Interview Preparation

• come with 2 perfect clean copies of same resume the interviewer has – don’t assume they have it ready even if they say they do
• arrive exactly 10 min early
• to answer a convoluted behavioural interview question, reflect & repeat it back in a simpler way… “if you are asking me how would I deal with problems with a co-worker. I would …
• no gum, no smells, no smoking the same day
• dress for success and to impress (go a day early to check it out or ask)
• listen
• practice short answers – cope with silence for a few seconds with a smile
• be ready to answer… “tell me about yourself” inc. a bit about yourself and bring it back to your passion and the opportunity
• stay on message – – answer what is asked in short answers
• do research to answer the question… “Do you know what we do?” (Client not zenPeak) and start the answer with “from what I understand…”
• make eye contact
• good posture
• ask permission to take a few notes then do it occasionally especially if the interviewer is doing an information dump as if you have already been hired

Candidate Comments:

“I was pleased to hear from you guys, one never knows with recruiters if you’ll ever be considered for their clients” E.V.

“I just wish to thank you for meeting with me last night. As I said at one point, I am very impressed with the level of engagement you have with candidates. I commend you for your level of professionalism as it is a rare step done by recruiting firms.” B.S.

“I wanted to send a quick email to thank you for taking the time after hours to meet with me, I am excited to meet with the team and forge ahead in my new position.” C.R.

“I want to acknowledge and thank you for your professionalism and follow-up – I wish that many other people in your profession were as good as you.” G.B.

“pays dividends to discuss interview strategies under a professional recruiter like yourself.” — S.C.

Some Comments from a LiveJournal thread.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for arranging a professional discussion which was value-added.” — S.C.

“The interview strengthened my confidence about working as a senior engineer, where I have 20 years global professional experience.” — C.P.

I once again would like to thank for the session and all your advice. I updated my profiles on Workopolis & Monster with the ‘repaired’ resume and already received 3 interviews, within just 5 days. That’s fantastic! You can use it as a testimonial — D.A.

“I’ve decided to write you a small note, thanking you for your help. I enjoyed being evaluated by you; you are an excellent “teacher” and have inspired me to continue looking for a job and learning with an open and positive mind. I send my revised resume to you and want you to know that over 20 agents reviewed my resume after I posted the new resume on-line. I appreciate all your hard work, it’s meant so much to me.” — S.J.