How job interviews have changed since the 90’s

From interrogation of skills to getting the right culture fit.

The way company’s conduct interviews have changed rapidly over the last 20 odd years. We’ve noticed a general shift away from formal interrogative style interviews to casual, conversational based meetings that are more about demonstrating personality and getting the right culture fit for both parties.

These days, your resume and LinkedIn serve the purpose of articulating your experience while the interview is a chance for personality to shine.

The casual, relaxed nature of these interviews creates a better opportunity to build genuine connections and “break down those barriers earlier on” says Anya Loukina, Consultant at Method Recruitment.

Where interviews used to be a prescribed back and forth, question and answer style setting, businesses are now using interviews to gauge how that individual will fit in within the company’s culture and how their attitude will translate into their work ethic. Fundamentally, it gives both employer and employee a better idea of what working in that company will look like.

The old ways of having a rigid, you-have-to-fit-this-mould, behave this way and there is only one-right-answer type of interview means you could be missing out on good candidates! If someone is so stressed about not talking with their hands or worrying about the superficial things, you could lose out on the perfect candidate for the role.

Of course, there is no one size fits all, specific interview process that all companies will use. How formal the interview is and the expected behaviour will be determined by the type of business and role you’re going for. But there’s no question that a more casual setting will give you a better indication of personality. Let the resume do the talking for skill requirements and use the interview to get the right culture fit.

For tips on navigating a job interview – Click here.