Getting an interview

To be successful in your search for a position, you must sell or promote your skills and experience. Get as much exposure as possible and manage the process. Remember to keep it focussed and maintain control. Let people in positions of influence such as hiring managers know that you are available.

The more IT recruitment consultants and company human resources personnel see your résumé, the better your chances are of securing an interview. Don’t, however use the ‘shotgun approach’. Résumés that have been emailed to 100+ recruiters naturally go to the bottom the in-tray. Remember keep it focussed and maintain control.

If you forward your résumé to an organisation, follow up. Make verbal contact with the appropriate person to confirm that it has been received. This will also ensure that you are distinguished from those candidates who simply forward their details and ‘sit back’.

Use the Internet, watch the newspapers and financial press, let friends and previous employers know that you are available and ‘looking’. Remember that most jobs are filled ‘behind the scenes’.

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Preparing for the interview

The RMA Recruitment Consultant is best placed to advise specifically of the following points, but they are provided as general advice to people seeking jobs.

Know the exact place and time of the interview, the interviewer’s full name, the correct pronunciation and his or her title.

Learn pertinent facts about the company such as principal lines of business, locations, number of employees, technology, etc. If they have web page, this can be a useful source of information.

Find out why the hiring manager or the person you will be meeting considers you a suitable candidate for the position.

Consider what the opportunity could mean to you in your immediate and long-term career development.

An interview works both ways. Think of it as a business meeting. Know what questions to ask. Your questions allow the hiring manager to evaluate your professional and personal needs. Pertinent questions will help both of you determine if your relationship will be of mutual benefit. The better understanding you have of the company’s culture and job responsibilities, the better able you will be to communicate your interest in the role.

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The interview process

You are being interviewed to enable the company to determine whether you have the qualifications necessary to do the job, and whether a mutually rewarding professional relationship can be formed.

Similarly, you must determine whether you can be successful in the available position and whether the company will give you the opportunity for growth and development. Don’t forget, you are also interviewing them!

Present yourself in the best possible light. This is best achieved by being you. Consider how you feel and act when you are ‘at your best’ and most impressive. Remember this, and try to place yourself in the same frame of mind on the day of the interview.

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Please DO

Put your best foot forward. Wear professional business attire (even if the potential employer’s dress policy is ‘business casual’).

Arrive on time, or better still, a few minutes early. Remember that it may take time to find a park, negotiate traffic, walk to the building, etc.

If the weather looks the least bit threatening, take an umbrella!

Late arrival for a job interview gets you off to a very poor start. If you are late for reasons beyond your control, keep calm, explain and remember to apologise. If the apology is sincere, and the explanation reasonable, the impact of your late arrival will be minimised. So don’t panic! (but please remember that prevention is always better than cure).

Greet the interviewer by their last name and ensure that you know the pronunciation. If you are not certain, ask them to repeat it. Convey the appearance of confidence. Smile. Shake hands firmly and show that you are glad to have the opportunity to meet them.

Always wait until you are offered a chair before sitting down. Maintain good posture, concentrate and look interested at all times. Listen to what is being said.

Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. If there is more than one interviewer, address each of them at some time during the interview.

Follow the interviewer’s leads, but ask them to describe the position and the duties to you clearly and early in the interview. This will enable you to explain how your background, skills and accomplishments complement the position.

Ensure that your strengths and relevant experience are communicated in a sincere manner. Stress your achievements.

Expand on you answers whenever possible without becoming verbose or ‘wandering’. Describe the personal characteristics that relate to a particular situation or aspect of the job.

Conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job. That’s why you are there!

Show enthusiasm. If you are interested in the opportunity, let them know! This will enhance your chances of eventually being offered the position. If you have decided that you are not interested, maintain your enthusiasm, as this will demonstrate a professional approach and leave a positive impression.

Bring a copy of your résumé, written references, and any relevant documentation relating to your previous work (the latter only if you are authorised by current or previous employers to have such material). These materials should only be introduced when and if you feel it is appropriate, or if you are specifically asked by the interviewer to do so.

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Please DON’T

Leave your mobile telephone on. To be safe, leave it at home.

Smoke or chew gum.

Answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no‘. If something is unclear, ask for clarification.

Lie. Answer questions truthfully.

Ever make derogatory remarks about your present or former employers, spread gossip, or make comments that could be construed as being of a sexual, racist or bigoted nature.

Put up with unacceptable behavior on the interviewer’s part. Remember that if the interviewer makes statements which you find unacceptable of offensive, you are free to politely advise that you do not wish to proceed, and withdraw from the interview.

Offer personal views on politics or controversial issues. If the interviewer directs the conversation into these areas, it is best to listen politely, but refrain from offering your opinions, even if you hold firm convictions on such matters. Remember that it is the job you are there to discuss.

Enquire about salary, holidays, bonuses, etc at the initial interview unless the employer offers you the job. If the interviewer asks what salary you are seeking, indicate what you have previously been paid, and explain that you are primarily interested in a career development opportunity rather than a particular salary. Emphasise that although you consider a suitable level of remuneration to be very important, the final salary is negotiable depending on the agreed levels of responsibility and the future career path.

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Prepare to answer questions:

What interests you about our company?
Tell me about yourself.
Tell me about your background, accomplishments.
What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
How would you describe your most recent job performance?
How do you keep your professional qualifications and knowledge of technology current?
Are there any outside activities that are relevant to your personal development?
Can you give me an example of how you have managed a particularly difficult user and/or technical problem?
Have you suggested any improvements to processes or procedures that have been adopted by other organisations, and if so, can you describe?

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Prepare to ask questions:

What would I be expected to achieve in this position?
What would my responsibilities and duties be?
Can you describe a typical day in this job?
What are the most difficult aspects of this position?
What are the IT department’s plans for the next two years?
What is the commitment to training and development?
What projects would I be involved in within the first year?
Do you think I am suited to your plans and the position?

Remember that a lack of questions may be taken as a lack of interest or a lack of preparation.

Being prepared for questions means that you are less likely to be caught by surprise and possibly become confused. It can be a key to maintaining your composure during the interview. Rehearse responses to questions in the days leading up to the interview.

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Factors considered negative by interviewers

Lack of professional presentation in personal appearance.

Bad manners, overbearing, aggressive or egotistical behavior. Remember that aggression and assertion are different characteristics. Be assertive if appropriate (this shows that you are a confident individual) but never be aggressive.

No apparent or definite reason for being at the interview.

Lack of interest and enthusiasm (just going through the motions, appearing to be wasting everyones time).

Lack of confidence.

Nervousness. Initial nervousness in an interview is sometimes interpreted positively. It can indicate that you are extremely keen to impress and that getting the job is very important to you. As long as the nervousness is brought under control early in the interview, and you visibly relax as the interview progresses, this is not necessarily a major problem.

Self-centredness. Over-emphasis on salary, benefits, job title, etc and displaying a ‘one-way’ attitude of ‘what can your company do for me?’

Evasiveness and making excuses for unfavourable factors in work history.

Criticism of past employers, managers, projects or technologies.

Inability to maintain a flowing conversation.

Failure to ask intelligent questions about the position and displaying no knowledge of the company’s major lines of business, technological environment, etc shows a lack of professional research. This may be interpreted as a lack of professionalism.

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Closing the interview

If you are interested in the position, let the interviewer know. If you feel the position is for you and you want it, let them know that you are impressed with what they have had to say, that you feel that you are well suited, and would do an excellent job for the company in the position.

Don’t be discouraged if the interviewer is non-committal at this stage. The interviewer may want to discuss the outcome of the interview with other people in the company, or may have to interview other candidates before making a decision (even if he or she believes, at this stage, that you are the best person for the job).

If you feel that the interview has not gone well and that you may have been rejected, don’t let your discouragement show. It is surprising the number of positions offered to candidates who thought that they had not performed well in the interview. We are often our own worst critics.

Thank the interviewer for his or her time and consideration.

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Providing feedback

Feedback about the interview should be provided to the RMA Recruitment Consultant as soon as practicable.

If the outcome was that you were unsuccessful, your conclusions as to why this was the case are important, and by combining them with the client feedback, future opportunities can be better targeted.

If you have a positive view regarding the position, this will be conveyed to the client along with any other information that you feel is relevant. Any extra information you may need will also be sought (now is the time to suggest a second interview if you feel it would be appropriate).

If you are offered the job, but need further time to consider your decision (for example, an interview with another company is scheduled), commit to a time by which you will convey your decision (and ensure that this is definitely ‘at the latest’).

If you are offered the job and wish to accept, simply ask ‘When do I start?’.

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