Prepare for the Interview and Respect the Hiring Process

Every job search is an adventure and as such it can be helpful to have a roadmap to direct the way. Part of the adventure, and sometimes the stress in the process, is that every interview is a new experience. Each company can be different, from conservative to laid-back and casual. That means a candidate must be prepared for the differences from one place to the next.

And it’s up to the job seeker to be aware of these differences by doing research in advance. Use the internet and social media to explore the culture of a company and do searches for images depicting the company culture/environment. Take notice of how people are dressed and look at the tone of voice used on the website copy. Is it easy-going or more professional? Each of these elements can provide a hint of what to expect.

Meet and Greet
Interviewing is like going on a first date, as strange as that might sound. Each is going into the interview process knowing a little about the other party. The key to remember is what you read online is not what makes up the whole person or company. Above all, the interview is a business meeting. This is not the time to bring up personal items learned online. Instead, it’s a time to listen for the company’s pain points and to share how your skills can benefit the business.

A candidate’s research on the company and its customers is a good way to go in prepared with questions about the company’s potential pain points. The best way to verify those is to listen to the interviewer who is on the lookout for someone who can hit the ground running and be ready to help the company thrive. This process provides an opportunity to offer suggestions about ways your skills can help; but don’t get carried away and talk too much. Let the interviewer lead the conversation and use insightful questions to keep the conversation moving.

Post-Interview
After the meeting, be sure and send a digital or print note thanking the interviewer for their time and offer to be available for additional questions or information. Once the thank you note is sent, the ball is in the court of the interviewer. It is up to the company to initiate if there will be further conversation. While interviewers want candidates eager for the role, emailing, calling and texting will not speed up the process. Instead, it slows it down.

Remember, there are multiple candidates interviewing for each position and every time an interviewer responds to an inquiry, it slows down the hiring process. Plus, candidates who become pests often find themselves removed from consideration. Because of the sheer number of candidates applying to the role, hiring often becomes a process of elimination. Respecting the time and effort that goes into the interview process is the best way to demonstrate a level of professionalism that’s important to all hiring managers.

This article is brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a full-service Kansas City employment agency that provides contract-to-hire, direct hire and contract employment placement services.