Friday, August 20, 2004

YOU'VE LANDED THE INTERVIEW, NOW WHAT? The following is from the front page of the August 16, 2004 WALL STREET JOURNAL: "An economic slowdown is spreading world-wide amid surging oil prices, falling stocks and weak technology spending.  The U.S. trade gap widened to a record $55.82 billion in June as exports plunged and imports jumped on a higher bill for foreign oil.  Japan's second-quarter growth slid to a 1.7% annual rate, largely due to a slump in business investment." I have been warning the many(?) job seekers reading this blogg that the job market is not as hot as we have been led to believe.  If you are fortunate enough to land an interview, please take the interview seriously.  A lot of candidates believe that they are interviewing "just for practice" and that is the wrong attitude.  Every job interview should be for real.  I have had many candidates who have not taken an interview seriously call  me later and say they decided they really wanted the job but due to their lack of interest, they did not get an offer.  Usually it is impossible to get a second interview after being rejected.  In order to make the most out of your interviewing opportunity, I am providing the following checklist: Make at least three good copies of your resume and put them in your brief case.  You would be surprised how often during my career in the real world the person interviewing me did not have a copy, or legible copy, of my resume. Wear at least a sports coat or better yet a suit (male or female version depending on your sexual orientation).  Many candidates think that the dress code at most companies is business casual (and that is changing) and they show up in business casual.  If you want the company to know you are serious about the position, dress seriously.  You can always leave your sports jacket or suit coat in the HR Managers office and when you return to pick it up, you can thank him or her for the opportunity to interview and let him or her know how excited you are about the opportunity, even if you are not.  Remember you can always turn the job down later! Good grooming is always important and since most HR people are still baby boomer's, leave the nose, eyebrow, etc rings at home and cover the tattoos'. The most popular question asked by interviewers is "what is your greatest weakness".   Be prepared to answer that question with a positive response.  I recently asked a co-worker of one of my candidates how my candidate could improve his performance and he said "he could learn to take more time off, he is always in the plant."  Now that is what I call turning a potentially damaging response into a very positive one. Polish your shoes or if they do not polish well, wear new shoes.  I won't even begin to regale you with all of the studies that have been done relating a person to their choice of footwear.  Just believe that it is important, especially for a female candidate. Get a good night sleep for the several nights before the interview.  Most people do not get enough sleep and they feel tired.  Trying to sleep well the night before the interview is often difficult and if you are staying in a hotel, it is even more difficult.  Get ahead of the curve! Know where you are going!  I know this sounds easy in the day of Internet maps but it is best to take a dry run to the parking lot of the company the night before you are going to interview.  Sometimes directions are not correct.  For one of my interviews, I arrived the day before the interview and I found the site where I thought I was suppose to interview.  I arrived for the interview the next morning a half hour early (park at the back of the parking lot, you don't want to appear desperate), walked into the lobby and announced myself only to find out there was a second site where I was suppose to be interviewing on the other side of the town but on the same street.  Eat a healthy breakfast, not a light breakfast with few carbs and a lot of sugar.  Sometimes the company forgets to feed you, and a six or eight hour interview day can get very long if you do not eat the entire day.  I suppose you could take some type of power bar but that does not get it done for me. Know as much as you can about the company and the position you are trying to fill.  If you cannot find enough information on the Internet or from the local library, call the receptionist and ask him or her to send you a copy of the latest annual report and/or 10k and if he or she cannot ask her to put you in touch with someone who can.  Then at every opportunity let you interviewers know that you have done your homework. Be consistent with your answers to the interviewers questions.  Many companies assign questions to interviewers to make sure the candidates are not playing games.  Above all be honest with your answers, don't tell people what you think they want to hear. Prepare yourself mentally to LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN..............LISTEN.   Then listen some more.  This is very hard to do, especially if you want to sell yourself and your abilities.  I once had an interview for a Maintenance Manager position with a Plant Manager who had been the Director of Personnel for the entire company (he was being groomed for bigger and better things) who began the interview with a monologue when I entered the office and did not quit talking for an entire hour.  When he quit talking he shook my hand and told me I was the kind of person he wanted in his plant.  I left very confused but with the job. Mentally see yourself getting the position before you start the interview.  This will help you remember to ask for the job when the interviewing process is over and reduce your anxiety. Just remember you can always turn down the job offer but rarely can you get a second chance after you have failed the interview process.  Be prepared. 5:56:38 PM    comment []