Proper Interview Protocol

  • Anticipate travel time. If necessary, do a test run the day before to acclimate yourself to the location of the building, parking availability, etc.
  • Upon arriving at the location, outside of the building, TURN OFF your cell phone.
  • Do not apply cosmetics in the lobby while waiting for your interviewer. Remember, the walls have eyes.
  • Bring along a traditional business pen with black ink (no red ink, etc., pens with feathers attached to them [trust me this has happened)] or other, pens with logos of other companies (especially their competition [this has happened too]).
  • While waiting for the interview, choose “winner” reading material. A winner’s choice would be the company’s brochure or a business magazine, i.e., Forbes or Newsweek (no People Magazine, etc.). Some of my clients use that as a test to determine who is seriously interested in business.
  • The answer is YES to the following question: “Should I bring any resumes with me to the interview”? If you want to be considered for the job, you will need to bring your resume with you. You will also need more than one copy as you may be interviewing with several people at once, which requires more than one copy. Bring at least five resumes printed on bond paper, placed in a business portfolio or folder. The resumes should not be folded or wrinkled.
  • Arrive 15 to 30 minutes prior to your interview unless instructed otherwise. TIP: Interacting with the receptionist and people walking by, whether it is a simple hello or a smile, will go a long way.
  • Questions are a necessity (preferably memorized). Be prepared to have at least ten questions to ask the interviewer about the job or the company. If you don’t want the job, just think of generic questions. If you really want to be considered for the job, you will need to put some effort into the type of questions you are prepared to ask. Think outside of the box when preparing your list of questions. The more unique your prepared questions are phrased, the more you show the interviewer that you are someone who stands out from the other applicants. If you are not interested in their company, they will not be interested in you.
  • Remember to ask for a business card from every person you meet. If you fail to do this, there is a good chance that the receptionist will have the business cards of the people with whom you met. The cards are necessary as e-mailed and hard copies of thank you notes must be sent out on the same day. Sometimes e-mails get lost in the crowd of e-mails. Therefore, a hard copy of your thank you note must be sent. A generic thank you note will not get you the job. Interviewers judge your writing skills, your thought process, your energy and your follow-up skills on the contents of your thank you note.
  • NEVER contact the client via telephone or e-mail, other than your thank you note, unless instructed by Genesis Recruiting.
  • Upon your departure from the interview, at your first opportunity (when you have left the building), you MUST call your recruiter at Genesis. If you are unable to reach your recruiter, it is necessary for you to leave a message in your recruiter’s voice mail, not the general voice mail, detailing your experience at the interview.
    • How you think it went?
    Where the interviewer left it with you?
    Are you interested in the job?
    On a scale of 1-10, how did you feel the interview went and how you see yourself fitting into the organization?
    This feedback is necessary from you, as the client will call and ask what you thought of the position. I must have the information from you to be able to provide it to them.
  • There is a very good chance you will be asked back for a second interview. We cannot be hunting you down looking for you. If you are “amongst the missing,” it does not speak well of you or your recruiter.