The Economic Times website has an intriguing article about how companies are grilling job candidates, especially candidates at the mid and senior level,  to “call out their bluff.”

Here are the relevant portions for job seekers:

“‘Most of the candidates are well-prepared,’ says Nikul Shah, president, global HR and corporate services, Omnitech InfoSolutions. ‘Their answers are stereotypes and theoretically very good. Only when we grill them on real-life situations are they exposed,’ he says.”

(Note the existence of the terms “well-prepared” and “stereotypes” in the same paragraph as if they are synonyms. They’re not. Most candidates think they are, hence the popularity of rehearsing “canned” responses to “canned” questions. How do you achieve any separation from the other candidates if you’re giving the same answers as everyone else?)

Back to the article:

“Organizations no longer want people who have mastered their theories; they would rather have real people who have suffered failures and worked on them. Candidates can no longer make generic statements like they are ‘analytical’ or ‘team players’ and expect ‘ be hired. Says Sudakshina Bhattacharya, HR head, IL&FS Financial Services, ‘Our questioning is such that the candidate cannot bluff; he has to represent facts and give very specific answers.’” 

“Interviewers have begun to probe deeper into the candidate’s personality and move beyond the ‘strengths-and-weaknesses’ line of questioning. Multiple interviews, pre-employment testing, scenario and behaviour-based questioning are increasingly used to zero in on the right candidate.”

This is good news to the New Negotiator Method trained candidate. Why? Because  New Negotiator is all about your behavior during an interview. 

Behavior,along with activity, is the only thing you can control. 

It is your behavior during an interview, and cumulatively across a series of interviews, that separates you from all the other candidates vying for that position. Or doesn’t.

Behavior is more than demeanor.Demeanor is about sitting up straight, looking ‘em in the eye, smiling, and appearing confident,

Behavior is a demonstration of your ability to handle a situation that is inherently confusing, stressful, difficult, and demanding. 

The question is: Do you know your stuff? 

More importantly: How well can you communicate the fact that you do know your stuff? 

How effective are you? 

Ultimately, the candidate who demonstrate effectiveness will get the job.