The standout TV programme of the last few years must be “The Traitors”, now the most watched reality show in the UK. Whilst for many the star attraction is Claudia Winkleman’s fringe, for me it is the drama of ‘The Roundtable’.
Here, contestants must attempt to identify who is telling the truth, and who is, ‘a Traitor’. It’s a masterclass in psychology where suspicion, strategy and social dynamics are put together in a pressure pot of high stakes and emotions.
Watching closely viewers will see evidence of, herd mentality, In-group bias, group conformity, evidence vacuums and many other psychological dynamics. For those who don’t get to be on the TV show, there is a much closer to home place to see these same dynamics at play, the job interview!
Interviewers are desperate to ensure they make the ‘right’ decision, often because of the time invested just to get this far through a process; ‘candidates’ are desperate to show off the best possible version of themselves to secure a role. The result is both sides engaging in a social experiment where reality TV meets LinkedIn endorsements and everyone hopes the result has some grounding in facts resulting in the right appointment.
So, as a candidate, how best to prepare for this interaction, and how not to get banished to the realm of the, “on this occasion” email, familiar to so many?
The first element begins before the interview stage, make sure your CV and application have some actual grounding in the reality of your experience. In our organisation we interviewed over 4000 people last year and we manage to remove most of the “AI” written CVs before interview. Of the few that make it through though, it takes just a few seconds to realise the substance isn’t there. Use AI for structure but keep it real!
Once in the room, know your interviewer and the company. It really doesn’t take long to get to know a business, its own website, Glassdoor reviews, even word of mouth. Many interviewers these days reverse the process and let you ask questions first, so have some ready. With a bit of LinkedIn research, you can have some prepared about the interviewer and the company. Ask the tough ones, people really do want to see that you’ll challenge the norm.
Most of all though, be authentic! Many of those wrongly evicted on the traitors are defending their position from a ‘version of the truth’ they think people want to hear. This leads to all sorts of ‘misdirection’ which the interviewers pick up on.
Be honest!
Share experiences you’ve learned from (these aren’t weaknesses!); share how you want to work ‘with’ the company – there is nothing wrong with stating your expectations beyond salary; and bring out your personality, not the one you think the company wants.
Do you this and your chance of success will be greater than most, and if you’re really lucky, the interview won’t be in a freezing cold castle surrounded by TV cameras.
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Dr Andrew Stephenson
Andrew currently leads HR, Property and Procurement for Global Share Registrar Equiniti, having previously had 20 years+ of multi-sector experience developing customer centric cultures.
Andrew's teams have delivered transformational programmes that have increased profits alongside people strategies that have reduced turnover, improved wellbeing, driven retention, and transformed equity, diversity and inclusion.
Andrew holds a Doctorate from the University of Staffordshire where his research focussed on NPS and Culture Change and is an inaugural member of the CIPD HR30.