interview behaviour and etiquette
TRANSCRIPT
ì Interview Behaviour and Etiquette
Charlo(e Flatley Interna/onal Recruitment Specialist
Below is a snippet from our Pro Resume Write (www.proresumewrite.com) Interview Guide -‐ hope it helps you in
preparing for your next interview!
It is important that you understand the expected interview behaviours and e/que(e.
Through all of your engagements with the company you must ensure you make a good impression.
Try to be flexible with interview times
You will normally have a good couple of days to prepare.
However, some/mes things can happen last minute so if you do get a call asking you to come in for interview in a day or two's /me try to be flexible as this shows that you are keen for the opportunity and can be adaptable.
Research the interview panel
The Recruiter should provide you with the name and job /tles of all the people who will be interviewing you, however, if they do not it is ok to ask them to share this with you.
ì Once you have the names of the interviewers, take a look beforehand at their experience on LinkedIn or depending on the seniority see if there is a blurb on the company website about them and their experience.
ì It is helpful for you to know who you will be mee/ng and where they have come from as they may be things in common and you will know how to be(er present informa/on to them.
Name dropping mutual contacts only
ì If you no/ce that you have a mutual contact then you can casually drop a name during the interview if it links to a relevant example or company you worked for, but do not con)nually name drop different people.
ì You also want to be careful of who you men/on, as you do not know the interviewers feelings of that person and you could be considered guilty by associa/on.
Note Taking Prior and During the Interview
ì This is an undecided point with both Recruiters and Hiring Managers if it is favourable or not for candidates to use notes during an interview.
ì The best thing to do is; prepare and have notes which you can refer to if there is an opportunity to, but know them well enough that you do not need to rely on them if they are not permi(ed.
Language used including the universal “WE”
ì This is a /me to sell you skills and experience, but there is a fine line between selling and coming across and arrogant.
ì Whilst the word ‘we’ implies that you are team oriented, which is a posi/ve a(ribute, it does not tell the interviewers what you par/cularly did and what you are capable of.
ì On the other hand, those who refer to ‘I’ throughout the interview can be perceived as ego/s/cal and not someone who recognises the value of their team members.
Listening – Be Sure You Listen to the Interview Questions Carefully
ì When you are nervous you may find that you will only listen to one part of the ques/on and not the rest of it or you will hear what they want to hear and end up giving an irrelevant example.
ì Do not be afraid to jot down notes when the interviewer is asking a ques/on and pull out the key criteria you need to address.
ì If you feel that you haven't got a grasp of the ques/on do not start waffling in the hopes it might come, ask the interviewer to repeat the ques/on
ì This will not look bad as the interview panel prefer you to give a relevant example rather than waffle.
Engage With Everyone in the Room and Make Eye Contact
ì Although the manager will make an overriding decision, if you have ignored anyone in the room they will not comment favourably on your interview.
ì Make sure to make eye contact when talking to people.
Time Keeping
ì Interviews are normally only one hour in length and compromise tradi/onally of a minimum of 6 ques/ons but can go up to 9 or 10.
ì Therefore it is important to be clear and concise with your answers, on average you will only have approximately 4 -‐ 5 minutes to respond to each ques/on
Asking Questions of the Panel
ì At the end of every interview there should be /me allocated for you to ask ques/ons of the interviewers. Be sure that you always ask a couple of ques/ons.
ì By not asking a ques/on it can give the impression that you feel you know the job already which let's face it no one knows the job fully un/l you are in it.
ì Again you want to come across as interested in the posi/on and not over-‐confident.
Most importantly remember to close out the interview by thanking them for their /me and the opportunity to meet with
them!
Think you could use help with your resume?
Let our team of specialists conduct a free resume health check by simply emailing your resume to [email protected] or
review our website
full services/prices as well as tes/monials from our previous customers.