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I almost didn't include this section in the book,
but as a recruiter having to listen to some of my client
companies complain about simple things that I take for
granted about dress and simple protocol, I've included a few
basic rules.
The Do's
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Dress Appropriately. Business attire, business attire,
and more business attire! Remember you are the CEO of
your career and you are planning a major merger. Look
the part.
If they tell you it is a casual office and everyone is
wearing jeans and t-shirts, then dress casually but not
sloppy. On the other hand, when in doubt-overdress.
-
Come Prepared. Have additional resumes and reference
sheets. Carry these in a leatherette folder. Why not a
brief case? Simple. Have you ever looked into someone’s
brief case and wondered about their organizational skills
as they rummaged through it looking for something? With a
folder it’s hard to get too messy. Don’t forget a
professional looking pen and make sure that it works.
Don’t take one from the motel or your favorite insurance
salesperson, with their logos displayed, to the interview.
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Arrive Strategically. Not too early and not too late.
About five minutes before the appointed interview time is
about right.
This does not mean, however, pulling into the parking lot
with two minutes to spare and bolting for the
interviewer’s office. Arrive with about 10 to 15 minutes
to spare, casually collect your stuff, and confidently
walk into the interviewer’s lobby about 6-10 minutes
ahead of schedule. Who knows, they might take you early
and you will then have more time for your interview
session.
I'm sure you don't want to be running to get there,
worried about whether or not you have all of the
requisite materials you need and sweating profusely over
this. Like one great sports coach said, "Never let them
see you sweat."
The Don'ts
HOW TO BLOW ANY CHANCES WHATSOEVER…
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Those D---- Phones and Beepers. There
is nothing more irritating than sitting with a
candidate and having their phone or beeper
split the silence or an intense dialogue with
rrrrriiiiinnnnnggggg or bbbbbuuuuuzzzzzzzzzz.
-
The Limp Noodle. Shaking the interviewer's
hand like you are a limp noodle causes
most interviewers to feel very uncomfortable.
Most likely, they think that you are
insincere or weak or indecisive or not really
interested in being there. Whatever they
think, if they feel uncomfortable, then you
failed the number two selection criteria -
"will they fit in here?"
-
The Bone-Breaker. Breaking their hand
while shaking it makes the interviewer feel
uncomfortable. It also hurts.
-
Perfumes and Colognes. Some men and
women insist on smelling like they are an
advertisement for a perfume company. I
don't know who told them to wear enough
to knock over the office. Also, some perfumes
and colognes don't mix with your
body chemistry, no matter how expensive
or trendy they may be. I worked with an
HR person once who bought expensive
perfume. Unfortunately, her body chemistry
didn’t work with that chemical oil base and
it smelled like bug spray.
I can't tell you how many times I've had to
gasp and try to go with the interview, all
the time thinking about how long it will
take me to clear my office of the stench.
When I am thinking about that, I am not
focusing on you. It is the same for any person
who interviews you. Think before you
douse yourself.
Worse yet, some interviewees put hand
cream on their hands and then want to shake
mine. The first thing I want to do is wipe it
off. If I can't, all during the interview I sit
there thinking about wiping my hands and
not touching my tie or items on my desk
instead of listening to what the candidate is
saying. Ask yourself who loses in these
encounters.
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Know-It-All. Overbearing, over-aggressive,
or “know-it all” attitude - Remember, “you
attract more flies with honey than vinegar.”
In this context, it means that you must do
more listening than talking and quit trying to
impress them with your ability to pontificate.
If you are really good, your SHARE
stories will speak volumes for themselves.
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Inaudible or Poor Voice Tone. No one
wants to have to strain to hear you. On the
other hand, no one wants to run out for
earplugs either. I remember a fellow I once
knew who literally shouted everything he
said and was a real embarrassment in public
situations. It also goes without saying that if
you have a uniquely unpleasant voice tone,
and it calls attention to your "non-blendable"
qualities, you should seek the help of a
voice coach.
-
Poor Grammar and Slang. Almost without
exception, if your grammar is poor, you
might as well forget a long-term career ladder.
Oh, you might get a job and decent pay
but, at the point you decide you want to
advance and fill a senior manager role, you
are dead in the water.
Stop and ask yourself how many senior corporate
managers from reputable, wellknown
corporations have you personally
met who have poor grammar and language
usage.
Do you think you will be paraded in front of
an investor group to do a presentation to
raise capital or communicate the growth
potential of their company?
I've had clients who graduated from really
well-known schools that verbally murdered
sentence structure. Upon hearing it, to those
of us who are in hiring roles or screening
roles, it is like a grenade going off and can
have extremely unpleasant after-effects for
you.
This is one of the silent prejudicial barriers
that will never be legislated against in this
society. Many persons I interview today,
especially young people, don't seem to be as
well-spoken or prepared these days, but that
is the subject for another book.
-
Lack of Planning. Almost always, you will
be asked to tell them what your long- or
short-range goals are or why you want to
work at this company. If you can't provide
them with a well thought out answer, you
look unconcerned, unprepared and unprofessional.
Any one of these will eliminate
you from further consideration.
-
Acting Passive. The words passive and
passion are very close in spelling and
worlds apart in meaning and potential outcomes.
The difference between them is
often the difference between winners and
losers and those who will be hired and
those who are not.
-
Lack of confidence. If you seem too
nervous or ill at ease, you could not only
make the interviewer feel nervous too, but
also have them begin to suspect you might
have something to hide.
The way you make sure to control this is to
practice what you have prepared - over and
over and over and over and over and keep
repeating it until it is good enough. When
you think it is good enough, remember my
rule stating, "good enough, never is."
-
Talking about
Your Past
Failures. The
only time, and I mean the only time, you
ever talk about "the" past failure (notice
singular case) is when they ask you the
interview question, "tell us about a past
failure you've had and how you handled it".
What a great opportunity to take one of
your SHARE stores that you have prepared
ahead of time and share to your heart's content.
Why? Because you have the chance to turn
a negative into a positive with the "E" portion
of the SHARE story. This will demonstrate
you are smart enough to learn from
mistakes and to correct or modify your
decision-making procedures to be a better
manager or whatever you are. Please don't
tell the worst thing that ever happened. Be
smart enough to pick a not-so-bad story,
then build on that.
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12. |
Bad-Mouthing a
Past Employer. This
one is self-explanatory.
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13. |
Making Excuses or
Being Evasive. Being
evasive is a really bad interview technique.
If you don't know the answer to something,
tell them you don't and immediately
follow up with, "I will provide you the
answer in an email or follow-up interview."
You may not come off looking quite as
professional, but they know you are honest
and not a BS artist and will also realize you
know how to deal with uncertainty and
pressure. Then, follow up. Not to do so
will eliminate your future with that company.
Putting it in a more positive light, you
get another shot at the interviewer.
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14. |
Poor Eye
Contact. I have a current client
who is superior on paper, has a great personality,
is verbally correct and otherwise
presents a polished and professional image.
He is also a really nice guy. Unfortunately, if
you were interviewing him and were to try
to look where his eyes are moving, you
would go dizzy and then crazy. I don't
know who he is constantly looking at on
my office ceiling, but they must be having a
great conversation.
It is a real shame that some people don't
understand this vital aspect of body language.
The old expression, "the eyes are the
mirror to the soul," is true. How many times
do you pass judgment on someone by the
expression on their face as seen through
their eyes? Look straight at the interviewer
and don't take your eyes off them for a
moment during any question they ask you or
during your responses. No exceptions.
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15. |
Industry Knowledge. If you won't extend
the courtesy of gathering information and
understanding their company, why should
they take a further interest in your career?
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16. |
Being Late For The
Interview.
We've covered
this previously in its positive form.
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17. |
Seemingly Focused on Money and
Benefits. You are there for the money, of
course, and in due time the entire discussion
will focus on this critical issue. BUT NOT
NOW!!
Letting them back you into the corner with
statements like, "what did you make last
year," or talking about money at all early in
the interview process guarantees that you
will give away your personal power and lose
any chance at successful negotiation sessions.
This will be explained further in a later
section of this chapter.
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18. |
Bad Manners. This area really needs no
explanation other than to emphasize that
your manners and your courtesy toward others
are critical in establishing your image and
ensuring your position within your future
workplace.
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19. |
Being Cynical. It is rude, uncaring, unprofessional
and unacceptable behavior. You
are masking those "crazy tapes" Jim Farr
said are being played because of past experiences.
Change this lifestyle and
behavior or suffer
the consequences throughout your personal
and professional life.
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20. |
Condescending Attitude. I have interviewed
with many people in my life. In some
cases I was older, more experienced, more
technically competent and just plain knew
more about life than they did. Not one of
them ever felt this from me. I really try to
take a genuine interest in people and feel I
can learn from everyone I meet.
On the other hand, people who viewed
themselves as the person who had invented
sliced bread have interviewed me. When you
meet them, and you will, grit your teeth,
smile and then determine if you have to
work with or for them, or if they might have
an influence on your work or success, once
you've been employed. If the answer is yes,
then drop that company like a hot potato. It
only gets worse, never better, when dealing
with those people. Believe me, life is too
short for that nonsense.
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21. |
Bad Handwriting. There is nothing worse
than getting something you can't read.
Sloppy handwriting on any submitted material
is inexcusable from you as an applicant,
much less when you are working there.
My handwriting is really, really bad. I make it
a special point to slow down and attempt to
be legible whenever I fill out a form.
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22. |
Over Sharing. When interviewing, don't
over share. It's rude and, worse yet, wastes
valuable time that could be spent on your
SHARE stories or information gathering
(power building).
The fact that you have a cat and two dogs
and came from somewhere, USA isn't that
germane to your being hired. I interviewed
one client and after 20 minutes, I just wanted
to see how long he would actually ramble,
he looked at me and finally said, " I guess I
blew that, huh?" Point made.
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23. |
Indecisive. As you should know by now,
people hire you because you can solve problems.
Solving problems means that you can
construct a plan of action, make a decision,
and then properly execute it, regardless of
the problem being managed. Go back to the
SHARE exercises and practice your answers
before your interview sessions. Know what
you want from the company and the job
before you walk into the interview.
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24. |
Being Intolerant. I don't know of any
organization worth its salt that actually likes
hiring bigots, critical or generally intolerant
people, do you? If you have an opinion
about a particular ethnic group or belief system,
keep your mouth shut and hold your
opinions to yourself.
Your personal opinions are just that, personal;
don't take them to the office with you.
Working as a professional is about focus on
business. If you feel strongly that your
opinions and personal beliefs are in conflict
with company policies or workforce makeup,
then look elsewhere.
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25. |
Smoking or
Chewing Gum. Don't ever
smoke or chew gum in an interview, even if
the interviewer offers you the opportunity.
Don't ever go outside for a smoke between
multiple interview sessions. It makes your
breath smell, your clothes stink and if you
put a mint in your mouth to cover it up, you
violate rule number one - nothing in your
mouth. More and more companies are now
implementing a no-smoke or limited smoke
zone at their companies. Every day, more are
adopting a “no-hiring smokers” policy. Be
smart, be kind to others and yourself and
just plain don't smoke. In fact, just quit and
you will be better off.
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26. |
Whining. Like I said earlier in the book,
"nobody likes a whiner, but everybody
loves a winner."
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27. |
Lack of a
Sincere “Thank You.” When
you leave the interview, please remember to
say a simple “thank you.” Don't do this,
and you will probably be remembered for
it.
Thank them for their time, consideration,
and informative session and BE GENUINE
about it.
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28. |
Slouching and Posture. Just like your dad
or mom told you when you were younger,
sit up straight, don't cross your legs, put
your hands in your lap when not gesturing
or making a point. Don't clasp your hands
behind your head, don't look at the ceiling,
don't swing or jiggle your crossed legs (if
you must cross them) and for sure, don't
pull or scratch at any of your body parts.
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29. |
Lack of Verbal Expression. Only full
sentences with understandable answers
should come from your mouth. No technojargon
unless you are interviewing with a
techno person who asks you to explain a
complex, technical issue and you are
absolutely certain they will understand your
answer.
Think about this a moment. You are being
asked a question and they expect an answer.
If you give them a simple “yes” or “no,”
you will have completely given up another
wonderful opportunity to communicate
why they should hire you. It's like going to
the battlefield without any ammunition in
your gun.
The good thing about this list is that everything
on it can be cured. The difficult part
is admitting that you have any of these
problems.
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Prologue
