How long should an interview take?

It depends on the position you are being interviewed for.

1. If you are a skilled worker (carpenter, welder, cook, etc.) the interview takes about 15-20 minutes and it's mandatorily followed or preceeded by a test where you get to prove your skills. The test is much more important and decisive than the interview.

2. If you are being interviewed for an entry level position that doesn't require special technical or language skills (for example waitress)  the interview takes about 20 minutes. If the job you apply for requires additional skills (like French, German, or IT skills like SQL, Linux, C++ just to name a few) the interview will be 20-30 minutes, language skills may be tested during the interview and you may be asked to come later or to stay after the interview for additional IT tests.

3. If you are being interviewed for a middle level position (for example experienced salesman), expect the interview to last 30-45 minutes.

4. Finally, for a manager position, interviews can take up to 2 hours and there may be several than one.

Also, when you are scheduled for the interview, it's more than ok to ask for the time you should reserve, especially if you take time from work or from school to go there. The recruiter should normally tell you about the length of the interview and tests but if they don't, just ask.

I had 4 interviews so far with a company. Does this mean I'm rejected?

NO. Unless you get the clear rejection phone call or email, you are NOT rejected.

There are 3 scenarios in your case:

1. They are testing you for more than one position. There are times when a company has more than one position open. You might have skills for more than one position and they want to see where you fit best. Sometimes the positions are in different departments with different managers and each wants to check you to see where you would perform best. It's ok to ask this question if you feel that they are interviewing you too much. They should tell you this information and not keep you in the dark.

2. You are considered for a middle level to senior position and more people need to see you. Getting everybody in the same room at the same time can be intimidating to the candidate. It's not advisable to have one candidate and 4-5 interviewers. Probably they all want to see you to decide.

3. You are being interviewed for a position in a company which requires candidates to go through several interviews and tests befor being hired. For example we hired in our company some French and English Linux engineers. They needed first to be tested over the phone in terms of language skills, then they came to the office for the IT advanced tests, then HR had a meeting with them, then their manager and finally the client who requested to do the final interview.

So, if you have more than one interview, it's not necessarily bad and if you have doubts and you need more information, it's ok to ask.

I have my first job interview tomorrow. What's going to happen?

First of all, if you have your job interview scheduled already, this means that they see potential in your CV and want to explore more. This means that they consider you one of the potential candidates for the job and you have a good chance of getting it. This is good news, so don't panic.

What's going to happen:

- first of all DON'T be late. It's VERY important to make a good first impression. Nobody appreciates having their time wasted. Better go early - 15-20 minutes earlier even is fine. Much better than late. If you don't know how to get there and how long it takes, do an exercise today. Go find the place and time your distance from home to the company headquarters;

- someone from the company is going to invite you in, offer you something to drink; if you feel that you need water or even coffee, it's ok to accept it and drink it during the interview; it's not a test - they want to be nice and make you feel comfortable. A real recruiter doesn't create panic and intimidate the candidate but tries to get the best out of him/her. So let's hope you get one of the nice ones;

- they are going to offer you a seat;

- they are going to start asking you questions. Again, don't panic. Reply as you can and ask questions of your own if you have any. It's ok to do that doing the interview. Concentrate and reply as you feel like doing. Don't invent answers or reply what you think they might want to hear. Even if they reject you in the end, it means that maybe you wouldn't have been happy there or the job wasn't for you. And don't give up no matter what searching a new job if you don't get this one. There's always something for everybody out there.

- they are going to ask you in the end if you have further questions. Go ahead and ask if you have any more questions. Just don't keep them for 30 minutes more. Try to keep it short - 2-3 questions that are most important to you should be enough.

- they will thank you for the interview and tell you what happens next - how you will get the feedback and if there are further steps should you pass this one;

- they may keep you at the end for a little more to give you individual tests (language, IT, etc.) depending on the position. However, this is not mandatory for all positions;

- you can go home and relax.

See :) it wasn't that difficult. I will come back in my next posts with details about each step of the way.

Recruitment and Selection Strategy: What Should a Resume/CV Include Mandatorily?

First of all, if you have no idea how a resume should look like, you can try this link:
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae

It's the link to the European Euro pass resume that most employers in Europe prefer. It's a clear, easy to use file that I personally recommend.

The main information to start a resume is:
- your name (full name, no nicknames);
- your address and contact information (be careful about emails - use a professional one, not foxylady21foryou@....com unless you are applying for video chat or something); recruiters check this;
- your nationality;
- your marital status;

The last two are not mandatory, but employers may ask about nationality to see if you need a work permit.
Marital status, children, religion, sexual orientation are not mandatory to offer and the employer is forbidden by law to reject you because of any of these. It's your choice to give them this information or not. Also, they are not allowed if you are female to ask if you are pregnant or if you plan to have any children in the near future. Pregnancy tests are also forbidden.

The next section of your resume should be the Professional experience. Some resumes have the section Professional objective before that and sometimes area in which you are interested to work in, but all those are not mandatory.

Coming back to the professional experience, you should specify the name of the employer, your position, the hiring date and ending of contract date. If you still work there, you should mention only hiring date. Besides all the above you should mention your responsibilities and achievements on the job. Try to be specific and adapt them to the specifications of the position you are applying for.

All your positions should be entered in reverse chronological order - meaning your current one first, not last.

If you don't have any experience, try to find something to put there - an internship, a volunteer campaign, a project you did in a team at the University. Try not to leave this section empty. Try to show that you tried to do something.

The next section is the studies section. Please enter all your studies in reverse chronological order mentioning the name of the studies provider, the time frames and the specialty/major you graduated or you are still following.

After long term studies, enter short term courses you had - all relevant courses in reverse chronological order. Don't offer too much detail and don't insert here courses that are not relevant to the position. An employer looking for a sales agent for example can't care less that you did a landscaping course unless you are selling landscaping products. Always think about how relevant the detail you are giving is for the position you are applying for.

A large CV is not ok. No recruiter will have the time to read. Keep it under 4 pages if you have a lot of experience and under 2 if you are fresh graduate or student. The largest CV I have ever received had 14 pages, it was for an Operations Manager position, it was relevant, but huge and I read below a quarter of it. I was desperately looking for CVs for such a position. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wasted my time. So be careful.

Additional skills: write here your technical skills - software you use, foreign languages that you speak (include only Advanced and Medium level not all languages that you know how to say "Hello" in), social skills, artistic skills only if relevant. Be careful that all you write here can be tested. If you say you speak advanced French and you don't, your CV will be rejected and you may never get another chance. Be honest and evaluate yourself correctly.

Other sections in the CV:
- prizes - keep it simple if you have to add it and write ONLY relevant information. Nobody cares that you had a first price in acting in kindergarten or in pottery class;
- Driver's license or other licenses - add only if relevant to the job;
- Hobbies - include in the CV. Some recruiters consider it relevant. However, keep it simple.

Please write to me if you have any questions. I am open for discussion.
Geo