Job Interviewing 101

I recently had a job interview where I thought I rocked it.  I’ve also had other interviews where I thought I rocked it so I know I can’t read too much into it and rely on my gut.  My gut is not very good at interviewing.  Sometimes I unfortunately listen to what my gut tells me and I am soon doing or saying something stupid.

I normally prepare like crazy for an interview and probably over prepare by some standards.  But then I really start to think about other things I should do to “improve” the interview.  Usually the improvement tends more of a big mistake.

I’ve complied a list of examples.  These truly did happen to me but thankfully not all on one interview.  Please learn from my mistakes.

1.   New shoes can always be tricky for an interview.  Walking around on carpet in your home doesn’t constitute “breaking them in” especially if you already have blisters on your heel from earlier in the week.  My idea was to tape my blisters and cover that with moleskin as long as it doesn’t show.

What I didn’t expect during the interview was all the freaking walking that we did in 90 degree heat.  My neatly placed blister covers started to slide and rub.  Not that I am graceful in heels on a good day but with each step I was feeling more of my skin rip away from my heel. 

I did have a couple of extra band aids and decided to do some doctoring in the restroom.  I only had 1.5 hours left so I figured I was good.  I should not have done this and instead walked through the pain.  By the end of the interview I was walking with a limp and fighting back the urge to yell out in pain.

Heel pads worked wonders with the shoes, wish I would have known about this BEFORE the interview.

2.   The job fair.  I have now determined that job fairs are lame.  You really have to know what companies are hiring ahead of time and kind of know the positions they are posting.  I went to two job fairs where most of the companies were NOT hiring.  I don’t get this.  Why waste the time?  So I asked.  One company told me that it is a chance for them to get their name out there and they hoped to have a position opening in six months.  This was a big company.  Their name was already out there and they were giving away crap like people at a convention. 

I’m not saying don’t go to a job fair, but I’m not saying go to a job fair either.

3.   You want to look your best for an interview.  If you have bangs and you get the urge to “trim” your bangs the night before an interview, don’t do it.  My bangs were actually just fine but I thought just a tiny trim couldn’t hurt.  What I didn’t think about was my lack of eye-hand coordination.  I looked down at the sink after my first cut and noticed varied lengths of trimmed hair.  Hmm.  At that point, I decided that maybe I should wet my hair down.  I finished the process with several tiny cuts and at the end regretted it all.  Should have made an appointment.

4.   I have been to some interviews that actually take you out to lunch or dinner to see how you will react in a social setting.  For the most part I do well during this portion.  I know which fork to use and I know not to order alcohol (although there were times where I felt this would have benefitted the conversation).  The lesson I stress here is: know your audience. 

After a full morning of interviewing and touring they invited me to lunch.  There were a couple of people I had met earlier and a couple of new people.  They asked the typical questions and I gave the rehearsed answers.  During a lunch I was asked about working in Las Vegas.  Being funny and sarcastic, I answered, “It’s not like I was on the pole.”  I thought this was hilarious and only one other guy thought so too.  Next time I have an interview with highly conservative TX males, I will not mention the pole.

5.   Leave early if you are prone to getting lost.  Also, don’t always believe your Garmin.  I’m not great with directions, but I MapQuest where I am supposed to go and also take a look at the street view.  The street view has only been 40% successful for me.  At one point I knew I probably was not interviewing at a crack house.  The point is, cover your bases.

I’m not late because I usually leave 30 minutes before I should.  I leave earlier if I think I will run into any traffic.  Also, it gives me some time to relax or distress before the interview process.  It also gives to cushion incase they “accidentally” give you the wrong directions.  Pretty sure they do this to see how you act under pressure it also gives them a nice way to start off the interview.

6.   The last helpful point I will give you is how you dress.  Make sure you actually try on your suit the night before (or earlier) to make sure everything looks right and it still fits.  If you find out that the “dry cleaner” has mysteriously shrunk your pants you have to come up with a plan.  If you are at home and you have another suit – bonus, just wear the other suit. 

If you have gained a bit of weight and your other suits are too small, you need a plan of action.  You could lightly wet the pants and try to stretch out the material as much as you can.  You could also put them on and try to stretch them out.  Make sure to wear your spanx if you have some!

Let’s go through another clothes scenario.  Say you are in a hotel room and you get dressed and decide the shell that goes under your jacket is a bit tight.  The obviously solution is to stretch it out a bit on the sides.  I caution you here.  Be very careful where you stretch.  You might accidentally rip a seam.  At home, no biggie, pick out a new shirt.  In a hotel room, your options are limited.  You need to MacGyver the shirt somehow. 

Here is the solution I came up with:  remember the moleskin and tape I used for my blisters?  I just cut some pieces and very carefully place them on the inside seam of the shirt.  Worked like a charm.  Wasn’t exactly comfortable, but my heels hurt so bad that day that an itchy piece of tape poking into my side was the least of my worries.

I now pack at least two different shirts in case this should happen again…