Employers: The Interview Process

If you have been reading the last few blogs (and if not, why not?!), you will have gained some insight into how to prepare yourself for the interview process. We have suggested how to present yourself, how to deal with the question and answer process, how to conduct yourself throughout and so on. This has been all about how you present your wares to the customer, but what, actually, does the customer want?

The customer, of course, is the potential employer and he or she will have very specific ideas (and, to be fair, personal views) about what the ideal employee will bring to the company. Each side needs to come away from the interview process feeling better than they did before. If they do, then employment is likely to follow. And to help in the process, the rest of this blog is directed toward the employer, i.e., the interviewer.

One problem for companies is that, in times of expansion, a large number of new staff may be needed, but the basic skill set required of a new employee may be suitable for several different positions. The interviewer will therefore need to be well briefed by management as to the intended structure of the new, enlarged, workforce and how the different parts will inter-relate. Only then can the interviewer devise an interview strategy, to enable him or her to identify the candidates that are needed.

Before the interview takes place, the interviewer will have seen the CVs for the various candidates, and initial judgements will, inevitably, be made. Hopefully, he or she will also have read our blog 'The lies that job-seekers tell', dated 25.9.2010.

Of course, each candidate will have polished their CV, often with the help of a recruiter, and whilst CVs are often fairly uniform in style, they can still reveal much useful data, often as much by what they don't say as by what they do.

For instance, you can immediately be suspicious of a work history that has gaps in it and, if the candidate is in other respects attractive enough for you to offer an interview, then you are entitled to, and must, ask probing questions until you are satisfied that you have the full picture.

How should you, as the interviewer, deal with the candidate during the interview/s? Always with propriety, of course, and always bear in mind that, in the candidate's eyes, how you behave is how the company will behave if they get the job. Indeed, in some ways you are the biggest advert for your company during the interview, and whilst the candidate will not necessarily be drawn to the company by your display of courtesy and so on, any rudeness or indifference from you will certainly tell the candidate that yours is not the company to join.

So, here are a few basic points for you to think about:

• Make sure you have done your research on the interview process itself. Increasingly, companies are having to broaden their approach and be flexible over what they want from the candidate, simply because an expanding jobs market makes it more difficult to get the traditional 'right fit'. You therefore have to look more innovatively at the skill and character sets required because, if you don't, you will find it difficult to keep people in their new jobs. And we all know how much time, money and effort is involved, and therefore wasted, in hiring and training someone who doesn't last the course.

• When you schedule the interview, stick to the date and time unless you absolutely have to change it. If you keep re-scheduling, at best you look disorganised. At worst, you look both rude and uninterested.

• If you receive any pre-interview phone calls or emails from the candidate, you must answer them, for exactly the same reasons.

• If you find that the CV is hard to read, or that it contains significant spelling or grammar mistakes, beware! Remember that this should be the candidate's best attempt to convince you to employ them and, if it really is the best the candidate can produce then what problems are you likely to have when you employ them?

• Just as you will expect a candidate to be courteous toward you, during the interview, so too will the candidate expect similar consideration from you. In particular, be careful to make sure that your questions are relevant, and do not stray into the realms of the over-familiar or inappropriate. In any event, some topics are a definite 'no go' area, such as those dealing with marital status, sexual orientation and the like, and the legal ramifications are both well-known and, potentially, severe.

• If you ask a question, listen to the candidate's answer! Candidates should be well-prepared, but they are sometimes keen to demonstrate their familiarity with key words and phrases, and will sometimes 'twist' their answer to make sure that these words and phrases are included. So if you hear phrases such as “corporate values”, “leadership style”, “team commitment” and so on, you may need to probe a bit deeper, just to ascertain what the candidate's true feelings and motivations are.

• Candidates will, of course, be nervous during the interview and this is good because it helps them to focus better on what is required. Because of nerves, however, candidates will often make a mistake of some sort. This doesn't matter, but it does give you a chance to see how well they recover from the mistake. You will then get a better idea of the candidate's real mettle, and how they are likely to perform in a real-life situation.

• The well-prepared candidate will anticipate that behavioural or situational questions are likely to form part of the interview, and many will have prepared themselves by thinking of examples of past achievements and unique selling points. This need not negate value of this approach, however, especially if you ask some 'what if?' questions (for example, you can describe an imaginary incident and ask “ what if this situation came up? How would you deal with it? What knock-on effects would follow from your actions and how would you deal with those?”)

• Try asking a candidate what they identify as their major weakness, and how they have dealt with this. Ideally, a candidate will be able to demonstrate that, in identifying and then overcoming the weakness, they have become stronger and/or better in some way. This will be another indicator as to how they will conduct themselves in their work, and how they deal with problems.

• In some cases, especially at second or subsequent interviews, role-play can be very helpful. It not only puts candidates into a 'real life' situation, as far as your business is concerned, but it also highlights how they deal with people who may well be part of the team for which they may be working, how they fit into the company's ethos and how adept they are at coping with spontaneous situations under pressure.

We have now reached the end of this series of blogs, and very much hope that you have found it useful and thought-provoking.

If there is anything that we haven't covered, or you would like more detail on anything we have mentioned, then please contact us at Skye Recruitment – we're always happy to help.

Jobseekers: The interview (part 2)

Now, at last, you're in the interview room, and all that preparation can start to pay off. In 'Interview Tips' have a look at the section headed 'During the Interview', where you'll find some good and useful tips.

The relationship between you and the interviewer can be an uneven one. Your interviewer may well be formally trained in their role as interviewer – you have no formal training as a job applicant. And, he or she may have the job you want.

So it is important to try to establish a rapport with the interviewer – and you want them to establish a rapport with you as well. This involves finding, and developing, areas of common ground, but you have to discover exactly what the interviewer wants to see, so that you can build on it to your own advantage.

Perhaps he or she wants to see your passion for the job, or your loyalty, maybe your technical or interpersonal skills. Whatever it is, you need to find it. The interviewer's business needs someone to fill a vacancy and, on meeting you, they really want you to be that person. Interviewing is costly for a company, and most interviewees start the interview already having the job. You keep it or lose it over the course of the interview. You have to present yourself in such a way as to convince them that the search is over.

However, you must resist any temptation to lie, or significantly embroider the truth. Nor should you pretend to know what you don't know. Lies will always catch up with you, and honesty can be disarming. If you don't know the answer to a question, try saying something like “I'm sorry, I just don't have an answer at the moment. Can I get back to you in 5 minutes/ a day when I've had more time to think?” The interviewer will be impressed by your honesty and unwillingness to be forced into an instant answer – but you do, of course, have to follow through with your answer! And, in reality, there should be very few questions to which you cannot provide an answer. You have prepared for this moment, but won't look as if you have if you keep saying “I don't know ...”

Many interviews are based around behavioural or situational questions. The theory is that past behaviour (in a candidate) is a good guide to future work performance. This leads on to three particular types of question for which you should be prepared:

1. What have you achieved? Here we want details, backed up by documentary proof if possible, of what you have done, of significance, over the last few years, what significance your actions had for the employer at the time and how these actions demonstrate relevant core strengths that you can bring to your new job;

2. What is/are your unique points/s? You need to identify what makes you stand out from the herd, and where you can add significant positive value to an employer. You also need to work out how best to communicate this, both in the CV and the interview;

3. Tell me about a time when this (situation) happened. What did you do? What would you do in a particular hypothetical situation? What have you done previously in a particular situation?

We've already stressed the need to prepare for your interview/s, and to do your research. But you also need to beware the trap of being over-prepared. On the internet you can find a lot of advice about how to answer different types of interview questions, and some of this advice may be very sound.

However, interviewers commonly report a high level of stock answers to questions, and these are not what an interviewer wants to hear. They would much rather hear about you, even if your own, personal, answers are less 'perfect' than the stock answer. After all, the company will be hiring you, not the stock answer!

When you think the interview is over, it isn't! You remain on view and under scrutiny, potentially until you can no longer see the company premises. So, you should behave with decorum (no smoking, down-dressing, etc) until you are certain that no-one from the company can see you and, therefore, report back to your interviewer with an adverse comment.

When you get back home, sit down, relax and write down as much as you can recall of the interview, any follow-ups that are needed, any aspects that you think could have gone better, and so on. Use the notes you made in your notebook during the interview to help you with this.

So it's all over now, and you can just sit back and wait for your recruiter to deluge you with offers.

Wrong!

You may not have been the only person to shine in an interview, and the company might want you to undergo a second interview. This is really good news (OK, not as good as a job offer) because it shows you have successfully negotiated the initial hurdles and have been shortlisted for the position.

Also, a second interview will give the company a chance to assess you in more detail, perhaps by including, as part of the interview team, other people such as more senior staff, or staff with whom you may have to work if you get the job.

So now is the time for you to re-appraise your first interview. You know it went reasonably well, because if it hadn't you wouldn't be getting another one. But the first meeting will not have been perfect, and you need to be self-critical, albeit realistic, about what took place as you can learn from this analysis to do better second time around. That, of course, is one of the reasons for preparing your notes after the interview.

When the date of the next interview is getting close, do some fresh research on the company and its market. Things can change very quickly, in the commercial world, and the fact that you are aware, and remain aware, of current events can only impress those whom you need to impress.

If, at the next interview, other people are to be present then you should be told about this in advance, and you should have some idea of who they are and their status within the company. It will not be so easy to establish a rapport if more interviewers are present, but you should try to prepare some questions for everyone who is there (we suggest that broadly-based questions, rather than those addressed just to one individual, are preferable) so that you have a chance to demonstrate your ability to mesh in with a team of people, and that you can adapt to the prevailing culture within the business. This is also an opportunity for you to assess the image the company is presenting to you – is this an environment in which you would like to work, if given the chance?

All the same do's and don'ts apply to a second interview as to the first. In particular, you should not appear to be over-confident – you are just as much under judgement this time as you were last time. And don't forget to maintain the dress code, because you still have to impress the interviewer to get any further with your application.

The final comments on this part of the process involve what not to say during the interview, and we can do no better than suggest you look at our blog entitled 'What not to say in an interview', dated 23.2.2010. There is nothing complex here, just good common sense on how to avoid some basic blunders, so that the interviewer can concentrate on all the good aspects you're presenting.

If you've followed all of the suggestions in this series of articles, you, with the help of your recruiter, should have little difficulty in securing one or more job offers.

However, you might want to read the next (and last) in this present series, which is addressed more towards employers and how they can (or should) deal with the interview process. That will give you a different perspective on the process, and perhaps more of an insight into what will be required of you.

Jobseekers: The interview

Following on from our earlier article about getting your name out there, we now look at the next step - the interview itself.

Great news! You've just had the call from your recruiter to say that there are some companies that want to interview you. So what do you do next?

PREPARE! PREPARE! PREPARE!

One of the most common reasons for the failure of job applicants to get anywhere following their first interview is that they didn't prepare properly.

First of all, have a look at our blog 'Interview Tips', dated 27.1.2010. Then, set aside some quiet time for yourself and start work on your preparation. The seven bullet points in 'Interview Tips' are basic, common-sense points – and yet so many candidates trip up over these, so it won't hurt to go into a little more detail.

1. Plan your journey. Nothing says 'I can't be bothered with this job' quite like turning up late, or on the wrong day. And it's psychologically bad to have to apologise as the opening gambit in an interview. We all know that delays can happen, even to the best of us, so as soon as you know there's a problem you MUST contact the interviewer or their office;

2. Research the company. Any interviewer will expect you to have done your homework. He or she will, quite rightly, expect that you have some idea of the company's operations and, if appropriate, its corporate structure. So, have a look at the company's website, or see if there's any recent news about the company (developments, acquisitions, etc.) so that you can impress your interviewer by being well-informed and up-to-date.

   You should also research the competition ('know your enemy') as this is a significant part of the commercial environment you are trying to join;

3. The interviewer. He or she could be from HR, or could be part of the management structure. You need to know which, exactly, and how senior or junior they are (the company's website could help here) so that you can pitch your presentation appropriately.

4. Prepare some questions in advance and write them down in a (business-like) notebook. At the start of the interview, ask if the interviewer minds you taking notes - they won't. Straight away you will look well-prepared and efficient, and give the impression that you are serious about the interview. You can also use the notebook to jot down things you might otherwise forget to mention.

5. Take your CV with you, together with any testimonials or other evidence of the qualities you want to bring to your new position. Don't forget to read them, yourself, before you go in to the interview, just as a reminder of what you've said.

6. Dress smartly, but not flashily. Remember, you're trying to impress a future employer, not your friends on a night out! So dress in a business-like manner, and look natural – avoid the excessive use of aftershave/perfume and cosmetics.

   When you start out for the interview, take some deep breaths to steady your nerves, repeat the process when you arrive and then, when your name is called, you can move confidently (but not aggressively!) into the interview room, just as if you already had earned the right to be there.

   When you first see the interviewer, shake their hand and be conscious, at all times during the interview, of the image you're projecting. Remember the old adage “You only get one chance to make a first impression”. Indeed, recent research suggests that the first 15 seconds of an interview can be vital in making that impression.

   Note – no-one likes overt displays of nerves. We all know that interviews make people nervous, and your interviewer will of course make some allowances, but how you 'rise above' these and conquer the interview will affect the interviewer's judgement of you and how you cope under stress.

Now you're in the interview room, all that preparation should start to pay off. In 'Interview Tips' have a look at the section headed 'During the Interview' – there are some good and useful ideas here for you. And that's the area we'll be looking at in more detail next time.

Interview Tips

The manager leans forward, looks you in the eye, and delivers the heart-stopping question that will make your mind go blank and your palms begin to sweat. You don't say anything, you try to collect your thoughts, all the time desperately aware that the manager thinks you are an idiot. There is no way you have got the job. Is there any way you can turn this around?

Well... probably, but it may not be easy. The best way to fix this kind of scenario is to avoid it in the first place by preparing as thoroughly as you can for your interview.

All companies and interviewers are different, but below is a list of tips that we at Skye Recruitment have gathered over the years that may not only make your life a little easier at interview, but also the above scenario less likely.

Before the Interview

Do:

• Look up where the interview is to be held and plan your journey. Give yourself longer than you think you need in order to get there.
• If, for any reason, you cannot avoid being late then phone the company in advance to let them know, and apologise to them and explain your reasons when you arrive.
• Find out about the company you are visiting. Look in trade magazines and make sure you are familiar with the company website. Whether you have visited the website and what you thought of it are common questions for interviewers to ask.
  
• Find out who will be interviewing you and how they fit into the company structure.
  
• Prepare some questions for the interview. This is your chance to find out about the job on offer, and shows that you are serious about the role.
• Prepare a copy of your CV or examples of your work to take to the interview.
• Dress smartly. Even if the company adopts casual dress it is good practice to turn up to the interview dressed to impress. Decide what you want to wear and prepare it the night before to avoid a last minute rush on the day of the interview.

Don't:

• Drink alcohol or smoke immediately prior to your interview.

During the Interview

Do:

• Relax, smile and maintain eye contact when the interviewer is speaking to you.
• Try to match the style of the interviewer if they seem formal then adopt a formal response, and likewise if the interviewer is more informal then adopt an informal approach in response. Either way, act alert and interested.
• Sell yourself make it clear what you have done and what you can do that will benefit the company.
• Be prepared with answers for the questions you may be asked. Some common interview questions include:
  • Why do you want to work for us?
  • What do you know about our company and the role?
  • What are your strengths/ weaknesses?
  • What would you consider your biggest achievement?
  • Why are you looking for a new role?
  • What can you offer to the company?
• Ask enough questions to ensure you have the information you need to decide whether you want to pursue the role.
• Ensure your questions focus on the role and the company, and that you do not appear to place too much emphasis on the remuneration and personal benefit aspects.
  
• If you don't understand a question then ask for clarification rather than guessing.
• Don't talk too much keep to the point, but avoid one word answers too.
• If you want the job then tell them you are interested and let them know your availability.
• Ask what the next step is will the decision be made on the one interview, or will there be subsequent interviews?
• Thank the interviewer for seeing you.

Don't:

• Avoid getting in to too specific a conversation about salary. This is a difficult discussion, and one that a recruitment consultant can have on your behalf. You are at risk of under selling yourself when we could negotiate a higher salary for you, or of over selling yourself and putting the interviewers off. A recruitment consultant will be able to give you an idea of what salary to expect prior to the interview, and will know the background of what that company will or will not pay for someone of your level.

After the Interview

Do:

• Telephone your recruitment consultant as soon as possible after the interview. The company will be calling them to discuss the interview and it will demonstrate your seriousness about the role if they have already spoken to you and can provide them with an immediate response. They will be able to give you feedback from the company too.

Don't:

• Don't blow it all as you leave! Be polite to reception staff, don't light a cigarette as you leave the building, don't drop litter in the car park, or take off your tie as you get into the car. You never know who is watching, and some companies will ask reception staff for their impressions of you as you arrived and as you left.