Interview Best Practices
Background
I currently work as an Instructional Designer primarily designing e-learning for the construction industry. I have worked on a variety of projects that train construction workers and their managers on different aspects of their jobs. Some of my projects include safety courses and online trainings for new job roles. I often create job aids to accompany these trainings. Tools that I typically use in my role are Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, Powerpoint, and Word.
One of my projects involved teaching interview skills and guidelines to new managers.
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline, Word
One of my projects involved teaching interview skills and guidelines to new managers.
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline, Word
The Challenge
The company this training was for wanted their managers to be consistent in their hiring strategy, and also for them to follow company policies. Since there are some legal risks to interviewing, it was important that the new managers knew what they could and couldn't ask. For example, questions should revolve around being able to fulfill the responsibilities of the role. I was tasked with designing a training that delivered these guidelines in an engaging way.
Planning for adventure
After meeting with the project stakeholder and learning about the project details, I collected all existing content the company had on interview guidelines, which turned out to be two handouts. I also did a little research on interviewing guidelines, including questions that are illegal to ask and why. This all helped me understand the subject matter and script an opening of the training that explained the company's interview guidelines and why it was so important to follow them.
Next, I brainstormed ways to make the content more engaging. Since this training was for interview skills, I thought what better way than to simulate an actual interview. I wrote sample scenarios that the learner may encounter during an interview, and how they should respond. I opted for an illustrative look so the scenarios could depict a wide variety of people.
Next, I brainstormed ways to make the content more engaging. Since this training was for interview skills, I thought what better way than to simulate an actual interview. I wrote sample scenarios that the learner may encounter during an interview, and how they should respond. I opted for an illustrative look so the scenarios could depict a wide variety of people.
Snapshots of the Training
Note: Details have been changed due to the NDA nature of this project. The below images are mockups.
Photo credit: Unsplash; illustration credit: pikisuperstar from Freepik.
The training opened with a video that explained interview best practices and their importance.
Then the training had interactive questions meant to simulate interview scenarios. The feedback explained why an answer was correct or incorrect.
The final project contained:
- A video explaining why interviewing according to company policy was so important and interview guidelines
- Multiple choice interactions based on sample interview scenarios
- a job aid so learners could quickly refer to key takeaways
Reaching the destination
What I learned from this project:
- If it's possible, creating a training that mimics actual scenarios on the job can help learning stick and make it more meaningful to the learners.
- Illustrative elements can create create a more universal vibe and make training more visually appealing.