Our seventh installment of our series exploring The Job Candidate Bill of Rights created by Accolo’s John Younger leads us to “Preparation.” Now, we’ve spoken frequently about how candidates themselves must do their homework and prepare for an interview, but it’s time to turn the tables and focus on what interviewers need to do to on their part.

“Preparation
“Each individual should expect that they will be provided with all relevant information about the organization and hiring manager in order to best prepare them for success during the interview process.”

Most of us have been through an interview where the person running the show seemed as though they had almost no idea as to what was going on. Maybe they hadn’t looked over your information at all, so they tried to fumble their way through your resume during the interview, or perhaps they just didn’t create a positive representation of the company. Regardless of the problem, there’s a good chance the poor interviewer affected your opinion of the company and the job you were applying for:

“Be prepared for the interview“Many managers are so busy that they don’t prepare for the interview - and hope to “wing it”. Sharp & intelligent candidates will figure out that you are unprepared for the interview and may be put-off by the shoddy interview. Preparing for the interview will also help prevent the mistake of hiring the wrong candidate.

At a manager level, the interview is a two way process. The candidate is also interviewing you and your organization. If your preparation is sloppy, it will create a negative impression on the potential candidate.” (From How to Run an Interview)

If you’re prepared you have a much better shot at matching the right candidate to the job. However, your focus should not rest solely on the interviewee. After all, any candidate who has done his or her preparation is going to have questions to ask you. There are few things more frustrating in the job search process than dealing with interviewers who seem to have very little understanding of what it is their company has to offer. The following thought about the interview process is shared by most qualified job candidates who know what kind of job they want and are eager to learn as much as possible about the company they’re applying for:

“Understand that I’m looking for information about how the job fits me, not how I fit the job.“What are your company’s core values?
I want to know what the company values. The only bad answer is that they don’t know. Knowing the values helps set expectations, which helps in evaluating the offer. If I feel that the offer is a little low, but I strongly agree with the corporate values, then I might accept anyway. The less I agree with the core values, the more you’d have to pay me to accept AND the less likely I am to stay long term. There are also certain core values that I just don’t agree with and I would never accept a position at a company with those values.” (From Manager Tools)

There are, of course, other questions that candidates are interested in asking, and all of them require a substantial level of preparation on the part of the hiring manager.

It’s become to easy for businesses and hiring managers to limit the access that job candidates have to information on specific positions and the company as a whole. Whether this occurs due to poor interviews, vague job postings, or a total lack of feedback, it’s got to stop. As we say most weeks when looking at the Job Candidate Bill of Rights, when the candidates are treated right, everyone benefits. If you prepare for an interview and provide candidates with as much information as possible before and during that interview, you’re going to find the right person for the job.

Join us next Tuesday for Part 8 when we do Ms. Aretha Franklin proud and talk about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

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