Unusual Interview Help

Here's a true story of how the craft of interviewing reaches beyond just qualifications and requirements. It's about perception and it can start sooner than you think.

A woman arrived at the office buiding where her interview was being held and parked her car. She got out of the car, taking her portfoliio with her and walked to the building entrance. Her arrival time was perfect, she was dressed very professionally and was confident in her abilities to bring the necessary skills and personality to the employer. The receptionist gave her an application to fill out and told her that the manager she was to meet with was tied up on the phone and might be a few minutes late. The woman could see a man talking on the phone in a conference room with a glass wall right off the reception area. The man from the cvonference room came out, welcomed her, shook her hand and, as they went into the room, apologized for his being late. A little verbal banter broke the ice and they both settled into their chairs to begin the interview. The first question out of the manager's mouth was, "So, how do you like your Jeep Wrangler? I've always wanted one." Without missing a beat, the woman smiled, shared her enthusiasm for the car, answered his all his questions and they had an enjoyable conversation about it. Then the regular interview went on.

Driving home from the interview, the woman realized that when she drove into the lot and parked and as she got out of the car and walked to the building entrance, he had been watching out the window as he talked on the phone. Had she done anything inappropriate, it would have been noticed. What's meant by inappropriate? Adjusting clothing or anything that goes into clothing! Spitting, dropping trash, emptying your car's ashtray, banging your door into another car or worse, hitting a car as you come in or drive away.

Your interview can start before you physically get there and can contiue even after you are done at the location. Someone racing by you on the road or cutting in fromt of you may be the person you are about to meet with rushing to get there on time. What if the person you didn't hold the elevator for was the hiring manager coming back from lunch. For those of you who use cell phones in the lavatory - the person in the next stall may be someone who are about to meet or just met with, so don't discuss the interview until you can do so privately. Maintain your professional demeanor until you are safely away from the interview location in case a person involved in the meeting may be leaving at the same time as you.

So, give yourself a geographic radius around your meeting location to begin and end the interview process as a safety zone. This is not about being paranoid about someone watching or listening, it's about being prepared and professional.


------

Provided by R.L. Stevens & Associates, Inc. - a full-service career firm. For more information, contact us at 1-800-721-9491, info@rlstevens.com or visit us online at http://www.rlstevensandassociates.com.