Important Interview Tips

Interview tip 1:

What impresses me, is when I'm talking to somebody who I can really feel has researched my business, my organisation. So, gone online and done any searches they can for any articles, so they actually understand my business, they know the sort of business I'm in, and they know something about me.

So I think that tells me they're interested. Someone coming and just saying "Well, I'm looking for a job as a recruitment consultant." ... well, they can get a job in hundreds of companies as a recruitment consultant, but why my company? Why me?

I think that's a really important thing, to be interested enough to have done the research. Really, really good candidates know things about my business that I don't, which really surprise me. So they weave it into the interview somewhere. So that's the first thing. To know about the organisation you're applying [to].

There's just so much information out there. There's no reason or excuse that you shouldn't be able to find out something about the organisation you're applying for





Interview Tip 2:

I think the second thing, that I find is really important, is 'Ok, you're a recruitement consultant, but what are you going to do for me?', 'Why are you different?' and 'What are you going to do for my organisation that other people are not going to do?'.

So, think about yourself. Think about your strengths and talk to those things about why you are different, and what you are going to do for me.

A lot of people don't realise they've got to have a reason to buy. An employer is the buyer, the candidate (in an interview situation) is the seller; although in very clever organisations they sell themselves to the candidate as well.

But 'Why should I buy?' should be another perspective, looking at it from the candidate's point of view.






Interview Tip 3:

And thirdly, I think feeling that you have a match, in an emotional sense and a non-employment sense, so you like the values of the organisation.

"I'm aligned to the mission that you have as an organisation, I like the social attitude you put on your internet site, I like the way you have community involvement and you use your employees in the community. I like those things. I like the values and the reason that you want to be, as a organisation."

So, not only am I aligned in a professional sense, I'm aligned in an emotional and value-base sense. So I'm not like this (gestures misaligned hands), I fell I'm like that (demonstrates alignment).

That's really what people want in an employee.

People don't usually leave for money, the reason people leave jobs is about seven or eight. Number seven or eight – the money. But number one is they feel emotionally detached from the organisation. So, on the way in, you need to be able to say that I've looked at your organisation, your annual reports, the web-site; I've looked at all of these things and I really feel aligned with the values and the purpose of your business.