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June 20, 2024
The cognitive interview technique is one used by law enforcement as a way to draw information out of witnesses following dramatic or traumatic events. In the wake of an event, a witness might assume that they don’t remember anything, but this questioning technique can help to extract information that may feel hidden from them.
It’s not only law enforcement that can benefit from this interview style. Many hiring managers will adopt this style if they want to learn more about the thought processes that a candidate will use in order to solve problems in the workplace.
The cognitive interview process extracts information by asking for information out of the usual order. If a person is asked a question about an event, they might tell you the information that they think you want to hear, but this isn’t always the most helpful.
To prevent candidates from tailoring their answers to what they think the panel wants to hear, a cognitive interview will extract the information in a different way. It will encourage the candidate to share information that they might not otherwise part with in an interview setting.
This approach helps hiring managers to learn more about the decision making process that the candidate goes through in tough situations.
The cognitive interview will often ask situational questions, but it will delve deeper into specific details about how the candidate handled a specific challenge. It can help to get to the root of behavioural responses to different situations and will also avoid the candidate delivering an answer that is too rehearsed.
Typical lines of questions might follow this track:
In a high pressure interview situation, you might find that this interview style makes candidates far more nervous. It is more probing than a typical interview and asks them to move away from their pre-prepared answers and be less guarded in their answers.
This can lead candidates to recall incorrect information or second guess what they think you want to hear. This can lead to an even less authentic interview experience.
This technique is best used for late stage interviews where you are trying to determine the true character of a candidate. It can help you to see if they are truly calm in stressful situations, or if they are just saying this to land the job.
It can also help you to understand which parts of the job are important to them and what they value, as you’ll see what details they share and what they leave out.
Still unsure whether to use this approach? Read our full evaluation of the cognitive interview technique on our blog.
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