Interview with him...

Last Friday the candidate turned up for interview. The interview started pretty well, he apologized for loosing his temper at me and I apologized if he thought I was rude. I also explained to him again my intentions and how recruitment firm actually work.

Since, I’ve already had his resume; I questioned him on his sales experience that he has gained from the current company. Then I asked him what his KPIs are, strangely he doesn’t know what the meaning of KPI is. He kept mentioning his targets as KPIs. Never mind that, it took me sometime to get into his head what KPIs are. Then he got it right.

Done with the related questions, I asked him why didn’t he write all those he mentioned in his resume? To that he was shocked, he wanted to see my copy. I showed to him and he said I have the wrong copy. I should have the copy that he brought along. I have the wrong copy because he sent it to me. He was puzzled why he sent me the wrong copy. Never mind that, in his resume it shows that he is a job hopper.

Reason being he didn’t indicate that all this while he’s been working on Contract Basis.

Lesson 1

Always indicate if you are contract employee, you don’t want the next employer to perceive that you seek for difference employment every 3 months.

He said he was afraid to do so because he might get another contract employment, therefore he doesn’t mention that he works contract positions during an interview with an employer instead he prefers to tell the truth to the recruitment consultant. Isn’t he causing himself jobs?

After much explaining he reluctantly agreed to indicate that all those was contract employment in his resume.

Lesson 2

When it comes to working history/experience always indicate your current employment first followed by the previous. Never never never state your first job till current, nope, that’s not right. Why? Because when an employer goes through your resume, he may have or have to go through another 200 more resumes; he doesn’t have the time to read through everything written in your resume. You want him to know what you have been doing now, what experience you have gained now, what position you are working now instead of you have done after SPM or after Uni. You may have done a clerk job after SPM per say. Do you want him to think why is a clerk applying to my Managerial position?

Since, this is a junior sales position I suggested we should do role plays. That way it will give the idea if he is suitable for a Corporate Sales position or a Retail Sales position. I asked him if he knows what a role play is. He said he understood. I gave him the scenario and told him I’m the client and you are the sales person. I give 5 minutes and I’ll walk in.
I walked in and he got everything wrong. He started telling what he will do in that role. Rather than acting out the role. After, both the role plays I concluded that he is suitable for corporate sales position.

Lesson 3

Listening skills, is severely important. Listen carefully to what the employer has to say and respond within the question. Do not divert, do not point out your mistake coz he hasn’t notice it yet until you mentioned it. Pay attention, turn off your handphone.

This guy’s problem was he was distracted with his phone. It kept ringing, no doubt he put it on vibrate mode, he kept checking it. Thus, jeopardizing his interview.

Lesson 4

Always check if you have body odour, you don’t want your interview to die in the interview room or decide not to give you the job at their company due to your bodily odour that only you can stand.

Yep, this guy had severe body odour problem. I never knew how to tell people they have body odour problem, no matter how polite I was people always have this reaction that they never smell.

Lesson 5

Don’t be embarrassed with your language skills, if you are not good or excellent in the language that you speak. Make sure you don’t say you are excellent when I asked or state excellent in resume. This again gives wrong impression to the employer that you don’t even know how to rate yourself. Be modest, state either Fair or Good, don’t go over board by saying excellent. You want your employer to say “Your English is very good why you said Fair?” you definitely don’t want your employer to say “Your English is rather on the fair side, why did you state you are excellent?”

Lastly, he said he was very nervous with me and that he thinks I’m strict. Just because I corrected his mistakes and taught him the right way to beef up his resumes makes me scary.

Lesson 6

Always, shake hands with your interviewer with a broad smile even if you know you are not getting the job. You want people to remember you as who you are not as a failure.

Yep, this guy didn’t bother to shake hands, he was too obsessed with his phone and all the calls and messages he’s been getting he didn’t even realize I wanted to shake hands with him.

Oh well, after he left I headed back to my table and a colleague asked me. So, how was he? I do not want to state my comment here. But I found out that this colleague saw him at the waiting area and when the candidate mentioned that I’m the consultant, my colleague warned him as I’m very strict. You better answer her questions well and pay good attention to her. Oh well! That triggered the fear in him and he didn’t do well at all.

Lesson 7

Never let your fear overcome your judgement. Always, be yourself and be confident.