Once you have received the call from the company or fashion recruitment agency confirming that you have been shortlisted for an interview, the real work begins. The candidate needs to prepare for the interview and it’s surprising how many people do not prepare or simply don’t make the most of selling themselves during the interview. So good preparation could make the different between you and the next candidate and could successfully land you job. This week we will look at some key preparations for your interview, from confirmation through to the first handshake.
The Facts
Make sure you know the job interview time, location, the interviewers full name, their job title and position in the company. If your meeting has been arranged via a fashion recruitment agency ask some more questions regarding the structure, company history, personality of the line manager. Sometimes recruitment consultants are provided with company profiles and marketing material from the company and can direct you to useful information online. A reputable recruitment agency will have visited the offices or stores so will be able to brief you on the office environment and company culture. If you have any questions or are uncertain about the interview details ask as soon as possible, do not wait until the day of the interview to clarify any details. Write everything down and keep it somewhere safe. Do you need to prepare a map? Whats is the nearest station? Make note of the company phone number? How you will get there? When will you have to leave to arrive on time?
Research Company
Read the website, press releases and advertisements. Search for the fashion company on online and find out about their company history and strategy. Check the company performance, if they are a listed company then you can see the annual reports, share price, performance, turnover. Use LinkedIn and Google to investigate the company, the management team and key people in the business. You will be able to pick up on mission statements, business language, structure, the scale of the business , their key drivers, achievements, fashion products, services, clients, fashion brands and main competitors.
Research the Interviewer/Line Manager
In many cases you will be interviewed by the line manager to whom you would directly report should you be offered the job. Find out about who will interview, how long have they been a the company, what is their background, how would your own work style compliment them? What could be important to them? There is a lot of information on line and some people in your own network, or previous colleagues may already be networked with them.
Check The Job Description
Re read the job description for the fashion job. What are the job requirements? Compare with your own fashion career experience. There are some key factors on your CV that have already ensured your selection. Identify your key experiences, skills and qualities that would be of interest to the company, link your CV to the fashion Job description and consider how you will compliment and connect your skills to the job role during the interview. What does this job role achieve for the company? You may be hired to solve a problem, develop new business, maximise a new opportunity, be competitive. The end goal for the fashion business is to make money, how can you help them in achieving their goals? Send time to identify and understanding the organisational needs, why they are currently recruiting for this job role and how you can add value?
Practice and Preparation
You can already start to plan the likely questions you will be asked in your interview, prepare your answers in advance. Practice with a friend, do a role play, it really does help. Being well prepared also calms your nerves. Review any unclear or complex parts of your CV and be ready to provide clear explanations. Identify the aspects of your CV you wish to highlight and consider how you will ensure your get the opportunity to achieve this.
Appearance
Whether you are interviewing for a role in fashion management or are looking for an internship, the interviewer will be looking to see if you have made an effort and taken care in your presentation. Try to research the company culture and identify whether the company and interviewer is relaxed or formal. If you are not sure, its always safer to be ‘overdressed’ than ‘underdressed’ for the occasion. Interviewers are not looking to see you in the latest fashion trends but more that you have take consideration in putting your outfit together, that you are aware of what suits you, and know how to present yourself well. People do make assumptions of your personality from your appearance, first impressions do count, and you can already utilise this tool to stand out from the other candidates and enable the interviewer to warm to you. Prepare your outfit the day before your interview.
Its very hard to make come back from a negative first impression. If you look untidy or unfinished, then the interview may assume your work to be the same. Some common mistakes are: excessive perspiration (bring tissues with you), body odour, running make up, un ironed clothes, dirty or unpolished shoes that need repair, being to casual, too ‘relaxed’ body language, chipped nail varnish, wearing clothes that are too tight or too lose, too much perfume, bad posture. These can all irreparably damage your chances in landing your ideal fashion job. Ask a friend to constructively critique your appearance and entrance, do you come across shy, arrogant, untidy? Take the opportunity to improve yourself and ensure people want to learn more about you when they meet you.
Timeliness
In Asia we can be subjected to high humidity and difficult conditions to be cool calm and collected by the time we arrive for the interview. Make sure you allow enough time not to be rushed. There’s nothing worse than the candidate being late for an interview, it shows a lack of respect, no preparation and dis-organisation. It instantly sets a bad tone from which you have a limited time to recover and win over the interviewer. Being late is avoidable, don’t put yourself under the stress and panic of rushing at the last minute. We tell our candidates to arrive 5-10 minutes early for the scheduled job interview to set a positive impression. If you encounter and unforeseen circumstance that is a justifiable reason in being late, call the office number to inform them in advance. If you call or email to cancel at the last minute, or are a no show, then be prepared to never work for the company OR any future company that the interviewer will go on to work at years down the line. People always remember the ‘no shows’.
We frequently experience and hear of candidates arriving anything from 30 minutes to an hour early. The world of the interviewer cannot stop because the candidate has arrived, they should not need to change their schedule for you, if they wanted you to arrive earlier they would have asked you to. It ca be perceived as a sign of desperation and in most cases you will be sent away and told to come back later, not a good start. So if you are 30 minutes earlier, use the time to check the exact location of the office, or go to the washroom to check your appearance, prepare your things, buy a bottle of water, become composed, use the time to think about what you would like to highlight about yourself to the interviewer.
Technology
Under no circumstances is it OK to answer your phone once you have arrived on site. Make sure its switched off before entering the office. Do not get it out of your bag, do not put it o the table, do touch it or look at it.
Eye Contact
When you are introduced to your interviewer, start with a firm hand shake, eye contact and a smile.Using eye contact during your interview builds trust and can be very convincing, acting as a confirmation on the subject you are explaining. If you feel too uncomfortable or intimidated to look someone in the eye, practice my 3 x 5 rule which I have been successfully using for fifteen years. Look directly at the interviewers Left eye for 5 seconds, then the Right eye for 5 seconds, then the mouth for 5 seconds. Practice it with your friends and family, no one knows you are doing it and you will be surprised how natural it feels. If you prefer, replace the five seconds with the length of each sentence, so after each sentence, whether its you speaking or the interviewer, rotate between the eyes and mouth.
Now you are well prepared and looking good, you can sit comfortably in the interview chair, ready to start the big sell and land yourself a great fashion job.
