What do you do if your interviewee lacks motivation and inspiration?

If your interviewee lacks motivation and inspiration, you can try several approaches to help them engage and participate more actively: Start by understanding why they lack motivation. It could be due to personal issues, lack of interest in the topic, or feeling overwhelmed. Create a friendly and supportive atmosphere to make them feel comfortable and more willing to open up.

Based on my experience, one effective strategy to create a comfortable and less anxious atmosphere for an interviewee is to ask questions related to their interests or passions. This approach encourages them to share something they are genuinely excited or passionate about, which can unlock a more authentic and engaged demeanor during the interview.

Always be aware of neurodivergence- even if it is undisclosed. Many people with ADHD are told that they seem to lack passion and often prefer to talk about what they think. This is because the emotional dis-regulation that is an aspect of ADHD means that they tend to filter their emotions through their thoughts before sharing them. It creates a bit of distance which makes them easier to share. The chances are if they say they have thought about it a lot they are also very passionate about it as well. People tend to find the unfiltered emotions somewhat intense so the more analytical approach often feels safer especially around people who do not know them.

Share inspiring stories or examples related to the topic of discussion to spark their interest and motivation. Provide positive feedback and encouragement throughout the interview to boost their confidence and motivation. Break down the interview into manageable segments and set achievable goals to maintain focus and motivation.

We all behave differently under pressure, and finding ways to lessen that will help. They could be lacking motivation, or lacking the ability to communicate it. My job is to find out. I do this by, sending interview questions in advance, to allow them to think and reflect. Prompting at the end of a question "how did this make you feel? "or what would you have done differently if you could?" can coax out more. Trying to match the energy in the room, as we can conflate motivation with animation or volume. Asking about their values can open up conversation about their drive. Finally, offering rich feedback to someone if they are unsuccessful, in a non critical way could be the answer to unlocking this for them.

Self reflection is important. as a start, your energy and feelings could impact how you interpret the persons motivation and inspiration, so reflecting on how you behave and how you feel to see if that is a factor is important. Secondly, are your questions ones that people can get motivated by or feel inspired from? I find questions asking people to give examples unhelpful in this regard. Their CV can tell me what they’ve done. I want to know what they are inspired by, what they find exciting and what’s important to them. That can show you if the interviewee is going to be excited by the role you’re offering. Also, you don’t always need motivated and inspired people. Competent and dedicated are important traits to look for too.

Finally: if needed, take short breaks during the interview to give them time to recharge and refocus. Be flexible and willing to adjust the interview format or topics based on their responses and level of engagement. By using these strategies, you can help your interviewee feel more motivated and inspired during the interview process.