Cheryl JThe dos and don’ts of job interviews. 15 top tips.
May 20th 2008 11:45
Almost everyone will have at least one job interview in their lives and there are some very simple tips everybody should follow, whether you are trying for a job in an office, in retail, construction or fast food. All of these may seem like common sense to some but here are some of the things I see on a daily basis that can, other than your qualifications and experience, make an enormous difference.
1. Be on time. I can’t stress this enough. Do a little reconnaissance. If you’re driving check ahead there is parking nearby and if you’re catching public transport give yourself ample time to get there including any walk to your destination from a train station etc. If you are late you have shown a lack of respect for your prospective employer - their time is valuable - and you have most likely ensured that they will give someone else the job. If you are running late due to unforseen circumstances, have the courtesy to call and explain. If you have planned properly, nothing short of an accident blocking the road or your train being cancelled should prevent you from being on time.
But something a lot of people don’t think about that is almost just as bad as being late is being too early. If you are worried about being on time, have headed off early and found yourself with half an hour to spare please don’t go in and wait, go grab a coffee. Arriving too early is intensely irritating to an interviewer who may be meeting with other candidates or involved in other duties. It is also the worst possible thing to do if you have an early morning interview. I know you may think it makes you look keen but it makes them feel rushed and annoyed. Five minutes early is always a good mark to aim for.
2. Know the name of the person who is interviewing you. If it’s a small business, not knowing the person’s name will automatically put them on the back foot and make you look unprofessional and rude. It’s just as bad if you arrive at a larger company and expect that the receptionist will know who you are meeting with. Just lobbing up and saying “I have an interview” does not help. There may be countless interviews and meetings being conducted and your first impression has just made you look stupid. If the interview is delayed because a receptionist has to call around to find who you made the appointment with, this information will be relayed to the interviewer. So make sure you write down the name. If you are unsure how to pronounce it then ask, in our multicultural world there is nothing embarrassing about admitting you are unsure of pronunciation.
3. Dress appropriately. If you’re going for a job in a corporate environment wear a suit if you have one and if not, at least make sure to wear a tie and a well ironed shirt if you’re a man. For women, no short skirts or plunging necklines. If you are going for a job in a fashion environment or graphic design etc then it’s fine to wear something funky and stylish if it’s in keeping with the style of where you are interviewing. The most important thing is to dress in the style that is appropriate to the environment but even McDonald’s is not going to hire you if you turn up to an interview in torn jeans and dirty sneakers. Even going for a job as an apprentice mechanic where you expect to be working with grease and oil you still need to present yourself neatly. Casual does not mean slobby.
4. Perfume and cologne – No! Unless you are trying out for a position in a fragrance shop, never wear fragrance. What smells nice to you may be awful and overpowering to someone else. It is distracting to be sitting in a room with someone who is wearing a fragrance you may find offensive or that may set off an allergy or headache.
5. Personal Hygiene. Please wear deodorant. Although wearing fragrance may be a no-no, not wearing deodorant is worse. You may not notice your own body odour but others may and offensive body odour will put off a prospective employer very quickly. It smacks of lack of poor hygiene as does unwashed, unkempt hair and shoulders covered in dandruff. If the weather is hot or you’ve been rushing and find yourself all hot, bothered and sweaty ask to use the bathroom to freshen up or duck to the nearest public loo before you go in. If you’ve arrived around five minutes early then this should be no problem at all. The interviewer doesn’t particularly want to sit, or shake hands with a sweaty person. Everyone understands heat and nerves but it’s better to be fresh and wipe your hands before your first handshake. Sweaty hands are gross to shake. Most people will offer you water, but if they don’t, it’s OK ask for some.
6. Do not smoke in an enclosed space before your interview. I’m so surprised at how many people do this and don’t realise that smoke clings to your clothing. It can not only be an offensive odour to non-smokers, it will also immediately put in the front of the mind of the interviewer that you may be someone who ducks out for frequent cigarette breaks – and you may be – but that’s not a great first impression and unlikely to get you hired.
7. Turn your mobile phone off! Having your phone ring in the middle of an interview is not good. Having your phone ring and actually taking the call is the height of discourtesy. Unless you have a family member on life support, just switch the phone off, life as you know won’t cease.
8. Don’t swear. Even if it’s a casual environment it’s not a good idea to use any swearing whatsoever in an interview. Even mild expletives can put off a potential employer. Don’t assume that it’s OK even if it’s a “blokey” workplace. If you get the job you’ll find out soon enough how your boss or co-workers operate. Until you do, zip it.
9. Do not use the interview to dish dirt on your old boss. Even if they were a pain, an idiot, incompetent etc telling your potential your employer that you thought your old employer was a moron will only make you look bad and disloyal. I’ve been in a position where the reason I was looking for a new job was because the old one sucked but I wouldn’t have done myself any favours by sharing this with potentials. It's much better to use positive language to say you had reached the full potential of your old position and are looking for further challenges, or even that your are looking to take your career in a fresher direction. Don’t be negative.
10. As an addition to the above, don’t dish the dirt on your private life. Your prospective employer may ask you to talk about yourself but this doesn’t mean you should use this to talk about your break-up, trash talk your ex or talk about the amazing 48 hour party you went to where you ended up throwing up in your friend’s fishbowl. Don’t talk about how you really need this job so you can move on after your wife left you or your boyfriend dumped you unless you want the door to hit you in the behind on your way out of the interview.
11. Don’t turn up with files from your old job to show off your work. You’ll look like a dishonest thief! If you have examples of non-confidential work that belongs to you and can be put in a portfolio, fine. If not, explaining your role and functions should suffice. Also, don’t offer to poach customers unless you really want to come across as sleazy and untrustworthy. Apart from breaking ethics codes you may just be breaking the law.
12. Although fresh breath is a plus, don’t chew gum. Chomping noises, cows, ‘nuff said. Pop a mint before you go in especially if you’ve just had a coffee and a cigarette. Also, don’t take takeaway coffee in with you, it’s bad etiquette.
13. Now you’ll think these are joke additions but they’re not. It happens unfortunately. Do not under any circumstances pick your nose, scratch your crotch or your butt or wipe your nose with your hand.
14. Be prepared. Do your homework and find out what is expected of you at the interview. Being unprepared and trying to flub your way through just looks bad. If you’re asked something you can’t answer see if you can turn it around by answering the question by asking questions. It shows that even though you may not have all of the answers you are willing to learn.
15. Try and relax. The people who are interviewing you expect you to be nervous. Just remember, they’ve all most likely been interviewees themselves at some stage
1. Be on time. I can’t stress this enough. Do a little reconnaissance. If you’re driving check ahead there is parking nearby and if you’re catching public transport give yourself ample time to get there including any walk to your destination from a train station etc. If you are late you have shown a lack of respect for your prospective employer - their time is valuable - and you have most likely ensured that they will give someone else the job. If you are running late due to unforseen circumstances, have the courtesy to call and explain. If you have planned properly, nothing short of an accident blocking the road or your train being cancelled should prevent you from being on time.
But something a lot of people don’t think about that is almost just as bad as being late is being too early. If you are worried about being on time, have headed off early and found yourself with half an hour to spare please don’t go in and wait, go grab a coffee. Arriving too early is intensely irritating to an interviewer who may be meeting with other candidates or involved in other duties. It is also the worst possible thing to do if you have an early morning interview. I know you may think it makes you look keen but it makes them feel rushed and annoyed. Five minutes early is always a good mark to aim for.
2. Know the name of the person who is interviewing you. If it’s a small business, not knowing the person’s name will automatically put them on the back foot and make you look unprofessional and rude. It’s just as bad if you arrive at a larger company and expect that the receptionist will know who you are meeting with. Just lobbing up and saying “I have an interview” does not help. There may be countless interviews and meetings being conducted and your first impression has just made you look stupid. If the interview is delayed because a receptionist has to call around to find who you made the appointment with, this information will be relayed to the interviewer. So make sure you write down the name. If you are unsure how to pronounce it then ask, in our multicultural world there is nothing embarrassing about admitting you are unsure of pronunciation.
3. Dress appropriately. If you’re going for a job in a corporate environment wear a suit if you have one and if not, at least make sure to wear a tie and a well ironed shirt if you’re a man. For women, no short skirts or plunging necklines. If you are going for a job in a fashion environment or graphic design etc then it’s fine to wear something funky and stylish if it’s in keeping with the style of where you are interviewing. The most important thing is to dress in the style that is appropriate to the environment but even McDonald’s is not going to hire you if you turn up to an interview in torn jeans and dirty sneakers. Even going for a job as an apprentice mechanic where you expect to be working with grease and oil you still need to present yourself neatly. Casual does not mean slobby.
4. Perfume and cologne – No! Unless you are trying out for a position in a fragrance shop, never wear fragrance. What smells nice to you may be awful and overpowering to someone else. It is distracting to be sitting in a room with someone who is wearing a fragrance you may find offensive or that may set off an allergy or headache.
5. Personal Hygiene. Please wear deodorant. Although wearing fragrance may be a no-no, not wearing deodorant is worse. You may not notice your own body odour but others may and offensive body odour will put off a prospective employer very quickly. It smacks of lack of poor hygiene as does unwashed, unkempt hair and shoulders covered in dandruff. If the weather is hot or you’ve been rushing and find yourself all hot, bothered and sweaty ask to use the bathroom to freshen up or duck to the nearest public loo before you go in. If you’ve arrived around five minutes early then this should be no problem at all. The interviewer doesn’t particularly want to sit, or shake hands with a sweaty person. Everyone understands heat and nerves but it’s better to be fresh and wipe your hands before your first handshake. Sweaty hands are gross to shake. Most people will offer you water, but if they don’t, it’s OK ask for some.
6. Do not smoke in an enclosed space before your interview. I’m so surprised at how many people do this and don’t realise that smoke clings to your clothing. It can not only be an offensive odour to non-smokers, it will also immediately put in the front of the mind of the interviewer that you may be someone who ducks out for frequent cigarette breaks – and you may be – but that’s not a great first impression and unlikely to get you hired.
7. Turn your mobile phone off! Having your phone ring in the middle of an interview is not good. Having your phone ring and actually taking the call is the height of discourtesy. Unless you have a family member on life support, just switch the phone off, life as you know won’t cease.
8. Don’t swear. Even if it’s a casual environment it’s not a good idea to use any swearing whatsoever in an interview. Even mild expletives can put off a potential employer. Don’t assume that it’s OK even if it’s a “blokey” workplace. If you get the job you’ll find out soon enough how your boss or co-workers operate. Until you do, zip it.
9. Do not use the interview to dish dirt on your old boss. Even if they were a pain, an idiot, incompetent etc telling your potential your employer that you thought your old employer was a moron will only make you look bad and disloyal. I’ve been in a position where the reason I was looking for a new job was because the old one sucked but I wouldn’t have done myself any favours by sharing this with potentials. It's much better to use positive language to say you had reached the full potential of your old position and are looking for further challenges, or even that your are looking to take your career in a fresher direction. Don’t be negative.
10. As an addition to the above, don’t dish the dirt on your private life. Your prospective employer may ask you to talk about yourself but this doesn’t mean you should use this to talk about your break-up, trash talk your ex or talk about the amazing 48 hour party you went to where you ended up throwing up in your friend’s fishbowl. Don’t talk about how you really need this job so you can move on after your wife left you or your boyfriend dumped you unless you want the door to hit you in the behind on your way out of the interview.
11. Don’t turn up with files from your old job to show off your work. You’ll look like a dishonest thief! If you have examples of non-confidential work that belongs to you and can be put in a portfolio, fine. If not, explaining your role and functions should suffice. Also, don’t offer to poach customers unless you really want to come across as sleazy and untrustworthy. Apart from breaking ethics codes you may just be breaking the law.
12. Although fresh breath is a plus, don’t chew gum. Chomping noises, cows, ‘nuff said. Pop a mint before you go in especially if you’ve just had a coffee and a cigarette. Also, don’t take takeaway coffee in with you, it’s bad etiquette.
13. Now you’ll think these are joke additions but they’re not. It happens unfortunately. Do not under any circumstances pick your nose, scratch your crotch or your butt or wipe your nose with your hand.
14. Be prepared. Do your homework and find out what is expected of you at the interview. Being unprepared and trying to flub your way through just looks bad. If you’re asked something you can’t answer see if you can turn it around by answering the question by asking questions. It shows that even though you may not have all of the answers you are willing to learn.
15. Try and relax. The people who are interviewing you expect you to be nervous. Just remember, they’ve all most likely been interviewees themselves at some stage
GOOD LUCK!
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Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
cool article though!
Comment by Cheryl J
Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Wow, there are companies interviewing for non-existent positions? Is it to get a pool people just in case? How stupid!
I was prompted to write this today after yet another candidate came in that I wanted to shake for putting herself behind the 8 ball before she even started. Although I was away the day a guy came in wearing a John Travolta Saturday Night Fever white suit. I was told he even had the hair. I would have paid to see that!
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
Comment by Cheryl J
Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Comment by Hatchy
I am of course poor and unemployed.
Comment by Johnny Come Lately
Jack's Back
Comment by Cheryl J
Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Johnny, try catching trains in Sydney in peak hour and being armpit height *shudder*
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
This is the stuff I used to teach at Mission Australia when I was a volunteer, no matter how many times I said it, I couldnt believe people didnt already know it. It seems so simple.
I got the job I have now - handpicked out of about 300 resumes - because I did not use a standard word template on my resume. Its just done by my eye, neatly and as short as possible but still telling eveything Ive done. Followed the above rules and got it.
Comment by Cheryl J
Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Even though everything I've written above can seem totally obvious it happens over and over!
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
I think #4 should be both of the interviewer and interviewee