Today I had two job interviews. The first one was very informal, and it really felt like they were just trying to get a sense of who I was as a person, and whether they thought my personality was the right fit for the job. The second was very stiff, and I was asked really basic questions about my availability, work experience, and not much else. In reflecting on this week’s readings, it seems to me that the first place is more likely to find the kind of candidate they are looking for, because they were more focused on finding the right fit and less on things related to logistics and things that can be easily trained for. One big theme from this week’s learning was that personality is a really important factor when considering whether someone will thrive in a particular work environment. By spending the time getting to know me, I felt more interested in working for the company, and also more confident that if they hired me, it would be a good fit. The first interview also spent longer explaining their goals and expectations for the job, making it clear that they had intention around what they wanted in a new hire, and giving me clear expectations to work with. I believe some of this was because the first interview was through an HR department, while the second interview appeared to be less formal and the person doing the interview may not have been trained to know what questions would be helpful to ask or what they were looking for.
