 In today’s challenging hiring environment, qualified job candidates are sometimes difficult to find and difficult to hire.
Just because you have a candidate in a face-to-face interview situation doesn’t mean that “you hold the cards,” so to speak. They have just as much right to determine you aren’t a fit for them as you have a right to determine they aren’t a fit for you. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, the interview is a two-way street, so make sure you stay on your side of the road. Part of doing that successfully is “painting the proper perception” during the interview. Remember that some candidates are looking for reasons to NOT work for your company, as opposed to looking for reasons to work for it. A misstep on your part can help them make a decision you don’t want them to make. With that in mind, below are three tips for “painting the proper perception” during a face-to-face interview: #1—Avoid exaggerations or generalizations. These can be perceived in an incorrect fashion, and you might not even be aware of it. Speak in specific, definable terms regarding the position, including about responsibilities, expectations, and other parameters. #2—Think of the interview from the candidate’s point of view. How would your questions sound to them? In other words, how would they perceive them? What possible misunderstandings or miscommunications could arise? It would be shortsighted to believe that thinking of these things isn’t your responsibility. #3—Don’t end the interview without gauging their perception. For certain, ask if they have any questions. Then ask about their thoughts at this stage of the process. Be sure there aren’t any misperceptions—about the position, the company, or anything else. One of the goals of a successful interview is to ensure that the candidate’s perception of the position accurately matches the reality of the position. If that goal is not achieved, it increases the chances that the candidate won’t want to work for your company. And in today’s challenging job market, if you have a good candidate who could become a good (or even great) worker, you don’t want to let them get away! Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! No job interview is flawless, but you can certainly cut down on the number of mistakes that you make, and you definitely don’t want to make any BIG mistakes.
First and foremost, a ringing cell phone is just that kind of mistake. That’s why it’s important to remember to turn your phone off before the interview begins. That will allow you to focus on making sure that you don’t “trip up” in some other way. Below are the five biggest interview mistakes and how you can avoid them: #1—Lack of research Find out as much as you can about the company and the job opening ahead of time. Useful background data may include sales volume, profit for the last several years, major products and/or services, opportunities for growth, number of employees and branches, the mission statement, corporate giving to charitable institutions, reputation and background of management, and job responsibilities. Most, if not all, of this information should be available online. Other information, such as the company's approach toward promoting from within, the job description, or the salary may require a little more digging. #2—Inappropriate dress/appearance Your appearance in the job interview is the first impression you’ll make, so show up like somebody who really wants the job. Inappropriate dress is often a major reason that a person does not receive an offer of employment. While it’s obvious that you can dress in too casual a fashion, you can also go too far in the other direction and “overdo it.” This can involve too much jewelry, too much cologne or perfume or too much makeup. #3—A perceived lack of integrity and credibility Avoid saying negative things about your previous employers. How you speak about your previous employers gives the hiring authority an idea of how you’ll speak about your next employer. In addition, some people use negative speech patterns such as “just,” “actually,” “kinda,” and “almost.” For example: “I’m just really grateful to be talking to you today.” These phrases make you come across as less confident, less authoritative, and less employable. The same goes for using disclaimers such as, “Well, I’m really not an expert on this.” People think these types of statements make them seem more likable or down-to-earth, but they undermine credibility. #4—Failure to ask good questions Ask intelligent questions about the job opportunities and the position duties, and prepare a list of these questions beforehand. Good questions provide you with the information you need to make a decision about the job, and they also impress your interviewer. The hiring manager can ascertain whether or not you’ve done your homework by what kind of questions you ask. They realize that you understand what the job requires, because you're able to discuss its potential opportunities and challenges. When you're asked if you have any questions at the end of the interview, simply shrugging and saying, “Not really” is a HUGE mistake. #5—Asking how much you’ll get paid too soon. If you don’t already know what the job pays, avoid this topic unless the interviewer brings it up first. You don’t want the employer to think that all you’re interested in is how much they pay. You may ask about salary only after several interactions and at the very end of an interview as a “curious question.” Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! At no time, especially in this current market, is the interview process a one-way street.
In other words, at no time should a job candidate’s time be considered less valuable than yours, especially if you’re having difficulty hiring the workers that you want to hire. Remember, the candidate is interviewing the company at the same time that company officials are interviewing the candidate. Below are two tips for ensuring that the interview process is a two-way street: #1—Make a connection. A common mistake is to assume that there’s urgency on the part of the candidate, that they’ll be grateful for whatever time you can give them. That might be true of those candidates who are unemployed. However, there has been a paradigm shift in the marketplace, thanks to “The Great Recession” and other factors. When you interview a good job candidate, you should strive to do more than just accurately assess their skill set and their potential for fitting into the company culture. You should also strive to make a connection with the candidate and build a sort of camaraderie or rapport with them. The reason? The candidate needs a very good reason to work for your organization. #2—Give them a good reason. As mentioned above, job seekers and candidates have the upper hand right now. Many of them have multiple job options and career opportunities. As a result, companies and organizations have some work to do, especially during the interview process. With that in mind, be sure to analyze your interview process. Are you marketing yourself to each person interviewed? Are you giving tours of your facility to those candidates who stand out from the rest? What reasons are you giving to top job candidates to convince them to take advantage of your opportunity? Your answers to these questions might just be the deciding factor in how prepared you are to tackle an employment marketplace filled with challenging conditions for employers that need workers. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! The job interview can be a stressful experience for a lot of people, but preparing for the questions can help increase your confidence level.
Below are the five most common questions asked during an interview, including the logic behind them and how to consider answering them: #1—“Tell me about yourself.” This is typically the first question the interviewer will ask. It’s an opportunity for them to assess you as a person through what you say and how you deliver it. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make sure you’re adequately prepared to answer this question. Above all, keep it concise. #2—“What are your weaknesses?” At first glance, this question might seem tricky. However, if you’ve thoroughly gone through the company’s profile and/or website, you’ll better understand which qualities are considered strengths and which are not. There are a few ways to answer this question. First, armed with your knowledge of which weaknesses are likely frowned upon by the interviewer, you could admit to those that are not crucial to the job requirements. Second, you could mask strengths as weaknesses. For instance, you could say that you are a very meticulous person who gets picky with details of a project. Third, you could confess to past weaknesses, but then illustrate how you triumphed over them. #4—“Why should I hire you?” Here’s where you should link your skills, experience, education, and personality to the job. This is why you need to be very familiar with the job description and the company culture. It’s possible that you may not have as much in the way of skills, experience, or qualifications as other candidates. As you explain your compatibility with the job and company, be sure to portray yourself as a motivated, confident, and energetic person. As a general rule, people are attracted to those traits. #5—“Do you have any questions for me?” This your chance to finish the interview in a strong fashion. This means not saying that you don’t have questions to ask. You absolutely must ask questions. Doing otherwise might leave the impression that you’re not exactly keen on the job. (Or at the very least, that you’re a person who does not do their due diligence.) However, don’t ask questions with obvious answers you could have discovered through research. Try to incorporate your knowledge of the industry and the company into a question that addresses a genuine concern. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! |
