Construct Validity
Construct validity relates to whether a particular psychometric assessment...
section one
5 Effective Interview Questions to Measure Self Awareness
Lead consultant at Test Partnership, Ben Schwencke, explains why Self Awareness is worth measuring.
The first and most important requirement for taking control of one’s own personal development is having self-awareness. Lacking self-awareness makes it impossible to accurately appraise your own level of development, expertise, and competence, leaving you out of touch with yourself.
Organisations are often keen to hire candidates who have at least a sufficient level of self-awareness to support their own personal and professional development, and formalise this in the recruitment process.
In this article, we will provide five effective interviews to measure self-awareness in the workplace. These interview questions will provide a standardised framework to measure, evaluate, and ultimately screen candidate based on their level of self-awareness, helping organisations to find the right candidates.
Can you describe a situation where you received criticism? How did you respond to it?
A strong answer would demonstrate openness to feedback and the ability to reflect on personal shortcomings constructively. The candidate should describe a specific situation, acknowledge their initial emotional response, and then focus on how they moved from defense to action. A strong response includes specific steps taken to improve, showing a growth mindset.
A weak answer might be vague, dismiss the criticism, or fail to show personal growth. It might focus on blaming others or externalizing the problem, indicating a lack of true self-awareness and an inability to learn from feedback.
- 1. What was the criticism about, and who provided it?
- 2. How did you feel initially, and how did your perspective change over time?
- 3. What steps did you take to address the feedback?
Describe a time when you were wrong about something important in your professional life. How did you realize your mistake, and what did you learn from it?
A candidate with high self-awareness will openly admit their mistake, emphasizing the importance of the situation. They should describe the process of realization, possibly including feedback from others, self-reflection, or a combination of both. The learning outcome is crucial, showing an ability to turn mistakes into growth opportunities.
A weak response avoids admitting a significant mistake or lacks detail about the realization process. It might lack reflection on the learning outcome or show a reluctance to change, suggesting limited self-awareness.
- 1. What was the mistake, and why was it significant?
- 2. How did you come to realize you were wrong?
- 3. What actions did you take after realizing your mistake?
How do you ensure your personal biases do not affect your decision-making?
A strong answer includes acknowledgment of specific personal biases, demonstrating self-awareness. It should detail how the candidate actively seeks to recognize these biases, possibly through self-reflection, seeking diverse perspectives, or both. Describing specific strategies for mitigation, such as soliciting feedback or using decision-making frameworks, indicates a proactive approach to minimizing bias.
A weak answer may deny the existence of personal biases or be vague about recognizing and managing them. It might lack specific examples or strategies, suggesting the candidate has not thought deeply about bias or its impact on decision-making.
- 1. Can you give an example of a bias you have identified in yourself?
- 2. How do you recognize when your biases might be influencing you?
- 3. What strategies do you use to mitigate these biases?
Reflecting on your career so far, what would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
A strong response accurately identifies personal strengths and weaknesses, with examples to illustrate each. The strengths part should highlight how these attributes contributed to their professional achievements. Discussing a specific instance where a weakness was evident and then focusing on actions taken to improve or manage this weakness demonstrates a high level of self-awareness and commitment to personal growth.
Weak responses might list cliché strengths and weaknesses without genuine insight or fail to provide concrete examples. Answers that show no effort to improve upon weaknesses or lack reflection on how strengths have been applied are indicative of poor self-awareness.
- 1. How have your strengths helped you succeed in your career?
- 2. Can you provide an example of a situation where your weakness was evident, and how did you handle it?
- 3. How are you working to improve on your identified weakness?
How do you handle stress and pressure, especially in unexpected situations?
A candidate with good self-awareness will describe a specific stressful situation, including their emotional and physical responses. They should explain how they recognize their stress signals and detail their strategies for managing stress, such as taking breaks, practicing mindfulness, or seeking support, showing they can maintain self-awareness under pressure.
A weak answer might downplay the impact of stress or lack specifics about recognition and management strategies. It could indicate a lack of self-reflection or awareness of personal limits and coping mechanisms.
- 1. Can you give an example of a highly stressful situation and how you dealt with it?
- 2. How do you recognize the signs that you are becoming too stressed?
- 3. What are your go-to strategies or techniques for managing stress?
section two
Limitations of interview questions for Self-Awareness
Compared to other psychological constructs, self-awareness can be difficult to assess using the interview method. Self-awareness is particularly intrapersonal in nature, and interviews are better suited to measuring interpersonal traits, such as social skills, communication, and sociability. Consequently, highly charismatic candidates who lack self-awareness are likely to perform well in interviews more generally, masking their low self-awareness.
Test Partnership offers a wide range of behavioural assessments designed to measure intrapersonal constructs, such as self-awareness. By using behavioural assessments, you can avoid the confounding effect of interview skills on assessment and directly measure the competencies that matter most. For more information on our suite of behavioural assessments, please contact us directly or request a free trial.
