NederlandsAfter sending many application letters, you are finally invited for an interview. You prepare well for all questions, have the right answers and appropriate outfit for the conversation. You are all right in terms of preparation, what can still go wrong?
Enough according to the American employment agency CareerBuilder . They asked 2,500 HR managers on what they base their decision on. Een unmotivated attitude, faint handshake or no eye contact, 50% of employers within the first five minutes whether a candidate is suitable for the position. Let's take a look within the walls of Actief Werkt! : what does our corporate recruiter Kelly Keizer actually base her decision on? Does this match up with her colleagues? And what are the most bizarre conversations she has ever had?
By: Kyra Joosen
What bothers you during a job interview? Body language, language, clothing or something else entirely?
“During a job interview, the candidate's nerves are of course very understandable. When I notice that the candidate is so nervous that it is difficult to make a good first impression, I always try to take the nerves away or at least name them. For me it is very important that a potential new colleague can be themselves and show authenticity. It can really annoy me when this isn't the case and I always try to poke through a 'made' attitude.”
“Furthermore, I am a big proponent of directly naming striking matters. This includes an unmotivated attitude, no eye contact and unusual use of language. In this way you give the candidate the space to recover and to adjust any unconscious (and undesirable) behavior. Echt I find it annoying when a candidate is not prepared. It is a small effort to go through the vacancy and general information in advance.”
“Some of the results of Careerbuilder's research are not insurmountable for me. It depends on the context in which the candidate shows this behaviour. Een a phone call or message during a job interview, antisocial? Yes, but understandable when, for example, a family member is seriously ill.”
What are important reasons for you to reject someone?
"Depending on the type of vacancy, I reject someone if I or my colleagues feel that the applicant is not a match in terms of personality. Employment Actief Werkt! is a club where working together in an informal, commercial and hectic environment is the order of the day "You have to fit in between this. You are constantly trying to keep all the balls in the air and many things are urgent. Setting priorities, dividing energy and having a love for your profession are important here."
"Of course I also reject candidates who do not meet the vacancy requirements. Sometimes you are just looking for someone with a certain experience or skill. Is this experience available, but the candidate does not instinctively fit within the team for which the vacancy is? Then look I always ask whether we could perhaps take other paths in the future. The match is in a feeling, will someone find their niche here? Of course you can substantiate this feeling by going deeper into the applicant by, for example, using an assessment ."
"In the outcome of the investigation, I see that the candidate is caught lying. This is absolutely a reason for me to reject someone. If someone is not honest in the first phase of the procedure, I am my trust lost and there is no point in discussing further."
Most bizarre job interviews or applicants?
"Together with my colleague, I once spoke to a candidate who called himself a sales guru. This not only caused my colleague and I to suppress the giggles, it also made me lose interest. Een a commercial conversation, after all I ask you what you are good at. Renaming yourself guru is really going too far for me."
"In the same round of interviews we spoke to a candidate who was not prepared. He believed that that was what the job interview was for; we could now tell him what our organization was doing and what role he was going to play in it?"
"Applicants who share entire life stories with you are unfortunately no exception. I realize that this is sometimes a consequence when you try to put people at ease. Een sometimes this has resulted in a crying candidate. Well, it is a bit uncomfortable Een good balance is important, someone has to be at ease, but it is and remains a business conversation in which the candidate must show his best side."
"You see all the clichés pass by once; the candidate who winks a little too conspicuously at you, the candidate who has an awful alcohol smoke around him, the candidate who is so ill that the toilet has to be kept within reach, you name it .."
Tips? What do/don't do during a job interview?
"The best and most important tip: be yourself! At Actief Werkt! we aim for a long-term cooperation. It is of no use to either of us if you as a new colleague are not in the right place. Be honest and sincere and do not be tempted to give socially desirable answers. Be on time and be prepared. Show interest and answer the questions you are asked, even if you can't give the answer that fits best."
"Having self-knowledge and being able to name talents and areas for development speak for you. As a recruiter I want to get to know you sincerely and that also means that I want to find out what you will do well and less well in the future. For example, are you not so good in performing administrative acts? Doesn't matter, but name it!"
Got excited and curious about Kelly? Check out all our internal vacancies and who knows, you might soon meet her, well prepared, of course!
Kelly Keizer works as a corporate recruiter at employment agency Actief Werkt! . Do you have questions or are you interested in a position? Mail or call 076 530 20 60.