Ever wonder what's going on in the mind of a recruiter interviewing you as a job candidate?
Here's some insight from a Divisional Human Resource Manager.
"The first thing I would notice when a candidate walked into a room was their dress.
I wasn't necessarily looking for high fashion clothing, but a classic look with clean lines
that wasn't flashy or over accessorized was a must.
Before I could even shake their hand or judge their eye contact,
the clothes that they were wearing and the way they carried themselves constructed
my first impression of them, which would last a life time.
Immediately I would have to ask myself if this person looked like they would fit in our company culture.
For most of the interviews, I would make my judgment in the first 90 seconds whether they
would be considered for a further round of interviewing. Their appearance, body language, eye
contact and hand shake told me more than their resume ever could.
In my opinion, their appearance (dress and grooming) said they not only wanted to impress me,
the interviewer, but also spoke about how much they respected themselves, and self respect generally has
a lot to do with a person's character.
It also told me this person has clear boundaries, and boundaries are
vital in climbing the corporate ladder, because people who establish clear boundaries will stay focused,
keep their eye on the compass, meet quotas, reach goals and stay on course within the company mission statement.
As an interviewer my job was not simply to fill all of the entry level positions, but to gather candidates
who would grow within the company to fill top level positions within a few years.
In addition to appearance, I was cued into the applicant's business etiquette and manners.
I once had a highly educated applicant remove her shoe during the interview and open her cosmetic
bag to remove a band aid to place on a blister that had formed on her heel. Needless to say, this disqualified
her immediately from consideration.
A young man once came to interview when he had a cold. While obviously, cold's happen, this
young man was unable to think ahead, and wiped his nose on the cuff of his sleeve instead of bringing a
handkerchief into the room. This showed me right away that he lacked proper planning skills and poor judgment.
His etiquette spoke much louder than his resume.
A bit of nervousness is to be expected, but the opposite extreme of being too laid back again
told me the candidate may have issues in determining what's acceptable in the business world and what's
acceptable on weekends or after work.
The higher up you go in the corporate world, the more you will be spending a great deal of time
representing your company outside of your office. As a result, once you're outside the interviewer's office,
if you find your self in a casual environment with them, be on guard. You are being interviewed at all times.
Finally, any kind of interruption during an interviewing process is considered rude.
Be sure to leave your cell phones in your car. Don't forget to bring a business card with you to the interview just in case,
and be sure to collect your interviewer's contact information before you leave to make sure you can send your thank you
card to the appropriate parties."
- Mary Scott
Mary Scott was a Divisional Human Resource Manager at Federated Department Stores.
She would routinely conduct second round interviews for openings in all levels from operations to
merchandising in Federated's Burdines division.
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Registration is free for University of Maryland
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