bizMe

Candidates who are granted an interview with a prospective employer should be well prepared for the interview. As recruiters we presume that candidates have studied the company and the position, brushed up on interview etiquette and are ready to share their career highlights.

The problem however, is that many candidates do not prepare for interviews and think they are on their best game when they “wing it,” or when they show too much “me” in an interview. I mean, you want to wear your pink shoes, pink shirt and pink accessories with a pink headband so the interviewer knows how perfectly polished with fabulousness you are. You need them to know they are getting a super bubbly professional that can rock the business suit with flashes of pink right? You also want to speak your own language and add your own jokes so they fully understand your personality, right? It’s not entirely wrong, but I’ve seen and heard a lot of unnecessary things in my career as a recruiter that must be shared. Hopefully this will be a good reminder on how to prepare for an interview and what you should and should not say or do.

Usually the interview process starts with a phone interview. I would like to first point out that if you are looking for a new job, change your phone setting to a regular ring the caller will hear. I cannot tell you how many times I call and hear “please enjoy the music while your party is reached,” and hear “Baby Got Back,” and songs like that while I wait to connect with them. The actual phone interview should be the easiest part of the process. You are in the comfort of your own environment and you can have notes out to help guide you through your background (see March’s bizMe edition for interview prep tips). Some people tend to get “too comfortable.” In the middle of interviewing a CFO candidate for a well-known Milwaukee company I literally heard the toilet flush (side note: I didn’t hear the faucet run after which leads me to believe hygiene may be an issue!).

On a more entry level interview, I was on the phone with a recent college graduate who was living at home with his parents. This candidate chose to not put me on hold or change rooms when it was clear his parents were in the same room having a very heated argument. I asked if he would like to reschedule when he might have more privacy. He declined and stated his parents are always yelling and that is why he wants a job — to get out of the house. Although I felt for this candidate, there is no excuse for not finding a quiet place to conduct an interview.

I have many stories of people sounding like they were laying in their bed eating cheetos, smoking while talking, or doing dishes during the phone interview.

Key take-aways to successful phone interviews are:
• find a quiet place to talk
• sit at a desk or table
• have your notes in front of you
• smile as you talk.
• And of course, hit the bathroom before or after the call. No one wants to hear that!

Technology is a wonderful tool in the interview process. We have been using webcams more frequently to conduct interviews for candidates that are not local. Interviewers would never come into your home to interview you and they aren’t looking to feel like they are at your home via webcam. Rather, the webcam interview is to determine how you present yourself in person before spending the cash for your flight, hotel and meals. Plenty of people understand the importance of professional presentation via webcam and will go to Kinkos in one of their private rooms or a home office; others act like this is more like online dating than a phone interview. Some stories are tame as in children playing in the background or conferencing in a room that looked like a tornado stormed through it. Other stories are a little more dramatic and hard to believe.

Some may call it art, but most would call it offensive. You get what I mean! A candidate either forgot, or didn’t remove a choice piece of “art” from their wall. It wasn’t front and center by any means, but in the picture enough for me to see much more than I wanted to. This potential candidate was interviewing for an ultra conservative company in the financial services industry. Most candidates understand that it is an interview and interview attire should be worn. Although you may not need to be in a full suit, business casual is a must.

A candidate for an account executive position for an advertising company wore a t-shirt with profanity on it. He probably thought it was ok because the front of the shirt was black, but when he needed to get up to shut the door; the profanity on the back of his shirt was clear as day. Needless to say, neither candidate was given further consideration.

When doing an interview via webcam, make sure to:

The number of interview bloopers I have from in-person interviews may become a memoir someday. From the candidates that clearly haven’t prepared and stumble on every other word to those that sweat profusely, are late, wear facial piercings, or come in wearing the latest fashions from Forever 21 (and I do not mean a suit) it’s unbelievable the unprofessional image some candidates display during the interview.

As a third party recruiter you always hope that a candidate conducts themselves the same way with a client as they did for you. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. I was recruiting for a marketing professional for a non-profit which had a very political mission. The candidate impressed me with her professionalism, knowledge and overall demeanor. I shared my thoughts with the client and they were excited to meet her. The person I interviewed was not the same person that interviewed with our client. She used the opportunity to basically shout her disapproval of the organization’s mission and went on a 20-minute rant on how, in her opinion, this company would ruin the world. She did no favor to herself; sure she got to share her very pointed opinion, but really where did it get her? If you must share your viewpoint, write a letter.

Sometimes people are just different on the phone than they are in person. I vividly remember a candidate who was a manager at a high-end restaurant and appeared to demonstrate great potential. However, she showed up to the interview with the biggest and poorest attitude I have ever experienced. She slouched in the chair and looked bored one minute into the interview. My first question for her was what I ask everyone, “Why are you interested in this company and this opportunity?” With a big huff she said “Well, I hate my job and thought I had made that clear on the phone and YOU called ME,” followed by a big roll of her eyes. The interview only got worse from that point. Five minutes into it I told her this was not the right opportunity for her.

Sometimes interviews are just plain awkward. This candidate was well prepared, had a polished, professional look and communicated her background very well. When I asked about her biggest success, she responded “well, I used to be a cutter and I would cut myself every day, but I don’t do that anymore.” While this is no doubt a tremendous personal accomplishment, it should never be discussed in an interview. Never bring up medical history, addictions etc in an interview. I told her that was excellent and something to be proud of, but asked her to specifically relate it to her education or career.

From the over sharing of information and outrageous interview attire I have encountered during my days of interviewing, I always think I have seen and heard it all. Unfortunately, there is always a situation that outdoes another. Although you always want to be yourself in an interview remember to polish up your communication skills and take another look at the image your interview outfit projects. Do these simple things and you will rock that interview instead of making the interviewer on the other side of the desk desperate to run in the other direction.