The Crucial Job Interview Meet and Greet

The article makes a good point about career seekers not assuming the interview is over in "chance meetings" with employees and managers. However, it also important for the interviewee to understand the opportunity in this. By continuing to apply the "interview questions to ask the employer" technique, the job seeker can gain valuable insight about the culture, business practices or stability of the employer. Since the job interview process is controlled and choreographed by the interviewer these chance interview encounters may unearth valuable and critical information in helping the job seeker make a more informed decision about whether the job is right for her.

For example, the career seeker asks the interviewer about the financial stability of the company and the interviewer represents it as being stable and profitable. Then on the way out the business the interviewee is introduced to an employee in accounting. The interviewer is called away for a few minutes to answer a phone call. The interviewee asks the employee some of the same financial questions about the company and the employee quips, "We expect a big infusion of cash after the merger with XYZ that's coming up."

Hmmm...since nothing about a merger that could affect the interviewee should she be offered and accept employment was disclosed in the "formal" interview this revelation would certainly be worth knowing. The job interview process is always a "two-way street" for both employer and career seeker. "Chance meetings" are an opportunity for both sides to determine who is the "best candidate" for the employer and who is the "best employer" for the candidate.

Yancey Thomas Jr of TN 1:03PM November 26, 2008