How to improve the process of finding a new job? Inside view

Job search is not always an exciting and enjoyable process. A lot of interviews, strange questions, test items and checks from HR, team leads, security services and other people involved, can turn into a long and futile test. How to avoid this and what to look for, we asked Ekaterina Firsova, the Parallels HR manager, to tell us.

Before the interview

Get ready for an interview. As beaten as it sounds. Any company has a website, a group in some social network (and maybe not one), sometimes an instagram. In instagram it is generally interesting to watch the lives of employees by hashtags and tags, so to speak, from the inside. Or you can at least read a few interviews with the first persons - this is publicly available information. By the way, it would not hurt to comb their social networks. Most likely, an HR manager from a potential employer’s company will come to visit you.


If you want to simplify your life - ask the recruiter, who organizes the meeting, with whom exactly you have to communicate. Next, “google” an interview or article about these people. On the one hand, this is a definite plus in the eyes of interviewers, on the other - get a more complete picture of the company. Of course, all this takes time. And it is worth bothering only if the company is really interesting to you. But if the position is not interesting, then there is nothing to come for an interview for, right?

In general, good preparation for the interview is half the success. If you are not sure that you will be able to arrive on time - ask about the opportunity to pass the first Skype interview, for example, many employers are happy to meet. Just remember, a Skype interview is also an interview, and you need to prepare for it. And if you are going to be interviewed via Skype from a mobile phone, in a public place, in a noisy street or in an embrace with young children - honestly, you should not. Surely there is an opportunity to find a more suitable place and time, silence and the ability to turn on the camera.
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If in doubt, if you are not too expensive for a job - do not hesitate to ask the recruiter, if this is the case - you will be grateful for the time saved and perhaps in the future will offer something more interesting.

Test items

If at one of the stages you were asked to perform a test task, you should not immediately refuse, especially if you are interested in the company. Often, the employer simply wants to check the level of knowledge and skills you have declared. Be attentive to your promises and be punctual. If you are asked to perform a small test by Friday, or you yourself promised to do it by a deadline, you need to die, but the promise to fulfill. There is nothing worse than deceived expectations. Any delays on your part hint at the fact that you can treat the work with the same “zeal”. Do you need it? If you are on the beach when you receive the test task and you understand that you cannot do it right now, write about it right away, they will understand everything and wait without any problems. In general, in the choice between “fast” and “good”, it is better to do everything perfectly well.

At the interview

Probably no one needs to be reminded that it is customary to come for an interview on time. When introducing an interviewer or even a group of interviewers (sometimes it happens), try to remember the names. Trifle, but useful. When communicating with a candidate after a technical interview, a recruiter often has to hear phrases from the series “You know, a young man said this to me, I don’t remember, I guess Sergei.” It doesn't sound like that, does it? Do not do it this way.

If you feel during the interview that you are not good enough for this position, do not hesitate to honestly admit it, at the same time tell about how and what you are ready to learn. Everybody once had little experience, and on the whole, employers take such an initiative positively.

Feel free to ask questions if you do not understand something. They choose not only you, but you too. And you can ask almost everything. About projects and tasks, about a workplace, a parking, corporate parties, traditions, about a salary and a social package - ask about everything that excites you.

In this case, be prepared for questions yourself. Often, applicants are confused by the most seemingly simple questions. For example, which blogs, sites, or interesting books have you recently read? What would you recommend? Or in response to the desire you expressed to grow and develop, the interviewer may clarify where and why you want to evolve.

After the interview

Honestly answer yourself to the question if you would like to work in the company where your interview took place. What alerted you or caused questions? Did your expectations coincide? Do you see for yourself the future within the walls of the chosen organization? As far as people who met during the interview process seemed adequate to you, they aroused sympathy and interest? This is important, because in the future you will have to live and work with it. You should not choose an employer due to the absence of other offers. Such a move can harm a career. It is possible that, hurried and not working together with the team, after some time you will have to look for work again. To end up in the eyes of a potential employer as a “flyer” is not a pleasant pleasure.


If you have offers from several companies at once, choose the best and write a refusal to the others. Among the selection criteria may be motivation programs, wages, working conditions and career prospects. If there is no answer from the company most interested in you - do not hesitate to write / call, remind yourself - this is how you show your interest.



And if suddenly it happened that you were refused - do not be offended. This does not mean that you or the company are bad. Just right now you are not on your way. Do not burn bridges, do not swear - it is unnecessary and not useful to anyone. Recruiters are not vindictive people, but they write everything down, and even after 7-10 years the company will remember your reaction well. It is better to ask what can be improved - it is quite possible that they will tell you where to go next.

PS Thank you for your attention. We will be happy to answer your questions about the article in the comments. By the way, if you suddenly look for a job, our current vacancies are here .