Pt. 2: The Interview Session – What to do (and not to do) in a recruitment process

So, you got the interview!? Congrats! Now, as mentioned in part 1 (Interview coming up?) – preparation is king. Here comes our top five insights and tips for you to bring to the first interview.

1. Be humble

As a rather young woman in the business, many of the candidates I interview are older than me and following, more experienced. At this point, it is not a good idea to “downgrade” the younger recruiter by clearly letting them know that you’re more experienced and by having an attitude that’s just a little ignorant. What some candidates seem to forget is that they might want the job (yes, it’s crazy), and the person sitting opposite to you is the person that will decide whether you’ll move on to the next step in the process.

Without turning this into a question of feminism, or for that sake telling you not to promote yourself, remember to stay humble.

2. Be personal

Working at One Agency means working at a company with a strong culture and strong values. And we know not all companies put the same effort into these matters as we do. But we want to get to know both the professional you as well as the person you are outside your job. We genuinely want to know your past, present and future (plans), from where you grew up, to your cat’s name. These things say a lot about you, your values and hence, if we share values.

3. Know the company and ask questions

Coming to an interview not knowing a single thing about the company, might signal that you actually don’t care that much. Either you just want a job – any job – or you’re not that interested. Neither of them are good. It might be the case that you didn’t have time to do the reading. That’s totally fine. Tell the recruiter, and then ask questions regarding things that are interesting and important to you.

Having acquainted yourself with the company signals that you are interested, and that you care what type of workplace you’re in. Which leads us to the next point…

4. Know what you want, not only what the company wants

Pretending to “fit in” is not a good idea. You should choose a job that can offer things that are important to you, no matter if it’s the salary or the colleagues. It may not be fair to compare the choice of workplace with the choice of life partner, but they do have things in common. You wouldn’t marry someone you don’t know, right? The feeling should be good! You should feel a little bit… in love. If you have too many things that differ between the two of you, it’s probably going to end in divorce.

It may sound a bit harsh, but if it’s a match, then hurray! If not, then we’re not meant to be anyway. And remember, only you know what’s most important to you.

5. Always be genuine

Summarizing this, it all really boils down to one thing. Be genuine and honest. Be genuine and honest when stating your values and the things that are important to you. Be genuine and honest when stating what kind of company you want to work with. If you’re not, it will most likely end up with you or the employer becoming disappointed in some way. At One Agency, we’re humble to the fact that we are not for everyone. And neither is everyone for us.

No matter if you want to work with us or another company, I hoped you gained a few insights regarding the interview session. Next up is DO’S and DON’TS after the first interview. But hey, stay cool, now comes the easy part.

PS. We love working here (surprise huh?) and therefore we want to welcome more people to join our crew. Read more about us here on our website and connect if you feel somewhat the same. If we’re a match – who knows? Let’s meet up, talk about skills, cats and your childhood dream of becoming a cowboy, and we’ll see where we end up.

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Liza Lind
Attract & Recruit, One Agency