1. Be the best-rested interviewee. Fact: people are more articulate, happier, and look healthier after a good night’s sleep. Arrive feeling well rested and sharp, and determined to make a superb first impression.
2. Be a gracious “guest.” If your interviewer is late to your appointment, shrug it off with good humor. If the phone rings constantly and he keeps picking it up, smile graciously, and don’t let it rattle you. If people unceremoniously barge in and interrupt the meeting, laugh it off. Whatever you do, don’t keep glancing nervously at your watch. Interviewers easily detect signs of irritation and boredom, so don’t get irritated or bored!
3. Give it your personal best. You know that you’re the best candidate for that particular job.
Prove it to your interviewer by strenuously avoiding canned answers and lame, generic, forgot- to-do-your-home-work questions.
4. Recognize that every interviewer has her own style (and it may not conform to yours). Is your interviewer asking you too many questions? Not enough questions? Questions that are weird and out there? Don’t try to dominate the interview. Meld your style to your interviewer’s style.
5. Embrace the middle. Are you in a creative field where the daily dress code is “anything goes”? Dress more conservatively than you would if you were already working there. Are you in a conservative business where people wear three-piece suits to the office? Wear the uniform, but choose one item, perhaps a tie or a belt, that expresses your personality. Don’t show up in clothing that makes you look invisible, but also take care not to look too funky for the job in question.
6. Empathize, don’t criticize. Everyone hates to be criticized. So, if you’re asked your opinion about a mediocre piece of work that the company created, or even how you like the new orange and purple lobby, tone down your criticism. If you can’t bring yourself to say that you like it, tell your interviewer that it’s thought-provoking.
7. Be there. Resolve to be fully present and pay close attention to what your interviewer is
saying. You really never get a second chance to make a first impression, so do your best to make a positive, indelible impression the first time around.
have to be to run Xerox copies, set up conference room times, and coordinate people’s hectic schedules? Still, I would have the satisfaction that comes from doing a job really well. I think that the people around here would be delighted to have a bright, enterprising young person on staff who would give it her all, instead of someone who was just going through the motions.
128.
How are you different from other candidates applying for this job?A.
There is no one in the world who wants this job as much as I do. I have been following your company for the past ten years in the trades, and have applied here three times. During the past two years, I have kept in touch with you and Sheila Kelsey religiously. But even though I feel like I’m pretty familiar with your corporate culture and your company’s initiatives, I still have a couple of questions that I’d love to ask you. How is the XYZ launch going, and is there anything I can do to make it more successful?Do not allow anyone to chip away at your self-esteem, or put you in a position where you feel like you need to defend your best attributes. Remind yourself that you are smart, capable, competent, and a great “catch” for any company. These qualities will make you a better, more talented employee at any rung of the corporate ladder.
That’s a Wrap
1 . Even if your interviewer tries to downplay its significance, remember that the written personality test is not just a formality. To practice for it, download some personality tests from the Internet, including the “MBTI” test from Myers-Briggs.
2. Personality tests are frequently oral. And there are plenty of them popping up in the executive suite. Sometimes, an in-house psychologist will deliberately try to unnerve candidates. Other times, applicants might be mercilessly tossed into a simulated pressure-cooker situation. For example, they might be asked to field a phone call from an irate client. When you find yourself in these trying situations, remember that your ability to handle stress is the key thing that’s being tested. The easiest way to pass the “stress test”? Don’t become unraveled.
3 . Are you a diplomat or a political lightweight? If you are asked how you deal with internal politics, it’s often best to take a nonpolitical stance. If that’s woefully inaccurate, try to demonstrate how you rose to the occasion and gracefully dodged a bullet.
4. Matchmaking is part of the interviewer’s job. If you are asked to take off your “work mask”
and reveal the real you, don’t hold back. Especially in companies where overtime is a way of life, interviewers often want to try to figure out how the rest of the staff will feel about spending their days and nights with you.
5. Everyone’s an amateur shrink, interviewers included. So don’t be psychology-phobic. If you are asked a psychological question, answer it with verve and gusto, and relate your response to business.
CHAPTER 6 None of Your Business (Or, Are You Really Allowed to Ask Me That?)
I
f you have to ask if they’re allowed to ask, they probably aren’t. In the United States, it is illegal for an interviewer to ask an applicant’s age, weight, religion, political views, ethnicity, sexual preference, financial status, or marital status (although if you wear a wedding ring, it’s normally a good indication). Interviewers are also not allowed to inquire if you have kids, drink liquor, vote, or do charity work.But just because they’re not supposed to ask you certain questions doesn’t always prevent them from doing so. (And if they do, saying “Hey, are you allowed to ask me that?” probably isn’t going to earn you major brownie points.) Remember that you can always pass on the job later if you decide that the company seems too unprofessional for you.