Stress Interview

Now a days many organizations are resorting to stress interview to test a candidate's temperament. The purpose of stress interview is to put the candidate on the defensive. Stress interview is based on the premise that stressful situations bring out the true worth of a person and the candidate who performs well under pressure in the interview is likely to perform similarly on the job.

There are various stress interview tactics that an interviewer may adapt. These include:

Unexpected Behavior: The interviewer tries to catch you off guard with unexpected behavior. For example, an interviewer might ask the same question several times, pretending not to understand your answer. You explain several times, each time getting more exasperated at the questioner's stupidity.

Uncomfortable Questions: The interviewer can ask uncomfortable questions such as "Why you get such low marks in graduation" or "Why you were fired from your previous job" to put you under pressure.

Aggressive Attitude: The interviewer may convey his aggressive behavior through his body language, facial expressions, or behavior and he will make you realize that you are responsible for it.

Puzzle Question: The interviewer may ask you a question whose answer you are not generally expected to know, like " How many Maruti cars are running on the roads of Delhi?"

Case Interview: The case interview tests your knowledge of relevant business issues, quantitative and analytical skills, ability to prioritise and anticipate problems, and communication skills. In case interviews you are presented an open-ended business situation and are required to describe a path toward a solution.

Tips on Handling Stress Interview

• Always keep yourself cool and composed during interview when you are put in a stressful situation.

• Clarify the question and the nature of the answer desired. This can buy you some time to think.

• Don't hesitate about asking questions to get clarification; sometimes, this is exactly what's expected of you.

• Ignore the interviewer's tantrums and his aggressive behavior and keep yourself focused on answering the question to the best of your ability.

• Be open, honest, straightforward and refuse to be emotionally intimidated.