Interview Tips!

The consultants here at Profectus have worked across 3 decades so there is very little they haven’t seen in regards to interviews including the good the bad and the outright ugly. What may be blindingly obvious to one person is not necessarily even a consideration of another. For this reason we have prepared a list of do’s and don’ts below for your interview which may be some help.

We have also included a few real life examples… just for a bit of fun!

  • Don’t be too early… it’s as bad as being late (shows a lack of planning) / call us in good time if you are running late and most clients will understand. We always advise arriving 5-10 mins early to create the best impression.
  • Whether you are interviewing at a 1 man start-up or an investment bank, just dress smart. Shirt, tie, trousers… you know the drill!
  • Turn that mobile off, believe it or not we have had more than one occasion where candidates have actually answered their phone mid-interview while the hiring managers have sat there waiting for the candidate to finish the call. Don’t risk it by putting it on silent just turn it off.
  • Swearing in an interview for most is an obvious no-no but again we had a candidate who was sailing through an interview but he swore not just once but on several occasions towards the end of the interview and the client decided to go with a different candidate as a result. Although most clients probably aren’t easily offended it’s just not a good idea.
  • Although we promote fresh breath, leave your chewing gum outside!
  • Make good eye contact, it’s an age old tip but still as relevant as ever.
  • If driving don’t arrive playing music loudly, we had a candidate who arrived with the bass so loud most of the company’s employees heard him arrive before he’s even set foot in the building… you can probably guess the outcome of the interview.
  • Avoid confrontation, if you don’t agree with the hiring managers view on something explain why rather than simply disagreeing. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and theirs is as valid as yours.
  • Generally hiring managers won’t ask you about salary in an interview scenario, we feel it’s a little unfair to put you on the spot as you might not feel you are able to be totally open about it in an interview situation. The best advice we could give is to speak to your consultant beforehand to have some joined up thinking on how to answer the question in the best way.
  • Study the company website, it is very rare for a client to not ask what you know about the company. Not being able to provide some evidence you’ve done your homework can immediately turn a client off.
  • Read your own CV – Some of it you may have actually written several years ago so prepare yourself for any questions that could arise.
  • Match up the job spec to your CV – have examples ready of relevant experience
  • Prepare intelligent questions to ask at the end of the interview
  • Don’t be afraid to smile and show your personality, people want to get to know you not just what you’ve done. They have to work with you after all so want to get to know your character.
  • Ask questions that are important to you, an interview is a 2 way thing so make sure as well as answering the questions asked of you, you are finding out what you need to know as well in order to make a decision if offered the role!

There are of course many more tips but hopefully some of these will help you but if you are ever in doubt about something ask your recruitment consultant for advice.

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