Always
ask for two copies of an application
form.
This is sort of a secret when it comes to hiring applicants. If two
equally
qualified people come in and ask for an application, the one who asked
for two
forms has shown that they're smart enough to think ahead; if they make
a
mistake filling out the form, they'd like to have a backup plan. The
one who
turns in an application covered in scribbles and liquid paper, well...
Of course, it certainly doesn't guarantee you the job, but it might be
that
tiny little boost you need. Like much of the advice in this chapter,
these are
rules that always apply to finding a job, but which become even more
important
when the job market is more competitive.
There are a lot of odd little details like this, and it's different
depending
on where you're applying or interviewing. For example, when Google
interviews
candidates, they leave a number of gadgets on the table in the waiting
room.
iPhones, Amazon Kindles, portable game systems, just whatever cool new
items
they might have gotten hold of recently. They watch the room on a
surveillance
camera, and they tend to heavily favor the candidates who pick the
little
electronic toys up and play with them. Google is looking for people
with a
curious, inquisitive nature, so they're not likely to hire someone who
can sit
three inches from a cool new tech device and not give in to the
temptation to
fiddle around with it.
Another example, most companies will be more likely to call you in for
an
interview if you call them back before they call you. This is
especially true
if they've got dozens of applications and resumes to go through. It's
hard to
stand out on paper, but you can easily stand out by simply being the
one who
was proactive enough to make the call yourself.
Now, there are plenty of tricks like these, things to keep in mind, but
what it
comes down to is going into an interview with a certain attitude. Your
resume
gets you in the door, your attitude is what gets you the job.
Here's the truth; you need to be just a little bit cocky. Obviously,
you don't
just barge into the interviewer's office, stick your feet up on his
desk, and
light a big fat cigar while boasting of your accomplishments in the
industry,
but, you should make it clear that they need you more than you need
them,
because that's the truth. You're qualified, you're passionate, and
you're going
to do great things in your career, with or without them.
Or... it should be the truth, anyways, and if it isn't, then you should
seek a
job that you can be more passionate about.
You don't need a suit for every single job interview. The conventional
wisdom
used to be that you wear a suit to just about any job interview, but
times have
changed. More often than not, a suit just makes you look a little
over-prepared, nervous, or worse, amateurish.
This isn't to say that you don't need a suit at all. In fact, we'll get
into it
below, but there still is a sort of a strict code for dressing for
certain
interviews. Nonetheless, the majority of job interviews you go to will
have
much more laid back requirements placed on you in terms of how you
dress.
For most job interviews, all you need is slacks and a button up shirt.
Something respectable but not showy. We'll provide a quick guide below
to what
you should wear depending on the interview.
If your current options are limited to working as a cashier or a sales
clerk to
make ends meet while hunting for a great job to advance your career,
first off,
don't be ashamed. As long as you're working for a living, that's
something to
take pride in, and something to approach with a sense of dedication,
whether
it's your dream job or not.
Now... if you're just applying to be a cashier at a department store,
you can
safely ignore this whole section of the chapter. There's really no
dress code
for these types of jobs when it comes to the interview process. Just
throw on a
clean shirt, comb your hair, and you're good to go. The only thing a
suit will
do here is make you look like you take everything a little too
seriously.
If you're not applying for work in the business world, it's really more
about
what you can't wear than what you should wear.
Again, you don't need polished dress shoes, but obviously, sandals are
out of
the question. You can usually wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans if you
like, but
you may as well not show up if you plan on doing the interview in
shorts and a
tank top.
Essentially, just use your own judgment. There aren't really any strict
rules
for how to dress if you're applying to work at a department store or a
gas
station or what have you, but you should probably practice a little
common
sense. It hardly needs to be said, but obviously, stopping by for the
job
interview on the way back from the beach, with swim shorts and flip
flops still
on, is only going to make you look like you really could care less
about the
job.
Obviously, if you're applying for what you might call a white collar
job, this
is when you break out your nicest suit. Conservative, but stylish is
the name
of the game.
Basic Tips
Shirt should be long sleeved and either white or pastel.
Be conservative about any perfume or cologne you apply. You don't want
the
interviewer's first impression to be the way you smell.
Obviously, you'll want to be well groomed. If you haven't recently
ahead and
get a haircut in preparation for your interviews.
Make sure to empty your pockets of anything unnecessary. It's a small
thing,
but the sound of change jingling around in your pocket can be very
distracting
during the interview.
For Men
Dark, well polished dress shoes with black socks
Necktie (with a conservative pattern, of course, so leave the Charlie
Brown and
Snoopy tie in the drawer)
Neat, conservative hairstyle, the shorter the better. If you have a
beard, you
might want to consider shaving it.
No earrings or other jewelry except for your wedding ring or college
ring.
Remember that you're applying for a corporate position, not to be a
street
hustler.
For Women
No dresses or skirts. Wear a conservative suit with a jacket. In the
past, it
might have been considered more proper for a female candidate to wear a
skirt
and a jacket, but today, suits tend to be preferred.
Conservative, comfortable business shoes. You may hear some people
recommend
high heels for a job interview, but this isn't the 1950's, and you
don't want
to work for a company that has you trotting around in heels all day in
the
first place.
Minimal makeup and jewelry, and no flashy nail polish.
Bring a briefcase, not a purse.
No more than a single ring on either hand.
Try to stick to darker, more subdued colors.
In any event, in any context, don't be nervous. Walk in with your head
held
high knowing full well that you're more than qualified for the
position. If you
don't believe that you're the best candidate for the job, then the
interviewer
won't, either. Wearing the right clothes is only ten percent of nailing
a job
interview, having the right attitude accounts for the other ninety.
Of course, you've heard this time and again. You want to make eye
contact, you
want to come across as relaxed, confident, and capable. The interviewer
should
know full well that you have four more interviews lined up today, and
that they
need to seize on this opportunity to hire you while it lasts.
It's easy to say that, it's easy to keep it in mind, and it's still
easy to get
nervous during a job interview no matter how many times you hear people
tell
you the right way to present yourself. If this is you, here are a few
tricks to
calm your nerves.
If you absolutely need coffee to function in the morning, have a cup,
but don't
drink any more than you need to get your day started. Even if you can
normally
function just fine with three or four cups, caffeine can make you
fidgety and
jumpy in the middle of the interview, and fidgety and jumpy are the
last things
you want the interviewer to write down in their notepad.
The problem many of us face in job interviews is that we may tend to
feel
intimidated. It seems as if the interviewer holds your future in his or
her
hands. The truth is that they don't. If they don't hire you, there are
others
who might... Of course, it can be hard to keep that in mind when
talking with
the interviewer.
In this event, you can borrow a few tricks from stage actors who have
to deal
with stage fright. The most common trick, which you've probably heard
before,
is to imagine the interviewer in their underwear. It sounds ridiculous,
but
that's the idea. It's hard to sit there worrying if your tie is on
straight or
if your shoes are polished well enough when the interviewer actually
forgot to
put their suit on before coming to work that day.
There's a certain psychological aspect to this. When your stomach is
full,
you're more relaxed, more capable of focusing on the task at hand,
which is, in
this case, nailing a job interview. When you're in the middle of an
interview
and you start to feel hungry, what you're going to do for lunch becomes
your
primary focus, and you can come across as distracted.
The truth is that, for all of our advancement as a civilization, we're
still
subconsciously rooted in the same place as our caveman ancestors. When
you're
hungry, finding food is your primary focus. Just make sure you're not
thinking
about lunch while talking about your experience in marketing.
A trick that similarly has its roots in stage acting is that of using a
sort of
talisman or item as a point to draw your focus. The worst thing for an
actor is
to look like he's trying too hard, as it keeps the performance from
feeling
natural, so a number of performers will use a simple trick of taking,
say, a
pebble they find on the beach and tucking it away in their pocket.
Whenever
they start to worry that they're not doing well, they think of the
pebble.
This seems to contradict our previous tip, that you should keep well
fed to
keep from seeming distracted. The difference is that, while hunger is a
distraction that will persist until it's addressed, you can take or
leave the
pebble, focusing on it when you become nervous, and forgetting it once
you've
regained your confidence.
