Office 2007 Professional blog the-dreaded-hr-inter

A lengthy, long time ago, I wrote a post about phone screens and incorporated a number of my strategies for success. Last week,Office 2010 Professional Plus Key, in Zoë;s series on the interview day, she briefly discussed the in-person recruiter meeting. She provided a great overview, but I think this phase deserves its own examination – don;t you agree?



I created a lot of controversy with my first post on the telephone screen. Apparently, I was rather flippant and approached the topic a bit too lightly. Instead of easing people;s fears, I probably worsened them. One reader said:



I've always understood the 'recruiter' interview to be like a Pass/Fail course in school. You can't make a major misstep or you're toast. But even if you ace the course,Purchase Windows 7, it doesn't raise your average. This blog entry does little to counteract that conventional wisdom, in fact it perpetuates it somewhat.



I could be apologetic for the way that entry came across, and at first, I was. But the truth is the initial recruiter phone screen really is similar to a pass/fail course. While briefly covering a myriad of topics, you have prove yourself to be smart, capable, creative, etc … and all in the span of about 15 minutes. It sounds nerve racking,Microsoft Office 2010 Professional, and it is, and I shouldn;t sugar coat the experience. I say this not only as recruiter but as someone who has been on the interviewee side of a telephone screen. This is your “make it or break it” chance.



No pressure or anything.



Before anyone gets too frightened and says, “I;m never going to interview again!,” let me say this: Not passing a phone screen doesn;t mean you;ve lost your shot with a company. It just means you;ve probably lost your shot for that particular job opening, particular group, or particular recruiter … at this particular time. But it should never be seen as a sign of ultimate defeat. While we all seek a core set of competencies from candidates, different groups have different requirements at different times. And plus, we know people have bad days. We do have hearts and believe in second chances.



With all that out of the way, I should move on to the real topic of the post: the in-person recruiter interview. I wanted to reiterate my thoughts on phone screens mostly to show the juxtaposition between the two types of interviews. While the phone screen may be the pass/fail class, an in-person recruiter interview is the prep course. While the phone screen is the ultimate show time, the in-person recruiter interview is just the rehearsal.



This isn;t to say an in-person recruiter interview isn;t a real interview or doesn;t count for something. It certainly does, and it should still be taken seriously. But even if a recruiter meets with you in the morning before your interview day and doesn;t feel you answered her questions well, she isn;t going to put you on the next plane back home.



I see the in-person recruiter interview serving two main functions:


Setting expectations. How many interviews will you have? What will the flow of the day be like? What are some questions you may receive? When will you next hear from the recruiter? The recruiter will provide you with a lot of tips and hints and tricks, but you should also feel free to ask as many questions as you may have.
The opening act. Like I said, the recruiter will ask you real interview questions, but this meeting with likely be the easiest (or at least most predictable) interview you;ll have all day. Use this as a time to get into the interview groove.


When I;m interviewing a candidate in the morning, one thing I;ll do is make notes of potential weaknesses I uncover and then try to prepare the candidate in case similar questions arise again. It;s been said a lot, but one key attribute we look for in candidates is the ability to learn. During the course of the day, interviewers (including the recruiter) will attempt to teach the candidate something (maybe related to coding, testing, problem solving, etc). For example, if I know a candidate is particularly worried about brainteaser questions, I may ask one in the morning interview. After the interview, I;ll give the candidate some pointers. I won;t necessarily say, “On this question, I asked you ‘this; and you said ‘this.; That was wrong.” Instead my pointers may be more vague and less specific, like,Office Pro Plus 2010, “Don;t be afraid to think out loud. Be sure to ask your interviewer to clarify the question if you don;t understand it.” If the candidate takes those general recommendations and performs better during the day, I;ve done my job well.



My point? Once you are invited for on-site interviews,Office 2007 Professional, your recruiter becomes your greatest advocate. I think this holds true for any company, not just Microsoft. Sure, the recruiter works for the company and ultimately supports the Hiring Manager and that person;s team, but your recruiter still wants you to do the best you can do. Trust this person. Build a great rapport. Don;t be paranoid of being “trapped.” Your recruiter really wants you to succeed. I mean, that is our job; we wouldn;t be great recruiters if no one ever got hired …



gretchen