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Olivia Bland, 22, from Manchester, looking for a job in communications, knows how an interview job is supposed to unfold. A handshake, some questions about strengths and weaknesses, CV checks and a nice post. "They're usually casual," says Bland, "and certainly not two."
But earlier this week, an interview she had with the Web Applications UK technology company left her in tears. In a viral tweet, she alleged that the general manager, Craig Dean, had degraded and humiliated her about everything from her musical tastes to her parents' wedding. Bland was offered the job but refused, comparing Dean's behavior to that of an ex-abuser.
"He started attacking my writing to attack me, including my sitting position and the way I held my arms," she says.
His tweet has been shared tens of thousands of times, and Dean asked to post excuses saying that he had not intended to see someone injured. UK Web Apps has publicly rejected Bland's claims, but has not responded to BBC Capital for comments.
Stress test
The type of experience described by Bland is called a "stress interview" – a technique to test how candidates handle pressure by removing them from the comfort zone of questions and answers.
An example is a trend that prevailed in the technology industry at the beginning of this decade: an interviewer asked a candidate weird questions such as "why does he cover the sewer plates?" Or ask them to design something on the spot. The goal is not to get an exact answer, but to see how a candidate reacts and to test their thinking process.
"There are certainly different types of stress badociated with many jobs: getting results, meeting deadlines, dealing with difficult customers, for example," says Neal Hartman, senior lecturer in managerial communication at MIT. "The stress interview can create conditions to see how a candidate would deal with these challenges."
Stress interviews can also be used to simulate situations, such as testing customer service agents who need to be prepared to deal with abusive phone calls, says Kim Ruyle, president of Inventive Talent Consulting. In such situations, the candidate will need to be notified in advance.
In any case, there is a striking difference between asking a difficult question and belittling a candidate, adds Ruyle, adding that verbal abuse in all workplaces is inappropriate and should never be part of the interview.
"The stress talks are neither new nor on the way out," says Maurice Schweitzer, professor of operations and information management at the University of Pennsylvania. Although he is more common in the United States than in other parts of the world, he said that this practice had more to do with a certain type of boss than in a particular sector.
"Three ingredients are enough for stress talks to emerge," says Schweitzer. "Managers who work in a very stressful environment, those who face excessive demand for jobs in their business and those who believe that they can learn how to handle stress by stressing them when they are stressed. a meeting."
More harm than good?
Experts are divided on the effectiveness of the traditional stress interview model. Some say that it is advantageous to simulate a stressful, though realistic, work incident that can identify a candidate's problem solving skills. But almost everyone agrees that the use of any level of derision and humiliation is unacceptable and outdated.
Corinne Bendersky, professor of management and organization at UCLA, explains that there are "much more legitimate interview techniques", such as questioning people about the situations they have encountered and how they are being treated. have responded to stressors relevant to their work experience.
Toxic job interviews can be a double-edged sword. Candidates who undergo extreme stress tests are given first place on the ugliest side of the company they are dealing with. They can relay these experiences to other potential candidates or, in the case of Bland, create a viral publication on social networks, causing a spiral of negative reactions that adversely affects the company's ability to attract talent.
Power is a key element here, which paves the way for any hostile job interview.
"The frames in these contexts are in very high power positions," says Schweitzer. "When people have power, they are less likely to take their views into account, they receive fewer negative comments … and they can foster an enlarged perception of what they do." The result is a system of problems created by stress interviews that goes largely unchecked.
"Mr. Dean's comments on my talents and personality have shaken my confidence in applying for jobs right now, and now I feel stronger than ever," Bland said. "I know my value and I will not take that kind of behavior from a potential employer."
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