Enthusiasm is the Most Important Factor in Successful Job Interviews

I have met people who have saved lives, built nations, or unlocked the mysteries of the universe... and the most easily observable thread which connected these persons was their ability to present well in a job interview. Winston Churchill

London - 12 November 2002 - You never get a second chance to make a first impression, but what makes a good first impression in a job interview? According to the latest Monster Meter, over half of the 2,211 job seekers polled at Monster.co.uk state that enthusiasm and willingness to learn is the most important quality to convey in an interview. This quality received far more votes than personality fit with the company, past work experience and convenient start date.

One common mistake that job seekers make is to assume that their degrees and experience speak for themselves, noted Joe Slavin, the managing director of Monster.co.uk. These survey results show that a candidate with less experience who expresses more excitement about a job opportunity is more likely to get an offer than someone with impressive qualifications who doesn''t demonstrate much motivation.

The Monster Meter asked, What is the most important quality to convey in an interview?

2,211 votes were cast on Monster.co.uk''s site between 14th and 28th October, revealing:

56.99% (1,260 votes) said: Enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
27.59% (810 votes) said: Personality fit with the company.
14.83% (328 votes) said: Past work experience.
0.59% (13 votes) said: Convenient start date.

While the UK results closely mirror the overall poll results of 14,427 European site users, which showed that 50% of Europeans rate enthusiasm and willingness to learn as the most important qualities to convey, these results contrast greatly with those of Denmark, Germany and Italy. In Denmark, only 33% of site users selected enthusiasm and willingness to learn as the most important qualities, while 34% of German users and 39% of Italian users chose this option. Germany''s results were also notable for the high percentage of voters (48%) that selected past work experience as the most important quality. Less than 15% of UK voters, in comparison, viewed experience as most important.

European integration has made it easier for people with EU citizenship to find work in another EU-member country, commented Slavin. Although much of the red tape is gone, job seekers need to keep in mind that there are still cultural obstacles to overcome. You have to tailor your interview strategy not just to a particular role or company, but also to a particular country. What works in the UK might not work in Germany and what works in Germany won''t necessarily work in France. Pre-interview research and preparation is essential.

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster.co.uk users from the 14h to 28th October. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster.com, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW), is a series of online polls that gauge users'' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. Anyone interested in voting in Monster.co.uk''s current online poll may do so by logging onto