Being late
It creates a bad impression at any business meeting, and a job interview is also an example of such a meeting. Any delay — even by merely a few minutes — should be communicated by telephone or e-mail to show the recruiter that you treat them with respect and that you are committed to participating in the recruitment process in which they involved you. Unfortunately, in some cases, the candidate does not show up at a pre-arranged meeting at all and forgets to inform the recruiter about this fact. If the reason for such behaviour is resignation from participating in the process, it is good to communicate that. After all, anyone can change their mind. Otherwise, when you start to actively seek a job yourself, you will irreversibly lose the support of a professional recruitment consultant, who will never call you to present a job offer again. If your plans have changed and you are suddenly unable to show up for an interview, you should also not hesitate to inform about this. An important emergency can happen to anyone, including a consultant. If they believe that your professional profile meets the project’s criteria, they will do whatever they can to set up a more convenient meeting date.
Recruitment dress code
A job interview is a business meeting; therefore, the candidate’s attire should be elegant and neat, although it still leaves some room for a little bit of nonchalance. Smart jackets and skirts for women or suits for men are not a must-have of dress code nowadays! Consultants are no longer surprised by colourful socks worn with a suit, a patterned jacket or skirt or other items of clothing that highlight the candidate’s style. All you need to bear in mind is that the attire components need to go together and be in good taste.
The first meeting
Remembering that men kissing women is outdated and — just like between two men or two women — men and women should greet each other by shaking hands. A handshake reveal a lot about the interviewee, so it is good to remember to shake someone’s hand in a decisive and bold way. This also applies to women — a slightly “masculine”, firm and concrete way of shaking the interlocutor’s hand makes a very good impression if you want to be a fully fledged partner in the following conversation.
During the interview…
Remember to turn off your mobile phone. If it rings unexpectedly, it can not only create a bad impression of you, but also break the flow of your response to the recruiter’s questions. Unfortunately, some candidates pick up calls during a job interview, explaining that they are extremely important. If you want to make a good impression on the recruiter, it is better to return the call after the job interview.
