Job interview: how to behave
There are many things that you can prepare before a job interview, which is the reward for having prepared a cv and reaching out to the labour market.
Some people still believe that it’s best to adopt a natural approach, answer questions freely so that you can be transparent and be seen for what you are, without telling any fibs …
That’s a MISTAKE!
An interview to select a person to potentially work for a company is a business event and must be treated accordingly: you need to prepare for it, just like you would prepare a presentation, or in the same way you would prepare and simulate a meeting with a customer or a negotiation.
Let’s start with the basics:
Be reachable: you should ideally always have your phone charged and have a voicemail and you should be able to receive text messages. I know everyone has their own ideas about this, but try to put yourself in the shoes of people involved in recruitment: they might want to contact you and they may have to schedule some meetings in a short space of time. They won’t be able to call you repeatedly at different times of the day, send emails, etc.. You might potentially be important, but there is also a high supply of qualified workers … So it’s best to be easily contactable.
If they do happen to contact you at an inappropriate time for any reason, it’s best to phone back quickly and make sure you understand the name, company, number (best to save this on your mobile). Don’t wait for more than half a day to go by. Don’t ask your counterparty to call you back, don’t ask them to send an email … other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. if you’re on holiday in another continent).
Be flexible: you may be working and you might want to play hard to get, but recruitment doesn’t just take place after 6.30 pm or during your lunch break. So a bit of flexibility is advisable. Being flexible means also using solutions other than one-to-one meetings. Even in Italy people are increasingly being asked to have interviews by telephone or by Skype. In other countries, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries, this has been the case for years. This is becoming the norm now, so don’t be surprised. The same might apply for an interview in the lobby of a hotel - especially in certain sectors that are particularly advanced (e.g. the digital world or for start-ups).
Be flexible: you may be working and you might want to play hard to get, but recruitment doesn’t just take place after 6.30 pm or during your lunch break. So a bit of flexibility is advisable. Being flexible means also using solutions other than one-to-one meetings. Even in Italy people are increasingly being asked to have interviews by telephone or by Skype. In other countries, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries, this has been the case for years. This is becoming the norm now, so don’t be surprised. The same might apply for an interview in the lobby of a hotel - especially in certain sectors that are particularly advanced (e.g. the digital world or for start-ups).
