Don’t wink at the interviewer, whatever you might think of them, they have the power to say no. Wait until you get the job… then wink at them.

Don’t go to the pub before an interview, you will likely bump into the interviewer unprepared trying to sober up.

Unemployed is not unemployable, you might have to kiss a few frogs to get the job you want but if you kiss enough you will have found a prince.

Shake hands and make eye contact, this is not a new dance but a necessary ritual to built rapport.

Dear Mr Kallasvuo,

We were sorry to learn of your departure from Nokia earlier today. In light of the published severance terms there might be a forthcoming opportunity to enjoy a well earned break. We are sure your attention will turn to your next challenging professional opportunity.

From time to time I interview re-offenders to help as part of their process in “going straight”. I instantly warmed to this person.  I would describe this person him as a wag or a card. He would describe himself as unlucky. He was a petty criminal who never hurt another person, but seemed to be on the fringes of  others in their more determined pursuit of crime during the late 1960’s.

I was interviewing sales people for the role of Recruitment Consultant. Many had applied; I had short listed and invited six of the best candidates along for a face to face interview. I set out the criteria with them, part of which was a 10 minute presentation to my team; as I hoped they would be a significant contributor, it was important the present team had a say in the outcome to. Any new incumbent would need help

Background

I thought I had it cracked; five years with the same company; three promotions to regional level, sales prizes to European hotspots and New York, then a downturn in business that became a full blown recession. Business dipped to an unprecedented level, my competitor’s were making redundancies. Suppliers were chasing me for business with some already closed down. It was on a warm autumn day I got the visit from my Regional Director informing me that my team and I were being made redundant