10 Things I Look For When I Interview People

What do I look for in my candidates? To start off with, let me point out there is a slight difference between wearing the hat of a Recruitment Consultant/Headhunter for an employment agency and that of the Interviewer/Hiring Manager for an internal hire. Here’s why: the Recruitment Consultant has more than one client/employer that he/she is servicing as compared to a Hiring Manager that interviews a candidate for a specific job and position. In the latter, certain specific behaviors in line with the culture of the company would be a very important factor to look out for, which may not be the case for a Recruitment Consultant.

For someone donning the hat of a Recruitment Consultant, the things I look for would be more general in nature and any serious job seeker would have the following checked:

1. Well-groomed – say whatever you like but good grooming gives candidates a great advantage. To me, this is a simple principle. People that take time to choose what to wear for interviews are serious job seekers and give respect to the occasion. So, I say thumbs up to ladies that wear make-up and men that choose to wear a tie even under a hot day. Nothing beats a good first impression!
2. Display a “likeable” disposition – likeable does not mean being charming or cute or even trying to flirt with the interviewer. It simply means wearing a genuine smile, be polite, make the right greetings, wait before you are asked to sit, good eye contact and etc. No one is totally comfortable with strangers, including the interviewers. A smile can melt ice and it’s true. So before any question is asked, smile!
3. Good posture – do not underestimate the power of good posture. It projects the person’s energy and enthusiasm. If you can’t even sit upright during an interview, you probably can’t do that on any occasion. This reason alone may not cut you off immediately but you certainly would not want your interviewer to doubt your personality.
4. Clear expression of thoughts – verbal communication is key to a successful interview. You may have a lot of knowledge and experience but if you are unable to express them clearly, you lose marks. Technical people such as Programmers and Engineers seem to struggle quite a bit in this aspect. To be able to explain clearly is a skill. If you know this is your weakness, my advice is that you take time to practice it before hand. Write them down or find a partner to practice. If your partner can’t understand what you are sharing, most likely the interviewer can't too.  
5. Quiet confidence – Being confident does not mean you have to shout every word you speak. Quiet confidence comes from within. If you know your stuff and able to explain it well, you will naturally exudes confidence. In other words, this ties closely with what you know and your ability to communicate that.
6. Answer the questions posed – seems an easy feat, isn’t it? Unfortunately, some candidates choose to give answers to their own questions. And it can be rather embarrassing because it means two things: either you are not listening or you did listen but were not able to comprehend what was asked. My advice is if in doubt, do not be afraid to ask the interviewer to clarify the question.
7. Listen then speak– although in an interview setting, the candidates are expected to speak more than the interviewer but that does not mean you do not know when to stop and listen. Speak up only when you are given the cue. A bad habit is when the candidate interjects on every sentence or trying to finish off the question by the interviewer. 
8. A few good stories – arm yourself with some good stories. Questions such as “What was your greatest achievement?” “Please elaborate a challenging task that you managed to overcome” and etc. would require you to tell a story from your past. 
9. Good preparation – it means you bring along your updated resume, photo, original and copied certificates, and other related documents. 
10. Ask appropriate questions – I appreciate candidates that ask questions, albeit appropriate ones. That shows the candidate had done some thorough thinking before the interview, an indication that he/she is serious about the job.

The key is this: work with your Recruitment Consultants or Headhunters by being cooperative. Your goal is to ensure you are “marketable”.

What NOT To Ask Or Say In A Job Interview

Job search ethics and protocols are important. The more you know about them, the more prepared are you in handling a job interview. A big part of them has to do with what NOT to ask or say in an interview.

Below are the top 10 common gaffes made and they do not resonate well with the interviewers.

1. What kind of business does your company is involved in?

By asking this question, you are telling the interviewer how unprepared and how uninterested you are in the job. No excuse for not knowing when you can easily google any information now.

2. How much can you pay me?

A valid question and at some point of time, this subject need to be settled. However, it is a mistake if you chose to ask this question right at the beginning of an interview. Some even asked before the interviewer has a chance to pose his/her first question – “Before we begin, how much can you pay for this job? Honestly, I don’t wish to waste anyone’s time if you can’t offer what I’m expecting.”

3. What kind of benefits does the company provides?

Again, it’s a question that you have every right to know the answer but it should not be raised right at the beginning of the interview. Keep the question until the end of the interview or if there is more than one interview, it should be raised only at the second interview or until the interviewer make the first move in discussing the subject.

4. I really needed a job now. Please hire me. I can do anything.

You may be desperate but there is no need to beg. Stay professional by putting your best self forward. Remember employers do not hire out of sympathy.

5. Is this a stressful job?

Why are you asking this question? Is it because your intention of getting another job is to get into a comfortable 9-5 job with no overtime? Even if that is your purpose of changing jobs, you can bet no employer may be that keen to hire someone that put in the time and take the paycheck at the end of the month without much contribution. "Good candidates" are those that enjoy challenges, excited about growth, take on extra responsibilities and willing to walk the extra mile.

6. Avoid slangs and Manglish [For Malaysians]

Slangs usually used by graduates that had just returned from their overseas study. Perhaps with the intention of making an impression, you try to please the interviewer with your American or Australian slang. Do not do that because slangs denote disrespect to your listeners that are trying to figure out what you are saying. And avoid Manglish that ends with lah, nah or mixed with other local dialects. Remember you are not having a conversation with friends and do not think by being casual in your language, you are projecting yourself as friendly. Speak proper English with the right use of grammar.

7. Avoid debate on sensitive issues related to politics and religion

Be clear of your objective. This is a job interview and not a platform to influence and convert the interviewer to your views and beliefs, even when the interviewer get distracted and started the subject first. Stay focused.

8. Do not bad-mouth your previous employer

Criticizing your ex-employers in any way let the interviewers realize you may do the same to them should you be hired and left the company one day. Whatever fall out you may have in the past with your ex-bosses is best left in the past. Make your statements short and try to stay as objective as possible. Do not let bitterness get the better of you.

9. Stay away from sharing personal stuff

One of the common questions asked by interviewer is, “Tell me about yourself”. Don’t tell your life story. Stick to your professional self as much as possible although you can touch a bit on your school life or outside interest but they should be kept at a minimum unless the interviewer probe further. Any other personal issue related to your recent divorce or in-laws should not be brought up at all.

10. One or two word answer

There will be times whereby one word answer is the only way of answering but if throughout the whole interview process, the replies from you are either one word or short answers, you are in trouble. You have just succeeded in getting into the nerves of interviewer and managed to convey one clear message – lack of interest.

Don’t Interrupt Candidates or Finish Their Sentences

Are you one of those that like to interrupt others or finish their sentences? Most often than not, we did not realize we actually do that until someone pointed out to us.The act might have become invisible to us.

I have to admit I did that, not all the time but enough to realize I actually did it. It happens at times when I encounter someone that is a bit slow in his speech. To speed the conversation, I’ll finish off the sentence knowing that’s probably the word or words he is struggling to verbalize. It’s a bad habit. I’m ashamed of it.

And bad habits like this unfortunately do not remain in your personal life but invade our professional realm too. So for the longest time I have unconsciously let this bad habit slip into my job interviews. And the outcome is usually not a good one. Imagine when I hurry someone along, interrupt someone, or finish his sentence, I made the candidate and myself hurried in our speech and that makes two people rather nervous and irritable at the end.

And truly, how can an interviewer really listen to what the candidate is saying when the interviewer is speaking for that person?

So if you are like me, let’s remind ourselves to be patient and wait.

Enjoy the conversation rather than rush through them.

Where Do You See Yourself Five Years From Now?

I know some people find this question annoying because it's impossible to predict the future. But if you understand the question correctly, it is not about predicting the future. What the interviewer is truly interested is your approach towards the question. As such, there is no right or wrong answer but if you are not careful, you might come out with a bad one.

If you say anything like, “I would not give a d***.” Or “I have no idea.”, you have just successfully disqualified yourself from the job.

If you say something like, “I hope to replace you.”, you are not that street-smart, aren’t you?

And if you say things like, “I want to have my own business.”, you better get ready for a good explanation after that.

What is the best answer? The best one has to be something that you believe is true for yourself as much as advancing your chance of getting the job.

So firstly, do you want to see yourself growing in your career, whether it is in terms of knowledge, skills, position and paycheck? If yes, that’s exactly in sync with employers’ aspirations. Who doesn’t want a motivated workforce, right?

Thus, something safe as well as a smart thing to say would be along the lines of,

“I’m not exactly sure the position I’ll be holding then but I would like to see myself doing something challenging and contributing positively to the organization by achieving the goals set for me. I’m sure if I’m contributing to the company’s success, my personal growth and advancement will take care of itself.”

What Happened To The Last Person In The Job?

A legitimate question.

But asked not often enough by candidates.

You need to know this.

If the last person was fired, find out the circumstances. It is better to seek clarification before an offer than finding it out the hard way – when you are already in.

If the job was vacant because the last person was promoted, ask to speak to that person before you accept the offer. I’m sure such proposal would not be declined. Smart employers will view you as a candidate that takes your job seriously before making a commitment. As for you, you want to learn as much as possible about what you are getting into.

If the person left due to own accord and can’t be reached for comment anymore, well, you have at least done yourself a favor by asking. Who knows? The hiring manager might volunteer to give you some information that you otherwise would not obtained if you did not ask.

Are You A Risky Investment?

As a job seeker, have you ever wondered why you were not hired when you believed from the bottom of your heart that you are the right guy for the job? You looked at the list of responsibilities and you fulfill all the criteria. So, what’s wrong?

Believe it or not, Hiring Managers fear making a bad hire so much so if a candidate has an equal number of good reasons to be hired and not to hire, the final decision is that the candidate will never get hired. Why? Because the Hiring Manager would rather be safe – he would rather choose a candidate that might not be the most excellent one but has fewer risks.

“Risk? I can be a risk to an employer?”

Most job seekers are not aware about this “risky business”. Sometimes, the very thing that you think make you excellent are actually your biggest liabilities.

Check the list below. These are some common “risk factors” that hiring managers are wary about:

1. Running your own business (and you think your diverse experience is your asset)

2. Being out of job for a long period of time – say six months and longer (ability to start work immediately is not always a huge plus after all)

3. Holding too many jobs or holding different positions in a short period of time. (are you sure you were versatile? Or was it pure fickle-mindedness?)

4. Women who joined back the workforce after a long time being home-makers (they probably not sure whether or not you are ready to adjust to their high-pressure environment immediately)

5. Worked in a large company and interviewing in a small company (something doesn’t connect here. What is the real motivation?)

6. Being in a job or a company for a long time but did not get a good increment or promotion (they are not seeing loyalty in me? Probably not)

7. Reason for leaving cited as “personal” and you refuse to elaborate (it’s a minor thing, they should not pay too much attention to it. That’s where you are wrong!)

8. Citing management problem as reason for leaving in your past two employments (the fact you can see through some huge problems in the management might not seat well with them either)

9. Saying things like, “I’m not really looking for a change but if better opportunity comes along, why not?” (trying to project hard to get? They probably think you are not entirely excited about the job)

10. Going through a divorce (they see an unhappy employee)

Tell Me A Story, Please

I listen to sermons on almost every Sunday. Some were ordeals that I have to endure as I struggle to stay awake but some have the capacity to keep my mind fully engaged till I get lost in time. Yes, the preachers have everything to do with it. Some are more gifted than the others, I must say. But one thing I noted: An average preacher is able to make his sermon engaging if he used stories. Our ears are somehow tuned to stories. As simple as that.

Guess what, it’s the same with job interviews. Candidates need to learn this secret: TELL STORIES! In case you do not know by now, most of the interviewing questions are formatted based on “behavioral interviewing”. What it means is this: that it is a belief that your past is an indication of what you are or do in the future in similar situation.

Question: How do you manage stress?

Don’t say, “I think I will do this….” Instead, relate a story in the past how you did it. “A few months ago, I was overwhelmed with a few project deadlines and they really affected me. When I realized that I was under tremendous pressure, I did…..”


If you need some clues on how to make your story more appealing, follow these rules:

1. What was the situation?

2. Relate what, why and how you did or solve it.

3. What was the outcome or the learning experience.

The third point is obviously important because you might not have a successful outcome from your story. Say, you collapsed the last time you were under stress. But like any good sermon, end with a positive note – a learning lesson for the future.

So for the next job interview, be prepared with a few good stories in your pocket. Seize every opportunity to tell stories. Good luck, folks!

Some questions are too tough? Get tips to how best to handle them.