Your interviewer lacks engaging questions. How can you guide them towards better interview techniques?

Yes interviews can be incredibly nerve-wracking, especially when the person conducting it is not a seasoned HR professional. It's important to remember that it's not your responsibility to fix their lack of expertise in this area. However, one way to make a positive impression is to confidently showcase your relevant skills and experience that align with the job you're applying for. Your contribution could be just what's needed.

Instead of simply answering, you might want to weave your story into the conversation, guiding the interview towards areas where you excel. For instance, if you're asked a generic question, you could respond by sharing a specific, relevant experience, then casually suggest, "Would it be helpful if I shared how that impacted the team's success?" This subtly shifts the focus, inviting more meaningful discussion without undermining the interviewer. You could also express curiosity about the role or company culture, encouraging them to think deeper and engage in a more dynamic exchange.

Showing an interest even when the interviewer isn’t asking engaging questions is still quite important? The how ?? body language is key and a simple nodding of the head, smiling and having good eye contact can sometimes change the mood of the interviewer and even the way they engage with you. ?? Asking the interviewer to rephrase the question is another good way of better engaging with the interviewer. ?? Having your own questions at the end of the interview can also have an impact especially if the questions resonate with the interviewer eg What does typical day working for your organisation look like.

Story telling using the STAR method will help you keep on topic and not waffle on and on. ?? Situation ??Task ??Action ??Result Start the story and it can have a happy or sad ending depending on the question asked. Try it!!

Once in an interview, I noticed that the interviewer wasn't asking enough questions, so it was hard for me to showcase my potential and skills. So, I took the initiative to share relevant stories and highlight key career achievements. I made sure to integrate these examples smoothly into the conversation, striking a balance between confidence and humility to ensure the discussion felt natural and engaging.

Suggesting topics is a great way to guide the interviewer but be careful of not going completely off topic. This is why preparing for your interview is key. Find out if you can who will be interviewing you. Check out bios, or their LinkedIn profiles. They may have written articles that you can reference at the interview. It will be relevant to them and the organisation you are applying to.

Mirroring behaviour is what I call this. You smile and it’s more than likely you get a smile back. Come in with good and positive body language and that usually is reflected back from those interviewing you.

If you're within the hiring company, suggest some questions and provide feedback on how to ask engaging questions. Sometimes the person has little to no experience as an interviewer. If you're the candidate, use your closing to share information you want the hiring organization company to know or follow up with clarifications or longer answers. I've advised candidates to google questions to get familiar with types of questions that may be asked and to better prepare for interviews. As an interviewer, I do the same to glean 'better' questions than the status quo questions.