Stress interviews
Stress interviews are not your everyday interview technique. They involve putting candidates through unconventional scenarios—like solving peculiar puzzles, engaging in role-play to navigate tricky situations, or describing a room as if to someone who cannot see- in an interview. This distinct approach aims to push applicants to think quickly and display hard-to-measure qualities such as creativity, mental agility, innovation, and the ability to solve problems on the spot.
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Benefits and considerations of stress interviews
Benefits
- Identifying unconventional thinkers: If the role you’re hiring for demands out-of-the-box thinking, stress interviews could be support in spotlighting candidates who excel in this area.
- Innovation-driven roles: In sectors like IT, product development and strategists where departing from the norm is valued for groundbreaking products and solutions, stress interviews can reveal those who truly think differently.
Considerations and solutions
- Potential for unpreparedness: Candidates may feel caught off guard, testing their stress response rather than relevant job skills.
- Solution: Provide clear instructions and ample time for tasks to minimise unnecessary anxiety.
- Narrow focus: Overemphasis on stress-handling may neglect other essential competencies.
- Solution: Balance stress-testing with a skills-based evaluation aligned with job requirements.
- Task clarity and response time: Stress scenarios can be confusing.
- Solution: Clearly explain each task’s purpose and provide sufficient time for candidates to think through their responses.
- Skills-based evaluation: Activities should reflect the role’s actual requirements.
- Solution: Design tasks that directly test skills needed for success in the position.
- Transparency and preparation: Unexpected stress scenarios can heighten anxiety.
- Solution: Inform candidates about the format in advance, including accommodations for individual needs.
- Flexible interview formats and settings: Unfamiliar environments may add unnecessary stress.
- Solution: Offer choices such as virtual or in-person interviews and allow candidates to select a time and setting where they feel most comfortable
What stress interviews are suited for
- Attributes showcased: This method is designed to test problem-solving and critical thinking under pressure. It also assesses adaptability and resilience, focusing on how candidates manage stressful or ambiguous situations.
- Roles and industries: Effective for roles such as emergency response coordinators, cybersecurity analysts, and journalists, and aligns with industries like public services, technology, and media, where quick decision-making is essential.
Example: A cybersecurity analyst might be asked to respond to a simulated hacking scenario during a stress interview, showcasing their ability to think critically and adapt in real time.
Making stress interviews more inclusive for neurodivergent applicants involves understanding the unique challenges individuals may face and adapting the stress interview process to accommodate their needs.
Conducting neuro-inclusive stress interviews
Mealtime interviews focus on assessing a candidate’s interpersonal and social skills in a social setting, typically over a meal at a restaurant or corporate dining area. While informal in nature, they still require careful planning to ensure inclusivity, to ensure all candidates can show their potential. Employers can implement neuro-inclusive practices to create a fair and accessible process.
Pre-interview preparation
Stress interviews often involve unconventional scenarios that might catch candidates off guard. For neurodivergent individuals, this unpredictability can be particularly overwhelming, while for others it may be an area they excel in. Clear communication and preparation are essential to foster confidence and enable candidates to perform at their best.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Neurodivergent awareness training: Educate interviewers about common neurodivergent characteristics to ensure a supportive, non-bias approach is used.
- Detailed interview information: for face-to-face stress interviews, provide comprehensive details about the interview process well in advance.
This should include:- The interview schedule, including start and end times
- Access details (location, parking, public transport, signing-in procedures)
- Venue details, including sensory information and breakout spaces
- Names, roles, and photographs of interviewer (as relevant)
- Dress code recommendations
- Necessary documents to bring
- Contact details of a dedicated support person from the organising to answer any questions or queries.
- Visual aids, such as maps and photos, can further support access and inclusion for neurodivergent candidates.
- Accommodations and adjustments: Invite candidates to request accommodations such as when the interview takes place, or alternative ways to demonstrate skills
- Practice scenarios in advance: Offer example questions or stress scenarios so candidates know what to expect
Preparing the interview environment
The environment in which the interview takes place can significantly affect a candidate’s performance. Unfamiliar settings, sensory distractions, or unnecessary noise can exacerbate stress for neurodivergent individuals.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Workplace visit: For face-to-face stress interviews, offer candidates an opportunity to tour the workplace prior to the interview. This visit can help candidates familiarise themselves with the setting, reducing anxiety and allowing them to identify accommodations they may need.
- Sensory-friendly settings:
- Minimise loud, continuous noise (e.g., humming from coffee machines or projectors).
- Avoid sudden loud noises, like doors slamming.
- Ensure consistent, non-flickering lighting.
- Avoid strong smells from perfumes, kitchens, or nearby restrooms.
- Provide simple décor and communicate any potential sensory stimuli in advance.
- Provide a range of alternative seating options for candidates and encourage them to move furniture around to where it makes them feel comfortable.
- For virtual interviews, ensure platforms are simple to use and provide technical support.
- Clear instructions: At the start of the interview, explain the purpose of each activity and what skills are being assessed.
- Optional breaks: Allow candidates to take breaks between tasks to reset and refocus.
- Flexibility in format: Offer virtual options for candidates who might be more comfortable completing scenarios remotely.
During the interview
The stress interview process can feel intense for any candidate. A neuro-inclusive approach ensures that all individuals have the opportunity to showcase their abilities without being overwhelmed.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Welcome preparation: Meet candidates at the door to create a welcoming first impression and reduce initial anxiety. Avoid expectations around engaging in small talk and allow for processing time.
- Work environment tour: If conducting the interview onsite, begin with a brief tour of the workplace, even if the candidate has previously visited. This serves as an icebreaker and helps candidates better understand the role and context.
- Room acclimatisation: If conducting the interview on site, allow candidates time to get comfortable in the interview setting and address any potential distractions or causes of anxiety.
- Structured tasks with clear goals: Break complex tasks into smaller, more manageable components. For example: Instead of asking candidates to “solve a problem,” outline specific steps or prompts to guide their approach.
- Encourage thinking aloud: Allow candidates to explain their reasoning as they solve a problem, providing insights into their thought processes.
- Use clear, direct language: Avoid idiomatic expressions or ambiguous instructions that could lead to misinterpretation. Use straightforward, literal language and avoid jargon throughout the interview.
- Questions: Break questions done, without asking more than one at a time. Outline tasks and allow for processing time between questions.
- Multiple formats: Ask candidates how they would prefer to receive the questions e.g. written, verbally, or both formats.
- Evaluate essential skills: Focus on how candidates’ approach and resolve problems, opposed to interpersonal skills.
After the interview
The post-interview period can be challenging for anyone due to uncertainties about outcomes. For neurodivergent individuals, this phase can be particularly difficult, as expectations about what happens next may not be intuitively understood. Employers can support neurodivergent candidates by being explicit and direct about the next steps. Providing clear information about timelines, outcomes, and expectations can alleviate anxiety, while transparent communication and constructive feedback can foster growth and a positive candidate experience.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Timely communication: Share clear timelines for decisions, how decisions will be communicated, and next steps.
- Transparent feedback: Offer detailed feedback on areas where the candidate performed well and where they could improve.
- Candidate experience evaluation: Collect feedback from candidates on their experience to improve future processes.
Example of a neuro-inclusive stress interview
Scenario: An emergency response organisation is hiring for a disaster management coordinator.
Actions taken:
- Candidates are informed about the interview format in advance, including a breakdown of tasks such as creating a rapid-response plan for a hypothetical crisis.
- The organisation offers a virtual option for candidates preferring to complete scenarios in a familiar environment.
- Each task begins with a clear explanation of objectives, followed by sufficient time to develop solutions.
- Candidates can request accommodations, such as breaks between tasks, or presenting their plan in writing or in person.
Outcome: This approach allows candidates to demonstrate their critical thinking and decision-making skills under pressure while reducing unnecessary stress.
Stress interviews can be an effective method for assessing problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability. By making thoughtful adjustments and accommodations, employers ensure a more equitable and inclusive hiring process for all, allowing neurodivergent candidates to show their true attributes.
