May 24, 2021

A job interview starts when you enter the building

7 min read

Recently we’ve provided a number of insights about job interviews, including navigating panel interviews and how to feel confident going into an interview. In this article, we want to talk about the peripheral elements of a job interview that when combined, can make a big difference. First and last impressions count, and you never know who you’ll run into before and after the actual interview. Here’s some easy ways you can nail the job interview from start to finish.

Preparing for interview day

Preparation is key to a successful interview. An employer will be able to tell fairly quickly if the interviewee has done the prep or if they are winging it. And ultimately, preparation is about giving yourself justice when the meeting starts.

Being prepared can be broken down into a number of elements:

Homework on the job role and its requirements.
Writing out and planning answers to likely situational questions.
Preparing some questions to ask.
Establishing your transport plan to the interview (allowing enough time in case a bus is late or parking is tight).
Learning a bit about the company you’re visiting.
Confirming who’ll be attending the interview (chat to the recruiter or hiring manager about this).
Having a clear idea as to your goals and ambitions – short, medium and long term.

Once you’ve squared away some of the interview homework and logistics, there’s one more thing you should think about:

Dressing for success

It’s a cliché, sure. And in 2021 the workforce is far more casually dressed when compared to 20 years ago. But there’s still merit in dressing in a way that communicates you’re taking the opportunity seriously. Avoid overly casual shoes or untidy clothing. A good rule is to dress simple but neatly.

The role you’re applying for has some bearing on what you should dress like as well. For example, a junior developer should aim for tidy, neat clothing but not lose too much sleep if they don’t own a luxury corporate wardrobe. For a role that’s either more senior or requires a lot of meetings, customer and stakeholder relationships, there may be an expectation on someone who isn’t just capable at the job, but represents the company well through their personal presentation.

As we mentioned, 2021 is a somewhat confusing time for corporate fashion. You can get some hints by checking out the company’s website people page, social media or even asking a recruiter.

If in doubt, there’s far less risk to your chances of presenting well by overdressing than there is by underdressing.

Entering the building

You’ve made your way to the location of the interview. As you walk through the doors, you are now officially starting the job interview. A building foyer or lobby is full of activity and there’s a good chance someone from the company you’re interviewing for may be around. In some instances you may even be catching the elevator with someone in your job interview. While this isn’t often the case, it does happen; your mindset and manner should take this into account. Simply remain polite, feel free to make light conversations and avoid any personal phone calls or antisocial body language.

Greeting reception

This is the moment where many people truly feel the nerves of a job interview; the doors of the lift open into a reception area where the signage of the company greets you along with someone at reception or potentially an electronic sign in system.

Whoever you first meet in reception, consider them one of the people interviewing you. Receptionists can meet hundreds of people a day and in some organisations are asked for their impressions of candidates.

While it may be natural to quickly state who you’re seeing, don’t forget to greet the person and ask them how they are going. This is a good rule in general – not just in a job interview!

Then, simply state the manager you’re there to see (your preparation earlier will ensure you have the name to hand if needed!) and for what time. Otherwise the electronic sign in system will notify the hiring manager by email.

Waiting for the interview

It’s a good idea to turn up 5 minutes before the start of an interview to make sure you are waiting for the hiring manager and not the other way around. As you sit in reception, go through some of your notes about the role, your experience, goals etc – the key things you want to get across in the conversation.

Then take a look around at the activity within the reception area – you’ll likely see and hear things that give you a sense for the energy of this company. You might even get into a conversation with someone who works there. While this might seem minor, being able to pick up on the company culture in some brief observation can help you approach the interview in a more attuned way. At the very least, you’ll get some small talk to break the ice by noticing a great view, a piece of artwork or values written on the wall.

That 5 minutes is far better spent preparing that catching up on social media – trust us!

Meeting the hiring manager

As you meet the hiring manager, it’s important to not let nerves get in the way of a natural friendly greeting. Make sure you shake hands, smile and look them in the eye. Don’t get too wrapped up in saying too much here – you’ve got the entire interview to talk about yourself. Instead you might want to drop in a friendly ice breaker like we mentioned above. Or why not ask them a question instead? How is their week going? We learn the most by asking and listening so this is an opportune time to pick up on any extra information about the company you’re meeting.

The hiring manager will bring you into a meeting room at which point you’ll meet any other people attending. Again, greet each person individually and repeat their name back (“Hi, Tim”) to try and make this stick.

If you’ve brought some notes with you, don’t be afraid to lay this out in front of you for easy access. Just ensure these notes are more prompts for you vs. verbatim answers otherwise the interview could become a bit unnatural!

The interview

Now it’s time for the conversation. The good news is that by the time this starts, all the preparation and anticipation is done – you can simply talk about the role and your experience. We have some excellent insights around job interviews in our articles section and resources, so be sure to check these out!

After the interview

As things come to a close, it’s time to confirm next steps. You’ll usually get a timeframe in terms of the next stage and finding out if you’ve been shortlisted. If not, feel free to ask this.

Make a point of saying goodbye to each person in the interview, as well as the person on reception as you leave.

Congratulations, you’ve made it through the interview! Remember, as long as you’re still in the building, you need to remain professional. One of the more common mistakes we encounter is when candidates get on the phone to friends or family while still exiting – you never know who is around listening. Make sure to hold off any conversations like this until you’re out of earshot of anyone who might be around.

If you’re working through a recruiter like Absolute IT, we’ll touch base and find out how it all went. We’ll also be able to facilitate the next stages and of course line up other opportunities.

As you reflect on the interview and indeed the job opportunity, some questions may come to mind that you’d like to ask. This is of course fine, and we’d suggest combining a courtesy email thanking the hiring manager for their time along with 1-2 pressing questions about the role.

Whether you’re successful or not, reflection on the process is important. The more interviews you do, the better and more relaxed you’ll usually become. Like anything, practice makes perfect.

Want to know more about the job interview process?

Talk with our team about how you can nail job interviews, plus get access to some of the best IT opportunities in New Zealand.

Tips to create a conversation-style interview (for job seekers)

6 min read

Job interviews are, at their core, just a conversation between people. The aim of this conversation is for both sides to learn more about the other and explore the potential of working together. Sometimes job seekers can forget this and instead feel the need almost ‘choreograph’ the interview. Depending on the role, there may be parts that can be rehearsed – such as interviews where you need to give a presentation. But for many job interviews across NZ each day, both parties would prefer a friendly, professional conversation.

In this article we’ll provide some hints on how job seekers can help to frame their interviews in more of an open, conversational style.

Start the interaction on something non-work related

You can put both yourself and the hiring manager at ease by letting the guard down from the first moments you meet them. A great way to do this is asking a question or sharing a reasonably surface level thought (we know it’s cliche, but Kiwis love talking about weather, sport, and slow commutes). This conversation will likely happen as you walk from the reception area into the meeting room the interview is booked in. Therefore, you don’t need to have anything complex to say. This is about creating an initial ‘friendly’ first impression. Trust us, it’s better than silence!

Know when to give a direct, no-fluff answer

Before we go any further, it’s important to remember that the job interview is about fact finding. So when you are asked a question, it’s important to give the clearest answer possible. Some questions will be quick to answer and that’s okay. In fact a combination of longer, extra context answers and facts makes for a well balanced discussion anyway. Don’t put the hiring manager through extra unnecessary work to seek out the answer to their question amongst your long, meandering answer. Sometimes less is more.

Here’s an example of question types that might not need the life story:

What was your role at X?
Where/What did you study?
What date would you be available to start?

When an interviewer asks things like “tell me about a time when…” or “what do you think…” they know to expect a longer answer.

Reflect on past experiences openly

Creating a more comfortable atmosphere is helped along by open, honest reflection on your previous work experiences. Here you can talk about particular projects or challenges you went through, how you learned, the success you had and how you’ve applied that since.

There’s nothing wrong with showing personal growth through your answers, although use your judgement here. Employers know no one is perfect, and most will find past experiences that have been learned from an attractive trait in a candidate.

Talk openly about your motivation for applying

Employers really appreciate candidates who are honest around why they’ve applied for the job. If you are transparent as to what motivated you to send your CV in and come to the job interview, you’ll find the conversation will loosen up generally as well. Obviously there are motivators that are probably more pleasing to hear – such as the business’ values and mission, but there’s no one right answer here.

Hiring managers will be used to hearing all sorts of reasoning behind the application, so you’d be hard-pressed to surprise or upset them. Money is a totally valid motivator, but you may want to combine this with some other reasons for applying, too. An employer needs to come away from the interview knowing what you’ll bring to their business, not simply what the job will do for you.

Find out about the team’s current work

Asking about existing projects or challenges in the business is a tried and true method of moving from ‘interview’ mode to conversation mode. It can be a welcome break in the meeting that up until this point will have largely been focused on you and your experience.

As the panel or hiring manager shares about the ongoing work, you’ll find opportunities to share thoughts, relate to the challenges, and even in some cases, provide some high level suggestions.

Now it’s unlikely that you’ll be given any detailed business information as a candidate, for confidentiality reasons. But most businesses will be happy to share broadly the work they’re doing. They’ll also be happy you’re showing interest in their day to day workload.

Ask about the company as a whole

Beyond the team you’re interviewing for a job in, show interest in the broader business, it’s goals and anything you may have heard. Maybe that business is known for having a great culture, or has worked on some high profile projects. There’s no one right answer here, but asking about the business will move the interview off it’s set line of questioning into more of a conversational format.

Find a way to share your thoughts on latest tech industry news

An employer will be interested to hear about your broader view of IT and tech in general. What’s your view on emerging, incoming disruptive technologies? Where do you see the industry going? The good news here is that it’s your opinion – and that means no wrong answers. We find that pretty much all IT professionals have a passion for tech outside of their job – the two overlap for many of us!

Talking about technology on the whole allows you to detach from your CV, cover letter, prepared scenarios and answers and simply speak from the heart. It’s in these moments where potential employers can get a better sense of who you are – and how you think.

Don’t be afraid to show your sense of humour!

Mixing serious business with good natured humour is simply part of working culture in New Zealand. So there’s no need to leave that part of your behind in the interview. And let’s be honest, we’ve all got some entertaining work stories. You might find these opportunities when the employer asks a behavioural style question.

Take care not to overstep the mark into overly familiar territory, and remember to remain respectful to everyone there.

Use professional and friendly language

Corporate friendly conversations aren’t the same as those you might have with your friends and family. Stay self aware about how you communicate and avoid using any profanity. We’d suggest erring on the side of professional, then taking the hiring manager’s lead. It’s much easier to loosen up in an interview than recover from a faux pas!

Think about what you’d expect from a good candidate if it were your business. What would leave a lasting positive impression on you? This is a good place to start.

Don’t confuse ‘natural’ with too ‘casual’

We all want an interview to feel natural. Just don’t get this mixed with being too casual. What does this mean?

A natural job interview is one that’s free flowing, positive discussion where you feel comfortable. Treating an interview casually gives the impression that you don’t care. Being casual can mean not dressing smartly, not maintaining eye contact, poor body language and not preparing for the questions. Someone who approaches a job interview in a casual way, rarely gets the position in our experience.

The best way to create an atmosphere that is both natural and professional is to be prepared beforehand. That way, with your facts straight, you’re able to simply focus on having a good conversation. Wouldn’t a job interview feel far less daunting if we knew it was as easy as having a friendly chat? We think so!

Need help preparing for job interviews so they become natural?

If you’re looking to get some help with your job interview skills and connect with some of the best tech jobs available in New Zealand, chat with the Absolute IT team.