Again, it is the employer’s opportunity to meet you, and discern your suitability to meeting their needs. Further,
how they do that is entirely up to them.
Before we talk about dress, demeanor and other topics tied to “performance,” I recall a comment I once heard from a health-care executive which I think addresses the real essence of service and work for us all:
“With all economics of healthcare, the real issue for hospitals still boils down to the
quality of service itself. If we lose focus on caring for the needs of patients, if we lose focus on making a contribution to the quality of life for the people in our community, then it won’t matter how strong we are financially, or how good we look, because eventually we will lose all that too.”
Further, I recall an example a career counselor shared with me about a “test” one hiring manager always gave to prospective employees when they visited his office for the first time. Before they came in, his secretary would always place one or two crumpled up pieces of paper on the floor so that as the prospect approached it could not be missed.
The test was to see if the person would pick the garbage up. In the manager’s mind, this very subtle indicator was a substantial clue into that person’s character, and willingness to accept responsibility. This gets back to the “quality” underneath that is referred to in the executive’s statement above.
In an article in
Journal of Career Planning and Employment1 titled “What Small Firms Look for in New-Graduate Candidates,” authors Constance Pritchard and Paul Fidler make some very clear distinctions as to what most employers examine:
1. Basic skills and personal characteristics
2. Energy, initiative, motivation and self-direction
3. A team player with strong interpersonal and oral communication skills
Of much less concern were GPA and other academic credentials. The most important fact you must remember is, no matter how great your performance, how good you look, if there is no substance underneath, it’s meaningless. More importantly, the lack of substance will show.
So, even as you read on about demeanor, communication skills and other aspects of interviewing, keep this in mind. Always strive to be the best person you can be, and you will find that interview “performance” will come much more naturally.
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The above is an excerpt from The Last Guide to Interviewing You'll Ever Need, which is available for sale for $17 in our bookstore or for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. Students know that good experiences helps to build a good resume and that good resumes help you land interviews, yet how many of us have been shown how to interview well so that we can get hired? Written by Keith F. Luscher specifically for the job hunting students who use CollegeRecruiter.com. To get hired, you must know how to interview well. Read this book and you will. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter. |
