Gallup interview

What is it?

The Gallup Organisation has been helping us select talented employees for a number of years. Founded by Don Clifton, a psychology graduate, the organisation uses interview techniques to highlight qualities that make people succeed in particular jobs or occupations. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong with people, Gallup looks at success, and tries to understand what makes it happen. They’ve found that successful people talk and think differently from average or low performers.

Everyone has consistent, recurring patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Gallup calls these patterns ‘life themes’. In the Gallup interview, we’ll try to draw these out of you and weigh them against key competencies needed in the role you’re interested in. Every role in the company has an interview tailored to it and has been thoroughly researched and piloted.

What to expect

The interview will be carried out over the phone. It’ll be recorded for accuracy, allowing us to analyse your answers fully at a later stage. Your responses are of course completely confidential.

You should try and answer the questions spontaneously, as they’re designed to provoke top-of-the-head responses. Although some of them may not seem relevant, every one is significant to identifying your key characteristics.

There’s no need to prepare in advance, but thinking about your previous experiences will help. Try to relax. This type of interview doesn’t restrict your answers, and you can be as open and honest as you like.