- Catalyst Search Inc.

Your resume has successfully captured the interest of the hiring firm, now it's up to you to enhance their opinion of you. The type and style of interviews varies from informal one on one meetings to structured panels and everything in between. In Calgary's Energy sector the majority have been, in my experience, on the casual end of the spectrum. Most often the meeting is held in an office or a boardroom and involves the candidate and one or two representatives of the hiring company. The tone is generally casual and encourages an open flow of dialogue; a 'getting to know you' meeting if you will. Within these meetings there are a few things you should do, or not do, to help present yourself as the best possible choice for the position.

• Prepare for the meeting. Learn a bit about the company and about the people you'll be meeting. If you are working with a search consultant, they should have given you some introductory information so you have a better idea about what to expect, but enhancing this through online research and talking to people who know about the company and people involved is a good thing.
• Think about your message. The employer wants to know if you can do the job, if you will do the job, if you have more to offer, and most importantly to many, if they'll enjoy seeing you for 8 hours a day. It can be helpful before you go to answer each of these questions to yourself along with thinking about what differentiates you from other candidates they may meet. Your answer will be as unique as you are; it may be systems implementation experience, your love of collecting receivables, property review experience, team building abilities or personality.
• As you arrive, turn off your cell phone or blackberry. You are there to focus on your interview and ringing, vibrating or even answering a call will demonstrate a lack of interest or respect.
• Make a good first impression. Arrive on time, if not 5 minutes early, well dressed, well groomed and offering a firm handshake and friendly smile. Make good eye contact both at your first greeting and throughout the meeting.
• Remember that the person you meet is human. They have likes and dislikes just as you do. They have needs, goals and ambitions. They like to feel heard, respected, and to feel like the person they are meeting is being honest with them. Take a deep breath, relax, and have a conversation. At the same time, avoid being overly familiar - this is a business meeting, not an opportunity to make a new friend. Keep the tone professional and avoid any slang.
• Answer questions honestly and directly. Make sure you understood the question, ask for clarification if necessary and confine your answer to the topic at hand. Avoid long rambling answers as the interviewer may lose interest. When asked an uncomfortable question, remember that most people have had regrettable incidents, problems they've faced and issues they would rather not discuss, however, being willing to talk about them shows you've learned from those experiences and are ready to use what you've learned.
• Where appropriate introduce examples of projects you've handled or experiences you've had that would add value in the hiring organization. If asked whether you've handled property set-ups you could respond, 'Yes, I was responsible for setting up any new wells on my property and, additionally, I worked on a property review project that recovered incorrectly billed costs from the previous 3 years that was a result of incorrect previous set-ups.'
• If you lack experience in an area, never fabricate it. Instead, respond that while you have not had hands on experience in that area you learn quickly, have worked with a related function and are willing to do some research.
• Ask salient questions relevant to the role. A good interview is a sharing of information from both parties. You want to leave feeling that you have a good grasp of the role, an understanding of the environment and feeling that you have enough information to know whether you are interested in proceeding.
• Let the employer bring up salary, benefits, whether the contract may become permanent etc. Some employers are happy to address these questions openly, but many may see them as presumptuous and off-putting. It can be seen as moving the conversation from 'here's what I can do for your company' to 'what's in it for me?' I understand it matters, and is a prime factor for you, but generally speaking most roles will have roughly comparable salary bands.
• When the interview ends, ensure you thank them for their time and express your interest in the role if you are interested. Indicate that if there are any questions they have, or if you can provide any additional information, that you would be happy to hear from them. I have often had a follow up call from an enthusiastic candidate only to hear from the employer that they did not feel the candidate was interested in the role. Leaving a disinterested or apathetic impression is difficult to recover from, and the employer may not even follow up to clarify your interest.
• Never speak in an overtly negative way about a past supervisor, colleague or company. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is that Calgary is a well connected city and the oil patch is a business where we interact a great deal with others both within an organization and outside. Your interviewer may well know the person you are speaking about and like them. Even if the interviewer doesn't know the person in question, they will associate you with negativity. The second is that it takes two to have a negative relationship; if you're completely honest with yourself, there may have been things you could have done to make that relationship better. Indicating that you've had a string of terrible managers is less likely to leave the impression you've had a run of bad luck, and more likely to bring about the assumption that the common factor in all these bad relationships, namely you, was the problem.

A few extra considerations on your presentation and preparation. Some of these should be obvious, but I mention them here as they are all things I have experienced first hand.

Well dressed and well groomed mean different things in different environments. If you are looking at a role within a suit and tie environment then well-dressed means wearing a suit, having polished shoes, hosiery for women, and an overall clean cut look. In a business casual environment, well dressed may mean a button down shirt, nice golf shirt, sweater or blouse paired with khakis or dress pants with tie optional. What is never appropriate are stained or torn garments, runners, flip flops, shorts, sweat pants or other casual wear. If you would be uncomfortable wearing it to a nice restaurant, you should be uncomfortable wearing it to any interview.

Many people are sensitive to fragrance and odors. Use a light hand with any cologne or perfume as the person you are meeting with may not like it, or even be allergic or sensitive to fragrances. If you smoke, ensure both your clothing and breath are fresh. Strong smoky odors can be repugnant to non-smokers and smokers alike.

While uncommon, I have had interviewees show up with chewing gum, drinks or other distractions that are inappropriate.

Most importantly - be yourself. The person who shows up to work everyday is the person who should show up to an interview. Let your personality shine through; you'd be spending 8 hours a day with your new colleagues, let them get a sense of who they'll be working with.