One recruiter had a candidate going for a final interview. It was a nice executive job. He was ushered in to talk to the board of directors. They shied away from him during the introductions and after barely 15 minutes he was dismissed. He did not get the job.
The recruiter was baffled. He called the CEO and asked, “What happened?”
The CEO replied, “You’ve seen that our building has mirrored windows all around. It looks like a silver cube. We were in the first floor conference room finishing a little business when your candidate drove up. He got out of his car and walked right up to the windows of our room. He took a quick look at himself in the glass. He saw something he didn’t like so he spat onto his fingers and rubbed down an errant lock of hair. He liked that better, but he was still uncomfortable. He undid his belt, reached into his pants to adjust himself then buckled back up. Do I need to tell you more about why we declined to hire him?”
The second you drive onto the company property, you are on stage. Many managers ask the receptionist what you were like in the waiting room. That is particularly true of sales candidates (they want someone who tried to get information from the receptionist). The HR (Human Resources) interview may be as important as the interview with the CEO. Every phone call is important. You may be competing against 10 or 20 other candidates.
Be yourself. Be your best self at all times.
Something to do today
Think of your last three interviews or job hunting phone calls. How did you do? Did you treat each contact with professionalism?
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Later: The hostile interview