The Interview!! Congratulations!!! You’ve been called into an interview! This is your chance to shine - and the following are some tips to help you do that. First things first! You’ve been granted a time you should do the following:-
Check your diary – make sure you have allowed time on either side of your appointment time to get there comfortably and without panicking.
Allow the time to run over a bit – usually if you are in an interview a little longer than anticipated – it’s because the future employer is interested in you.
Make sure you have the correct address. If you do not have GPS then get out the map the day before and work out the route you are going to take.
Allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes for travel – especially if you are using a busy road, to allow for delays out of your control.
However, if you arrive 30 minutes early for your appointment – sit in the car for 15 of those minutes – do not walk in 30 minutes ahead of your time – or the employer will think you are over-anxious to get the job.
Walking in 15 minutes ahead of the appointment is good, because it allows sufficient time for you to go through a security system if there is one on the reception, and particularly if it is a big company, for the reception to call the person to come down and fetch you. Often they will get hold of the interviewer’s secretary and this allows her a couple of minutes to leave what she is doing and find her boss and bring you up into the interview room.
The whole purpose of the above preparation is to make sure that you are not flustered because you are running late, and you walk into a room full of people waiting for you!! The whole idea is to be able to walk into the interview room, as calm as possible, having eliminated a number of things that people often don’t allow for.
If you are nervous – do some deep breathing – before you go in. You will find that breathing in to a beat of 4, holding to a beat of 2, exhaling to a beat of 4, and holding to a beat of 2, before repeating the breathing cycle – will calm you down after a couple of minutes – amazingly. It’s all that wonderful oxygen circulating through your body and nervous system responding!
Make sure you have the interviewer’s name before you go to the interview – you do not want to be calling the hopefully soon to be new employer by anything but his name – it doesn’t go down too well.
Make sure that you have a contact number of the HR Manager if she is going to interview you, or the boss’s secretary’s number and also the switchboard number. If some horrible thing does delay you – phone them 15 to 30 minutes beforehand and let them know, and see if it is appropriate to still keeping on coming through for the meeting.
Research the company beforehand – either by going onto their website, and also Google the company name to see if there are any other articles that have been written about them.
Find out something about their products and services – so that you can have an intelligent conversation about them! J
If you can try and find out something about the interviewer – even if it is a quick call to the reception, or better still if you are going through for a second interview – contact the HR Manager and ask her what the next interviewer’s personality is like.
If your interviewer is a very quick thinker – then pace him, don’t waffle, give him the facts. If your interviewer is described as being very technical – remember to use technical talk, if your guy is very creative then ….. Don’t overpower him! Yes – if he is a quick thinker – keep calm, don’t gabble, just the facts – not rudely, just the facts in your own personality. Don’t ever try and be someone that you are not – but you can always modify your behaviour according to the situation.
If they already have your cv – there is no need to take it in with you. Only take in what has been asked for – some companies like to see a copy of your certificates – a lot of companies don’t even want to see that in the interview as they will have your certificates checked through an agency that specialises in that. If you are going for a creative position – if the company has not seen your portfolio in soft copy then take one in – in hard copy.
Dress appropriately. Smart casual is usually the norm in South Africa – but again think about it beforehand. If you are a consultant, you want to show the future company that you are professional – dress accordingly. There are a number of companies still in South Africa, where the guys all wear suits – find out about it beforehand and dress in one too. Ladies – no matter how mod you are or how fashions have changed – cover up those boobs, make sure you skirt is a decent length – to at least your knees – sit like a lady. You are there to impress the new boss, with how you think, and what you can do for him – from a work stand-point. I’m not saying dress like a dowdy old biddy, just use your head. Find out the culture of the company – and match your dress style accordingly. Also remember the kind of position you are going for. If you are an accountant – don’t wear your bright yellow shirt, your bright green trousers and your bright red shoes, with bright blue jewelry – he won’t get the feel that you are a serious person. He wants someone who he feels he can trust with the company’s money! Do you get the picture? You do not want to give anything to the future employer that may jar his senses. Most of the time everyone is very busy – and don’t stop to think in the interview, but the boss will walk out of the interview and there is just something that didn’t feel right, and he won’t take you on. (Whether we like it or not – when we are getting feedback for the candidates – we will get an answer like – “No, I just didn’t like her!” – Now I know that doesn’t fit in with the law and no discrimination – but it is just a fact of life – and the consultants in the agencies are sure not going to tell you that – as they don’t want to get their client – the person who keeps them in bread and rent – to get into trouble!)
Don’t slouch – either at the reception, walking in or during the interview! (We had one brilliant programmer who went in for an interview at a large insurance company, and the HR Manager saw him leaning on the reception – and that was the end of that opportunity for the guy!)
Don’t chew gum or smoke during the interview! If you are offered tea or coffee – think twice about it. A. Teas and coffees warm your body – and when under a bit of pressure you don’t want to look hot and flustered also B. it takes them time to get that organized and C. a glass of water if you are dying of thirst is going to be quicker and most likely far less time and trouble for the interviewer.
Guys remove those ear-rings and tongue piercings! (Unless you are going for an interview at a tattoo artists place!) Ladies the same! Ear-rings yes for the ladies, but smart and not outlandish! Keep jewelry to a minimum – tasteful! Ear-rings, a watch, a bangle, a brooch …
You are now in the interview – make eye contact with the interviewer – listen (yes – LISTEN) to the question. If you are not sure exactly what the interviewer is asking – get clarity on it before answering. Answer what is asked for. Each personality is different and the interviewer will take that into account. Keep your answers to the point of the question – don’t go off on a tangent. LISTEN to your answers as well and do not contradict yourself! Talk about what you are able to do, and have done for other companies, and see if you can’t tie that in with the company’s needs. Keep your energy light. Don’t get so serious that the interviewer will think that he is in a funeral parlour. Only get serious if the interviewer is very serious, and only then match his serious manner. If he has a problem and he has expressed that with concern then match his energy. Remember you are there to see if you can alleviate his concerns – make his life a bit better by having you on board.
The interviewer will also take into account that you may be a bit nervous – but you need to settle down very quickly – hence the deep breathing before you go into the interview. If you are in Sales, New Business Development, Consulting or any position that requires presentations or communication with senior level people – you must show confidence, self-assuredness, no nerves. You’ve got to show your strength of character, and belief in your company and product. It doesn’t matter if you are not a loud personality – some of the best sales people I have come across – have actually been gentle souls, speak quietly, but with enthusiasm and confidence – and the “buyers” loved them!
Make sure that your cell is switched off! If your grand-mother is dying in hospital and you are waiting for a call – then after your introductions and before you get started with the interview – explain the reason why you have left your cell on and may have to take a call. Make sure that your interviewer is OK with that. NO OTHER CALLS AT ALL! They have given you some of their precious time – honour that!
Do not ever run down a previous employer! No matter what has happened – if you are pressed for an answer – still be extremely diplomatic, and still do not run down your previous employer.
If you have left a company and you have got involved in a CCMA case – do not lie about it, but do not spend time bringing down the company or going into the details of what went wrong. Gloss over it, with a “we had a difference of opinion…” Do not even bring it up unless you are asked about it.
If you have been retrenched – don’t go into the long, sad sob story! Yup, it happens. Move on, get over yourself. I personally look at people’s lives through their cv’s – and unless you get over that – reframe the situation – think to yourself what a wonderful opportunity to do something different that I would love, etc – you find that you will be retrenched over and over and over again. So have the same attitude in the interview. The interviewer may say – “Oh that must have been tough being retrenched.” “You can answer something like – ‘Yes, that was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with at the time, but you know – I know that there is a purpose in that – and I know that I will find something better.’”
Forget your “I”. Remember the most important thing in every individual’s life is their “I”. If you want to get a job – without being a wimp, concentrate on the other person’s “I”. So no long personal stories. In fact leave out all personal stuff unless specifically asked about it. Don’t ask the interviewer personal information either!!!!
No religious discussions! No trying to proselytize!
If you have gone through to the interview organized through an agency – leave the negotiations to the agency. Time and again candidates lose out on a position because they talk past the client about what they are looking for on a monetary side.
If you are asked to give the interviewer your contact details – again if going through an agency – let the agency know. If you are placed there, and you and the new employer have gone around the agency, and the agency finds out – which they do – the employer is going to find it come back and bite him on the butt!
If you have sold yourself into the company as per the “Great CV” suggestions – then remember the interview is not about you !!!!!!! The interview is what you can do for the employer to make his life, his job a bit easier, to take away some of his problems/his challenges.
GOOD LUCK! This one is yours! Go for it! Have fun! Life is about having fun – or you wake up one day and you are dead! If this one is not yours, know that there is a better one happening tomorrow, or the next day and this was invaluable practice!
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