POV: You have spent the last few days preparing for an interview in hopes to land your dream role. You have rehearsed over and over in ways you will impress the interviewer and ace any questions that come your way. You walk through the door ready for your interview, you make a very blunt and brief greeting to the receptionist as you are nervous or mentally preparing. We understand how daunting interviews can be for many people. But if you are too preoccupied with impressing the interviewer and letting that first greeting with the receptionist slip past you, then you may have come across as cold or unbothered. This could be your first mistake.
The receptionist in any company will almost always be your first point of contact and can be one of the reasons you land the role – or not. A lot of the time a candidate won’t put on their ‘game face’ until they are in the interview room, but the process begins as soon as we open the door. If the receptionist finds you to be warm and friendly, they will likely let the interviewer know when they tell them you’ve arrived. The same goes if someone walks through the door with their nose in their phone and acts rudely towards the receptionist. You can bet the interviewer is going to hear about it.
We have hundreds of people applying for the same roles who all have similar qualifications. What makes them stand out is their character. Now of course 99.9% of people are going to be pleasant towards the interviewer. However, once the candidate has left the office, the interviewer will often ask the receptionist; ‘Did they greet you?’, ‘Did they thank you for making them a coffee?’, ‘Did they apologise if they were late?’. No matter how qualified a candidate is, if manners escape them, then the job opportunity might just do the same.
Being nice to people shouldn’t be a chore, nor is it beneath anybody. It can also demonstrate how you would treat those who work around you. You shouldn’t just be hoping to impress the person in charge. In a lot of corporate workplaces, the senior staff could have even started in a reception or admin role and worked their way up the ranks. We remember everyone who leaves an impact, both good and bad. Just because someone doesn’t seem ‘important’ to you doesn’t mean they don’t play an important role.
Pretty much what I’m saying is… bribe the receptionist (not literally that’s against company policy)
Caoimhe Hazzard
Receptionist + Admin Assistant