08 Mar 2008 12:28:06 | Jeff Altman, CPC, MSW
TEN WAYS TO GET READY FOR YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW
Like preparing a great meal, interviewing requires preparation.
Get good ingredients and give yourself time. Prepare the food on
the plate to make the meal attractive. All of these go into a
great meal. Taking the time to prepare for an interview will
give you a huge leg up on your completion.
1.Schedule interviews at times that work for your metabolism.
Are you a morning person? Why would you accept a 6PM interview?
If you are a person who functions best in the afternoon, try not
to accept early morning appointments. If you are a person who
needs to be conscious of their blood sugar, try to schedule your
appointments at times when you are at your peak. If forced to
accept one of your less ideal times, have a quick bite prior to
the interview to avoid “fading.” Avoid overeating.
2.Give yourself extra time to get to their offices. There are
few things worse than getting to an interview late.
3.Arrive at the office building 7-10 minutes early. If it is
summer, you want to wait in the lobby to cool off; no one likes
shaking sweaty hands. If its winter, warm up; you don’t want
someone’s early impressions of you formed by shaking a cold
hand. Take a few minutes in the lobby to get focused on what you
will say. Allow a few minutes to get through building security
so that you actually arrive at your interview on time and ready
to go.
4.Properly introduce yourself to everyone you meet by saying.
“My name is __________ and I have a 1:30 interview with
________________.”
5.If you are asked if they can hang your coat, accept the offer;
if offered a beverage, accept a beverage. You don’t have to
drink coffee or tea. Soda, bottled water or water is fine. Thank
whoever helps you. Declining the offer may be rude in some
cultures.
6.Take your seat in order to face the greatest number of entry
points into the room so tat you can see someone approaching you.
Being startled is not a good way to start a meeting.
7.If you are given an application, complete it and complete it
accurately and neatly. Do not attach your resume and write, “See
attached resume.” An application is a legal document and failure
to complete it accurately can be grounds for termination.
8.If you are not sure about the month you started a job or your
exact salary, write “approx” (for the word approximately) next
to the item. If asked, indicate you are not absolutely certain
of the exact month and don’t wish to deceive anyone. Obviously,
if you can ascertain your salary or starting date prior to
interviewing, do so; for some people, the date or salary may be
so far in the past to make it impossible to determine.
9.Write legibly (or as legibly as you can). This may be the
twelfth application you’ve completed, but it is the first of
yours that they’ve seen. In many professions, sloppiness is seen
as a flaw.
10.When you hear your name announced, stand, and smile, shake
the hand of your interviewer and immediately size them up as a
person. Are they smart (or not). Aggressive (or not). If you
were meeting this person socially, I’m sure your instincts would
be right. Unfortunately, because people think interviews are
important, they think they have to feel the interviewer out.
Doing that is a mistake. Hard and fast impressions of you will
be formed during the next ten minutes that will be difficult to
change. If you tend to be right in social situations about the
people you meet, trust your instincts in professional ones, too.
Using these ten steps as a check list will get you started
better than your competition. What you do after that is up to
you.
Jeff Altman Concepts in Staffing jeffaltman@cisny.com
About Author :
Jeff Altman, Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New
York search firm, has successfully assisted many corporations
identify technology leaders and staff since 1971. For additional
job hunting tips, go to http://www.newyorkmetrotechnologyjobs.com
