Job interview etiquette-for interviewers

[Lisbeth]

This is from a post I made in the original forum:

Since job interviews are very one-sided (that is, the applicant has very little control over what happens), I think job interviewers need to abide by the following:

1) Be on time for the interview.  If you tell the applicant 10:00, that's when the interview should start.  Have your copy of their resume, cover letter, and any other paperwork on the applicant on hand.

2) Let the applicant know whether or not they need to pay for parking, get parking tickets validated, go through security, bring photo IDs or any other documents with them, fill out forms, take tests, etc. ahead of the interview, let the applicant know who they are meeting with, and give good directions to your office, so they can plan properly.

3) Let security and the receptionist know that you have an appointment with the applicant.

4) Greet the applicant properly.  Shake hands firmly (but not too hard), introduce yourself by name, offer them your business card and any company literature, and escort them to the door when the interview is over.

5) *Do not take calls, answer E-mails or IMs, or allow your co-workers to interrupt the interview unless it is a major emergency.*  (This is one of my pet peeves.) Stay focused on the interview.

6) If the interview is over the phone, find out if this is a good time for the applicant to talk before starting in with interview questions.  If it isn't, make an appointment with them for the phone interview.

7) Follow up with the applicant after the interview as soon as someone has been hired for the position.  *No one likes to be kept waiting to know how they did.*

[kathrynne]

Love the bit about phone interviews. I worked for five years in an open bullpen-type situation and can't tell you how many times I tried to get the employment agency rep on the other end of the phone to understand that I really couldn't talk right at that moment.

Hello? Yes. No. No. No. Yes. What is code for "My boss is standing right next to me?"

[NOVA Lady]

I agree! I am now an interviewer (and I painfully and VERY recently remember going to endless interviews) and I would do all of those things. It boils down to basic respect for other people, common sense, and a little empathy.

One thing I wanted to add is that though the interviewe *should* have a copy of the resume/cover letter/writing samples/whatever, the canditate should still come prepared with another copy. I always did this when I was interviewing and often I was asked for a copy, or it was easy for me to pass a copy to a higher up that poked his/her head into the interview (the ceo where I work now will sometimes poke his head in and introduce himself and if he has a few minutes to chat). Just saying...

[Twik]

Here's one that happened to me:

While doing the final interview for the candidate who you've led to expect the job, do not bring out a resume, announce "this just came in within the last few hours", and start the committee discussing the second candidate's (superior) qualifications in front of the first candidate.

[blue_bunny_paz]

Oh dear. You'd hope that would all be standard. I've been fairly lucky myself, I have to say.

[Lisbeth]

I've found that a lot of times it's not.

I once interviewed with a temp agency to try to get out of a bad full-time position, and had the following situation:

I go to the offices the next day.  I tell security that I have an appointment with the person I spoke to on the phone (which was true), but that person did not tell security or the receptionist I was coming.  I had to show them my ID and wait for them to call that person and confirm that I could go up. 

Then, even though I'd worked with the agency several times before and I had told my interviewer I was coming on my lunch hour and didn't have time for tests, the receptionist forces me to take computerized tests and doesn't provide me with any calculator or scratch paper to work out some complex math problems.

Then, I finally meet the interviewer after waiting for some twenty minutes after the tests and he squints at me and says "Do you have an appointment?"  Like the fact that I asked for him by name should be a clue that yes, I did, idiot!

Then he basically whisked me out the door-just handed me his business card and a time sheet and said, "We'll be in touch."  They never were.

I will never go to that agency again for any reason whatso-bloody-ever.  (This was one of the big, well-known ones too.)

[LeoGirlChelsea]

I have been in the both sides, and I agree with what KeenReader wrote completely.
My boss who used to conduct interviews with me was just horrible at making times - once we arranged an interview with one of the candidates from 14:00. She arrived on 13:55, I greeted her at the office gate, let her in, used elevator together, did a bit of chitchat, entered the office - and found my boss on the phone, speaking to his wife (who, as a record, nothing to do with our job).

He pretty much ignored our arrivals and kept on and on. I also discovered (luckily without the candidate's out of knowledge) the meeting room he had promised me to book for the interview was actually not booked, but I managed to book another one. He kept on talking more than 10 min, finally got out from the line, and then greeted her as nothing had happened. I was not very surprised when she phoned us later to turn the job down.

[purplebunny]

I don't know if this is really an etiquette issue, but it did happen to me:

If your fire alarm system is malfunctioning, requiring repeated evacuations, and it's raining to the point of flooding, PLEASE try to get in touch with interviewees and reschedule. Getting absolutely soaking wet waiting for the all-clear to sound BEFORE the actual interview doesn't really do much for the interviewee's nerves... and I can't think drowned rats make that great of a first impression.

[kareng57]

This is from a post I made in the original forum:

Since job interviews are very one-sided (that is, the applicant has very little control over what happens), I think job interviewers need to abide by the following:

1) Be on time for the interview.  If you tell the applicant 10:00, that's when the interview should start.  Have your copy of their resume, cover letter, and any other paperwork on the applicant on hand.

2) Let the applicant know whether or not they need to pay for parking, get parking tickets validated, go through security, bring photo IDs or any other documents with them, fill out forms, take tests, etc. ahead of the interview, let the applicant know who they are meeting with, and give good directions to your office, so they can plan properly.

3) Let security and the receptionist know that you have an appointment with the applicant.

4) Greet the applicant properly.  Shake hands firmly (but not too hard), introduce yourself by name, offer them your business card and any company literature, and escort them to the door when the interview is over.

5) *Do not take calls, answer E-mails or IMs, or allow your co-workers to interrupt the interview unless it is a major emergency.*  (This is one of my pet peeves.) Stay focused on the interview.

6) If the interview is over the phone, find out if this is a good time for the applicant to talk before starting in with interview questions.  If it isn't, make an appointment with them for the phone interview.

7) Follow up with the applicant after the interview as soon as someone has been hired for the position.  *No one likes to be kept waiting to know how they did.*

All good points - but sometimes these kinds of things are done deliberately, being part of a "stress interview".  Usually this is for positions such as high-end commission sales - they want to see how the applicant will react under pressure or uncomfortable conditions (sometimes they deliberately keep the interview-room extra hot or cool, for example).  Some companies of course will do this even for the lowliest position - they just like to see people squirm.

[EvilAlice]

I always offer the interview-ee a bottle of water, too.  I know when I'm nervous my mouth and throat tend to dry up, and I always appreciated it when I was going on interviews if they gave me something cold and wet to keep me from croaking like a frog.

[Lisbeth]

All good points - but sometimes these kinds of things are done deliberately, being part of a "stress interview".  Usually this is for positions such as high-end commission sales - they want to see how the applicant will react under pressure or uncomfortable conditions (sometimes they deliberately keep the interview-room extra hot or cool, for example).  Some companies of course will do this even for the lowliest position - they just like to see people squirm.

I think it's a despicable interviewing tactic, because the applicant came in good faith.  If I were subjected to a "stress interview," I'd put an end to it by walking out and declining the job.

[kareng57]

All good points - but sometimes these kinds of things are done deliberately, being part of a "stress interview".  Usually this is for positions such as high-end commission sales - they want to see how the applicant will react under pressure or uncomfortable conditions (sometimes they deliberately keep the interview-room extra hot or cool, for example).  Some companies of course will do this even for the lowliest position - they just like to see people squirm.

I think it's a despicable interviewing tactic, because the applicant came in good faith.  If I were subjected to a "stress interview," I'd put an end to it by walking out and declining the job.

Hey, I'm not defending it - just that the tactic is out there.  It probably depends on the region, how common this interview-technique is.  But in some cases, in some professions, they'd better get used to this if they want to get hired.

[Lisbeth]

Hey, I'm not defending it - just that the tactic is out there.  It probably depends on the region, how common this interview-technique is.  But in some cases, in some professions, they'd better get used to this if they want to get hired.

In those situations, it might make sense.  If it's being used as a passive-aggressive power play on me, I won't put up with it.

[anonymousmac]

2) Let the applicant know whether or not they need to pay for parking, get parking tickets validated, go through security, bring photo IDs or any other documents with them, fill out forms, take tests, etc. ahead of the interview, let the applicant know who they are meeting with, and give good directions to your office, so they can plan properly.

I agree with most of your points, but some of this I consider the interviewee's responsibility. If I'm going on an interview, it's their job to tell me when and where, but it's my job to figure out how to get myself there on time.  Before an important interview, I find directions myself, and I usually scout out how long it's going to take me to get there, where I can park or what train or bus I need to take, and so on.  I also assume that there may be several layers of security/receptionists and so on, so I arrive early enough to get through those layers to the person I need to see.  (Sometimes, this means I have to hang out in a lobby or hide in a bathroom if I'm too early.)

Similarly, while it would be nice for the interviewer to be all ready with the resume and materials that I sent ahead of time, I bring plenty of extra copies with me to hand to anyone interviewing me.  I'm the one who wants them to see what I've done, so I'm the one who needs to be sure that all my information is provided to the people who might decide to hire me.   

Often, large companies don't necessarily know or tell you ahead of time all the people who will meet with you, so I always ask each person for a business card or something similar, so that later on I'll be able to remember their names and contact information for follow-up emails and thank you's.

Interviewers should be professional and on time, and shouldn't treat the interviewee rudely or neglectfully, but I think that interviewees shouldn't expect too much hand-holding, either, especially if they want to demonstrate their ability to get things done.

[Lisbeth]

I agree with most of your points, but some of this I consider the interviewee's responsibility. If I'm going on an interview, it's their job to tell me when and where, but it's my job to figure out how to get myself there on time.  Before an important interview, I find directions myself, and I usually scout out how long it's going to take me to get there, where I can park or what train or bus I need to take, and so on.  I also assume that there may be several layers of security/receptionists and so on, so I arrive early enough to get through those layers to the person I need to see.  (Sometimes, this means I have to hang out in a lobby or hide in a bathroom if I'm too early.)

Agreed, but if I get there at 9:30 to see someone at 10:00, I don't want to still be waiting at 10:30.  That's rude.

Similarly, while it would be nice for the interviewer to be all ready with the resume and materials that I sent ahead of time, I bring plenty of extra copies with me to hand to anyone interviewing me.  I'm the one who wants them to see what I've done, so I'm the one who needs to be sure that all my information is provided to the people who might decide to hire me.

I do too.  But I'd still appreciate it if the interviewer wasn't hunting around on or in his/her desk for whatever I sent him/her when they lead me into their office.  I'm happy to pull out my extra copy of my resume, but in that case, I'd prefer not to be sitting there while they get organized.  It comes across to me as unprofessional and unprepared.

Often, large companies don't necessarily know or tell you ahead of time all the people who will meet with you, so I always ask each person for a business card or something similar, so that later on I'll be able to remember their names and contact information for follow-up emails and thank you's.

I do the same.

Interviewers should be professional and on time, and shouldn't treat the interviewee rudely or neglectfully, but I think that interviewees shouldn't expect too much hand-holding, either, especially if they want to demonstrate their ability to get things done.

This only goes so far.  If I've gotten to the interview early, paid for my parking, went through security, filled out the application, took the tests, and had at least three extra copies of my resume, cover letter, references, and photo ID, (which I try to make sure to do every time I interview) and they can't get their own act together, I'm not taking the job even if I'm offered it.  They've indicated to me that they don't care enough about me, and possibly about themselves, for me to have a pleasant working relationship with them.