You may of come across this type of interview already in your career of trying to get now what is the most prevalent entry level , student or part time job of many in our working and employment jobs and careers. This is the online interview. The drill is you ask at the customer service desk of your local big box electronics / office equipment / hardware / grocery or other “big box” retail store. Either at the customer service desk itself or on the website itself you are told that to apply for an “exciting position and career” that the proper (and only procedure) is to fill out the “online interview”. Many job seekers and applicants think that these online or “computer assisted” interviews are a lark, that they really do not count. However it is very simple – in previous years it may have been a physical person – a secretary or assistant that was the keeper of the gate. In the year 2008 it’s an automated system. If you do realize that if you do not fill out the online application form “correctly” you will be screened out of the system promptly.

It’s all a numbers game. The applications are filed according to an answer score, sorted as such and emailed to the store manager or human resources person who does the employment interviewing. At the most that hiring authority will receive two piles. Pile one (which you hope to be in if you want a chance at a screening interview) and pile 2 which is usually not even looked at.

The question becomes then “How do you I get in the correct job screening selection pile?” The answer lies in anticipating the questions, and giving the “correct “or expected answers. Two points here – one – it is never a wise or ethical idea to lie. You will only be found out in the future. The second here is that your ultimate goal is to get the job employment screening interview as a stepping stone to be offered the job.

You have to remember as well that those hiring are also trained in a system. The turnover and movement of managers around the company locations is often on a fill in basis – and as needed. As such management makes decisions based on a system and on “the book “: or “manual”. All of this works to your favor if you understand how it all works.

The basic rules are to tell them what they want to hear. Second never tell a lie. If it’s not in your favor then do not tell a lie. Simply do your best not to bring it in the interview or in this case the online screening interview. Often the questions are very telling and apparent in the desired answer. Often as you complete the interview you may find that the skills that are desired are often at odds with each other. It’s as if the online interview was written by a number of different people – all who wanted different skill sets. In most likelihood the interview was completed by a committee – each member of which had totally different preferences for the workers they hired. After all the long committee meeting, the members may have had enough of the frustrating exercise, and then threw up their hands to agree and get the ordeal over with. Then it’s left to computer programmers, who are often technical engineer types, to put all these conflicting questions into online interview format.

As an example you may have a series of questions dealing with customer empathy and always serving customer needs. The correct answers here are that the “customers needs, wishes and preferences are paramount”. The next series of questions may well deal with company polices- that the company policies and rules are always paramount.

These rules should never be questioned or disputed- not by you and certainly not the customer. The series of questions in sequence one may be from a successful sales trainer – with a sales orientated response. After all “nothing happens without the sale”. Yet the questions in sequence number two may well come from the customer service department .Enforcing and enforcement of company rules, polices and procedures are paramount- no matter what the final effects and results are. The correct answer to any of the questions on the online form is the answer that will get you into pile number one which will afford you the chance of actual face to face screening interview.

That’s what all is about – without buying a ticket you cannot win the big lotto. In the same way unless you are in employment application screening pile one you will have no choice whatsoever at that initial screening interview which is the first and primary focus of the employment interview process. Fill out that “online interview” or “online interview application “correctly.

Image taken on 2009-09-28 14:06:32. Image Source. (Used with permission)