LISTEN UP: Prove your interest in a job by preparing for the interview

IS IT just me who is becoming more and more annoyed at job interviews when people turn up without having done any research into the job?

IS IT just me who is becoming more and more annoyed at job interviews when people turn up without having done any research into the job?

Is it really expecting too much to assume that an interviewee will at least have found out what the service actually does? How on earth do people expect to be taken seriously as contenders for a job if they do not even know what the job is?

I think my favourite story recently was when an NHS manager asked the candidate: 'What did you do to prepare for this interview?' and received the reply:  'Well, I bought myself a new suit.' I suppose she should have been grateful that the interviewee was wearing a suit.

Last week, I spoke to social studies students at the local college.  They had looked on the internet to find out about the nursing home I work at, what it does and its client group.  That meant the questions they asked were interesting and relevant.
Surely it is not impossible for job applicants to do the same and show they are interested?

I am desperate to employ the right staff to fill any vacancies I have and honestly feel it is more important to find somebody who is interested in working in care and has made an effort to find out what it involves.  We can always teach new staff how to do the job but we can't teach them how to care.

Finding a job need not be that difficult: phone for an application form, fill it in correctly and tidily, give all relevant information, return it to the right address, turn up for the interview on time and appropriately dressed, know about the organisation and the job, have a few interesting questions ready, be polite but not smarmy and don't be afraid to ask about money.  Always remember, there is no such thing as an informal interview.

That way you get a job and the manager has to find something else to be annoyed about.

Or is just me?

Nigel Jopson, registered nurse and nursing home manager, Surrey