Author: Jay Wren

Interview Tips: the Chemistry of the Job Interview

For some hiring managers, the chemistry of the job interview influences hiring decisions as skills.  Hiring decisions have so much to do with chemistry that personal chemistry might be the biggest element in the interview process.  Think about it.  The interviewer has read your resume.  This person must have some reason to believe that you are qualified for the job.

I have heard more than one hiring manager say that they have made their decision within the first five minutes.  They spend the rest of the time reconfirming their decision.

Therefore, from there, the interviewer is interviewing you to learn five things:

    1. Confirm the details from your resume
    2. Determine whether you can successfully apply your skills to the job you are seeking
    3. Get an understanding of your interest in the job and whether the job is a fit for you
    4. Evaluate your reliability and your potential
    5. Decide if your personal chemistry will mix with the culture or personal chemistry of the company.

If you spend an hour interviewing for a job that matches your skills and qualifications, the factor that determines whether you get the job is whether you have the chemistry to fit into the company as well as other candidates.

Therefore, put effort into putting your best foot forward and making a great first impression.  Show an interest in the interviewer and in the hiring company.  Use open gestures.  Sit up straight and comfortably.  Smile.  Show the interviewer you have prepared for the interview by talking about the things that interest you about the company.  Have a meaning list of questions and ask them as the interview progresses.

When you meet the interviewer, you should smile.  Give them a firm handshake.  Listen to what the interviewer is discussing.  Listen to what the interviewer is asking you to discuss, and just be honest.  Your smile, your interest, and your chemistry will increase your chances of getting the job.

6 Steps to Making a Great Job Interview Impression

Great Job Interview Impression

Fine tuning your ability to make a great job interview impression will make you more competitive against other applicants.

Dress the part.

If you are going to meet people for the first, dress appropriately.  If you are going to a swimming party, take a bathing suit.  If you are going to a job interview, wear a business suit.

Be Odorless.

Aftershave or perfume may smell great to you, but also may annoy other people.  If you are wearing aftershave or perfume on your hands and leave those smells on the hands of the people you meet, you will offend some people.  I have having breakfast at a national sales meeting for Polaroid Corporation, and two women at the table were talking about the lack of professionalism of one of the men at the meeting.  They said that his wearing aftershave into the meeting rooms was unpleasantly distracting and unprofessional.  Everything that I have read about aftershave and perfume for business meetings says that you might as well have body odor as applying a distracting perfume or aftershave.  Neither one will make people want to meet you again.

Be Prepared.

Always have an agenda for your meetings.  Ask yourself, “What things do I hope to do in this meeting?”  Write them down.

Focus on Listening.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Epictetus

Listen to what other people have to say and respond in ways that help them feel you have connected with them and their message.  If you have things that you want to say, you may find that those things are better said at another time that will allow you to make a point and not distract from the impression you want to make.

Sit up straight straight, open your arms, and smile.

Actors are professionals at communicating a message through body language and facial impressions.  With simple gestures, sometimes with no dialogue, an actor is able to project an image of a character who is powerful, weak, sad, happy, confident, uncertain, and so on across the range of character traits and emotions.

Make Eye Contact

Most people look at another person’s eyes.  I have read that for some people looking at a person’s nose is easier.  If you have difficulty making eye contact, just pick a point on a person’s face and softly focus at that spot.  I have found that if I am paying attention to what a person says, I will forget that I am looking at a person’s eyes.  Rather I tend to have a broader focus of the person’s entire face.

Give Compliments that are In Line with Your Meeting

When you make relevant, positive comments about the interviewer’s career or education, the company’s performance or the workplace appearance, you show interest in the person and in the company.

Jay Wren: the CPG Industry Recruiter

What is the consumer packaged goods industry? I do get ask that question from time to time. The consumer-packaged goods industry is comprised of those companies that manufacture, advertise, and distribute products that are in a package and readily consumable. Examples of consumer-packaged goods are canned soup, laundry soap, beverages, paper towels, candy, and so forth.  The points of distribution for the CPG industry are grocery stores, convenience stores, mass merchants, deep discounts or dollar stores, club stores, and drug stores. The CPG sector is sometimes divided in fresh, frozen, refrigerated, shelf stable foods, health and beauty aids, confection, and more recently and rapidly growing, natural or organic categories.

The areas of search that my company provides services include:
  • Category Analysts
  • Marketing, Brand, Product Management
  • Initiative Specialization to include Innovation and Consumer Insight
  • Custom Research
  • Team Leader and Account Managers
  • Distributor and Broker Managers
  • Directors and Executives
  • Business Development
  • Category Management
  • Trade Marketing
  • Sales Analysts
  • Market Research and Analytics
My company also performs search for people and companies who support CPG companies. These companies provide these services:

Consumer Coupons

  • Free-standing Inserts (FSI)
  • Instant-Redeemable Coupons (IRC)
  • Direct Mail Coupons
  • In-store Coupons

In-Store Marketing Products

  • Product Demonstrations
  • Shelf Signs or Shelf Talkers
  • Floor Signs
  • Shopping Cart Signs
  • In-Store Radio

Research Products

  • Category Management
  • Syndicated Data
  • Panel Data
  • Custom Research
  • Shopper Insights Research
A list of services that my company offers often for free in the website, by email and over the phone often include
  • Salary Information
  • Cost of Living Information for Employers
  • Employees
  • Resume Assistance
  • Interview Preparation
  • Post Interview
  • Writing Follow up and Thank You Notes
  • Company Information
  • Research free compensation information
  • Free salary information, and other relevant career information
error: Content is protected !!