What are HR Managers looking for when Interviewing candidates?

What are HR Managers looking for when Interviewing candidates?

What are HR Managers looking for when Interviewing candidates? Well, isn’t this the million dollar question that every job seeker would want to know? Yes, it would be great to understand what the recruiters are looking for in the candidates. It not only gives you an upper hand for your preparation but also reduces your nervousness during the interview. Other than the qualifications and skills required to match for the job, HR Managers expect to see a lot of things in a candidate during the interview. Here are a few things that interviewers seek in candidates, during the interview.

1. Honesty is the best policy

While you might have heard of this a number of times, this is an infinitely important thing you should follow during your interview. According to many experienced recruiters, the best candidates they have hired are actually because of those applicant’s honesty, even for simple questions. If you are asked about your negative quality, do not beat around the bush and give a seemingly underwhelming answer or worse, a lie. Give a real and truthful answer, it will indeed impress the employer. In addition to this, never add more stuffs and try to cover the lie, you have said. For example, for simple questions like “Why did you score a low GPA?” Be truthful. If you lie, the recruiter can find it out within seconds. They have seen thousands if not hundreds of candidates like you. They can also back check your profile to know that that you have given false information deliberately. So stick to this proverb and be truthful, no matter how desperately you may want the job.

2.  The extra step and a personal touch

It is inevitable that the interview which you are attending for, would also be attended by many other potential candidates. Therefore going that extra length to show your keen interest in the job and your ability to perform it well is very vital. Show that you have made a good research on the company. If you had done so, then also show that you had done a little research on the interviewer herself. By this way, you can find a common ground, which would give a fresh sense of approach for the interviewers. Also, presenting your information in the right aspect, is very important. All the hard work you had put in the backstage would be shown to the recruiter only if you can present the information properly by expressing yourself properly and do take that extra step to win you the cutting edge over your competitors.

3. Showing initiative

While not many candidates show their willingness to learn, they expect to be an answering machine in their interview process. Most of the time, employers or recruiters would be very impressed, if they see applicants bringing their additional documents like written samples or portfolios of their work, copy of pay-slips and certificates, etc. without being explicitly told to do so. This will help in assessing you positively and create a very good ‘first impression’ about yourself. Employers love candidates, who need not be told what to do and this simple initiative from your side can win his heart and add a plus point in shortlisting and considering your candidature.

The above points are just simple yet vital aspects that every hiring manager expects in a candidate, apart from soft skills, education and relevant work experience. So the next time you have an interview, go prepared and I hope you crack it with these tips in mind.

All the best on your job hunt.