Opinion

Career Advice: How to Prepare if you Score an Interview

When you've made it to the playoffs, don't forget the fundamentals of the game

By Jeff Combs, Alta Associates

December 07, 2008 — CSO —

As we enter an employment market where competition for jobs is on the increase, it's more important than ever that job seekers sharpen their game, eliminate variables and play to win.

One area most candidates could stand improvement is in their communications, responsiveness and preparation once they've been selected to interview.

Few candidates realize that from the moment the hiring entity decides to initiate an interview process, they're being evaluated by both the company and their recruiter if they're working with one.

There are three general areas that prospective employers and recruiters pay the most attention to. They are responsiveness, communications and preparation.

Responsiveness

Granted, a candidate's responsiveness is directly related to their interest level in a given opportunity. However, if the goal is to get job offers from which to choose or land the job you desire your level of responsiveness is critical. Long delays in returned phone calls or emails can scuttle your chance of being a contender. This is especially true in the current market where there is more competition for fewer roles. Unless there are good reasons such as travel, personal obligations or illness one must strive to be quick to respond to communications from hiring entities and recruiters.

Communications

Equally as important as responsiveness is the way that candidates communicate. By this I'm referring to tone and professionalism. The tone of one's communications, both verbal and written, can convey positive or negative traits. Ideally, a candidate's communications convey enthusiasm, interest and a "can-do" attitude. Unfortunately when candidates don't pay attention to tone they come across as disinterested, uncommitted or just poor communicators. One major culprit is the wide reliance on mobile devices like Blackberries and iPhones. Twitting and texting is fine for friends and family but when you're hunting for a job, full sentences and proper grammar are required. So every time you get on the phone "smile before you dial" and get your energy up. And every time you respond to an email, read what you wrote and ask yourself what kind of message you're conveying. Remember, once you've started the interview process every aspect of your communication skills are being evaluated.

Preparation

This should be obvious but unfortunately it isn't to a lot of people. If you are interviewing for a job, you are expected to learn as much as you can about the company. What they do, how they do it, where they do it, how many employees, how much revenue, what regulatory issues they're facing, whether theyve been in the news.

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