INTERVIEW PREPARATION

No matter the candidate, from a $10 an hour Office Assistance to a $150 an hour Sr. Developers, candidates are not professional interviewers, but you are. So, what does this mean? It means that regardless of the candidate, you need to everything you can to give them the advantage to ace the interview and never leave anything to chance. One of the best ways to do this is with a thorough interview prep. The interview prep timeline is outlined below:

1. The Pre-Interview Prep: As soon as the Interview is confirmed

• The Interview Prep: As soon as possible, but not to exceed 5 business days

• The day of call: At lease 2 hours before the interview

PREP FOR THE PREP

Before you can have an effective interview prep with your candidate you need to gather as much information as you can form the Account Manager.

What you will need:

• What type of interview is it?

Phone, skype, or in-person, very interview has a specific interview prep covering specific information geared specifically for that type of interview. Is that specific enough?

• Where is the Interview?

If your candidate will be conducting a in-person interview, what is the address of the interview location. In addition to the address, some client sites can be large with multiple buildings, so get the specifics on where the building is located and even how to get to the correct office.

• Who’s involved in the interview?

Make sure to ask the Account Manager the names of everyone who will be interviewing your candidate.

• What questions will be asked during the interview?

If other candidates have interviewed before yours, be sure to ask the Account Manager what questions where asked during the interview. In many cases, interviewers will ask the same questions for every interview. Knowing these questions will help your candidate be better prepared.

THE CANDIDATE’S PRE-INTERVIEW PREP

After you have gathered all the necessary information from the Account Manger it is time to prep your candidate for the prep. The interview prep is extremely important and can be time consuming. Whenever posable, you need to set and confirm a specific time to conduct the interview prep with your candidate.

Call the candidate and let them know that you will need about 25 minutes to go over a few things to get them as best prepared as posable for their upcoming interview. Then, set a day and time that your candidate will be free of distractions. Before ending the call, let your candidate know that you will be emailing them some information for them to review before the interview prep.

What to email your candidate:

• The company website

Send your candidate the website of the company they will be interviewing with as well as any relevant articles. With this, tell your candidate to prepare a few questions related to the information found online.

• Information about the interviewers

Included in the prep email should be the names of all the people involved in the interview as well as there Linkedin profiles (if available), and links to any bios they may have on the company website. Tell your candidate to prepare one or two questions related to the information provided for each interviewer.

• Interview location information

Also include the address of the interview and ask the candidate to verify driving direction to the interview site.

CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW PREP

Just like everything in this business, consistency is key, so be sure to always use the interview form. Start the interview prep by asking the candidate if they looked through the information that you emailed to them prior to the prep and ask what questions they have prepared. Make sure that the questions are appropriate.

INTERVIEW ATTIRE

More than just telling the candidate to dress to impress, ask them what they are wearing. Asking what color paint their outfit is as well as what color and type of shoes the candidate is planning on wearing. Then ask them when the last time the tried on their planned outfit. If it has been a few months ask them to try the outfit on after your call is concluded to make sure the outfit fits, is clean, and is free of stains a dirt.

For Women:

• Pants or skirt: No distracting prints or patterns, color should be neutral, should not be form fitting, and skirt should fall below the knee and be worn with neutral pantyhose   
• Blouse: No distracting prints, patterns, or colors, avoid low neck lines, should not be form fitting, should cover the shoulders
• Jacked: Optional but encouraged, should not be mad of distracting prints, patterns, or colors
• Jewelry: Limited, no dangling earrings, bold necklaces, or excessive rings and/or bracelets, no facial piercings or tong rings
• Shoes: Closed toe, flats, low or medium heal, avoid distracting color or print
• Nails: Neatly manicured, clean, and professional
• Make-up: Light and professional
• Perfume: Very light (if any), not overpowering or distracting
• One purse, portfolio, or brief case

For Men:

• Suit: Preferred but not required, solid color (blue or grey)
• Shirt: long sleeve, solid, no distracting colors
• Belt: Leather, color to match paints
• Shoes: leather, conservative, colored to match
• Tie: Always (even when not wearing a suit), solid color preferred, conservative, no distracting patterns, prints, colors
• Nails: Neatly trimmed
• Hair: Freshly cut, neat, and professional
• Cologne: Very light (if any), not overpowering or distracting
• Facial Hair: Neatly trimmed and professional
• Single brief case or portfolio 
• Headwear: None, unless for religious purposes
• Jewelry: Limited, one ring, no necklaces over the shirt unless for religious purposes, no facial piercings or tong rings

Both men and women:

• Avoid eating or drinking anything but water after getting dressed for the interview
• No smoking after brushing teeth and getting dressed for interview
• Dispose of gum before exiting your vehicle or in a trash receptacle before entering the building

INTERVIEW PREP CHECKLIST

With consistency in mind, ISGF has devoted a checklist to make sure you hit all the key points during your prep.  Regardless of your level of experience in recruiting, always use the check list.

Task: Review the Interview Prep Checklist with your instructor. This for can be found in the “Internal Forms” section of this guide.

INTERVIEW SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Phone and Skype interviews require specific instructions outside of the prep checklist.

Phone Interview

• Choose a quiet place, free from distractions to conduct your phone interview
• Take notes throughout interview
• Never use speaker, Bluetooth, or car phone
• If in the car, pull over to a safe location to conduct the interview
• Call someone from the location you intend to conduct your phone interview to check for call clarity.
• If interviewer(s) have not called within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, call your recruiter immediately
• Have resume printed out and available

Video Interview

• Choose a quiet place, free from distractions to conduct your Video interview
• Wear professional attire
• Have your back to a wall that is free of clutter or distractions
• Conduct test call with the candidate prior to Interview
• Have resume printed out and available