A stressful interview is the worst nightmare of any candidate. The main goal is to bring a person out of his comfort zone and to force him to show the true face, which can manifest itself in difficult working situations.
The meaning of a stressful interview is not to make you suffer, although many applicants may not agree with it. Such an interview is an effective way to predict the performance of a person under load. A candidate who confidently and calmly copes with the pressure of the interviewer will leave far behind the candidate who can work only in his comfort zone.
Ways to conduct stressful interviews
Provocative or aggressive questions: Even a modest interviewer can check your self-control by asking questions like “Why have you been fired?”
The aggressive behaviour of the interviewer: The person who interviews you will behave sharply, roughly and completely unfriendly, will actively use the body language and gestures. By his behaviour, he will try to get you out of balance.
Unexpected behaviour of the interviewer: The interviewer can behave strangely. For example, ask the same question several times, pretending that it does not understand your answers. At the same time, he will be interested in how you can explain, without losing self-control.
Interview with tasks on logic: Similar interviews are becoming increasingly popular. Of course, you cannot know the answers to questions like “How much does all ice on the hockey field weigh?”. Your task is to explain how this can be learned.
Situational interview: This type of interviewing is increasingly practiced in modern organizations. Its essence lies in the construction of certain situations with complicated solutions. And the candidate must describe the model of his behavior or a concrete solution to these situations. At the same time, your knowledge, analytical skills, ability to prioritize and anticipate problems are checked.
How to react
Specify the questions and the nature of the expected answers. This will help you to gain time to orient and think. Do not hesitate to ask questions, sometimes this is exactly what awaits you.
Focus on solving a problem or problem. This does not necessarily have to be the correct answer, perhaps the correct answer is not in principle.
Finally, be honest, open and calm. Do not be afraid of emotional pressure – this is part of the game.
