by Raffi Varoujian

Created on: December 08, 2009

INTRODUCTION

I recently went through the experience of recruiting a new staff member, and, having interviewed close to a dozen people, I thought it would be useful to share some of the lessons learned - mainly from an interviewers perspective. It was the first time I had actually been "across the table". All my previous experience was as a candidate, so it was very interesting to consider things from the opposite point of view.

In the heat of the moment, it's easy for a candidate to lose sight of what interviews are about - they are a two way street -i.e. as much of an opportunity for candidates to sell themselves as they are for the organisation offering the vacancy to sell itself to the candidate. If you are invited to interview, chances are you have ticked most of the boxes for the job. Your qualifications and achievements have got you in the door, so the purpose of the interview is for the employer to try and figure out whether your "face will fit" in the organisation and within the smaller team that is recruiting you.

At this stage, the cards are stacked in your favour. Your CV has created a favourable impression (well, you got the interview didn't you?) and the interviewer is looking for an excuse to hire you. It's up to you to get through it with that positive impression still intact, or better yet, much improved upon.

When I first started interviewing, I was quite surprised by how much work was involved in preparing for each candidate. I sat down with a colleague (usually the one who was going into the room with me) and meticulously reviewed the candidate's CV with a forensic eye, discussed any obvious issues arising from it, formulated some interesting (and hopefully) revealing questions and decided on the respective roles we would play while in the room (everything from who would do the initial meet or greet, where we would sit, who would take notes and who would lead).

So, what did I learn?

KNOW YOURSELF

In most cases, the CV will be used as the foundation for your meeting, so ensure that: (a) You know its contents inside out and comfortably talk about everything that is on there; (b) You can justify what you have written; and (c) you haven't embellished or exaggerated the truth. An employer will be looking for evidence that you have used your time constructively and also for clues as to your interests and personality. If you have gaps in your CV, be prepared to talk about them. If you are NOT interested in cooking, hill-walking or

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