Interview Etiquette

Candidates need to think very carefully on what to wear to an interview as this is an important part of making a good first impression in the face of the client. Clients obviously care immensely about candidates’ skillsets and evaluate them accordingly but the wrong outfit (especially when interviewing for fashion companies or agencies) can be detrimental. There are always exceptions to the rule based on the particular culture and vibe of the client but in most cases candidates should err on the side of toned down- not boring of course but not too loud either. The outfit should not be a distraction to the client and it should also show that the candidate is professional.

I have seen cases of a wonderful candidate being rejected because the outfit was too loud and showy and this made the client feel that his personality would follow suit! This wasn’t the case but the client only has certain elements to go on and forms opinions accordingly. Please ask your recruiter what to wear to the interview and more importantly, listen to their advice, as the recruiter will know the company well and will be able to guide a candidate on what would be or would not be appropriate.

Last week at the Melanie Andersen Agency we finally settled into our new office in the Meatpacking District. Prior to last week we were in transition, moving from SoHo to Meatpacking. During the week I was able to experience the true atmosphere of our office filled with candidate interviews, new business development meetings, and research as well as sit in on my first weekly company meeting. This week we discussed candidate interviews.

Based on what I have gathered from my time at TMAA and from discussions with other professionals, I believe a key step in the interviewing process is sometimes neglected or taken for granted. All of our lives our parents and educators have told us to “do our homework,” the same applies in regards to interviewing. Research prior to any interview is imperative. As recruiters we will do our best when briefing you in the days before your interview with the company but it is up to the candidate to peruse the company’s website or other notable material/press releases. For example before you enter an interview, be sure to familiarize yourself with the company’s initiatives or goals, check out the latest media buzz/trends in their industry or the company’s direction over the past year. There are various reasons why research will benefit both you and the company you are interviewing with. 1) How can you express to the employer that you are the right fit for a role if you do not understand the company and and its values? 2) Research helps a candidate discern if the company and role are truly the right fit for their lifestyle, and 3) By researching, a candidate assures a company that in the beginning steps they have all ready taken a interest and value the opportunity.

I am very excited that Melanie has suggested that I sit in and observe interview training and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned next week!

One of the worst and unethical things a candidate can do (to a client, especially) is to go through the interview process in hopes of receiving a counter offer from their current employer. It is wrong for several reasons (in no particular order): 1) it is a waste of both the search firm’s time and the client’s time, 2) it burns bridges majorly with the client and, since these industries tend to be small, tarnish the candidate’s reputation, 3) jeopardizes the client’s opportunity of finding a great person for the role (especially if the client proceeds with one particular candidate because it seems as if the candidate is truly serious about joining the company), and 4)  creates a really bad situation at the candidate’s current company as it becomes obvious that the candidate might not be loyal and is perhaps out for money only.

I worked on a senior role and the client had put all of their eggs in the basket of one candidate. Several rounds of interviews were involved, and the role was an immediate need so the client felt that they would have a great and much needed addition to their team after making an offer. The entire process lasted for about two months, and the candidate expressed a very strong interest throughout. When the offer came, she took several days to respond and even asked a very senior client in the company to make time out of their busy day to answer questions about benefits, etc.  All parties involved believed she would accept based upon all of the signs and actions. In the end, she declined the offer and said she had received a nice counter offer from her current agency. She gave some other reasons for her decision but it was clear that more money from her current employer was the primary motivation to stay put. To note, her original reasons for wanting to seek other opportunities were based on valid concerns regarding her current agency—which could not have gone away in a week’s time!

While a candidate has any right to say “no” to an offer or ultimately decide that this isn’t the right next step, a candidate should really think things through before getting to the offer stage and should definitely not express an extreme interest in joining the company if he or she is only doing it to get a counter offer from his or her current employer.

Again this not only leaves the client in a bind with an incredibly bad taste in the mouth, but it also signals to the candidate’s current employer that he or she is actively seeking other roles—and this makes for an awkward and unstable situation ultimately.

LESSON: Candidates should pull out of the interview process at the right time (definitely before reference gathering and offer stage) if they know that they are only pursuing an opportunity to use it as leverage at their current company. It just isn’t cool.

We all want to get as much money as possible when going for a new job… As you know, a client establishes a budget range for a role and then alters it on a case by case basis depending on a candidate’s current salary, levels of experience and targeted compensation. Part of a recruiter’s job is to guide both candidates and clients regarding salary- letting the client know the “going rate” for certain roles and levels as well as keeping the candidate’s goals and expectations in check when it comes to compensation.

More often than not clients will ask a candidate to submit paystubs as proof of annual salary to avoid any type of dishonesty. The worst thing a candidate can do is lie initially about current salary as a paystub doesn’t lie. This dishonesty will most likely lead to a complete loss of the job opportunity– and a recruiter will not want to work with you again. Also, aside from being dishonest, a lying candidate also wastes a clients time majorly as they have tailored their offer based upon an incorrect figure.

So be honest throughout the process. The end goal is to get as much money as possible in the move (while being realistic of course) but honesty is always the best policy and achieves the most favorable outcome in the end for all parties.

When working with a recruiter and just in general, candidates should really limit their contact with potential employers. I will give a good example so you can see what I mean. I sent a good candidate for an interview at a reputable agency. She was totally on point in terms of personality and skillset, and she was very interested in the role and the agency. She did the right thing by sending a “thank you” email after the interview. I have stressed in the past that thank you emails/notes are very professional, appropriate, and often make a candidate stand out from the rest (I know it’s difficult to imagine but some candidates do not think to send a thank you following an interview, and this does reflect poorly on them in the eyes of the client).

In this particular case, the candidate did send a thank you but then also sent a follow up email that was a little bit quirky in hopes of being funny and perhaps seeming unique or different. The note was sent to a very senior person at the agency, and it completely turned him off from the candidate. It was unnecessary and was not entirely professional as a candidate should not be superfluously emailing/contacting a potential employer in this manner.

As a recruiter, a critical part of my job is to manage the relationship between candidates and clients throughout the interview and hiring process. Candidates should leave it to the recruiter to act as the communication liaison during these stages and truly limit interaction with the client until (fingers crossed) they have gotten the job. It is the best, smartest, and safest way to go about it. And if a candidate has a point to relay that was not stressed in the interview, for example, the candidate should speak with the recruiter instead of the client directly- and the recruiter will handle this communication in a professional way.

In this case, the candidate literally put herself out of the running through one email. The candidate’s intention may have been great, but the end result was quite negative and unfortunate.