- Can you tell me about a time you used empathy to solve a problem? The hiring manager may ask this question to learn more about how you combine empathy and problem-solving. …
- How would you say empathy relates to success in this role?
What Are Empathy Interviews?
9. How is your relationship with your previous company employees?
When an employer presents such questions about his / her relationship with his / her previous company employees, then it is clear that the employer is trying to understand that whether the candidate is capable of maintaining a healthy relationship or not.
If the candidate has a healthy relationship with his / her previous company employees or staff then it can benefit the company in which he/she is trying to get into.
What Constitutes a Good Interview Question?
Ask questions that trigger delightful emotion.
For example: Tell me about delightful moments you experienced when you went biking? This question encourages the user to share more. You get to observe their emotional responses, you get to observe their facial expression and mannerism, you get to hear stories of what led them to their hobby, what they like about their hobbies, what kind of routines they have. A question of this nature opens doors to personal revelations that will prove useful to the design process. It opens up a chance for the interviewer to ask follow-up questions based on particular responses. It allows the interviewer to ask the user to clarify what they mean in particular instances… the possibilities are endless…
Ask “show me” questions, like: Show me how you use your scheduling app? Or: You’re meeting friends, show me how you’d introduce them to this app? Asking to be shown, or walked through, lets them tell a story,
As an interviewer you want a place familiar to the user, where the user is comfortable, surrounded by objects that represent them. This will make them feel relaxed and allow them to open up. It could be a place where they spend most of their time, like in their house or their office. If you see something in the house that intrigues you ask the user the story of the item; this will help them open up.
Your Own Experience of Empathy Interviews
Believe it or not you have partaken in many empathy interviews over the course of time. For example, let’s say you are feeling ill. You take a day off. You go to a doctor’s appointment. In order to give the correct diagnosis to your problem, the doctor conducts an interview. You are now the user being interviewed.
Now imagine you are explaining your problem to the doctor, whose attention is fully focused on texting on his cellphone, but tells you: “keep talking, I’m listening, I can hear you”.
The doctor is not present. He is distracted. He is listening without hearing. He could end up giving you the wrong diagnosis. You leave angry, frustrated, dissatisfied.
Think about that for a second. What do the actions of that doctor tell you?
Being on the receiving end of empathy is to feel heard. To feel heard is to feel valued. An empathy interview is about active listening and active hearing. The following points highlight their importance:
