The old adage that "first impressions count" certainly seems to hold true in job interviews. A recent survey reveals that it takes 16 minutes on average for today's executives to determine whether a candidate may be a good match for a position.
The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest temporary staffing service for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 executives with the nation's 1,000 largest companies.
Executives were asked, "How many minutes into an interview do you know whether or not a candidate is fit for a job?" The mean response was 16 minutes.
"Applicants must be able to present a summary of their qualifications in a concise, enthusiastic and poised manner, or they may lose their relatively short window of opportunity," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps. "During the initial minutes of an interview, managers will be assessing whether candidates should move to the next step in their hiring processes, which may include additional interviews and skills tests as well as having references verified."
Messmer added that the survey results underscore the importance of thorough preparation in advance of an interview. "Individuals should be ready to answer questions that are likely to come up at the beginning of the meeting, such as 'Tell me a little about yourself,' 'Why are you planning to leave your current position?' and 'What types of projects did you handle at your last job?'"
Accountemps has more than 240 offices in North America, Europe and Australia, and offers online job search services. To view their ad on our web site, please go to:
http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/job.cfm?CompID=5
