Here is how Tinyiko aced her job interview

Tinyiko has this masterstroke when it comes to job interviews. Her preparation sets the bar. It throws whatever competition there is out of her way.

Several years ago I was handling the recruitment assignment for a Johannesburg-based company. A job advert was in the national Sunday paper. Imagine finding over 47 applications rolling into your email by Monday morning. Suddenly, having a cup of coffee and asking colleagues about their weekend seemed like a waste of precious time. I just dived into doing work.

One of the emails came from Tinyiko. She was working in Limpopo. Her email highlighted her recent achievements and the impact her work had had on her current employer. Her motivation letter articulated why she thought she was the right person for the job. Her CV highlighted the initiatives she has come up with, including the things she is planning to implement. I set her CV aside and asked my colleague to arrange a telephone interview. We short-listed her for the final interview.

There was a problem. If Tinyiko was to take up the post, she’d have to relocate. We resolved that we will cross that bridge when we get to it. On the day when we invited her to attend the final interview in Johannesburg, she raised another technicality. ‘Fusi, I have informed my manager about this opportunity,’ she said. ‘He is refusing to let me go; he is increasing my salary,’ she concluded. I was stunned. My boss had taught me that once you land a great candidate, lure her with a great tongue. So I went to work inside Tinyiko’s doubtful mind. We paid for her flight and for her overnight hotel stay.

Arriving at the interview, Tinyiko was more than prepared. A suit-clad towering lady with an effortless smile greeted me in the reception. ‘Fusi,’ she said as I was leading her into the interview room. ‘I have prepared a Corporate Communication strategy for them.’ Before I could say Wow, Tinyiko suppressed me, ‘I even have enough copies for them; I’m going to rock them!’ I was beaming.

Tinyiko "rocked" the interview panel and left for the airport, leaving them to regain their senses. I was returning from walking her out when the manager stood from his chair and said, ‘Tinyiko is the one! I wanted to hear something so relevant and practical,’ he said. Tinyiko accepted the job, but not before we had revised her salary offer about two times. Her boss was plying her with the counter-offers. She relocated to Johannesburg. She rocked the new company’s communications division so well that she was offered a promotion within two years in the job.

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