A few nights ago, my roommate was in tears. It all stemmed from an interview that went terribly wrong. It wasn't her interview; nor was she conducting the interview. She recommended her friend's sister for a position at the company she works for. The candidate met every job qualification, and my roommate had no qualms about recommending her.
Perhaps out of curiosity or maybe as a courtesy, my roommate followed up with the interviewers to see how things went. This quickly turned into one of those situations where "you wish you never asked."
Apparently, her friend's sister was completely unprepared for the interview. For starters, she knew nothing about the company and fumbled and bumbled when trying to disguise her obvious lack of knowledge. Secondly, when asked to see examples of her work, she provided college term papers (the position was a professional writing position). She claimed she hadn't kept copies of her published works.
I'm always surprised to hear about interviews that have gone poorly based on lack of preparation. Mary Elaine Ramos wrote a gentle reminder about the necessity of preparing for interviews. She also included a YouTube video that shows an interview that doesn't go so well.
In this digital age, it's incredibly easy to prepare for an interview. From background information on a company to background information on an interviewer, most prep work is at our fingertips. Just about every company has a Web site. Plus there are social/professional networking sites (like LinkedIn) where candidates can get professional and personal information about the people who will be interviewing them.
Most recruiters use an "interview checklist" to ensure their candidates are prepared for the interview. The checklist is simple reminder of tips that many people consider to be implied understandings. It's rarely a bad thing to be overprepared, so even if you think you're ready for the big day (or your candidate is), check out the checklist, and check into a new career. Unfortunately, in my roommate's case, the basic fundamentals of "being prepared" just weren't understood.
Comments