From the Other Side of the Desk-The Interview

Have you thought about what your interview looks like from the other side of the desk? One sure way to see that would be to tape yourself in an interview, but that rarely happens. Let’s think about this a moment. What does the interviewer see, and what are they watching for?

• One of the most obvious is how well you are dressed for the interview? One of the the assumptions can be, that if you have organized yourself, then possibly you could handle organization in the job setting. 
• Generally, in all cases, as an interviewee, you should be neatly dressed, but not overly so. A rule of thumb one could use is to dress at the level or one step above the attire that would be appropriate for the everyday attire in that workplace setting. If it is casual, then step up to business casual. Don’t go in over dressed and don’t go in wearing a t-shirt if business casual is the rule of thumb. The objective here is to show respect for the interviewer, but not to look out of place. 
• Go in neatly trimmed, a professional look. Ladies don’t overdo the makeup. Men, a neat trim or clean shave. The point here is that considerable attention is paid to eye contact so distractions away from eye to eye contact are a problem. 
• Attention forward. Your posture in the interview is important. Don’t slouch and lay back in the chair, and don’t get in the interviewers face. Sit forward and upright with full attention towards the interview. 
• Turn cell phones off. What’s most important here? 
• Listen carefully. The interviewer is seeking answers to his/her questions. Make sure the question is understood and answer carefully. Take your time to think about a question, but not too much. If you need clarification, ask for it. Some research on the company and the position prior to getting to the interview may help you really prepare for some of the questions and prevent answering poorly. 
• They are looking for questions as well. Prepare some of your own questions going in, but never ask what the job pays in the interview. That can be taken care of if and when the company shows interest in you.
• You must know key details of your past performance. The interviewer is really trying to translate your abilities into what kind of value you could bring to the position and company. 
• They are looking for signs not just of what you have done in the past, but just what exactly was YOUR responsibility and what leadership and performance did YOU bring to your previous jobs. This is key. They are not interested in hiring your past company, but YOU.
• They are looking for signs of what you can bring to the company in the future. Your resume shows what you have done in the past. What they really want to know is what you can do for them from today forward. You MUST project what you can do for them. This is critical to the success of the interview, not only to getting the job, but to determining also what you are worth to them, i.e. if they want to hire you, what kind of compensation package could be offered.
• They are looking for the cultural fit. Your skills and experience may be a great fit, but if you do not have the personality, the mannerisms, and values, then you may not get the nod. In other words, if the position calls for an eagle, and you are a dove, the fit may not be the correct one.
• Companies make a great investment in their people. They are looking for long term employment. If you are not indicating commitment for the position, you could be knocked out.
• Finally, you must be better than all of the other qualified applicants. It is not enough to be a good fit. You must convince the interviewer, or interview panel that you are the best. Have you prepared yourself for that? Know your competition. Go in prepared. Take the interview seriously. Be sure to thank the interviewer for taking time to meet with you, and ask for the order. That is, tell them that you want the job.

Finally, follow up with a message to them thanking them for their time. This shows respect and keeps you on top of their mind.

Press Release

Minneapolis, MN – Arbita, a provider of recruitment marketing technology, and media planning services, and Ag 1 Source, the largest recruiting firm in the agriculture industry, are pleased to announce they have achieved excellent results from a recent Search Engine Optimization (SEO) initiative led by Arbita Consulting and Education Services (ACES). The goal of the initiative was to increase candidate and client traffic to the Ag 1 Source web site from the organic search results of major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.


“Prior to working with Arbita, we were heavily invested in Internet marketing initiatives such as pay-per-click advertising,” said Mark Esfeld, Recruiting Consultant and Partner, Ag 1 Source Professional Personnel Solutions. “Our approach was somewhat successful, but during 2009 we began to see cost increase and effectiveness decrease. Our challenge was magnified by the fact that we needed our Internet marketing initiatives to attract both potential candidates and clients.”

Ag 1 Source evaluated several organizations before selecting Arbita as their SEO partner. Nicole Bodem, Director of Search Marketing for Arbita, worked closely with the Ag 1 Source team (and a third-party web developer) to improve SEO results. Ms. Bodem leveraged extensive search pattern analysis and competitive intelligence to formulate a key word strategy that would improve results for the most important search phrases used by candidates and clients. She then implemented the key word strategy across the Ag 1 Source web site and provided training on other tactics for improving results including link building and web content modification.
 “There is no doubt that Ag 1 Source continues to lead their market segment in innovative approaches to finding the best candidates for their clients,” said Ms. Bodem. “And their SEO strategy also puts them ahead of the pack in terms of finding new clients. I am very pleased to have worked with such a professional team that is clearly so dedicated to recruitment marketing innovation.”


“Nicole was a pleasure to work with,” said Mr. Esfeld. “Everyone on my team felt they were getting access to an expert resource with significant experience and exposure to what works in our market segment. Most important was her dedication to our results. For example, though it wasn’t part of our scope, Nicole drove usability requirements for our web site that help both with SEO results and the overall user experience of our site. And she worked closely with our external web developer to make sure that all her recommendations were implemented without sacrifice.”


Ms. Bodem continues to provide ongoing training and consulting to Ag 1 Source. Since the launch of the SEO initiative, they have experienced an exponential increase in client and candidate visits and inquiries. This has had the dual impact of decreasing marketing costs while improving overall marketing results.

About Arbita

Since 1993, Arbita has been connecting leading employers with the best talent on the Internet, all over the world. Our recruitment marketing technology, media and services have been developed with the belief that every client deserves a partner with their best interests at heart. Arbita is based in Minneapolis, MN and on the Web at www.arbita.net.


About Ag 1 Source
Ag 1 Source is the leading recruiting firm in the agriculture industry. Their recruiting consultants help clients find great candidates for a wide range of market segments including agronomy, seed, grain, energy, equipment and livestock. Founded in 2002, the company works with organizations seeking employees throughout the US, Canada, and Latin America.