A PERSONAL INTERVIEW

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29339, 19 October 1960, Page 21

A PERSONAL INTERVIEW

What Employers Look For Before a young man or woman is accepted for employment by a firm there is usually a personal interview with a senior member of the firm or, perhaps, with a committee. This gives the boy or girl a chance to ask questions about the work and it also gives the person who is conducting the interview an impression of the applicant for the position. In order to find out just what an employer was likely to look for in an applicant, two men—one the staff manager of a large retail store and the other the accountant at a bank—were asked about their methods of assessing the people who applied to them.

“We ask the lad or girl to hiring in their school report,” said the accountant. “It tells us what level of attainment has been reached and, whatever our personal impressions are. we still go by the report. “What do you look for in the personal interview?” he was asked.

“The way the person answers my questions—whether or not they are open and frank. I do not always ask questions which are directly relevant to the work. "We bring them in here and give them different jobs. The boys are on six-months’ trial and during that time we find out whether they are suited to bank work or not”

Slightly Different Methods

The methods of the staff manger of the retail store were

slightly different. “Lots of .young people come to me and I ask them why they want to work here, and they say; Well, I am not clever enough to be a lawyer or a school teacher so I thought I would work in a shop.” he said. “What these people do not seem to realise is that selling is as specialised a business today as a great many other things.

“I try to get the person off his or her guard. You can be pretty sure that when they come to see us they will be on their best behaviour but after a fortnight’s work they will be used to the place and act as they do normally.

“If I find someone leaning over a counter waiting for me I think that is what possibly he or she may be like in another fortnight.

“I have a look at fingernails and hair. Those are the things that a customer notices."

What Do You Want To Know ?

That is the way two men who do a lot of interviewing go about assessing the people who come before them.

It is a good idea to have fairly clearly in your mind when you go to an interview, what it is you want to know about the work. The person who is interviewing you will, more than likely, be well-disposed towards you and will realise that you are making an important decision.

If you are answering an advertisement. it is preferable to telephone for an appointment. Be punctual for appointments as late-

ness gives an impression of slackness and indifference. Most interviewing officers will realise that you are possibly nervous and that a first interview is always a trying experience. After all, at some stage, they too must have applied for their first jobs.

Dale Carnegie, well-known for his books on human relations, once said, “I would rather walk up and down on the sidewalk outside a man’s office for two hours, rather than enter without a clear idea of what 1 am going to say and what he, from my knowledge of his interests and experience, is likely to answer.”

We do not suggest that you follow this advise to the letter or that you pace the streets for two hours before the interview. However, be prepared to ask intelligent questions about the job.

Personal appearance is important. Many employers, especially if they are seeking someone whose job will include dealing with the public, pay great attention to the way an applicant is dressed.

The latest copy of a Paris fashion house creation will not make the slightest impression on an employer if it is worn in a slovenly manner. In fact, many executives prefer their staff to dress neatly in quiter colours. Alertness. politeness and straightforwardness always go a considerable distance towards making a good impression. Above all, be natural. The person conducting the interview will probably be experienced in summing people up and any affectation will be immediately obvious to him. Sincerity about yourself and your abilities will be to your advantage.