When you talk about first impressions during an interview, most people focus on the impression that the candidate makes on the company. But in the plastics industry, employers also need to make a strong impression. This is especially true given the lack of candidates and the fact that employers are competing to attract talent.
The good news for you is that employers still commonly overlook this. If you take a few steps to make a good initial impression, your plastics company will be ahead of the curve.
Why It Matters
We already touched on the part of the reason that first impressions are crucial for plastics employers. There are more jobs than candidates, so you need to make your offer more appealing than the competition.
But there are also a handful of other factors at play. If the impression that candidates get during the interview doesn’t match up to reality, they may leave the company. This will leave you with all of the costs of hiring and training someone new.
Make Good First Impressions by Researching the Candidate
You likely already researched the candidate before deciding to give them an interview. But if you weren’t the one to check their resume or do an online search, go ahead and do so before the interview. Your goal is to find highlights on their resume, LinkedIn profile, and other information.
This will help show the candidate that they are not just another number; you want a working relationship and appreciate their skills.
Make the Candidate Feel Comfortable
Throughout the interview, it should be a primary goal to make the candidate feel comfortable. Do this with your posture as well as your questions. Instead of asking why you should hire them, ask what they hope to get out of working with you.
To start, this will give you similar information as the answer to why you should hire them. But it also lets you present your company as an opportunity to meet those goals. If they say they want to advance in the plastics industry, you can highlight your career growth opportunities.
Recognize That Everything Affects the Impression You Make
With the importance of first impressions in plastics hiring, interviewers need to understand that every little factor will make a difference. Applicants will pay attention to:
- How long do they have to wait before the interview
- How the interviewer dresses
- The conversational tone and friendliness of the interviewer
- The friendliness and helpfulness of the receptionist
- The interviewer’s greeting or handshake
Unfortunately, people make instant assumptions based on their first impressions. How you look will lead to unconscious impressions and assumptions. As such, it is just as important for the interviewer to be well-groomed and appropriately dressed as it is for the candidate to be.
Conclusion
The plastics industry has more job openings than candidates, so companies must compete to recruit. Whether talent chooses to work with your plastics company will largely depend on how the interview goes. Interviewers need to make a positive initial impression on candidates, from how the interviewer dresses to their ability to put candidates at ease.
How can we help you?
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Are you a top producing salesperson considering a new role in the plastics industry? Contact us to discuss your career path or browse our open positions.
