Three interviews, three techniques

Today was a very interesting day. I had an interview with a placement agency, a phone interview and a face to face interview. Many things to compare and contrast.

At 10 AM I was at a placement agency to interview for a customer service position for a major utility in our area. This is the first time I've ever interviewed with a placement agency so even though I wasn't keen on the position or the pay, I wanted the experience. The interviewer was very nice but it was much more like interview "coaching' than an actual interview. The interviewer told me that once they do the pre-screen, the employer goes through the resumes and decides who they want to interview. The employer will call and give the prospect a 48 hour window. If the prospect can't make it to the interview, they drop to the bottom of the prospect list and the employer uses this method until all the positions are filled. Right now, the agency is one of many submitting prospects for positions that will be filled in January.

The most disappointing part of this interview was, as the interview was concluding, I asked the interviewer whether she had any other clients that might benefit from my education and experience. Her response was ".......oh yeah!". Had I not asked, it would never have occurred to her.

On the way home, I called an employer who sent me an email expressing interest. After a phone interview, I was disappointed to realize the "talent acquisition representative" had no idea that I was actually qualified for the job. The good news is my information was forwarded to the hiring manager and I'm looking forward to the next step.

The big surprise of the day was my final interview at an auto title loan company. Based on my own biases about the industry, I was not enthusiastic about the interview but I felt obligated to go. What a pleasant surprise this turned out to be. I was interviewed by an intelligent, competent professional who asked me fantastic questions and gave me fantastic information about how the company does business. I truly enjoyed the communication process with her and I'm sincerely looking forward to hearing from them next week. Apparently she liked me too because I'm being considered for a branch manager position.