Career Information Online

I’ve blogged before about the mistakes a person can make when on an interview.  One of the faux pas that is often made has to do with how a person is dressed.  No matter what, conservative dress is best when it comes to the job interview – at least that’s what I say. 

Now I have found some validation that this is true.

A recent survey done by Syracuse University and Total Executive Inc. of 300 hiring professionals found that the way a person is dressed is the third reason a candidate is hired or not hired, only behind communication skills and presentation ability. 

So what does this mean to the average job seeker?  Dress your best, no matter what, when you go to an interview.  I’ve had conversations with people who are afraid to dress for an interview because they are coming right from work.  They don’t want anyone at their current employer to suspect they are interviewing for a new position so they dress as if it were a regular day at work.  I can respect those feelings – you don’t want to put your current job in jeopardy for a position you don’t have yet.

What can you do if this is the case?  If you’re a guy, wear a button-down shirt and nice slacks to work.  Pack a tie and jacket in your car (and dress shoes if you wear casual shoes) to put on before you go to your interview.  If you take public transportation to work this might not be an option.  If you’re a woman, maybe you can wear the slacks and blouse of a nice suit and put the jacket on before you enter the interview.  A conservative blouse and skirt work well as an interview option.

It comes down to this – how committed are you to this new interview and getting this new position?  If you really want to take a good shot at getting the new job you’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means pulling over in the parking lot of a gas station to change your shirt.  You never get a second chance to make a first impression – isn’t that what the commercial says?  It’s also true when it comes to a job interview.

If you’re heading out on an interview, don’t be surprised if the company requires different types of interview testing as a part of the process.  More and more companies are incorporating testing into their standard hiring procedures.  Pre employment testing in the interview process can help the company screen out anyone that doesn’t meet the requirements of the position, thus decreasing potential turnover and saving the company money in the long run.

These pre employment tests can fall into the following categories:

Skills tests.  These tests are administered to make sure you have the skill set you say you have.  If you list on your resume that you type 80 words per
minute you might be asked to prove it.

Aptitude tests.  A potential employer wants to make sure you have the ability to do a job.  This is different from a skills test, as you might not have the specific skills for the position but would be taught them by the company.

Personality tests.  If the position you’re interviewing for requires an outgoing and energetic person and you are neither, a pre employment personality test can help the company realize this before you take the job and realize it isn’t right for you.

Drug tests.  Many employers require a pre employment drug screen.  Don’t be surprised if you are asked to do so.

Don’t be alarmed if you are asked to take one or more tests during the application process.  It’s becoming standard procedure for many companies hiring today.

When you get a call to set up an interview you’re probably pretty excited.  Most people write down the when and the where but don’t ask any questions about the interview.  If you ask a few questions of the company representative on the phone you’ll be better prepared to do well in the interview. 

What questions should you ask?  A few questions you might want to consider include:

• Who will be conducting the interview (name and title)? 
• Is this the direct supervisor for this position? 
• Will anyone else be involved in the interview (and if so, their names and titles)?
• Do I need to bring anything with me to the interview (like reference letters, work samples, drawings, etc.)?
• Approximately how long will the interview take (if you’re interviewing before work or on your lunch hour)?
• Will I be expected to take any tests (for measurable skills, personality inventories, etc.)?

The questions you ask will help to prepare you for your interview.  It would be unnerving to go into an interview expecting to speak with one person and find yourself across from five interviewers.  Asking a few questions will help you be on top of your game when you go in for the interview.

Many of the articles you’ll find on this blog are positive and meant to be helpful to prevent you from making a big mistake in a job interview or in your job search process.  So what are the mistakes you can make in an interview?  Here are a few that you’ll want to avoid.

Dressing inappropriately for an interview.  You don’t have to wear a Brooks Brothers suit to be properly dressed for an interview, but you do need to wear a professional looking outfit.  I once interviewed a person who was in head to toe pink – pink top, pink pants, pink shoes and even pink nail polish.  Needless to say she didn’t make a professional appearance.

Poor personal appearance.  Along with dressing appropriately, make sure your clothing is clean and free of rips or tears, and that you have an overall pulled together look.  If it’s a new outfit, make sure to cut the tags off the sleeve of the jacket.  Trust me, people forget.

Bad manners.  Under this heading I’d include arriving late, arriving way too early, chewing gum, bringing in a drink to the interview, not standing up when introduced to someone, keeping your cell phone out on the table, answering your phone if it rings, and having a limp fish handshake.  This sounds silly, but it used to drive me crazy when I would interview a woman and she would leave her coat on and her purse on the table.  You might think that this is really being picky, but it was one of my pet peeves.  It made me think that person was just stopping by for a quick minute, rather than willing to invest the time in speaking with a potential employer.  My mother used to say use your company manners.  Same applies in an interview.

Failing to prepare for the interview.  This includes not doing any research on the company, not preparing to discuss your strengths and weaknesses, and not having any questions prepared for the interviewer.  See our other articles on how to prevent making these mistakes.

Talking about money.  There is a time and a place to talk about money – the interview is neither the time nor the place.  You don’t want to price yourself out of the job or make yourself look as if the only thing you care about is money.

Bad mouthing prior employers and co-workers.  You don’t want to look like a malcontent.  How does that old saying go – if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.  Speaking poorly about previous employers makes you look like a complainer.

Not asking for the job.  If you liked what you heard in an interview, be sure to tell the interviewer that.  Don’t ever leave a job interview without asking for the job if it is an opportunity that interests you.

When you go out on your next interview take care not to make any of these interview mistakes.

I was reading an article in an industry newsletter that said the single most important factor when evaluating a job opportunity is the company’s culture and values.  In other words, “what will it be like to work for this company?”  I started to think about how you can truly determine a company’s culture, and outside of working for the company for a few months it is going to be difficult to know what the culture will be like.  There are a few questions that you can ask in the interview process that might help you get a handle on what kind of culture this company offers.

First, what kind of hours are employees expected to work?  Are you given the opportunity to telecommute or to utilize flex schedules?  Do the successful employees get to work early every day and stay late?  Are you expected to put in extra time on the job (whether or not you are compensated for it)?

Next, what kind of dress code does this employer have?  If you have always worked in a casual dress environment you might find a formal suit and tie environment stuffy and unbearable.

Does the company offer any training and development programs for the employees?  How often are these programs offered, or how often is an employee able to take part in them?  What kind of programs do the offer?

How is the work environment structured?  Are you working in cubicles or is it an open bullpen type of environment?  Is it a bright and cheerful office space, or is it dull and drab?

Does the company have any kinds of on-site perks (like a daycare facility or gym)?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.  The culture that is comfortable for one person might not be a good fit for you.  Try to ascertain the culture of the company in the interview process so you’ll be able to include it when making a decision about a new job.

Just for a moment go back to your high school days.  You’ve just been asked out by that guy or girl you’ve had a crush on for several weeks.  You go out on a date but you play it cool – a little reserved, even shy.  You really like the other person but you don’t want to seem forward or pushy so you don’t say anything about it.  Your date ends and you don’t hear from the other person again (probably because they don’t think you like them).

Let’s take a similar scenario in a job interview.  You spend some time speaking with the interviewer and really like what you hear.  You know this could be a great career opportunity.  You think that the other person can figure out you are interested, but you don’t come out and say anything.  A few weeks later you get a rejection letter in the mail.

So what happened?  The problem was you didn’t clearly state your interest in the job to the interviewer at the end of your meeting.  If you are interested in the position then you need to ask for the job before the interview is over.

Asking for the job is not some big sales close.  It’s just making sure you tell the interviewer that you are interested in getting this job.  Give the person the opportunity to ask any additional questions about your skills and tell them you want to move forward in their process.  Here’s something you might say:

“So, do you have any questions about my background that haven’t been answered yet? (wait for response and continue)
I like what I’ve heard today.  I know I can be an asset to this department and the company and I am very interested in this job.”

Of course if you’re not interested in the company you won’t say anything like this.  If you are interested in the job don’t leave the interviewer guessing – come right out and tell them!

It seems that no matter the position in any industry there’s a list of “standard” interview questions that are asked.  Many companies have a form that managers use to conduct interviews.  The questions might be worded differently depending on the person and the company, but deep down they are the same.  If you know what to expect, you can mentally prepare answers that will showcase your skills and background.

So what questions might be asked of you in an interview?  Following is a list that you can use to begin your preparation for your next interview.

• Tell me about yourself.  (Not really a question, but it’s bound to come up in any interview.)
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work for our company
• How much money do you want to make?
• Why are you looking for a new job?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you?

Of course you’ll have questions specific to the job and you’re background, so be prepared for questions about your management skills, your experience with certain software programs and your abilities to do what is required in the new position.  With a little preparation you’ll be ready to do well when asked the “standard” interview questions.

In most every interview, you’ll be given the opportunity to ask questions. At this point many people make one of two critical mistakes.  The first mistake is saying no.  When you say no you give the impression that you are not interested in the position or that you didn’t make any preparation for the interview.  The second mistake is to ask only questions about salary or benefits.  If you only ask questions like this you give the interviewer the impression that you are motivated by money alone and that you have no interest in the career potential offered by this company.  Salary and benefits are important, but the interview is not the time to ask these types of questions.

Since it’s important to ask questions during an interview, what type of questions can you ask?  There are a few areas where you can find questions.  Below are some examples of the questions you can ask.

About the position:

• Why is the position open?  How long has it been open?  Where is the person who previously had this position?
• How do you evaluate performance?  When do you conduct performance reviews?
• What are the most important responsibilities of the position?
• What are the biggest challenges facing the person in this position?
• Is there the opportunity for growth in this position?

About the company:

• What, if any, growth and expansion plans do you have?
• What projects are scheduled for the future?
• What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the company now and in a few years?
• Do you offer training and development programs for employees?
• How would you describe the culture of this company?

About the interviewer:

• How long have you been with the company?
• Did you start with the company in your current position?  If not, how did you get where you are today?
• Why do you like working for this company?

When you’re searching for a job you have probably spent hours working to make your resume the best it can be.  Resumes are important.  A resume is probably the biggest factor in whether or not you get invited for an interview.  However, it is the person behind the resume who gets the job, not the piece of paper.

Don’t put all your time during a job search in resume preparation.  You need to spend time getting ready for each and every interview, whether it is researching the company, practicing common questions, or preparing a list of questions for the interview.  Relying too much on your resume is a common error job seekers make.  The interviewer has read it and knows what it contains.  They want to get to know the person behind the resume.  He/she needs to know you have the background listed and can actually do what you say you can do.

Don’t rely solely on your resume in an interview – put in some time in interview preparation as well.  Your resume isn’t going to do the talking during the interview – that’s going to be up to you.

When you think of an interview does your stress level increase?  Do you get nervous as you prepare to meet with a potential employer?  If you answer yes to either or both of these questions you’re not alone.  Interviewing can be very stressful.  You’re considering a career move that can impact your life for the next few years.  If you change the way you look at it you might be able to be more relaxed as you approach your next interview.

Consider the following – the interview as a fact finding mission.  You’re going into it to learn more about the company and the requirements of the position.  The interviewer is going into it to find out more about you, your skills, background and abilities.  It’s not an inquisition or interrogation (at least it shouldn’t be).

With a little preparation and a change in mindset you can go into your next interview with a calm and relaxed attitude.