Make an impression!
Caroline gives us her top tips for a successful equine job interview.
Part 3 – Meeting your potential employer for the first time.
Missed parts 1 or 2? Read part 1 here / Read part 2 here
It’s the day of your interview and you’re bound to be feeling at least a little bit anxious about this potentially life-changing appointment, especially if you have never been to a job interview before. As discussed in parts 1 and 2, there is a great deal you can do in advance to maintain a calm and controlled approach, and how you manage the day of your interview can have a big impact on the interview being successful. You’ve got this far in your mission to get that perfect equine job, so it’s vitally important you don’t make any avoidable errors when it comes to that all-important first meeting with your potential employer. If you need any pre-interview morale or confidence boosting then do feel free to call us #wegotyou! 🙂
Here are some considerations to put you in good stead throughout the day, as well as at your all-important interview.
On the day of your job interview
The Don’t’s
Don’t wing it on the day. Prepare in advance what clothes you are going to wear, set your alarm, and check the travel reports for potential hold-ups or road closures (or delayed train times, line disruptions etc). Do use the available apps etc which are plentiful these days! google maps/ what3words/RAC route finder to name but a few! Just make sure you have checked with the employer you have the right address and postcode ahead of time! If you turn up late you’ve already risked your potential employer feeling that you aren’t organised and could be unreliable.
Don’t EVER simply fail to show up. I am still surprised every time this happens. Occasionally there are some genuine reasons and we are always sympathetic to those of course but otherwise, it is incredibly unprofessional, inconsiderate and entirely unnecessary. If you’ve changed your mind, got held up or something else has gone wrong there is rarely an adequate reason to fail to inform your potential employers. The employer has made time in their schedule to interview and may have even held back horses for you to ride or other team members for you to meet. It’s only fair that you let them know as soon as you know you are running late or not going to make it. You can always tell us and we will get a message to the employer. Unless you have an incredibly good reason for not contacting the employer you will be considered unreliable, not only by your potential employer but by us too and risk being blacklisted for future job-seeking endeavours!
Don’t turn up looking scruffy or inappropriately dressed. You may have made a long journey or dashed in from your current job, but do try to make an effort with your appearance. Clean, tidy, and workmanlike is always our advice. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression with your potential employer. If you look like a scarecrow you will undoubtedly create the impression your standards are low and sloppy! As I said in my last article, also don’t turn up in a skirt with high heels, and long nails (it does happen). Remember you’re going for an equine job interview, not a night out or an office job! Make sure you look “fit for purpose”.
The Do’s
Do plan your day. Work out what time to get up in the morning so you have plenty of time to do your chores, get dressed and ready for your interview, travel, and find the yard or location of your interview. If you can, turn up a bit early so you can present yourself in a relaxed and considerate manner. Turning up with your hair stood on end, gabbling at a million miles an hour about lots of unrelated stuff, and hyperventilating isn’t a good look. Trust me, I have been around a million years!
Gen up on the job. Before you go for your interview reread the job details and any other information you have about the yard and vacancy. If the yard has a website, have a look through it. Understanding the advertised details of the vacancy and yard activities is critical to proving your interest in the position.
Take a list of questions you have about the job, the yard, the team you’ll be joining, the future plans for the yard and horses etc. A potential employer won’t think this is inappropriate or prying. Instead, it shows interest and initiative. Why not ask about and do a bit of investigating of your own ahead of time, but keep an open mind. There are always two sides to a story 99% of the time anyway You can always ask us about potential employers of course, we are keen to get the best fit for all concerned after all!
At the job interview
The Don’t’s
Don’t big talk. We all know you want to be seen as capable and a desirable employee, but if you’ve fully presented your fully prepared Jobseekers Profile and CV that will do some of the “selling” for you. You’re not helping yourself if you stretch the truth or come across as too full of yourself.
Don’t judge. If the yard doesn’t turn out to be what you expected, keep an open mind, and don’t turn your nose up too soon! Criticising the yard, horses, existing groom’s work etc is a real no-no. Just politely continue your tour of the yard making relevant observations, keeping criticisms to yourself unless asked very specifically.
Don’t ‘go to town’ on criticising your current or past employers. Remember this is a very small world and if you are quick to talk badly of anyone, employers will wonder what you might say about them when their back is turned or if you might stir up trouble in their team. Be someone who has to be coaxed in this regard, not someone who can’t stop offering negative reviews. Even if you are asked, talk with restraint. This is not an occasion for venting. It will bring your professionalism, discretion and integrity into question!
Don’t do anything you are not comfortable and confident to do. If you are asked to do something that you feel is above your current ability don’t just do it to impress. Expressing concern or reluctance to do something is far more impressive to a potential employer than falling on your face! There is nothing wrong with needing time to learn/adjust to something new, and a potential employer will appreciate honesty and quite possibly give you the opportunity to learn and/or develop within the role. If the task at hand is a necessity to the job then the job is probably not for you. If everything else is going great discuss the possibility of a trial with the potential employer. Honesty over your ability/confidence is not necessarily going to scupper your chances of getting the job, but overstating, broken bones or a spell in the hospital almost certainly will!
The Do’s
Be punctual. As previously discussed, turn up on time and use the available apps etc which are plentiful these days! google maps/ what3words/RAC route finder to name but a few! Just make sure you have checked with the employer you have the right address and postcode ahead of time!
Be human. If you are shy or nervous, tell your potential employer! They are human too and will appreciate you being truthful with them, they will probably be a bit on edge too! If they understand that you are keen to make a good impression and perhaps a bit overwhelmed by them, the surroundings, and the opportunity this won’t necessarily put your potential employer off you it might actually endear you to them just as it would if they were open with you. They’d rather know you are honest and authentic and they can help you fit into your new job. Noone is perfect after all!
Be friendly and polite. If all goes well you will be working with these people – the employer, the team members, other family and staff members, as well as clients. Interaction with these people is part of your interview too, not just the potential employer. If an employer sees you are comfortable interacting with everyone else in the yard/business this will bode well for your future with them. Try to remember names too, (horses/the employer/staff you meet), this always suggests an impressive level of sincerity.
Ask questions and discuss the future. Ask sensible and relevant questions about the daily job, immediate and long-term future. This shows a potential employer that you are thinking about your part in their yard/business and that you are interested in the prospects of the job. Maybe think of some questions in advance in case nerves overtake you.
After the Interview
No matter how you feel the interview has gone, send the employer a quick email to say it’s been nice to meet them and thank them for their time. It’s polite, mature, and leaves a good impression. Even if this time things don’t work out, you just never know when your paths may cross in future and if an employer’s impression of you is positive they will feel positive about you in future. If you are interested in the role, do ask what the next step might be, perhaps suggest a paid working trial? We have a BLOG for that too 😉
Don’t forget to tell us! If you get the job, hide your profile on www.thegroomslist.co.uk and if you decide against it or don’t get it, talk to us, we can share feedback and generally point you toward something even more up your street!
© Caroline Carter Recruitment Ltd and The Grooms List, 2017. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Caroline Carter Recruitment Ltd and www.thegroomslist.co.uk with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
