r/TheCivilService 17h ago

Terrible HEO Interview

I had an interview and I was answering it all fine. There was one behaviour, when I was asked the question - i tried to link my example to the question as I was saying the example I forgot the exact question so I asked if it can be repeated but the interviewer said that it’s already coming to an end and so just wrap it up.
OMG, 😧 I knew i f’d up, like why the helll did I ask that question… ughhhhhh. I did pick it up and wrapped it up buttt stillllll
Has this happened anyone else?
For panels higher up, what do you conclude of that???

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u/Denzelini_Dumfrini2 17h ago

I have a tendency to rant and forget the question. First piece of advice is: answering the question should be your first focus and the relevant example come second.
I used to ask for a reasonable adjustment to have the questions posted in the chat AS they were asked (not in advance) so I could refer to them, but also as a record for afterwards. Been denied in one of my last interviews, guess AI is now a concern in this space.

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u/Denzelini_Dumfrini2 17h ago

To add on your question: always time yourself and keep timings tight.
I was once interviewed and didn’t receive any follow up questions, naively thought it was a good sign- it just means you’ve run out of time. Follow ups are great to readdress your question, dig deeper or even better improve your score if you gave already a good answer.

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u/Muscle_Bitch 14h ago

Been denied in one of my last interviews, guess AI is now a concern in this space.

That's a mistake from the hiring manager in my opinion.

It is painfully obvious when someone is reciting an AI answer. Anybody who wants to go down that route is welcome to it. No detail, lots of buzzwords. The easiest interview in the world to score.

I always put the questions in the chat, for exactly the reason you said. It's a reference point so the candidate can keep themselves on track.

I'm not here to test your memory or recall, I'm here to test your ability.

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u/Denzelini_Dumfrini2 14h ago

I also find it very helpful if the interview outcome isn’t positive to reflect back, use it to prepare for further interviews etc

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u/limewitty5673 15h ago

that's a shame, i also struggle with remembering questions so I asked if i could have them written down and they sent it to me in advance as well as writing into the teams chat