I Regularly Interview Candidates — Here’s Where They Go Wrong
And how to fix them
For the past 12 months, I’ve been building up our consulting division in my company and working with our recruitment provider to bring in high-quality candidates.
By the time a CV lands on my desk, it has passed an initial sift so quite often I will proceed to conduct an informal telephone conversation, and if we’re both a match, a formal panel interview.
I’ll keep this generic, but here are the common patterns I see where candidates fall short, and how to turn them around:
Being late
Let’s start with an obvious one. As a rule of thumb, aim to turn up to your interview 15 minutes early.
Aside from being a buffer to disruptions on your journey, this allows the panel to have everything set up without trying to figure out if you have turned up.
Sometimes one can’t help being late of course. Apologise to the panel for your tardiness and keep your excuse brief.
Not understanding the role
Many candidates fail to research what the role entails and as good as they may be at their current job, a key skill is being able to articulate how your current skills and experience map across to the…
