stress English word, which comes from the French estresse, which means oppression, depression. This concept was introduced by the Canadian scientist Hans Selye, he defined stress as a reaction of neuropsychic tension that occurs in emergency circumstances and is designed to mobilize the body's defenses. Today, stress is increasingly understood as stressful effects: significant physical and mental stress that leads to stress. The body's ability to cope with these overloads is called stress resistance.

For example, noise in the call center, hustle and bustle on the trading floor, irregular working hours, constant communication with large quantity customers are all stressful situations.

Types of stress resistance

Each applicant puts his own meaning in the concept of "stress resistance" - depending on the profession and functional duties. Sales managers understand stress tolerance as the ability to calmly respond to negativity from the client, and auditors - to a "burning" plan or working from home. The applicant for the post of secretary thus informs the employer that he can get along with an authoritarian leader. Candidates for top positions mean the ability to soberly analyze the situation and make the right decisions in the face of constant instability and changing priorities, while not losing sight of the strategic goal. But HR can't read between the lines! According to statistics, it takes him, on average, about 5 seconds to process one resume. If the "Personal Qualities" section is a list of "trendy" characteristics peeped in other people's resumes, do not be offended that the recruiter will not attach any importance to them at best. Instead of indicating the abstract concept of “stress resistance” in the CV, recruitment managers recommend marking specific achievements and examples that directly or indirectly indicate that the candidate has the ability to adequately get out of stressful situations. Moreover, each profession has its own types of nervous tension.

Socionics is the science of information processing by the human intellect, which makes it possible to predict human behavior in a wide variety of situations, including stressful ones.

Its separate block is devoted to the theory of stress resistance, according to which all people are divided into 4 groups:

stress-resistant;
stress-trained;
stress-inhibitory;
stress resistant.

"Stress-resistant" characterizes the maximum possible rigidity in relation to external events. They are not inclined to change their behavior and adapt to external world. Their attitudes and concepts are unshakable. Therefore, any unfavorable external event or even a hint of its possibility in the future is stressful for them. In the most stressful critical situation people of stress-unstable TIMs (types of informational metabolism) are prone to increased emotionality, are extremely excitable and unbalanced. You should not expect quick and constructive solutions from them in tense moments.

"Stress trained" are ready for change, but not global and not instantaneous. They try to transform their lives gradually, naturally, painlessly, and when this is impossible for objective reasons, they become irritable or depressed. However, as tense situations approximately similar in content are repeated, “stress trainees” get used to and begin to respond to stress more calmly. Mature, experienced representatives of such TIMs are quite capable of being leaders in extreme situations.

"Stress-inhibiting" are distinguished by the rigidity of their life principles and ideological attitudes, however, they are quite calm about sudden external changes. In principle, they are not ready to change gradually, but they can make a quick and one-time change in one or another area of their life, for example, abruptly change jobs. People who have TIMs of this group are able to be leaders during "point" changes, after which their new status quo will immediately be fixed. If stresses follow one after another, and especially if they are of a sluggish nature, they gradually lose their presence of mind and control over their emotions.

"Stress-resistant" are ready to accept any changes relatively calmly, no matter what nature - long or instant - they may be. On the contrary, everything stable and predetermined is alien to them and causes irony because of the general instability, so acutely felt by the representatives of the TIMs of this group. They usually start the processes of transformations or even revolutions themselves, lead them, and at the most critical moment they can step aside, because with all their love for change, they are not at all delighted with the possibility of harming themselves. They know how to act effectively in unstable, crisis conditions, but are poorly adapted to work in organizations with established traditions. Stress for them is only the most difficult events concerning themselves or loved ones. Often, "stress-resistant" choose professions associated with risk and constant exposure to extreme situations.

What is a stress interview

A stress interview is an interview in which a nervous, tense environment is deliberately created for the candidate in order to unbalance him. This method helps to identify such qualities as stress resistance, sociability, flexibility of behavior, etc. This form of interview may be appropriate for service workers, sales and customer service specialists, executives, office managers. That is, for specialists whose position involves non-standard, conflict situations. In addition, often a stress interview becomes the only way select subordinates for managers with a difficult character. Domestic personnel officers are sometimes forced to participate in such "performances", as they understand that, first of all, it is necessary to look for good professional, and the one who is ready to endure the antics of the leader: in Russian companies there are many bosses who solve production issues by yelling at their people, and some are even able to throw something heavy at a subordinate in anger.

Some large employers actively conduct stress interviews with applicants because they have an aggressive market conquest policy and they need “toothy” sales managers and other specialists. Therefore, from the first minutes of the candidate's presentation, they begin to spread about his incompetence as a specialist, throw in obscure terms and discuss his appearance and manner of speaking. If a person is confused or offended, it means that he did not pass the test.

Bringing the candidate to the edge of the breakdown can also be used to achieve a "side" effect. For example, when in the process of communication there is an assumption that the candidate does not reveal the whole truth about his previous work experience or there are inconsistencies in his resume. A person, having passed the stage of psychological arousal, gets tired, relaxes and does not notice how he "comes to clean water."

There is a well-known legend about the visit of the Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian to Salvador Dali. Khachaturian was waiting for a meeting in a spacious hall for a long time under his own "Sabre Dance", touched by the hospitality. Time passed, but the owner was in no hurry. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Salvador Dali rushed past the Soviet delegation. According to different versions: dressed, without clothes, without clothes on horseback. After that, the majestic majordomo came out and announced that "the audience is over." So the famous composer fell victim to the stress hoax of a brilliant artist.

As a method of stress interviewing, it was formed only in the middle of the last century. And, as usual, in the bowels of the military departments, to solve the problem of recruiting and checking personnel. Unexpected, tough or frankly rude behavior of the interviewer made it possible not only to quickly verify the candidate's stress resistance, but also to test his ability to be flexible and able to behave in non-standard situations.

Gradually, the scope of the stress interview expanded. On the one hand, the expected positive results of recruiting through stress interviews of firefighters, police officers and the military appeared, and everyone wanted to adopt best practices. On the other hand, at the end of the 20th century, leading foreign countries actively transferred entire industries to countries South-East Asia where the main jobs were formed. In Europe and America, there is objectively less work, and there are too many people who want to work. Therefore, the idea of applying the stress interview method to limit job seekers in the civilian sphere seemed justified and practically innovative. And a few decades later, the stress interview method crossed the borders and came into domestic practice.

Who is this for?

Stress interviews are most often conducted with candidates for vacancies associated with nervous, hectic work. If you want to get a job as a worker at a factory or a seller in a supermarket, then a stressful interview does not threaten you. According to personnel officers, specialists in the engineering, technical, construction fields, employees of educational and medical institutions also do without similar strength tests.

The “risk group” includes executives and their assistants, sales and account managers, advertising, insurance agents, journalists, office managers, claims specialists, salespeople, loss adjusters, risk placement specialists, media buyers and media sellers, supervisors, merchandisers, purchasing specialists, foreign trade specialists, etc. That is, as a rule, everyone who represents the front-office of the company.

An ordinary employee is tested for stress resistance, loyalty, conflict-free and positive willingness to cooperate, as well as quick response and resourcefulness. A top manager and leader is tested not only for resistance to stress, but also for the presence of strong-willed qualities, leadership potential, self-confidence, readiness to solve problems in non-standard conditions.

Direct employers are especially fond of stress interviews and often conduct it incorrectly, not caring about the negative consequences for the applicant.

During a stressful interview for a recruiter, not only the applicant's answers to questions are important, but also his emotional reaction.

What does it look like

Stress interviews in their "pure" form are rare - this is too complicated a technique that requires special training from a specialist. As a rule, recruiters use its elements during a regular interview, and also include role-playing games modeling conflict and all kinds of test situations in this concept. For example, they are forced to literally “on the knee” fill out long questionnaires or “pickle” the candidate for a long time in front of closed doors. An interview system is often used in conditions that are inconvenient for the applicant - for example, a bright lamp aimed at the face or a broken chair leg.

But the most unpleasant, as a rule, awaits a person during communication with the interviewer. For example, the latter starts rudely interrupting the applicant, jumping from topic to topic, not giving him the opportunity to speak. Sometimes he switches to “you” and asks unethical questions: “Are you still not married because you have a too quarrelsome character?”, “What kind of rags are you wearing?”, “For what amount are you willing to hand over to competitors client base your company?”, “Why did you even come here?” - these are far from the most cruel topics with which recruiters test the nerves of applicants.

One of the “stressful” forms of interviewing is a panel interview, when several representatives of the company communicate with the candidate at once. Moreover, the “subject” is interrogated at a fast pace without the opportunity to think about their answers. A similar method (popularly called "carousel") involves you starting to tell one recruiter about yourself, then a second one comes in and asks to start the story again, then a third one declares with the same requirement, and so on. At the same time, it is monitored at what stage the candidate will not stand it and will break.

You can also increase the nervousness of the applicant with the help of various non-verbal techniques: to demonstrate that you are not listening to the interlocutor, to be silent for a long time, to frown during his presentation.

Let's look at the most common scenarios.

Ignoring

One of the hardest methods of pressing is the lack of feedback. You showed up for your interview on time, but were asked to wait at the front desk until the HR person you have an appointment with returns from lunch. However, no one notices your presence for an hour now. Employees walk by, life is in full swing, but you, as if in another dimension, do not arouse anyone's interest.

Many people, having decided that such a company is unworthy of such a responsible applicant, will turn around and leave. There is another category of applicants who will start asking the secretary or colleagues of the personnel officer for lunch various questions. And only the most patient will wait for an audience, having earned their first points on the way to a dream position. This is called natural selection. Most often, this method is applied to applicants for the position of advertising managers, who spend a lot of time waiting for a potential client to pay attention to them. What to do if you are being ignored? It all depends on how interested you are in this job. If the motivation is great, be patient and wait. Flip through a magazine, take a diary and make notes in it (it doesn’t matter if it’s yours). favorite poem or train schedule to Lobnya station). HR experts advise: the main thing is to pretend that you are not bothered by the tedious waiting. And do not leave for a long time, otherwise you risk missing the moment when they finally decide to call you. Trust me, your patience will be appreciated. A funny example is when the director of a large organization periodically jumped up during negotiations and ran away to the computer for a long time. At first, people were worried, worried, and then by chance they saw the reflection of the monitor in the sash of the mirror cabinet. What do you think was there? Never guess. Solitaire".

Question about the shortcomings of the applicant

The applicant's answer to this question allows the employer to determine the person's behavior in difficult situations, assess the degree of his self-control and stress resistance. First of all, such a question should be expected by those who apply for managerial or leadership positions, because the ability to negotiate at the proper level in any circumstances is part of professional competencies manager. However, in accordance with ethical standards, the question of the shortcomings of the interlocutor is considered unacceptable, so it can not only confuse the applicant, but also negatively affect his opinion of the employer. At the same time, you should not give in to emotions and rush to conclusions, since the interviewer probably simply did not manage to find the correct wording.

This also includes the question of the reasons for dismissal from previous jobs. When answering, it is very important not to get confused, but to calmly and reasonably state the reasons that prompted you to search for a new company. Almost always, you can formulate your thought in such a way that the negative points will be smoothed out.

Personal questions

The laws of business ethics do not approve of such "curiosity" on the part of the interviewer. The only exception is an interview with the security service, the purpose of which is to verify the personal data of the applicant. As a rule, candidates react to private matters very painfully, not unreasonably believing that their private life is in no way connected with conscientious performance functional responsibilities. Therefore, it would be quite justified to ask the recruiter to clarify how information of a personal nature can affect the outcome of the interview. Even during a classic interview, a personnel officer may ask you an unexpected question, say: “What is the nationality of your great-grandmother?”, “Is your marriage really arranged?” or “Have you ever been caught stealing from a supermarket?” This is where you will need remarkable endurance. A quick-tempered person, of course, will be outraged by such tactlessness. But this is what the employer expects from you. Your task is to deceive his expectations. Treat the test with humor and do not pretend to be offended. It doesn't matter what you answer - a stupid question suggests the same answer. No one will check how honest you are. In this case, your endurance, sense of humor and tact are evaluated. If your goal is a secretary, service center employee, or claims department, you cannot do without these qualities.

Several questioners

Most often, the interview is conducted by one person, a maximum of two. In a stress interview, you can see three or even five specialists. And all of them will vying with each other ask questions (including uncomfortable ones), demand attention to themselves.

The most common variation in this case is the good cop and bad cop method. Its essence is as follows: an interview with a candidate is simultaneously conducted by 2 specialists. One is extremely benevolent - he smiles, sympathetically asks "convenient" questions for the applicant, in every possible way supports the initiative of the interlocutor. The other, on the contrary, takes an aggressive, dominant position - interrupts, asks tricky, provocative questions (“Are you sure that you can count on such a high salary with your level of professionalism?” or “How long ago did you stop drinking?”, etc.) , seeks in every possible way to crush the initiative of the applicant, to convict him of a lie, to doubt his professional competence And so on.

Monologue not dialogue

An HR may choose a monologue as a form of communication with you. It would seem that this is unrealistic in the presence of two interlocutors, however ... The interviewer asks you one question, then, without waiting for an answer, jumps to the second and immediately goes to the third ... And at the same time does not allow you to insert a word. Moreover, the personnel officer interprets your silence as incompetence or, at best, sluggishness, throwing phrases every now and then: “I see you have nothing to say”, “It seems that you don’t know how to communicate at all”, “And with such skills do you plan to cooperate with our company?”

Try to put in your two cents. Polite but firm. Wait until the end of the demonstration performance and state your position on all the topics raised with reason. And - calmness, only calmness.

awkward position

Ordinary interviews, as a rule, are not much different from each other. You come at the appointed time, the personnel officer or manager talks to you, studies the documents. In a stressful interview, there are many more conversation options. For example, an HR specialist starts an interview with you right in the hallway or even on the landing. Be prepared for the fact that you will be invited to an interview at the nearest restaurant, especially if the meeting time coincides with the lunch break. In the first case, you must accept the terms of the game: pretend that everything is going as you planned, take a comfortable position and carry on the conversation as if nothing had happened. In the second - accept the invitation, but do not order anything at the restaurant, show that for you this is just a meeting place - as convenient as an office. However, if your interlocutor intends to have a meal, ask for a maximum of tea or coffee in order to be on an equal footing with the personnel officer.

The following methods may also be used:

a proposal to prove one's exclusivity not in words, but on concrete facts from the biography;
expressing, in a polite manner, doubts about the candidate's words about his achievements, skills, personal characteristics;
verification of the candidate's psychomotor skills (for example, by setting several simple questions candidate and a constant request for an answer as soon as possible);
maintaining an emphatically strict tone;
pressure on the candidate by expressing negative emotions (for example, one of the directors of the company asked the candidates questions in a very polite manner, but in such a tone as if he was furious);
repeating the same question several times in a row (for example, a “marathon” of the question “Why?” can last the entire interview);
an offer to the candidate to find a way out of a non-standard situation (the so-called solving cases with non-standard situations);
distortion of answers - a manipulative distortion of the washed away answer in favor of the interviewer. (For example, the question: “Why are you changing jobs?” The answer is: “The office is very far from home, you have to spend a lot of time on the road.” The twitching comment: “So you are constantly late?”.)

From the side of the recruiter

If a HR specialist still wants to use elements of a stress interview in his practice, he should follow some rules.

First of all, it is not recommended to test the candidate "blindly". The person should be warned that at one of the stages of the interview (preferably not at the first stage), a stress interview will be conducted with him. A warning may reduce the "surprise effect", but the consequences will be much less severe. AT last resort, it is worth at least informing the interlocutor that the interview will take place in an unusual format, and its participants should be neutral towards each other, regardless of the form in which the questions will be asked. After the interview, you should definitely apologize to the candidate and explain that it was a stress interview - part of the selection process, which partially models the difficulties that await the candidate in a new job.

During the interview, it is better to exert psychological pressure on the candidate gradually: starting with some “innocent” remark addressed to him, continue with a trap question or a scenario of an “unexpected” situation. Perhaps the candidate will quickly open up, and " heavy artillery"You don't have to use it.

Stress interview does not imply frankly boorish questions. It is enough, for example, to prepare a structured interview and, after two or three questions in a leisurely friendly manner, increase the pace of the conversation by asking more rigidly formulated (alternately open and closed) questions. Moreover, closed-ended questions should be asked at a very fast pace.

In addition, one should distinguish between “hard” questions that are uncomfortable for the candidate and unethical ones. There is nothing wrong with asking the applicant a few provocative questions, preferably related to his professional activity. For example, about his most failed project or a serious disagreement with his manager. Or why not ask the applicant with orange hair and green nails: “Do you really think that such appearance acceptable to the receptionist? If the response to such questions is inadequate, it is not your fault. But the interest in underwear or the number of mistresses of the candidate is unlikely to be approved by him, and how much useful will you learn from this information?

A stressful interview in no way implies a boorish attitude towards the applicant. Using this method, you must first set up an employee for a confidential conversation, which will help to get sincere answers from him even to unpleasant provocative questions.

For example, you can ask a candidate for the position of head of the supply department (with a lot of experience and a low salary): “How much do you take kickbacks?”, “Why were you kicked out of your last job?”, “How did you process the materials stolen from the warehouse?” . With the right attitude, such an interest of the interviewer will not be met with hostility by the applicant. The candidate for the place of the manufacturer will also be quite frank construction works, who received the following questions: “If you come to work drunk, do you go to a change house or to your office?”, “How much do you take from each worker from the salary for the “roof”?”, “My friend worked in your former company and told that cars with sand “to the left” left the construction site just like that! Isn't that why you got kicked out?"

Human resources specialists have a rich set of tools to identify the necessary characteristics in candidates. Stress interviews are just one of many methods that are acceptable in exceptional cases. And in no case should they be abused, so as not to alienate professional workers from the company and thereby not harm the employer.

From the side of the employee

If you have at least one opportunity to avoid a stressful interview, do it. No matter how challenging task if people really want to solve it with your help, all conditions will be created for you. In a serious, respectable business, there is no place for excessive testing of strength. And the very fact of having negotiations or an interview suggests that you already meet the basic criteria. And this is the norm.

If for various reasons a fight cannot be avoided, always remember your interests. Only your personal values, ideas of what you need, and respect for yourself will help to contain the stress pressure. It is difficult to talk to a person who understands himself. But interesting. And most importantly - only such a person can be entrusted with serious work. As soon as you start to rush about, it is really an indicator of insecurity. Do not despair. Draw your own conclusions. You will need to work more on yourself.

Never, under any circumstances, become the cause of a scandal. The responsibility for the unleashed skirmish lies with the one who started it first, and all stress interviewers are well aware of this. Therefore, your task is to “keep face” to the end. Provided that your interlocutor is smart enough not to get personal and outright insults.

Calmly repeat what was said and tell us what and in what time frame you learned for recent times(if we are talking about the ability to self-learn), how did you do it. Tell us about the conflict situations that arose at work, and how you masterfully settled them due to your communication skills. Be sure to mention your achievements in sports, study, work! Feel free to talk about the difficulties you have overcome to achieve this.

If the future work involves a fast pace of assignments, be prepared for the fact that at the interview you must prove yourself as a “quickie” and adequately respond to the fast pace of the conversation. In the case when you are offered to find solutions to non-standard situations, remember that there are no “right” and “wrong” options. Any way out of the situation that you propose simply reflects your behavior pattern in a state of stress.

Case Studies

Lots of examples. For example, the already classic method of interviewing Sergey Brin, the founder of Google. Favorite question: "Get ready in five minutes and tell me something I don't know." Everyone who worked and works in the company answered this exquisite question. Everything is used: work, hobbies, technologies, schemes and algorithms. And even if the applicant did not get a place in the company, Sergey did not waste his time in vain. He learned a lot of new and interesting things.

One girl got a job as an accountant in a large holding. The position is not the most stellar, the salary is moderate. But the reception was a real full house. As in a beehive, people "buzzed", filled out a questionnaire, asked for a pen, a piece of paper, a piece of a table and a chair leg. The girl was not taken aback and was curious: what is happening? It turned out that she was in the queue of applicants for the same position! Nerves need to be protected. With the wording “This doesn’t suit me,” our friend left the battlefield in favor of the next interview.

In a large alcohol holding, a vacancy for an HR director was closed. The interview was conducted by the commercial director, who had a terrible manner of communicating with candidates.

To the applicant, who sat cross-legged in a chair, he immediately pointed to the door: “You are applying for an HR position - a person who is distinguished by openness and sociability, so why are you sitting in a closed position?” The woman did not find what to answer, and in confusion left.

The pose of the next candidate also turned out to be “closed”. “Verbal language speaks of your isolation, secrecy,” the director panted. “You don’t suit us!” The girl was not at a loss, she thought for a second and calmly replied: “You know, I caught my bag on my tights, I didn’t want it to be noticeable, so I sat down like that.” The director liked the answer - the girl stayed.

Cons of the method

The attitude towards this technique among recruiters is far from unambiguous. Many recruitment agencies refuse to use stress interviews, preferring more loyal ways of communicating with candidates for whom the job search itself is already stressful. And most importantly, recruiters must have high level knowledge of this technique and be sure that by plunging the candidate into stress, they will not harm his psyche and will be able to remove him from a stressful state. To conduct stress interviews, it is recommended to involve third-party professionals - employees of consulting companies and recruitment agencies who have been specially trained in the use of such techniques. Any mistake of the interviewer threatens to turn into the loss of a qualified specialist for the company.

It is not uncommon to hear job seekers criticizing less-than-professional HR and interviewing company managers who assert themselves at the expense of candidates, reveling in their power over job seekers. This situation can be explained by psychological complexes, which undoubtedly indicates the professional unsuitability of recruiters and the corresponding level of organization management.

Stress interviewing techniques are best used only for jobs where stress tolerance refers to core competencies and when the simulated situation is as close as possible to that which is possible in a working environment. At the same time, experts note that it is hardly worth relying completely on the results of such a check, because they do not at all guarantee exactly the same behavior of the applicant in a real situation. If a person really needs a job, then he can show an extreme degree of tolerance for any bullying, but in the “field” conditions he can be much less restrained. When you test how a person reacts to a ball of paper thrown at him, you are checking the reaction to the thrown ball of paper and nothing else. In a real stressful situation, a person will still behave differently.

At the same time, many experienced recruiters are sure that no tough questions “on the forehead” will be able to reveal the candidate as much as a soft, “heartfelt” approach. In the latter case, the applicant can relax so much that he himself will tell the whole truth, how he coped with force majeure circumstances that arose on his way.

The disadvantages of a stressful interview are that it makes an extremely unpleasant impression on the applicant. After such a test of strength, the candidate you like will most likely simply refuse to work for you and leave offended. A disliked candidate should also not be offended, otherwise he will spread negative information.

The use of stress technologies can seriously damage a company's reputation. During the interview, the recruiter is forced to show disrespect for the applicant, and it is not uncommon for candidates who successfully “swallowed” all the bullying and liked the employer, refused to work in an organization with such a method of treatment. Moreover, they told their acquaintances how they meet valuable specialists “there”. Many job seekers find any unethical questions “stressful”, such as marital status, sexual orientation, or even age. They may react to them with deep resentment. One candidate will gladly talk about his wife and children, while the other will immediately accuse the recruiter of interfering in his personal life.

What can we say about the tougher methods of communication! For many of them, the humiliation of the human dignity of candidates indicates a low level of management and corporate culture in the employing company.

Even if the candidate eventually becomes an employee of the company, he will be wary of the managers and colleagues who made him go through an unpleasant test. No team building training will help a person feel like they are in a team of like-minded people if they were “pressed” at the interview.

But often such a check is bypassed by the employers themselves: many candidates, even after successfully undergoing torture, refuse to work. And their grievances are quite justified, because real recruiters must determine in advance the degree of stress resistance of a candidate, without resorting to liberties and extremes. Recruiters should not forget that the applicant can go to court and demand compensation for the moral and material damage that, in their opinion, the interviewer inflicted on them. Such cases are very rare, since the use of a stressful interview is not against the law, but theoretically it is quite possible.

If at the interview the applicant is insulted, shouted at, or ignored point-blank, he may have ended up in a stress interview. About when this method is really justified when hiring and how to create a stressful situation correctly, Natalya Chaylytko, director of the Status Recruitment Center, tells.

— I have been studying the topic of stress interviews for over 15 years and have been conducting them for about 11 years. During this time, I got my own opinion on how to conduct it, what rules must be observed and in what cases it is forbidden to conduct it. I will share my experience.

Director of the Personnel Center "Status"

When to Do a Stress Interview

I take stress interviews very seriously. In no case can not be carried out without having experience in this. As a result of an illiterately conducted stress interview, serious harm can be done to the applicant. At a minimum, this can lead to a decrease in his self-esteem.

In my practice, there were cases when the applicant fell into depression, refused to look for work, because he was afraid that he would again have to experience serious stress.

But even knowing how to conduct a stress interview, I recommend doing this only if necessary qualities cannot be verified by any other method.

If the manager insists or you don’t see another way to check the candidate, then I will give a few recommendations.

3 Rules for Stress Interviewing

1. A stress interview is effective if it lasts 10-20% of the interview time, and not during the entire interview.

2. A stressful situation should be selected based on:

Vacancies. Employees of different professions experience stress from different situations. For example, an accountant can be tested for stress resistance to revisions, a sales manager for conflicting customer behavior, project managers for timely project completion, etc.
candidate's temperament. For example, speeding up the pace of speech, communicating with several people at the same time is not a stressful situation for a person with a choleric temperament.
Type of information perception of the candidate (auditory, visual, kinesthetic). Kinesthetics can be put in an uncomfortable chair, auditory can be interrupted, visual can be interrupted by “random” people passing by

3. A stressful situation cannot be created at the first interview. You can recognize the applicant only when you have already held one, or better, two meetings. And only then choose the right technique.

How to create a stressful situation

There are a lot of standard methods for creating a stressful situation. For example:

The interviewer asks the applicant to sit in an uncomfortable chair
Makes you fill out a questionnaire "on the knee"
He asks “on the forehead” why the applicant came, announcing that he does not suit their company
Points a bright lamp at the eyes
Ignores the applicant's responses using the form of a monologue, preventing the candidate from answering the questions asked
Concerns family or intimate matters
The interview is constantly interrupted by “accidentally” people who come in

And now - a few examples from practice.

An example of a method for kinesthetics. The head of the furniture salon was looking for employees for various vacancies - account managers, furniture designers, accountants. He used the same method for all. He bought a chair with a hard seat made of intertwined metal rods, a high back made of twisted metal drills. He put it in his office and offered to sit down to the candidates.

In the middle of the interview, they were told a legend - allegedly, a person who died at the workplace worked for the company for a long time. This chair was his favorite. After death, his ghost comes to the office to sit on this chair.

Can you imagine the state of the candidate, who has already been sitting on this uncomfortable chair for 15 minutes, felt all its features, and then he was told this? Only very stress-resistant candidates don't jump up and down and run away.

So the head of the company revealed the motivation of the candidate - whether he wants to become an employee of the company after such a test. The result was known either immediately or the next day.

It’s been like this for 7 years now, with the help of the “favorite” metal chair in the office of this company, candidates are being tested for stress resistance ...

An example method for visuals. These are people who communicate little and work a lot with documents - personnel officers, an accounting officer, designers, lawyers.

Candidates are asked to bring a photo to the interview. personal archive- on which he is with his children, spouse, parents. In the middle of the interview, when more than one technique has already been used, it is proposed to cut the photo, thereby “dividing” the people in the photo (the cut can be between people, at eye level, “cutting off” the legs ...). The cutting line is always set.

At this unusual request, the candidate almost always experiences severe stress - he thinks that if he cuts the photo now, he will either get divorced or lose a child, a parent.

Here, the motivation is visible to the naked eye: is the candidate really capable of anything in the future for the sake of this company.

An example of conducting a stress interview for auditory. As a rule, these are sales managers, account managers, HR and PR managers, etc.

At the first interview, the interviewer “leads” the candidate into the past: he asks him to remember what words his mother scolded him, or a teacher at school, or former boss. So the interviewer collects a package of phrases that represent a stressful situation for the candidate. For example, these could be phrases:

“Well, what kind of businessman are you?”
"You are nobody and there is no way to call you"
"Everyone else is better than you"
"You are zero without a wand"
“Well, how long can you suffer?”

And in a stress interview, a similar phrase alternately appears. For example, it is said by an employee who accidentally came in or the manager tells stories about employees who have already been fired using these phrases.

And yet: not a single, even the most competent stress interview will give a 100% result of how a person behaves at work. It is one thing to test a candidate by immersing him in stressful situations, and another thing is a real work environment.

Employers want to see in the ranks of their employees not only competent specialists, but also stress-resistant people. In our nervous and restless time, this criterion is simply necessary when applying for a job. This is what stress interviews are for.

What is

stress interview is a method for testing a candidate for his stress resistance. Usually this event involves two things: the creation of a stressful or non-standard situation, or the use of personal, strange questions that are not related to professional activities.

Main elements:

Long Waits: A Test of Patience by Rescheduling “For a Few Minutes” Repeatedly.
A huge number of endless tests and surveys: testing for patience, attitude to routine work, compliance with the formal procedures of the company.
Rudeness and rudeness of the interviewer: a test for conflict, stress resistance. It looks like the person hosting the event is not interested in talking to you, is constantly distracted, makes sarcastic comments about you.
A close examination of the appearance, a long look: a test for stress resistance.
Artificial stressful situation: test for stress resistance, behavior in non-standard situations. For example, a broken leg of the chair you are sitting on, a glass of water overturned on you, etc.
Uncomfortable conditions: test for behavior in a non-standard situation. This is noticeable if you are forced to stand instead of crouching. It is possible that many people will be present during the interview. It is also possible that there will be a lack of lighting in the room, increased noise, etc.
Personal questions: checking for conflict. Occurs when discussing age, external data, marital status etc.
Lack of time to think about complex issues: a test of stress resistance and the ability to act quickly. Not allowing time to reflect on difficult professional issues.

These situations are the most common. But it is worth remembering that a person's fantasy has no limits. Therefore, you should be prepared for the most unexpected actions and situations.

For what purpose is

A stressful job interview involves the achievement of certain goals.

There are several tasks for this event:

Find out what counts for a person in stressful situations.
Assess how you will behave with high nervous tension.
understand what you think conflict situation And how can you deal with it.
Evaluate the model of your behavior in non-standard situations.

This type of interview gives high efficiency in a short time to assess the future employee. At the same time, all the most negative qualities that employers do not want to meet in the future are revealed.

Areas of direction and profession at risk

There are a number of professions and fields of activity that cannot be imagined without increased nervous stress. You, acting as an applicant, may face a stressful interview if you get a job in the following areas:

communication with people: services technical support, employees of the call center, sales department, claims department, journalist, insurance agent, etc.
helping people: doctors, psychologists, medical workers, service workers, etc.;
high responsibility: managers, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and fire services, secretaries, etc.

Conducting this type of interview often gives reason to think about the situation in the team (see). This is a wake-up call if you are interviewing for a profession that is extremely stress-free. This means that the atmosphere in the organization is tense, or the authorities make unreasonably high demands.

Examples of questions most often considered in stress interviews are:

What can you offer our company and why should we hire you at all?
What salary do you want to see and why this amount (see)?
You look bad. Are you sick of something? What are you being treated for?
Didn't you serve in the army? Do you want to defend your homeland?
Looking at you. Are you by any chance pregnant?
You are already many years old, and you are not married / not married? What's wrong with you?
How often do you drink?
When you took in last time borrow money?
Why is the earth round?
What is the earth on?

These examples of recruiter questions can be called the most common. Try to respond directly to them and act confidently.

How to react and behave

For your interview to be successful, be sure to remain calm in any situation. Do not take everything to heart, because this situation is a game. Therefore, you should not succumb to provocations and stress.

If you are asked for unknown reasons to wait a long time for the start of the event, then indicate that you are limited in time and do something useful.

When providing you a large number tests and surveys, be sure to answer them. Before doing this, check what time frames exist.

It is strictly forbidden to argue with the leader, to switch to his personality. If you are constantly interrupted or rude, then remain calm and competently and confidently answer specifically to the question. Communication should take place, no matter how hard it may be, respectfully and only in professional competence.

Don't be afraid to say no when discussing your personal issues. After all, you came to get a job, and not to talk heart to heart about your personal life. You can also translate everything into a joke, or direct it in a positive direction for future work.

If you are uncomfortable communicating in the conditions provided, then tell the employee who conducts the interview.

Also, if you think the interviewer is overstepping the mark, feel free to walk away.

If after the end of such a tense interview you are not apologized for such a stressful situation, then this is an occasion to think about what is the norm for this company (See). Do you need to work there? After all, it is the attitude towards employees that can be noticed even at the initial stage of acquaintance.

Stress interviewing is becoming more and more popular among the types of interviews for job applicants. This unexpected event obliges you to be prepared for it in advance. Through the right behavior in tense situations, you can get the coveted position.

Who is at risk of falling

8 Ways to Pass a Stressful Interview

You are at the interview. The recruiter behaves at least strangely: he is daring, without hesitation climbs into your personal life, smokes a cigarette. "What's the matter? The recruiter is a boor?" - you wonder indignantly. Maybe. But there is another option: the recruiter is not at all insolent, he just decided to test you in a stressful interview. Indeed, applicants are not always warned that the interview that awaits them is stressful. And even less often they ask consent to carry it out.

Who is at risk of falling

Stress interviews are most often conducted with candidates for vacancies associated with nervous, hectic work. In the "risk group" are managers and their assistants, sales and customer service managers, advertising, insurance agents, journalists, office managers, claims handling specialists, salespeople.

During a stressful interview for a recruiter, not only the applicant's answers to questions are important, but also his emotional reaction. They began to defend themselves, make excuses, get angry, offended - that means they did not pass the test. It is necessary at all costs to maintain until the end of the conversation the ability to discuss, a positive attitude, confidence and not give out one's irritation.

How to test for stress tolerance

1. Test of anticipation

The applicant arrives at the appointed time, but the interview does not begin. You have to stomp at the door for a long time, sometimes in an empty corridor, where there is nowhere even to sit down. The recruiter saunters from office to office with a cup of coffee, saying, "One more minute," as he goes.

An option for an ordinary employee is to wait patiently. You can prepare for the wait: grab a laptop from home or stock up on a magazine or book and, demonstrating calmness, go about your business. Thus, you will demonstrate not only self-control, but also the ability to constantly educate yourself. The future leader should take the initiative - find out why the meeting did not take place at the appointed time. You can calmly inform that there is no more time to wait, politely say goodbye to the secretary and leave. In most cases, before he reaches his car, he will be called back with an offer to reschedule the interview.

2. Tests, questionnaires

It may take up to an hour to complete them. At the same time, patience, loyalty to the company (which means that it needs it for some reason) and attitude to routine work are checked.

If they leave you in an empty corridor without furniture and offer to fill out a questionnaire, do not do it "on your knees". Be sure to ask where you could sit. Be prepared for the fact that you may be asked to rewrite the completed questionnaire, and more than once, referring, for example, to illegible handwriting.

3. Test of rudeness

The recruiter rudely interrupts you, jumps from topic to topic, not giving you the opportunity to speak, and also reproaches: "I see that you have nothing to say." Don't interrupt, don't get annoyed, and don't make excuses. Carefully follow the conversation, remember the questions to which you supposedly do not have an answer. Wait for the end of the monologue and express your opinion.

Negatively comments on your words, actions: "All this is nonsense, nonsense", "Well, this is unlikely to be useful in our company", "Your presentation seemed to me very weak and uninteresting." An attempt to argue with a recruiter in this case is equal to failure. Pause, count to ten. Be calm: "Please clarify the points in my story that seemed weak to you. If this is true, I will take into account the comments for the future."

The recruiter asks questions in an incorrect form. For example: "What did you do at your previous place of work that led to the collapse of the company?" A negative reaction will give you a reason to accuse you not only of a painful attitude towards criticism, but also of a desire to withhold facts from your previous experience. Joke: "The firm stopped working normally after I left it." Or say that the company is thriving, and this is your merit (but only if this is true).

He asks: "Why did you come here at all?" React as if you heard the question "Tell me about your strengths that could be useful to our company." Tell me about what you could do for the company if you became an employee.

Moves quickly to you. If the position you are applying for is a linear one, such as a salesperson or office manager, you can accept it, but it’s best not to take a familiar tone yourself. Focus on the situation. But if the position is top and the tone of the conversation is not at all friendly, you should politely ask on what basis the recruiter allows himself to "poke".

4. Personal questions

The easiest way to knock the ground out from under a person's feet. Questions can be the most unexpected and challenging. For example, how often do you have sex? Do you use condoms? Do you have a mistress? Are you currently pregnant? Girls over 25 like to be tortured with the question "Why are you still not married?".

Remember your self-esteem. You can politely refuse to answer such questions, explaining that the intimate nuances of your personal life have nothing to do with your professional activities. If you're having trouble answering, tell the recruiter how you feel ("Your question surprised me"). You will gain time, and the conversation can go in a different direction.

Do not close yourself, remember that the interview is a game from which you can leave at any time. Turn on a sense of humor and tell a joke in the topic, ask a counter question. The task of the recruiter is to test your reaction, and not at all to find out the details of your private life. If you control yourself, you can find a decent answer to any, even the most tactless question.

5. Uncomfortable conditions

A bright lamp in the face, a smoky room, an uncomfortable or even broken chair, water "accidentally" spilled on clothes - all these experiments reveal your patience, resourcefulness, self-esteem and self-respect.

If you have been placed in conditions that are difficult to endure, say so and ask to change them: remove the lamp, replace the chair. Although sometimes the atmosphere created at the interview is quite consistent with the working reality. For example, the chef is used to smoking cigars and will have to work in a smoky office.

If you fell off a broken chair - do not be embarrassed, keep calm. You can joke: "Who does not fall, he does not rise."

6. "Friend" and "enemy"

The contrast method, when two recruiters talk to you in completely opposite styles: one is friendly, the other is aggressive. The questions of the "friend" are predictable and understandable, while the "enemy" introduces difficulties, interrupts, tries to provoke a conflict.

The main thing is not to be scared - recruiters feel fear like dogs. Do not let yourself be confused, calmly answer questions. Ignore unpleasant hints. Your job is to focus on the content of the question, not the form in which it is asked. If you don't understand the meaning, feel free to ask for clarification.

It happens that not two, but several interviewers at once are interviewed at a very fast pace, with little or no time to think about the answer. This is a reaction test. Sometimes the same question is asked over and over again with slight modifications. Or they find fault with almost every phrase: "You mentioned that you were engaged in retail sales - in more detail, please."

It is important not to get confused in your own story and certainly avoid the lies that they want to convict you of.

7. What are you willing to do for work?

“What are you willing to sacrifice to get this job?” the director asked one of the applicants during an interview. And then he asked the girl to cut her long beautiful nails.

To find out what you are ready for for a job, a recruiter can offer anything. For example, to dye your hair ("You suit us, the only problem is that the director loves blondes") or even make plastic surgery("The company will pay all costs").

How to respond to such requests? Remember the biblical parable that God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to the slaughter to test his love for himself. Abraham's consent to sacrifice his son was enough for him. It is unlikely that the employer really wants to get your nails. All he wants to know is whether you can diplomatically refuse in response to exorbitant demands.

You can agree, but then you will show yourself as a soft, supple person. And you can laugh it off or politely say no. Let's say this: "I can hardly recolor my hair, but I'm ready to stay at work if necessary."

And when the offer is completely harmless, for example, to sing or dance, then why not? If you know how, then really sing - show yourself as a creative, uncomplexed person. If you don't know how, try to get away. Say that you are used to doing everything well, would like to learn a decent song and perform at the next interview.

8. A glass of water in the face

Such methods of checking applicants, of course, are extreme, but one must be prepared for them. It is necessary to answer, otherwise you will give the impression of Akaky Akakievich - a weak-willed person, unable to fight back. That's what recruiters think.

Office workers tend to different options for "revenge."

For some, the natural reaction is to hit a brazen recruiter, especially if they didn't know the interview was stressful and provocative. Others will prefer to restrain the first impulse and "beat with a pull", not with a fist, but with a word - to turn to the company's management or to the police. Still others will try to dodge and avoid conflict, limiting themselves to the phrase "I think the conversation is over."

From a stressful interview to a doctor

Now stress interviews are most often used in companies that want to quickly and cost-effectively solve the problem of recruiting employees. It's very easy to throw a glass of water in a person's face, ask a challenging question, and watch the response. Direct employers are especially fond of stress interviews and often conduct it incorrectly, not caring about the negative consequences for the applicant. But often such a check is bypassed by the employers themselves: many candidates, even after successfully undergoing torture, refuse to work. And their grievances are quite justified, because real recruiters must determine in advance the degree of stress resistance of a candidate, without resorting to liberties and extremes.

Nonetheless stress interview as a way to check applicants exists. But, firstly, it cannot be used en masse for everyone. And, secondly, this strict testing method should be used only by specially trained people - specialists in manipulation techniques in communication. They do not go too far and follow the rules of the game. And at the end, special events are held to bring a person out of a state of stress, end the conversation on a positive note and explain to the applicant why they were forced to subject him to a difficult test.

The use of a stress interview is not against the law. But if you believe that the recruiter has clearly exceeded his authority and caused you moral damage (Article 151 Civil Code"Compensation for non-pecuniary damage"), then you can rebuff him in court. Provided, of course, that you can provide relevant evidence.

Stress interview - a tough interview in which the employer or his authorized person tries to unbalance potential employee, the candidate, put him in a situation in which he is guaranteed to feel uncomfortable. It also uses some question or action for which the candidate will not be ready.

There is an opinion among employers that this type of interview should be used when interviewing a potential employee who, in the course of work, will certainly have to deal with various stressful situations. This method of interviewing allows you to see the real qualities of the candidate, and not the image that he hides behind.

The features of the extreme interview questions are a fairly accurate test for stress tolerance, a correct assessment of behavior in a stressful situation, as well as a determination of resistance to defiant behavior.

Target audience and what should be remembered?

Most often, such an interview is conducted for the following groups of people:

employees of banks, sales areas, customer service departments;
insurance agents, creditors;
psychologists;
public relations specialists, TV presenters, journalists;
office managers.

There are a lot of different approaches to conducting a stress interview, however, you should stop looking at the most commonly used ones.

stress interview begins long before the candidate sees the employer or a person authorized by him. It's no secret that many companies, when hiring, artificially create long queues in the corridors and deliberately make you wait in the hope of pissing off the job seeker. It is not uncommon for there to be fewer sofas or chairs in the corridor than the number of people in line.

You can ask the always kindest secretary to forbid people in line to use the cooler, leaf through magazines on the coffee table, occasionally cast glances full of undisguised anger, and answer all questions through gritted teeth.

How to test stress resistance in an interview?

The next step is the interview itself. Is it worth saying that Is it possible to artificially create the necessary atmosphere in the office? In summer, you can completely close all the windows and turn off the air conditioner, and in winter, on the contrary, open the windows wide open, moreover, more than one. The cigarette smoke test works well - it becomes difficult to breathe in a smoky room and it becomes more difficult for potential employees to answer your questions. tricky questions. The following are the main methods used in stress interviews.

Way "unequal forces". Do potential employers enter the office one at a time? Excellent. But who said that the interviewer also has to be alone? The method of "unequal forces" implies several questioning people awkwardly positioned in relation to the candidate. Two people should be located on the sides, and one will certainly be behind. This method is an excellent test of equanimity. Does the person spin around even when he is not asked questions? It definitely doesn't suit you.

long call colleagues, partners, family. During the conversation itself, discussing previous jobs, wages and best qualities candidate, you can afford to call and drag out the conversation for a good 20-30 minutes. At the same time, you can get up from your seat, start walking around the room, or even better, stand behind the interviewee and start pacing back and forth.

If the employer does not get into his pocket for a word, and the classics of the genre

Stress interview questions are usually scandalous. They should be used only in very rare cases, when a potential employee must be, well, very resistant to the most different situations right up to the meteorite falling into the office. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with an example of topics for a stress interview:

Candidate's weaknesses and those that are visible to the naked eye. Subject to a sense of tact (or lack of it), one can ridicule shortcomings not only in professional qualities but also in appearance and style of clothing. For example, if there is at least one unironed cuff on a shirt, you can squint to ask if irons have been banned in the country for an hour.

Reasons for dismissal from previous jobs.

Personal life job seeker. You should focus on such moments that have absolutely no connection with the place of work. Amount of children? Great, you can ask why the applicant had to have so many children. Was there a second marriage? Even better, this is an occasion to delve into the reasons for breaking up with the first partner.

Typical stressful questions should also not be put off until later. It would be good to ask the following questions:

What a potential employer is able to offer the company in which he is going to get a job, is it worth hiring him and why.
What situations are most pronounced positive traits candidate.
What wage this person deserves and why he believes that this salary is suitable for him.
How long will it take the candidate to make a tangible contribution to the development of the company.
What would the applicant answer to the employer if his answers to the questions were recognized as “insipid” and of no interest.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the correct behavior of a potential employee is politeness, even if gloomy. If courtesy has left the interviewee, a good reason to leave his resume in the trash can. The choice of stress interview methods should come from the degree of tension of the position. The higher the degree, the more interview stages should be involved.

How to conduct a stress interview? This is what the video is about.