…John Sawatsky’s Methodology
When you hear an interviewer speak, remember first that they’ve been trained to do what they do, and oftentimes, have done so many times over.
Your anxiety at interviews may be legitimate – you’re dealing with a trained professional on a mission to know you.
But all hope’s not lost, nor should it be.
I’ve studied some interviewing and questioning samples, and observed that there’s a system at work.
It’s John Sawatsky’s three rules for Effective Questioning, and it’s a highly potent way to probe for information that delivers. Good questions unlock the responder.
Some background: John Sawatsky is a world-class journalist and interviewing expert with over 20 years of experience – training journalists and interviewers on questioning.
✓ Here are his 3 rules for effective questions. Learn them so you’ll never be anxious at an interview ever again.
- Open
All great questions are open-ended because they invite deeper dialogue, probe conversation, and encourage expanded answers.
They’ll cause you to say more than ‘Yes’, or ‘No’.
An interviewer may ask;
- How would you solve this problem?
As opposed to something like: “Did you oblige to that? – which is quick and transactional and unlikely to be asked by an interviewer, unless as a follow-up.
- Neutral
All great questions are neutral questions.
Important also to remember: neutral questions don’t ‘lead’ you on. You’ll rarely get a question from an interviewer that’s leading or loaded.
Instead, they will ask neutral, unbiased questions that naturally follow curiosity. Neutral questions don’t come preloaded with an answer, they rather seek it from you.
Two common examples of neutral questions often asked to evaluate your decision-making (often as a follow-up) are:
- What inspired that decision?
- How would you explain this?
They have no bias. They are objective and curious as opposed to something like: “What made that a terrible play call?” – which is presumptuous and negatively preloaded.
Interviewers may, however, play the opposing card to measure your reaction under pressure.
- Lean
Lean is the final, and as always, all great questions are lean questions.
Complex questions are difficult to answer and appreciate – even when a good answer is delivered, and no interviewer wants to look stupid in front of you.
Lean (simple) questions trigger thinking and insight, making it easy for you to engage.
One good example is:
- What else?
It’s simple, yet intrusive, forcing you to blabber on, or simply decline from speaking. So be careful of them.
I was asked on a job call once: “There are many Project Managers who may inspire you. Who are your favourites, and why and what is one great thing you’ve read from each of them?”
I literally had to ask: “May you please repeat the question?”…. I didn’t even know where to begin responding.
That was a complex, stringy question from an inexperienced interviewer, and it showed.
I hope you learned something.
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-edward-koranteng
