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Interviewing:
By Sylvia Henderson
www.springboardtraining.com
It’s
Still Person-to-Person
The interview process in the
millennium especially where technology
companies are concerned is different
in many ways from the process
of the last decade. Telephone
interviewing is much more prevalent
for weeding-out prospective candidates
before they even walk in the door
for a person-to-person interview
with a potential employer. Group
interviews with future peers are
conducted where formerly a potential
candidate used to speak with company
management or a human resources
professional. Candidates are given
problems and puzzles to solve
in order to prove their competency
in areas they note as being proficient
on their resumes or to explore
their creativity. The emphasis
in job interviews tends more to
lean towards creativity, programming
and technical proficiency, ability
to use computers, and other job-related
competencies. Less and less do
I see or hear about competency
of interpersonal skills. Yet,
certain interpersonal skills withstand
the test of time and tell a lot
about a person whether over the
telephone or in person.
A job candidate must exhibit
certain skills no matter how technically
proficient she or he may be. Technology
companies seek people not only
able to design the next coolest
web site or maintain a large client-server
environment or develop the next
wireless application but who also
exhibit good interpersonal skills.
Desirable skills include good
grooming, the ability to speak
clearly and succinctly, use of
good grammar, the capacity to
explain complex concepts to be
understood by non technical people,
and a “personable disposition”.
A potential job candidate may
be in high demand for their technical
skills and may be in a position
to weigh multiple offers at any
one time, but once hired for technical
proficiency, that person will
likely not go very far very fast
if they exhibit poor “people
skills”.
To help with getting your foot
in the door for an interview or
to make a good impression at an
in-person interview, keep these
suggestions in mind.
Good
Grooming
Casual attire does not absolve
you of good grooming. Aspects
of good grooming apply whether
you wear white shirts and dark
suits or polo shirts and khakis.
Shower or bathe before the interview.
Snicker you might at such an obvious
concept but you would be surprised
how many professional people leave
a body odor trail in their wake.
Some cultures do not abide by
European deodorant standards which
is fine in and of itself. But
for a job interview, a shower
just before you leave for the
meeting helps put others at ease
in this multicultural world of
ours.
Lighten the load when it comes
to fragrances and makeup. Use
little, if any, perfume or cologne.
Some people are allergic to fragrances.
You do not want your interviewer
sneezing every few minutes or
wiping watery eyes because you
are in front of them with a wafting
fragrance penetrating the cubicle.
Your makeup should make you look
“natural”. I know
this seems like an oxymoron, but
the goal is to appear like you
are not wearing makeup, for an
interview. Save the personalizing
aspects of your makeup routine
for once you have the job.
Piercings. Well, I have mixed
feelings about them but I recognize
they are acceptable by today's
grooming standards, especially
in the high-tech field. So my
advice is to limit the number
and locations of the piercings
for the job interview. The ears
are probably fine, even for guys.
Save the eyebrows, noses, lips,
and tongues for after the job
offer is accepted.
Similar advice goes for the hair.
Whatever your style, make sure
it appears neat for the interview.
Have the neatest mohawk you can
have since there is not much you
can do to change the hairstyle
for an interview if it is the
hairstyle you normally wear. Try
limiting yourself to one or two
colors for the interview. Braids
should be re-braided to look crisp
and clean. Crew cuts and fades
should be just-cut and neat. Dreadlocks
should be clean. Have I missed
anything? Oh! You have a modest,
“traditional” hair
style? Clean and just-done are
the guidelines to keep in mind
for any hairstyle.
The breath is something few of
us admit needs constant attention.
At least for ourselves. We quickly
conclude that the other person
needs breath maintenance. Forget
the chewing gum as breath enhancer.
Gum activates acids in the stomach
which exacerbate foul breath once
the gum is no longer chewed. (You
do know not to chew gum during
the interview, don't you?) Carry
some breath mints, the small kind
that are specifically for breath
control, not just peppermints.
I am not endorsing a specific
product when I say to use something
like Altoids or Tic-Tacs. They
happen to be what I carry at all
times and are the brands that
come to mind.
You are interviewing over the
telephone, you say, so you do
not have to worry about good grooming.
Wrong! Believe it or not, good
grooming comes across over the
phone. True, you do not have to
worry about the colors of your
hair or how fresh your breath
may be, but tongue and lip piercings
affect your speech. You feel fresh
after a shower and that freshness
comes across in your attitude.
It is how you feel about yourself
that comes across in a phone interview.
What
You Wear
Whether you are female or male,
neatness is important. For an
interview, shirts should be ironed
and pants or skirts, pressed.
Yes, that goes for the polo shirt
or the dress blouse. Ironing is
a foreign activity to me on a
regular basis, but when it is
time to make a good impression,
the iron comes out of storage
and gets used. If you do not even
own one of the contraptions, the
dry cleaners is worth the $1.95
all-the-time charge for a pressed
shirt or blouse.
Tuck shirttails into pants or
skirts. Wear a suit or sport jacket
when you initially enter the establishment
for the interview. The jacket
might come off once the initial
impression is made, but the first
thing the interviewer sees should
be you fully dressed. This applies
to wearing a sweater instead of
a jacket if the dress code is
casual and if it is understood
that casual attire is appropriate
for the interview. You should
get this understanding clearly
from the person who sets up the
interview prior to the meeting.
If the pants or skirt have belt
loops, wear a belt (or suspenders)
whether or not you usually wear
them.
Wear socks or hose. And shoes
should have closed toes for both
men and women. Make sure the shoes
whether dress pumps or wing tips
or sports shoes or boots are clean,
free of scuffs, and polished if
they can be polished. Save a pair
of Timberlands as “interview
shoes” if they make up the
bulk of your footwear.
Skirts should be just above-to-just
below the knees. Do not wear shorts.
Slacks should rest at the top
of the front of your shoes and
should slope slightly back to
rest about an inch above the heel
of your shoes when you are standing.
Get dressed up for a telephone
interview. You will put yourself
in a “dress-up” frame
of mind and you will sound like
a professional across the wires
(or over the satellite).
How You
Sound
Speak clearly and succinctly.
Enunciate your words. Keep the
gum and candy out of your mouth.
Control your rate of speed. If
you speak fast normally, slow
it down a bit for the interview.
If you speak slowly, speed it
up a bit to sound energetic and
enthusiastic.
Leave the jargon and peer-talk
out of the interview. You may
be interviewing with people who
are your age or younger but you
are in a professional situation,
no matter how many scooters and
ping pong tables are in the conference
room. Business is conducted so
that those stock options you are
offered will be worth something
and you are being evaluated on
whether you will fit into a particular
business environment.
Work at coming across confident
but not cocky. If you have trouble
with confidence, especially around
other people, practice in a mirror
before the interview. Talk about
yourself, your technical abilities,
your experiences to yourself in
front of the mirror. Look at how
you look and feel. Pull out the
actor (gender-neutral) in you
and make yourself sound confident
when you speak. The act will carry
through in the interview.
If you are conducting a telephone
interview, stand up or sit up
straight while talking. Your attentiveness
comes across over the phone.
The Handshake
This is my personal bugaboo.
The first impression you give
to others in a business environment
is communicated through your handshake
whether you are male or female.
The handshake says more about
you in a few seconds than any
grooming or clothing or fresh
breath can ever say. Learn how
to give a firm, personable handshake
if you learn nothing else. Practice
on your friends, your partner,
your dog, or yourself (yes, you
can shake your other hand and
feel whether your grip is firm
and dry.)
Your grip should be firm but
not crushing. Conquer the limp,
fishy grip. Wipe your hand off
just before the handshake (out
of sight of the person you are
about to greet) so that your hand
is dry. If you are freezing from
nervousness, warm your hand under
your arm while you are waiting.
I cannot emphasize enough the
impression either good or bad
that is made through a handshake.
Practice these interpersonal
skills and the next impression
that you make in an interview,
whether by telephone or in person,
should be a strong, positive impression.
All that you will have left to
do is convince the interviewer
of your technical capabilities.
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