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Aug 04, 2015

5 things to do before going to an interview (part I)

Author: Luciana Nicolae

Have you ever wondered about what you might have done better, after attending an interview? In my experience as a recruiter, I’ve encountered a few recurring pain-points. So here are some significant details of underestimated importance that I’d like to share with you.

Review your resume

Developers are involved in a lot of projects, some of them change jobs quite often, and there’re a lot of technical details in their resumes. As a result, many neglect to add their most recent experience to their CVs, or forget what they wrote in them overall – I’ve had candidates become so confused when faced with mundane questions about projects featured in their own resumes, that they almost had me wonder if I’m not mistaking them for someone else.

Make sure the information in your resume is up to date, clear, and professional. You could make the habit of updating it every time you begin a new significant project, just so you’d find it ready when you need it. When you do need it, give it one final read before sending it off to the recruiter. You need to be ready to base your conversation with them on this document, so when they’re asking for details about a specific job or project you don’t want to feel like they’re inquiring about a children’s book you read over 20 years ago.

Arrive on time

Being on time is good advice for any meeting, business or otherwise, but while social calls tolerate the proverbial fifteen minutes, interviews are best arrived for ten minutes early. Use the GPS application on your smartphone (or an old-fashioned map if you prefer) to get there efficiently. If you’re not sure how long it would take to get there, it’s best to go with a bigger margin for error, and have a cup of coffee nearby once you’ve located the office building. If something does come-up after all, be sure to give the recruiter a call and let them know you’ll be late or want to reschedule.

It’s not just about the indifference you project by running late for the interview; a recruiter’s day is carefully planned out, sometimes to the minute. There are days when I know exactly what time I must sit down for lunch, if I’m to get a chance to eat anything at all. This means every interview has a specific amount of time allocated to it. If you arrive late, you force the recruiter to rush into the process. This might mean that significant details will be left out, and/or that your interviewer won’t have a chance to form an opinion to remember. Of course, this could downsize your chances of obtaining the position.

Do you have any strategies for arriving to interviews prepared? Share your thoughts with me and stay in touch for the second part of this article, when I’ll be detailing three more interview preparation must-haves. Until then, be sure to visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google+ for regular insights into our culture.

Comments

  1. Rexcyann says:

    A recruiter is a profossienal with a job to perform. Many recruiters only get paid for their time if and when they close the deal with a qualified applicant. I consider them like realtors, who facilitate the market and the process of matching buyer and seller. Sure, a recruiter makes money on the transaction, but everyone benefits when the deal closes. If I were looking for a house, I would not think of being rude to a real estate profossienal, or wasting their time.

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