Interviewing Best Practices

Mathew Yaworski

February 2, 2025

Summary
This Article presents some best practices when People Who Stutter interview for jobs:
Hiring Managers and Recruiters typically use a combination of Knowledge, Behavioural, and Situational Judgement Questions.
Do not be afraid to ask for clarification about a question or what is being asked. Make sure you understand what you are being asked to answer.
Do not lie or misrepresent the extent of your resume or experience. Honesty is the best policy.
Do not be afraid to ask to skip or come back to a question.
Speak with a normal tone of voice.
Job searching is a marathon, not a sprint. It is important not to get discouraged by rejection and keep applying!

In this Article, I look at best practices for candidates interviewing for jobs.

I begin by presuming that your application (cover letter and resume) is tailored to job advertisement and free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Preparing for an interview

To prepare for an interview, it is important to understand the types of interview questions hiring managers or recruiters typically use.

Knowledge Questions

Questions that require a specific answer that reflects the applicant’s knowledge.
- For example: What can you tell me about this Company?
These types of questions are rooted in the information in the Job Ad or that an applicant ought to know.
- For example: Strong knowledge of the Company (or hiring organization)
I strongly recommend looking at a Company’s “About Us” page to learn as much as you can about the company, its values, and structure. Employers like candidates who take the time to research them rather than just applying for a job.

Behavioural Questions

Questions that gauge how you think and act in various situations.
These types of questions focus on scenarios, requiring you to outline what you did (or would do) under specific circumstances.
- For example: Tell us about a time when you had a conflict at work with a colleague, what was the conflict, how did you manage it, and what was the result?
It is best to use STAR method:
- Situation: Outline a situation that applies to the question.
- Task: Discuss the task (or issue to address).
- Action: Describe what you did.
- Results. Summarize the outcome.

Situational Judgement

Questions that require a candidate to place themselves in a hypothetical work situation and explain how they would address it.
- For example: You are a manager and walk into the break room where see two subordinates on your team yelling at each other, what do you do?

Before we get started, it is important to note searching for a job is complicated. The state of the economy influences recruitment. In a recession or economic downturn when there are more job applicants and fewer companies hiring (meaning less competition for talent), employers can be very fussy about whom they hire. The inverse is true when the economy is going well in an area.

Your job or industry can affect recruitment. If you work in an area with low unemployment, high vacancy rates, but fewer candidates (for example, skilled trades), you will have more power to command a higher salary or other benefits since (all things being equal) many employers are looking to hire you and can shop around for the best employment offer for you.

The nature and extent of your experience can also be a factor. Many Canadian employers prefer potential candidates to have Canadian experience.

Where you live can also affect the availability of work. If you live in an area with high unemployment, employers can be very choosy about whom they hire.

Tips

Remember, interviews are just as much about a company interviewing you, as it is for you to interview them. Assuming you have already asked for, and received, accommodation for your interview, here are tips:

Do not be afraid to ask for clarification about a question or what is being asked. Make sure you understand what you are being asked to answer.
Do not lie or misrepresent the extent of your resume or experience. Honesty is the best policy.
Do not be afraid to ask to skip or come back to a question.
Speak with a normal tone of voice.
If the company has supplied a paper and pen, do not be afraid to ask for some time to organize your thoughts before answering. Do not be alarmed if these materials are collected after the interview ends.
Have 3-5 prepared questions to ask your interviewers. What questions to ask is a difficult and depends on the job you are looking for. I like to ask about what gave rise to the vacancy (is it a new job or did your predecessor leave?), the nature and characteristics of the team I would be joining, and any strategic plans for the company.

Remember: job searching is a marathon, not a sprint. Unless you are seeking a job in a high vacancy industry, you are competing against many other candidates: under qualified, qualified, and even overqualified. It is important not to get discouraged by rejection and keep applying!

If there a particular employment topic or issue that you would like me to address in a future article, let me know! You can reach me at: mathew.yaworski@stutter.ca All correspondence will be treated as confidential.

Disclaimer: The opinions and statements in this article are solely the author’s and do not represent the Government of Canada or the Department of Justice Canada. Nothing in this article should be construed or relied upon as legal advice or opinion. Consult a lawyer for specific advice concerning your situation.