About Yourself.  Despite this, the criteria do very well with the answers the candidates gave.

McCain's Assessment

McCain's answer is typical of the answers I hear from many job seekers. It discusses values and the challenges of the position, but doesn't sell the candidate with accomplishments. Below is the assessment of the six criteria:

  1. The answer is clear, it repeats one theme three times
  2. The answer describes specifically the benefits to the hiring managers – avoiding the negative outcomes of losing a job, poor credit and home foreclosure.
  3. The answer very briefly reviews the candidate's experience with the statement "…certainly in our time, and I've been around for a little while."
  4. The positioning statement is clear but not stated strongly. The candidate positions himself as a catalyst for cooperation between the parties, but doesn't state this specifically.
  5. The candidate does not give an example of an accomplishment that demonstrates his ability to succeed. 
  6. The answer implies that the candidate wants the job by stating the desire to meet the current challenges.

If I was coaching this candidate, I would start by changing the positioning statement. The candidate positions himself as catalyst for cooperation. The mistake is implying this instead of saying it. Let's look at a stronger way to reword this:

I went back to Washington, and met with Republicans in the House, and found they weren't a part the negotiations. I worked with Democrats to bring the two sides together, to meet and discuss this issue. My efforts helped both sides to focus on the solution to the problem, not the differences between them.

This answer gives a specific action that was taken with results. The results are not a solution to the problem, just an effort to develop a solution. Despite this, it is a much stronger positioning statement than the candidate gave.

When you are interviewing, your goal is to create a clear message of why you are the best candidate for the position. You do not want to create puzzles that the hiring manager needs to put together. Don't assume the hiring manager will make the connection to the message you are implying. Make it simple and deliver a clear message.

To make an even stronger impact, the candidate should relate the positioning statement directly to the benefits of the hiring managers. Here is how I would reword the answer to do this:

I went back to Washington, and met with Republicans in the House, and found they weren't a part the negotiations. I worked with Democrats to bring the two sides together, to meet and discuss this issue. My efforts helped both sides to focus on the solution to the problem, not the differences between them. We are in the process of developing a package that will address our problems. The package has transparency, accountability and oversight. When we finalize negotiations and implement the plan, it will help avoid the crisis on Main Street – lost jobs, ruined credit and home foreclosures will be reduced with this plan.

Everything I wrote in this version is in the answer that McCain gave, either directly stated or implied. All I changed was the order and wording.  This change results in a strong positioning statement for the candidate.

I do a lot of interview coaching, and in a coaching session, I would take this positioning statement one step further.  I would dig into the candidate's work history to find an accomplishment that reinforces the positioning statement.  Unfortunately, the candidate didn't use an accomplishment in their answer and I'm limiting this critique to the answer's content.

Candidate Comparison

Obama and McCain made some of the same mistakes. Neither candidate promoted their experience much and only implied their capability. Additionally, neither candidate gave an example of an accomplishment that demonstrates their potential to succeed. This is common with many job seekers. A clear, specific accomplishment can be extremely effective in an interview. Both candidates worked to empathize with the hiring managers. Finally, both provided a clear theme to position themselves.

Tomorrow, I'm going to move on to the Vice Presidential debate with a review of Joe Biden.

Transcript:

Lehrer:  Gentlemen, at this very moment tonight, where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

McCain: Well, thank you, Jim. And thanks to everybody.

And I do have a sad note tonight. Senator Kennedy is in the hospital. He's a dear and beloved friend to all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the lion of the Senate.

I also want to thank the University of Mississippi for hosting us tonight.

And, Jim, I — I've been not feeling too great about a lot of things lately. So have a lot of Americans who are facing challenges. But I'm feeling a little better tonight, and I'll tell you why.

Because as we're here tonight in this debate, we are seeing, for the first time in a long time, Republicans and Democrats together, sitting down, trying to work out a solution to this fiscal crisis that we're in.

And have no doubt about the magnitude of this crisis. And we're not talking about failure of institutions on Wall Street. We're talking about failures on Main Street, and people who will lose their jobs, and their credits, and their homes, if we don't fix the greatest fiscal crisis, probably in — certainly in our time, and I've been around a little while.

But the point is — the point is, we have finally seen Republicans and Democrats sitting down and negotiating together and coming up with a package.

This package has transparency in it. It has to have accountability and oversight. It has to have options for loans to failing businesses, rather than the government taking over those loans. We have to — it has to have a package with a number of other essential elements to it.

And, yes, I went back to Washington, and I met with my Republicans in the House of Representatives. And they weren't part of the negotiations, and I understand that. And it was the House Republicans that decided that they would be part of the solution to this problem.

But I want to emphasize one point to all Americans tonight. This isn't the beginning of the end of this crisis. This is the end of the beginning, if we come out with a package that will keep these institutions stable.

And we've got a lot of work to do. And we've got to create jobs. And one of the areas, of course, is to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.

Full Transcript of the Debate

Assessing Barack Obama’s Job Interview

The Presidential and Vice Presidential debates are a form of job interview and demonstrate interview techniques that can help job seekers. I’m going to review the interview techniques of all four candidates starting with Barack Obama.

The Presidential and Vice Presidential
debates are a form of job interview and demonstrate
interview techniques that can help job seekers.  I’m going
to review the all four candidates.  For this
purpose, I am assessing each candidate based solely on the
content of the first answer they gave in their debate.  I chose the
first answer because it was very predictable – a question about our
current financial crisis – and it is likely the candidates
scripted some or all of their answers.

I am following the order of the
debates.  Barack Obama was the first to answer. The transcript of his answer
is in the gray area to the right.

Obama’s Answer

In this answer, Obama begins by framing
his understanding and empathy for the situation.  He then outlines
his values, impling the actions he will take if hired.  The last two
paragraphs are the core positioning statement that Obama is promoting
in his answer.  He differentiates himself from his competition
and clearly states why he should be President.  Let’s look at these
paragraphs closely.

The first of these two paragraphs attack the economic policies of
his adversary.  He defines these policies as a lack of regulation and
consumer protection, valuing the rich over poor and promoting trickle down
economics. 

In the second paragraph he outlines what makes him different.  He
defines economic success as fairness for the middle class and
reinforces his values by saying this is his motivation for seeking the
Presidency.

Interview Criteria

The first question of a job interview is typically Tell Me About
Yourself.  A successful answer includes the following
characteristics:

  1. Organized clearly and concisely
  2. Focused on the values and needs of the hiring manager and
    company
  3. Reinforces the skill and experience of the job seeker
  4. Separates the job seeker from their competition with a strong
    positioning statement
  5. Backs up the positioning statement with accomplishments that
    demonstrate an ability to succeed
  6. Demonstrates enthusiasm for the job and company

It isn’t entirely fair to judge the candidates on this standard,
since the question wasn’t Tell Me About Yourself.  Despite this, the criteria do very well with the answers the candidates gave.

Obama’s Assessment

Obama’s answer does well on most of the criteria:

  1. The answer is well organized and concise. 
  2. The answer focuses on the needs of the middle class – the targeted "hiring managers."
  3. The answer addresses the skill and experience of the
    candidate by reviewing the four criteria that Obama has proposed for assessing the bailout bill.
  4. The positioning statement is clear in the last two paragraphs
    – Obama will implement greater regulation of the financial markets
    to benefit the middle class.
  5. The candidate does not give an example of an accomplishment
    that demonstrates his ability to succeed. 
  6. The answer clearly states that the candidate wants the job.

If I was coaching this candidate, my advice would be to condense
the content in the second, third and fourth paragraphs, and add an
example of an accomplishment.  The ideal answer would have a very
easy to understand success that directly relates to helping the hiring manager (the middle class) with this type of problem. 

Most job seekers make the same mistake.  They recap their
responsibilities and assume that this demonstrates their
ability to succeed.  A specific example of a time when the job seeker
overcame a similar challenge can be very powerful in an interview and
will usually set the candidate apart for their competition.

Tomorrow, I’m going to review John McCain’s answer to the same
question.

  

Transcript:

Lehrer:  Gentlemen, at this very moment
tonight, where do you stand on the financial recovery plan?

Obama:  Well, thank you very much, Jim, and thanks to the
commission and the University of Mississippi, "Ole Miss,"
for hosting us tonight. I can’t think of a more important time for us
to talk about the future of the country.

You know, we are at a defining moment in our history. Our nation
is involved in two wars, and we are going through the worst financial
crisis since the Great Depression.

And although we’ve heard a lot about Wall Street, those of you on
Main Street, I think have been struggling for a while, and you
recognize that this could have an impact on all sectors of the
economy.

And you’re wondering, how’s it going to affect me? How’s it going
to affect my job? How’s it going to affect my house? How’s it going
to affect my retirement savings or my ability to send my children to
college?

So we have to move swiftly, and we have to move wisely. And I’ve
put forward a series of proposals that make sure that we protect
taxpayers as we engage in this important rescue effort.

No. 1, we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got oversight over this
whole process; $700 billion, potentially, is a lot of money.

No. 2, we’ve got to make sure that taxpayers, when they are
putting their money at risk, have the possibility of getting that
money back and gains, if the market — and when the market returns.

No. 3, we’ve got to make sure that none of that money is going to
pad CEO bank accounts or to promote golden parachutes.

And, No. 4, we’ve got to make sure that we’re helping homeowners,
because the root problem here has to do with the foreclosures that
are taking place all across the country.

Now, we also have to recognize that this is a final verdict on
eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush,
supported by Senator McCain, a theory that basically says that we can
shred regulations and consumer protections and give more and more to
the most, and somehow prosperity will trickle down.

It hasn’t worked. And I think that the fundamentals of the economy
have to be measured by whether or not the middle class is getting a
fair shake. That’s why I’m running for president, and that’s what I
hope we’re going to be talking about tonight.

Full Transcript of the Debate

Interview Recording Assessment

I’m continuing this week with the interview recording from the administrative assistant I started last week.  The question in this recording is:

Tell me about a time when you helped a coworker improve their performance.

Listen to the Interview Answer(Time 1:37)
This is interview was recorded and posted with the permission of the job seeker.

The answer is in two parts – the initial answer and the follow up.  The initial answer was pretty good.  She described the situation and the actions she took well.  I thought the description of the 360 feedback was great.  This answer also gave her the opportunity to talk about the person she supervises.  Many admin assistants have little to no supervisory experience.  Highlighting that she manages someone in this role demonstrates leadership experience and shows that she was successful enough to be put in a lead position.  All of this is good.

The thing that is missing is whether she was successful.  My follow up question addressed this by asking what success she had had with this.  Her answer focused on providing more details about the situation.  She did indicate that there was improvement but it wasn’t clear how much improvement was made or the benefit to the company.

A much better answer would have included specific results.  Did the person she coached perform better after the coaching?  What feedback did they receive from others in the office?  The coaching process started with a 360 feedback exercise – results of a follow up to this would be great to discuss.  If there wasn’t a follow up, then the comments of one or more people in the office would help.

The key is to show a hiring manager success.  Telling them that you were responsible for something doesn’t mean you were successful.  You have to give examples to stand out.

Recorded Job Interview

For the last month, I’ve been posting recordings from an interview with a transitioning military officer.  This week, I’m making a shift to another job seeker – a professional administrative assistant.  Top-notch admin assistants are unbelievably valuable to the companies and executives they work for.  This individual has some great experiences, but has never been trained to interview effectively.

This is the first question from the interview:

Tell Me About Yourself

Listen to the Answer

(Time 1:08)
This is interview was recorded and posted with the permission of the job seeker.

Like many job seekers I’ve interviewed, this individual didn’t see the point of the Tell Me About Yourself question.  It’s not designed to find out about an individual’s personal life.  It’s intended to get picture of the professional’s background, experience and potential.  (By the way, I’ve heard how many dogs and cats job seekers have as an answer to this more times than I can count – it has yet to persuade me to hire someone or put them in front of a client.)

After her answer, I had to ask the follow up question, “Walk me through your career progression” to get at the information I was looking for.  Even with the answer to the follow up question, the job seeker missed a great opportunity to highlight why she should be hired.  This answer was a list of facts about what roles she had held.  This is the time in an interview that she should be highlighting her best accomplishments and why she is successful.

Another problem with this answer is that it’s way too short.  This candidate has done some great things in her career but the entire question, answer, follow up and answer took only a minute and eight seconds.  The amount of time she spent on her current role – a position she has held for several years, was two seconds.

One last note about this answer…  The job seeker starts by saying they are a “full adult.”  This may seem like a very odd thing in an interview, but it’s a result of the misconceptions that surround admin assistants.  It stems from the stereotype that admin’s are teenagers right out of high school doing menial hourly work.  The truth is far from this.  Good admin assistants are not kids and the work they do is not menial.  Many executives will say that a good admin assistant is the most valuable member of their team.  It unfortunately most don’t get the respect they deserve.