Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for interviews...

Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for Interviews...

My job in essence is a simple one; I make matches. I match a role with a candidate. That’s it. It’s the candidate part that makes it difficult!

 Every person is different and every person reacts differently in an interview situation.  Some thrive. Some panic. The end result is that on a regular basis the most talented person does not get the job. The key to a good interview is preparation. By this I don’t mean look at a LinkedIn profile and the company’s website. Real preparation needs to be much more in depth. ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is a well known quote and it is true. You may move jobs 3, 4, 5 plus times in your life, you will probably spend more time at work that you do at home, so how you perform in your job will impact every aspect of your life. If you are happy in your job, you have a much better chance of being happy in your private life not to mention your financial life. Basically getting a new job is one of the most important things you will ever do. So it should make sense that you prepare fully.

 I recently read a blog from Sam at Koozai (which is a perfect example to use http://www.koozai.com/blog/search-marketing/my-first-public-speaking-appearance/  Sam had not done any public speaking and was nervous, which is to be expected. But what she did was ensure she prepared, extensively, in order to ensure she would succeed. I urge you to read her blog. When I read it I thought, wow I wish every candidate went to that level of detail because if they did they would minimise the potential to fail.  Interviewing is not a natural situation, so here are a few examples of useful things to do prior to an interview.

The company you are interviewing with:- What do you know about them? You probably have a website address and a job spec. It’s not enough. What else can you find out about them? Speak with your recruiter get more info!

The person you are interviewing with:- You may have their LinkedIn profile – it’s not enough! I once interviewed someone for a job at Digital Minds who started by saying, “I hear you have a new baby daughter, I have one aged 2 – how you coping with the sleepless nights?” This person took the time to find out something about me that would build rapport and show they had done their homework. I instantly felt a bond with this person who had been in the same situation as me. Simple and effective. Get as much info as you can. Find out about their personality, what they like, what they don’t like.

The interview:- This is the big one. How do you prepare for an interview? The best way in my opinion is to role play. I did a drama degree so I’m always up for role playing interviews! I know many people find them uncomfortable but they are effective. We all know a lot of the questions that will be asked at interview so why not prepare for them, why not role play them to the point it’s like muscle memory. This also takes care of the nerves to a certain extent. You cannot prepare for all the questions but a good recruiter can help you prepare for most.  A good recruiter can and will tell you that you speak too fast, you over elaborate on your answers, you don’t make enough eye contact – the list goes on but better you make your mistakes whilst practicing and have the opportunity to implement improvements.

Make interviewing easier by preparing fully and by committing to the process. Some will be embarrassed to role play an interview; some people take it personally when someone highlights a weakness in there interviewing technique. But if going through this process allows you to go on and secure the job you want it is worth it! If you are going to lose out on a new job, let it be because the other person is better suited, not because you did not prepare fully. For advice on interviewing feel free to contact me. simon@digital-minds.co.uk

If you are looking for a new PPC job, SEO job, SEM job, Social job, Display job, Digital Planning & Buying job, Mobile job, Affiliates job, Web Development front end and back end we can certainly help. My LinkedIn profile gives a good overview of Digital Minds and me personally. It also has recommendations on the page which cover how I operate and work with people. http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhalkyard