How to win me over in an interview

At every stage in the development of BE School, I've needed to recruit talent. From discovering the founding teachers, to replacing key team members or - as I find myself this week - hiring several new teachers as we move into our next chapter. It's a role I used to find excruciatingly uncomfortable, but have grown to enjoy.

So, what do I look for in a candidate?

I'm thrilled to received applications from people with genuinely diverse backgrounds. Mexico City is a mega-city crammed with people from numerous countries, particularly English speaking countries, who have different religious beliefs and ethnicities. This makes Mexico City a fantastic place to find and work with talented teachers.

Catching my attention

The first step in the recruitment process is usually me reviewing a response to an advert or speculative emails. I'm always surprised by how many people simply send their CV with no covering email or explanation. Literally nothing else to go on other than their CV!

I enjoy thoughtful letters, but it's also obvious when they have been re-purposed for multiple applications. I understand the need for efficiency, but the sincerity is lost when you just cut-and-paste.

I do consider all applications. Yep. That's right. All of them. I take the view that "people don't know what they don't know". When I receive a poorly approached application, I consider that this may be a mentorship opportunity. If I know they aren't going to get past the first test (e.g. because of their poor English) I'll offer some feedback for their future applications. I meet (sometimes over Skype) with a high number of applications for a pre-interview.

The interview

If someone warrants a face-to-face interview, I'm initially looking for someone who can make the opportunity to work with BE School a priority. A big turn off is a candidate who is full of excuses as to when and where they can meet me. Hey, I'm flexible, but if you keep trying to operate only on your terms, this isn't going to get very far. I'm not a monster and will reschedule or compromise if there are extenuating circumstances. What I'm really looking for is your ability to make it work.

Punctuality. If a candidate is late, they are on always going to be on the back foot. We all know that Mexico City is not easy to get around, so, if you are stuck in traffic - tell me! Don't make me wonder whether you overslept or didn't make time to meet me. It's okay to be late, it's not okay to be unprepared or uncommunicative. That being said, most people are punctual.

How you dress matters. This doesn't mean you have to wear business attire, but how we dress is not only a reflection of our personality, but also our view of the situation. I rarely wear formal business-wear, but I still take the "one-notch approach". If I am meeting a client or HR Manager, I'll try and dress one-notch above them. I want to show them respect, but also not to be too formal. This isn't an exact science and I'm a bit of a tom-boy, so this is a challenge for me given the fantastically dressed Mexican business women! But for candidates, you should anticipate that I'm going to be at least dressed semi-smart-casual, so smarter-casual or business-casual is fine. Actually, this is quite difficult isn't it!

I intentionally don't give details about what I look like or who I am to see if they can figure it out. You'd easily find me through our social media pages. It's immensely entertaining to watch someone guess whether or it's me they are looking for! Hello!

Body language! I understand what it feels like to be nervous. I also have a fidgety 3 year old daughter! But if you fidget excessively, it is going to distract me from getting to know and understand you. I look at interviewees through the eyes of a student. Teaching is way harder than an interview. So if you can't cut it with me in a coffee shop, I am not going to be encouraged about your ability to teach business professionals in a corporate office.

Verbal language. How a candidate describes previous experiences really matters. Talking negatively about previous employment is a huge turn off! Be creative. I can read between the lines, but I want you to take a nuanced approach. I want to get to know them. I'd rather hear something rather than nothing at all. I'm often too chatty and I use this as my barometer. If someone out-talks me then they are usually too self-absorbed to be effective. An important part of a teaching is the ability to listen.

Bonus points will be awarded for taking a deep interest in the business. If you can identify what we are about, where we are going and where we came from - I am going to smile.

I am not a micro-manager. So, if you can show that you are adaptable and low-maintenance (on top of your fluent English) you'll be very close to that handshake. All of my staff get support from me when needed. One of the hardest parts of the role, as I've hinted at above, is commuting around a mega-city. It is really hard. Turning up to class is half the battle. They will not only need to figure it out, but also relate to their students who face similar challenges and might be annoyed by the time they are ready to learn English. I've been there too. I was a young woman in an new city travelling to classes - often for more than an hour - to get to the first class of the day.

Perhaps, interestingly, your resumé (CV) probably only counts for about 10% of your recruitment potential with BE School. Resumés can be fabricated but you can't put someone else in your seat. The best people I've hired have that "secret sauce". The closest word I can think of is charisma, which for me is confidence without arrogance.

Thanks for reading.

Zoe

CEO of BE School, Mexico City