PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW
Ever wondered what
keeps CEOs up at night? All CEOs lose sleep at one point in time and it bothers
on nothing other than the most important resource in the company…Human!
HR Managers are
actually tasked with the recruitment of the best possible candidate for
different roles in an organisation and a failure on their part is a failure for
the organisation as a whole hence the importance of the job and the answer to
the million dollar question, “what keeps CEOs up at night?”
Management of Human
resources is a tasking function and can only be best handled by professionals
but that’s not why we are here, is it?
One of the recruitment
process for any organisation includes interviews.
Interviews are mediums
by which prospective candidates sell themselves as the best amongst all applicants for a particular position. It is also a
way for the organisation to select the best
out of all applicants for a particular position
Today, we will be enlightening our readers about
how best to prepare for an interview owing to the fact that quite a number of
suitable candidates fail to nail the job because of a misdeed during the
interview or an overkill of what is expected. Moderation is the way of life, if
you understand this, you will find it easy to wave through any storm life
presents.
Here are some advices
that will come handy should you have an interview:
PRAY!!!
KNOW YOUR
RECRUITER
Take time out to
understand your recruiter. Research about the organisation, what they buy and
sell, the services they render, their target market, their object, mission and
vision statement.
This goes to impress
the interviewer that you are indeed interested in the organisation and you
really want to be a part of them. That scores you some favour and trust me, in
Nigeria, you will need all the favours you can get.
BE
PUNCTUAL
Keep tabs of the date,
time and venue. Be punctual. Be prompt and be sure to be ready. Lateness is a
total disqualifier. Don’t lose it before you even start.
WHAT TO
WEAR?!
 |
| perfect with a lovely pair of shoes |
 |
| pick any tie to go with |
Be neutral. Err on the
side of caution. Rather than dress fashionably, dress professionally.
Understand the dressing style appreciated by your prospective employer. Neutral
official wear with fitting shoes, crisply ironed, neat and smart outfit will
make the day. There goes a saying “dress how you want to be addressed”
If the job advert
states “business casual” as the outfit required, keep it business casual and
not party casual. Use your best judgement. You definitely need a mirror or a
trusted friend to check you out and pass a honest judgement. Dress and redress
before the interview day.
 |
| business casual without the shades on.. |
Add-ons are allowed,
say perfumes, colognes, etc. but it is best left out. Your interviewer might
love your perfume which is a plus for you but what happens if you are using a
perfume he/she got from an ex that cheated? Or a perfume that gives him/her a
headache? Or maybe you overused it?
For men, if you fought
your barber before the interview, it is time to mend fences. Visit your barber
for a clean shave. I know some banks in Nigeria disqualify applicants for
keeping beards, moustaches and huge afros that are unkempt. Clean, plain,
bright coloured shirts shaded with a matching tie and a dark coloured trouser
and pair of shoe will do the magic. A smart suit jacket will also add some
seriousness to the look. Don’t overdo with a pocket square because you might
end up doing it wrong. Remember, moderation is the way of life.
For ladies, a neatly weaved hairdo, a well
brushed wig or a well-oiled and brushed low-cut hair will do. A bright coloured
shirt, office blouse with matching accessories will do. A jacket is ok, neatly
tailored and ironed with either a trouser or skirt. Not too big a trouser and
not too short a skirt but moderately appropriate for an office setting. A
neatly polished shoe will strike the final chord.
DOCUMENTS!!!
After concluding on
what to wear, it is time to check those documents again. One act that totally
puts interviewers off is to appear disorganized irrespective of how neatly and
appropriately dressed you might be. There’s never a second chance to make a
first impression.
 |
| file your documents appropriately |
Arrange your entire original
documents into a file. Make enough copies of everything and keep filed in a
folder inside the file. Bring your own pencil or pen. Bring your own note pad
should you need to jot something…say a list of what you will be needing for the
next step in their recruitment process.
Bring every document that you have even
if you feel it is irrelevant because you never know what might be asked for. It
is better to come with more than needed than to not come with a document that
is needed, you have but you didn’t bring! It is catastrophic, believe me, I’ve
been there.
 |
| bring your notepad |
COUNTENANCE…Almighty
determinant!
Every interview is
judged on many criteria. Some interviewers might not care about what you are
putting on or whether your shirt is Hawes and Curtis or TMLewin. All they watch
out for is your countenance. Every interviewer attaches a minimum of 65% score
to countenance in an interview.
There is no standard
way of comporting yourself but what is generally acceptable is what we will
discuss here.
Don’t be timid. All
employers want an employee who is bold and outspoken, how else would they make
profit? But then again, no employer wants a too-forward person who leaps before
he looks so moderation comes in.
Be composed, no need
to fidget, interviewers are human too. Don’t trespass; stay where you are
advised to stay. Don’t leave the room you have been asked to stay. If you must
use the restroom- which often happens- be sure to tell someone, say the
secretary, so he or she can direct you accordingly. I was once supposed to
conduct an interview for some interns at my place of work- oh yeah, I work
somewhere too- and there was a delay before the interview started because of a
meeting I was in that hadn’t been completed. One of the applicants needed to
use the restroom and did not inform the secretary with whom she was seated alongside
other applicants. Long story short, she barged into the meeting and we were all
like “how can we help?” She felt embarrassed and quickly shut the door behind
her but not after I caught a glimpse of her face and when the interview
started…well, eventually, she wasn’t picked because she could not comport
herself well enough to sell the genius in her.
Don’t be too forward
and don’t lag where necessary. Moderation is the way of life.
Speak clearly enough
to be heard but not too loudly. A lot of suitable candidates have failed to bag
the job of their dreams because they could not eloquently communicate the good
stuff in them.
Facial expressions,
maker or spoiler! Be sure to smile but not too much so the interviewer won’t
believe you are laughing because you feel it is a comedy show.
ASK
QUESTIONS TOO!
VOTE OF
THANKS
Don’t frown. Don’t
appear frustrated or uninterested. Show that you are going with the flow and
that you understand every step of the conversation.
 |
| body gesture |
Don’t stare; it makes
even your interviewer uncomfortable. Look, keep eye contact, nod at several intervals, body
gestures and a smile will help.
Sit upright. Don’t
slouch. Don’t let nervousness make you lose composure. Keep you breathing
normal and don’t tap your fingers on the table or move your legs around too
much causing a noise. It is perfectly normal for your voice to shake when you
first start talking but after a few lines, take a break, swallow a bit of spit
and then continue with a clearer pitch.
Remember how
moderation is the way of life?! I once interviewed a bright and smart candidate
who happened to be the best amongst the set of candidate I had for the post but
was totally unemployable because he could not stay within moderation. He posed
a threat to the organisation should he be employed. This was solely because he
showed me too much of his real self that projected him as a scammer or a
potential link for such people in the society to hit the organisation. Dashing
out too much than necessary is a no-no. Do not divulge information that is
irrelevant to the employer in a bid to impress him. Moderation is the way of life.
Do not spread your
documents on your interviewers’ table! Respect his space.
I can go on and on about countenance but the
almighty rules states that moderation is the way of life. Stay within
moderation.
ASK
QUESTIONS TOO!
If you are being asked
if you have any question towards the end of an interview, don’t let it baffle
you. Your interviewer would also like to know if there are grey areas you would
want him to help shed light on about your prospective employer, the organisation,
some unrestricted internal information etc.
Be sure to ask constructive
questions; don’t ask questions you already have answers to or questions that
came up during the course of the interview. At this point, the tension must
have subsided, feel free; ask about how the current economic situation has not
been affecting the organisation and how its management has been able to wade
through the tough times without cutting manpower or reducing salaries.
This shows the
interviewer that you are really interested in the organisation and its welfare
and that you are already seeing yourself as part of them. It’s a plus, believe
me.
Other questions you
can ask include:
·
What are
the opportunities for advancement?
·
What are
the next steps in the recruitment process?
·
What makes
this organisation the best place to start/continue a career?
·
How will
my performance be evaluated?
VOTE OF
THANKS
 |
| VOTE OF THANKS |
Not really the
birthday type of vote of thanks but be sure to thank your interviewer for his
time and the opportunity given to you to sell yourself as capable. Leave a
short speech about how you appreciate the time spent and that you hope to hear
from them soon ‘cos I’m very sure you’re looking forward to it.
After all said, it is
also important to pray after the exercise. The power of prayer cannot be
overemphasized and remember always…moderation is the way of life!
Its a long list indeed but we can only break it down for you all. We hope this has been helpful enough so far.
Please stay connected to us as we promise many more interesting, informative and educative topics to discuss.
Feel free to add your views under the comments section. We love feedbacks!
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Thank you for your time. cya soon.
SIGNED
Mc Lari
