6 Tips to a Successful CIDS Interview

You’re interviewing for a job? Fantastic.

And the company will interview you with the CIDS, or Chronological In-Depth Structured, Interview method.

Even better!

Here’s why. A company that uses the CIDS Interview as part of its hiring process has committed to hire only A-players. The CIDS Interview will identify A-Players...quickly. And with a high percentage of success.

That implies the company sees you as a potential A-Player.

The CIDS Interview will allow you to show your consistent history of decision-making expertise, how you have learned and grown, your track-record of growing success and even how you have successfully handled setbacks or quirky bosses.

What is CIDS? CIDS or Chronological In-Depth Structured Interview is a systematic interview method. The goal of a CIDS Interview is a systematic, structured, review of the candidate’s behavior and decision-making patterns throughout their education and business career.

The advantage of a CIDS interview is its ability to discover and showcase those decision-making patterns as they were applied and as they have matured over the years. Those patterns are a key indicator of what is to be expected if that candidate is hired. Other benefits of a CIDS interview include avoiding interviewer blindspots, insuring the candidate is the primary speaker and superficial interviews.

It was created as a tactic and resource for companies who seek to TopGrade their talent. The creator of CIDS is Brad Smart* of Topgrading. He discusses the interview, the questions, the philosophy and more in The Smart Interviewer: Tools and Techniques for Hiring the Best. He is also the author of TopGrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best.

Here’s how to prepare for this opportunity:

1. Relax.
A. You’re an A-Player.
B. A CIDS Interview should present ample opportunities to address your successes. And even the inevitable setbacks everyone has faced and how you grew from them.

2. Read the Smart Interviewer. The foundation for the CIDS Interview as well as the sequence of questions are included. This is not a cheat sheet for ‘acing’ the interview. A CIDS Interview includes calls to your former managers.
However, you will see the patterns you have used over your career. That will allow you to answer for them.
Remember: you’re an A-Player. This is your time to shine.

3. Tie the threads of your success. These are the threads that have woven your success. Tie them together in a complete understanding. Then you are prepared to present that understanding to your potential employer as an added asset for them.

4. Tie the threads of your failures. Everyone has a mistake or two or three. (I’ve lost count of mine.)
But, you learned from each mistake. That makes you an A-Player.
And you applied that new knowledge in the next opportunity. Tie that thread or those threads in the same way. Show your potential employer what you have learned. And that you have the ability to take responsibility, be accountable, and grow from your lessons. That’s the mark of a leader. A-Players are leaders. This is an opportunity for you to show in meaningful ways you are a leader.

5. Learn. Pay attention during the interview. CIDS Interviews are interviews you can conduct when you are a manager and leader at the company smart enough to hire you.

6. Celebrate. You will learn something about yourself during this process. That should reinforce you are an A-Player. Find a company smart enough to recognize you as one.

* Brad Smart spoke with me on my BlogTalk Radio show last year. You can listen on-demand at this link.

Comments

[Dr Smart]

this post was awful!

we learned nothing useful from it except that you missed the points made in the book that you are pitching to us here

are you trying to earn commission with AMazon?

[Zane Safrit]

"Dr." Smart. Thank you for your comment. I don't make a commission with Amazon. I'm not sure which points I missed in the book. This wasn't a review of the book, nor of the points included in the book. And the audience for this post are not prospective buyers of the book, ie, the hiring managers who will use CIDS interview. It was for those who have undergone a CIDS interview or who are about to undergo the interview and see the extensive survey of their career in education and work as potentially bothersome.

One thing I have learned is that punctuation and the use of capitalizations adds so much to the reader's experience and to the writer's credibility.

But, you're a doctor. So I'm sure you more often hand write your replies.

Regardless, thanks for stopping by. I love your smart cars at smart.com

[Transforming Learning]

These are great tips for the interview! Our managers are required to attend a series of transforming learning e-courses through from The Hay Group.It helps them understand leadership from the point of view of those being led. It gives leaders what they need to make choices in their leadership behavior and offers clear ‘next steps’ for development. I hope this gives you some help.

[internet casino]

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