What Are the Top Trending Interview Techniques?

Traditional interview styles have their uses. They show recruiters how applicants present themselves, how they think through challenges, and how their work history synchronizes with a position.

But these interviews have their drawbacks, too. They don’t demonstrate an applicant’s in-office performance. They provide only brief glimpses of soft skills, and they can’t be unfastened from personal biases.

To overcome these drawbacks, industrious companies have adopted new tools and techniques. In its Global Recruiting Trends 2018 report, LinkedIn asked more than 9,000 recruiters and hiring managers to vote on which trending interview techniques proved most useful.

Here are the top five and how you can best prepare for them.

Assessing soft skills

Technology’s relentless pace has diminished the shelf-life of hard skills. Conversely, soft skills never expire and have only grown more in demand.

To meet that demand, recruiters have improved their efforts to assess soft skills. Some have refocused on questions that draw out these skills, while others have adopted high-tech surveys or games.

Prepare by researching soft-skill questions and practicing your answers. For surveys, don’t try to answer how you think the company wants. Relax and answer honestly. You may even learn something about yourself.

Auditioning on the job

Job auditions, a.k.a. working interviews, ask applicants to work temporarily for the company. It may be a day in the position, or a group project designed for the interview. Some companies even engage applicants for several weeks of paid, in-office tryouts.

This interview style allows recruiters to evaluate how the applicant performs day-to-day tasks and how well they synchronize with coworkers. It also gives applicants who buckle under interview pressure a chance to excel in their element.

Prepare by researching thoroughly. Study the company’s website, social media, and press releases to discern its style and culture. Practice any skills listed on the job posting that you may need to strengthen. During the audition, ask questions and get to know your coworkers.

A casual rendezvous

Many interviews have moved out of the meeting room and into the café. Casual interviews aim to put applicants at ease. This provides recruiters insight into their personality—not just how they present themselves formally—and how well they will mesh with the company culture.

While you can’t prepare to be casual, once there, remember it is an interview. Be yourself and be open but take any chance to show your merit. If the barista messes up your order, for example, use the opportunity to display your interpersonal skills.

An interview in virtual space

Companies once used virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to present themselves as fun, cutting-edge places to work. Today, this technology has become a useful tool in gauging problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in real-time.

Companies develop apps that use games to test job-related skills covertly. Other companies craft more realistic scenarios in virtual space, while others design virtual tours of their offices.

Prepare by orienting yourself with the equipment and apps. Some companies even put their apps online for you to try. If you don’t have access, you can find similar problem-solving games for laptops and smartphones.

A candid-camera interview

Video interviews aren’t new, but they have reached new heights as the technology becomes more accessible. The advantages run both ways. Companies get a wider pool of applicants to draw from, while applicants enjoy more flexibility and can apply more broadly.

Companies aren’t requiring video interviews to be live either. One-way interviews allow applicants to record and send their answers to prearranged questions. This way, they can perform when convenient and only send the best take.

Remote interviews require a fair amount of preparation. You can find our complete guide to remote interview preparation here.

Prepare for tomorrow

The traditional interview isn’t going anywhere. Tried-and-true interview questions will remain a go-to recruiter resource, round-robin interviews will still take forever, and artificial intelligence won’t replace the human any time soon.
 

But these top trending interview techniques will continue to grow in prominence. To prepare for future interviews, you’ll need to develop the strategies to meet them head-on.