Interviews

recommendations carry substantial weight in the job market. talk to people you might list as references and ask for permission to pass on their names if necessary. don’t catch them by surprise. make sure they are willing to recommend you wholeheartedly. if they give you an evasive answer try to find somebody else. you can hold onto warm letters of recommendation but keep in mind they now carry less weight. the letter you present will always be positive (otherwise don’t present it). some bosses tell employees who are leaving their jobs to write the letter of recommendation themselves and then the boss simply signs it. a recommendation is much more real when given in a conversation with the potential employer.

study the organization you are applying to as well as the position in question. this can be accomplished through several means:
first of all, surf the web. chances are you will find information on most large employers. write the name of the organization in one of the large search engines and the information will appear on your screen. of course you will also find information on the organization’s site or special informational sites such as business information organizations, employer organizations and archives, which are similar to those in daily newspapers (particularly, but not exclusively, in the financial section).

speak with people who are familiar with the organization, people who work there or worked there in the past, or with people who can refer you to them. visit the organization anonymously if possible. this is easier in a large organization since many people come in and out. (today it is harder because of tightened security.) such a visit will teach you how to arrive, which will be useful to you in assessing whether the job suits your needs. it will also help you arrive at the interview on time, which is important in and of itself.

if the organization did not offer a job to the general public and you are making contact on your own initiative, communicate in a manner suited to your personality. for instance, see whether you can come in to speak one of the figures involved in hiring. (you’d be surprised – sometimes such daring pays off. more often at small organizations, but sometimes even at large organizations, too).
if you are not so bold or this approach is infeasible (e.g. the security personnel will not let you in without an appointment) there are many other channels available to you: internet, mail, e-mail, fax, phone, personal connections, leaving your resume at the reception/information desk, etc.

respond to the employer in the manner prescribed in the notice – by phone, mail, e-mail, fax. even this initial contact needs preparation. for example, if your initial contact is by phone, prepare for the conversation by rehearsing by yourself or even simulating the conversation with a person you know well who is suited to play the role of interviewer. before you call the organization have the relevant documents in front of you along with the list of questions you prepared, questions you’ll want to pose to the person on the other end of the line.

constantly remain aware of interpersonal relations: remember the name of the person you need to contact as well as the person who arranged the meeting. if that person is the one who receives you when you arrive at the interview you will have chalked up more points. check whether anyone on your list of references knows the potential employer you will be speaking with. generally the recruiter prefers to speak with a person he is familiar with. that way he knows who stands behind the recommendation and he does not have to ask a stranger to do him a favor by answering questions about you, thus the conversation with the person giving the recommendation will be more relaxed.

contacting the organization

if your initial contact is in writing, the process is more under your control.
a phone conversation will invariably be led the person representing the potential employer. in writing you have all the time you need to decide what to write. do not send a resume without a cover letter, i.e. a letter explaining why you have the special ability to man the position successfully. if, for example, the job requirements mention the importance of the ability to work as part of a team, do not simply make a general remark about your wondrous ability to work as part of a team, but rather include an example of how this is manifested, which will make an impression on the recipient of the letter and set you apart. if you were to receive a letter like this, wouldn’t you be impressed?

keep in mind that many people (interviewers are people, too!) who receive a letter that does not address them personally are liable to feel the writer is not speaking to them, but to the function they serve. try to be human (yet maintain an appropriate degree of formality).

to avoid coming across as conceited, do not boast about abilities that are not relevant to the job. if the notice says, “experience in a multinational corporation preferred,” note your experience in such a corporation, but do not add that you graduated from harvard university summa cum laude. even if it’s true and you are very proud of the fact, satisfy yourself with the knowledge it is listed in your resume and keep the discussion of it for the interview, if you are called in.

gather additional documentation of relevance, such as certificates, letters of recognition and samples of your work. have quality passport photos ready, too. some employers will request them. consider sending in a flattering picture of yourself (flattering, not knock-your-socks-off) on your own initiative. this will transform you in the eyes of the person reviewing your documents from an anonymous figure to a person of flesh and blood. this is relevant information because in many professions outward appearance carries weight. and in general people are curious to know how the person behind the resume looks.
do not inundate an organization that takes an interest in you with too much information. for example, do not send recommendations with your first letter. note that they will be provided upon request. likewise your references are entitled not to have their name and number sent out in every direction. use the same approach with your certificate of excellence. one certificate, if it’s relevant, should suffice. five is wearisome, even if you are an outstanding candidate.

keep a copy of the letter you send. in general you should make a point of documenting all stages of action. this can only help you and save you a lot of time. 

waiting for a reply from the organization

if you applied in writing call 4-5 days after sending your resume to insure it reached its destination. at the same time find out when you can expect to receive a reply. if the organization does not meet the timeframe within which it promised to send you a response, allow yourself to call two days after the designated date to verify what became of your application.

some organizations will not send any reply. this is unprofessional and nobody is justifying it, but many of them face pressures that prevent them from sending a response. in most cases it stems from the heavy workload on the recruiting apparatus, disorganized work procedures or a combination of the two. try not to get offended by the failure to reply. in most cases it has nothing to do with you.
however there may be cases in which the failure to reply is because of you. after a glance at an inappropriate or sloppy resume they may no longer have a desire to devote more time to the sender.

in summary, just as in other areas, a little assertiveness won’t hurt. most people contact the organization through accepted channels, but there are those who contact the managers directly, including the ceo. you may encounter a polite refusal (or no response at all), but sometimes you will be surprised to what extent people respect assertiveness and open doors up to you.

note: continue applying for other positions. do not stop and wait just because you applied to a place that is especially tempting. there is no certainty you will be hired. keep applying constantly and continue your job search until your first day on the job.

preparing for the interview

do not prepare just for the interview process itself, the peak of your first direct meeting with the organization, but also for the environment in which it operates. this type of preparation may include taking the following actions:

- study the organization’s hiring and screening process. at large organizations decision-making processes are generally slow and protracted because an set procedure is being executed rather than having a single individual make the decision regarding hiring and the hiring terms. familiarity with the system will contribute to your self-confidence and make it easier for you to make your way through the process.

- try to find out who will be interviewing you, his status in the organization, his potential connection to you (personnel/human resources director, direct supervisor, etc.) and even personal characteristics (which may have been manifested, for example, by people who have been interviewed by him in the past and with whom you had an opportunity to speak).
although a professional interview is not supposed to be affected by these elements, not all interviews are strictly professional and oftentimes are influenced by irrelevant factors. be prepared.

- based on the information you have gathered try to anticipate which questions you might be asked in the interview, and prepare for them. you should also prepare the list of questions you will want to ask during the interview. try not to open with questions related to pay and working conditions.

- think about your appearance in advance. what kind of an impression do you want to make and what will you wear? set aside clothes before you go to bed. make sure they are clean and neat, otherwise on the morning of the interview you will be rushed and irritated. preferred attire: solids.
go over the copies of the documents you sent. you don’t want to contradict them during the interview.

you can also rehearse the interview in front of the mirror or with somebody close to you who knows you well and studied up on the organization and the people who will be interviewing you. the knowledge that someone is a part of your mission adds to your self-confidence, which will improve your performance in the interview.

arriving at the organization and waiting for the interview

arrive on time. take into account morning traffic jams, trouble starting the car, the possibility of having to look for parking, buses coming late, etc. better early than late. if you came late nonetheless, apologize and offer a brief, matter-of-fact explanation.

examine your surroundings. don’t sit down and start reading the newspaper. survey the waiting room, the way the employees conduct themselves and how they treat you. all of this teaches you about the organization and plays a part in determining how much you would like to become a part of it.

take note of the interviewer’s professionalism. for example, does he preserve the interviewees’ discretion by preventing them from meeting one another as they come in and out? does he take a break for a few minutes between interviews (to process the information he received and prepare for the next interview)?
this information could affect how you conduct yourself during the interview. perhaps you will have to be more dominant – in a subtle way, of course – than you had planned to be in order to help him carry out his not-so-simple task: evaluating your suitability for the organization and for the job.

be nice to everyone you meet. first of all this is more human and will create a relaxed atmosphere that will help you, too. secondly, after you leave you don’t know what an experienced interviewer will ask the receptionist who you ignored somewhat or treated condescendingly because she’s just a receptionist and you’re vying for a high-ranking position. sometimes that same receptionist who watched you getting ready to present yourself was the one who tipped the scales in your favor – or against you!

if you are kept waiting, wait patiently. bring things that will help you wait calmly, such as appropriate reading material. a candidate who arrives prepared with suitable reading material (a daily paper is better than a comic book, a classic novel is better than a light weekly, etc.) will always make a better impression than someone who waits idly or looks around for something to read.

turn off your cellphone as soon as you enter the waiting room. you are liable to forget to turn it off when you go into the interview and if it rings you’ll feel very embarrassed, especially when you start rummaging around frantically to turn it off (don’t even dream of answering in the middle of the interview, although such phenomenon have been known to occur).

if you answer the phone while waiting you will have to speak loudly or even shout, which is uncouth, disruptive and shows you do not hesitate to take over a space and bother others. this lack of consideration will not help you in the least.