Being in the industry for so many years and coming across various type of people for various reasons (work wise!) makes you a person-reader and to an extent “Gyaani” (pun intended,not!) Last few months I’ve been deeply involved in hiring for all levels in the Organization unlike to previous role where I was only dealing with selection and on-boarding of people at top rungs. So dealing with them is a different experience altogether than what you experience or learn or observe when you are hiring professionals at the rungs below in the ladder.
While I’m at this stage of hiring I thought why not share it with job seekers who may pick from my two cents and benefit themselves!
“Be on time,not. Be a little before time!” Gives you enough time to settle down, get organized, and take a quick check on how you are looking. Find the resting room and go figure. Since you are commuting from one place to another, chances are your hair get ruffled or your shirt has come out from that tuck-in. And even if all is in place, one look in the mirror and telling yourself to “do well” works wonders, try it!
“Be well dressed” Dressing well doesn’t always mean dressing in coat-tie/stilettos format. Dressing in my humble opinion is to dress comfortably and tidily. Even if you are wearing a little casual dress, make sure you are carrying it well to not let it look like ‘I don’t care’. That I think is an important point to take care of.
“Be organized” Arrange all your documents in proper folder/nice envelope and ensure they are fresh copies and not ill folded, used-many-a-times ones. If you are required to carry certain documents for the interview meeting, ensure you have all of them on you, stating ‘oops, I forgot!’ doesn’t really leave a nice first impression on the recruiter. This gives a message that you are casual about this meeting, which in reality you may not be, but since you are not organized well, you are bound to leave a ‘chalta hai’ impression of yours.
“Be Scent-y” Smelling foul is really something that no one would appreciate, forget about recruiters. For that matter, even you would be uncomfortable if someone’s not smelling nice, right? So I’m not suggesting to smell extraordinary but ensure you are not smelling of sweat!
“Be equipped” With knowledge about the company that you’ve shown interest in working with. It is always good to do some research on the company and additionally if you know whom you gonna meet, about that person too. Having basic knowledge gives you a fair idea of where you are getting yourself landed (in a job!) and what kind of questions and/or pertaining to which field will be asked. Also, however old or typical this question sounds, the ‘why do you want to work with ABCXYZ?’ still remains a favorite of interviewers. This is their way to know your genuine interest in working with them and also how well networked in the industry you are in today’s world!
“Be in possession of pen” Always, always, always carry a working pen. By working I mean which will really write and not give up half way while you are signing a form! A pen is the basic stationary you should carry by default, irrespective of you attending an interview or not. Its a very important and helpful habit. And especially at interview you certainly need a pen either to sign somewhere or to fill in the job application. It shows you have invested time in getting ready for the interview. Again, a sign of you being organized. Oh and carry a Blue/Black pen, not a random pink or green inked!
“Beware of your Resume” this being the last tip isn’t the least important one, in fact this is really important! Always know what you’ve written in your resume. I’ve come across lot of job seekers who think resume is just a piece of paper and a formality. But my dear friends, a resume reflects your personality and works as a window which showcases your expertise. So it ought to be good, precise and giving right information. You can’t simply copy a resume from the Internet or a friend and then go blank when questions are asked related to it. That really put off the interviewers. Especially, HR panel! If you have written a flashy ‘objective’ in your resume but you have no clue what does it mean, you’ve bungled! Either write a simple resume or be ready to explain a flashy one! Not knowing resume means you are faking it all just to get in, which is not nice,really!
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