Don’t be on Time to a Job Interview

You heard it right. Don’t be on time to a job interview. Be there at least 25 minutes before it starts.

But hold on. I don’t mean walk into the employers lobby, 25 minutes before the interview time. Just be within 100 yards of their front door. Why? Well, there are several good reasons.

First of all, allowing for at least 25 minutes worth of “padding” will give you an insurance policy that will often come in very handy. Unexpected things occur every day – from traffic congestion due to wrecks, roadwork and weather to spilling coffee on your freshly pressed white shirt.

When you are late, as a result of not allowing for unplanned events or not preparing properly, the message that is being sent to an employer is:
- I do not respect you
- I do not respect your time
- This interview is not important to me
- This company is not important to me

I’m fairly tolerant of people being a little late for me. We’re all human and I’m occasionally late to meetings, too – so it would be hypocritical for me to get angry.

However, few employers are as understanding when a prospective employee is late for an interview.

Being late to your interview not only creates a poor first impression, it often takes late candidates several minutes to mentally collect themselves – after their arrival. And some never recover from this awkward and embarrassing start to the interview.

If you pull into the parking lot in a frantic rush and present yourself to the receptionist with only minutes to spare – there is a very good chance that you still won’t come across as calm, collected and self-assured.

Whereas, arriving early allows you to be fully prepared and in the right state of mind. Allowing 25 minutes to spare, you don’t feel rushed, and you’re able to walk through the employers’ front door – roughly five minutes before your appointment time – presenting yourself as a poised, polished and prepared professional.

As a recruiter, when I meet candidates in-person – I can instantly tell which ones barely made it in time. They often look frazzled, sweaty and a little nervous. These same people often leave their resumes in their car or they forget to remove their gum – to name a few of the common mistakes made by those who don’t arrive in plenty of time to properly prepare and get focused.

Finally, don’t be too early, either. When you arrive too far ahead of schedule, you create an awkward interruption. Someone then has to be concerned about making you comfortable while you wait. Additionally, employers often put distance between interviews because they don’t want to create a situation where you may end up bumping into someone you might know, who is also interviewing.

The perfect arrival time, in the employers lobby, is five minutes ahead of time – but never more than 10 minutes.

In summary, it’s hard enough to land an interview – so take the process seriously and prepare for it. Arriving at just the right time is essential to making a good first impression. And the less you leave to chance, the more relaxed and confident you will feel. You’ll be able to concentrate on presenting yourself as a highly qualified candidate – rather than being distracted by the things that went wrong on the way to the interview.
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THINGS TO DO TO LESSEN THE CHANCE YOU WILL BE LATE:

Be fully prepared the night before your interview
The night before, prepare your wardrobe, and any items you need to bring with you. This will prevent lost time getting dressed and looking for items at the last minute.

Also, make certain that you have plenty of gas in your car and that your cell phone has a full charge.

Know where you are going
It should go without saying, but you must know exactly how to get to your interview. Leave nothing to chance.

The day before your interview call the receptionist and confirm the address and ask where to park. Remember: The most expensive GPS in the world won’t help you if you’re head to the wrong longitude and latitude.

Consider doing a “dry run” the day before
If the interview is important to you – do a “dry run” the day before – even if you are fairly certain you know where you’re headed. By leaving at about the same time you plan to leave the next day – you’ll get a good feel for traffic congestion and how long it will take you.

Consider travel uncertainties
When it really counts – consider the uncertainties associated with time-related traffic conditions and/or unfamiliar parts of town.

Traffic is the oldest excuse in the book – and no one believes or accepts it. Remember, everyone else managed to make it to the office, despite the traffic. These people were not delayed, and were all there waiting to speak with you. Where were you?

Make certain you have the employers main phone number and the hiring managers direct phone number
If you do get lost, talk to the receptionist – not the hiring manager – to get headed in the right direction.

However, if you run into an unexpected delay – you need to let the hiring manager know that you will be delayed. If the unavoidable happens – an accident on the way to the interview or something else that is beyond your control – call as soon as possible to say what has happened and when you expect to arrive. The interviewer may want to reschedule.
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THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE EARLY:
Go over your pre-entry checklist. Keep in mind that if the employer is in a multi-tenant building – some of these things can be done in the public restroom.
• Double-check to see that you have an adequate number of resumes, reference sheets and business cards
• Make certain you have an ink pen and paper (preferably in a portfolio or notebook carrying case)
• If the interview is in a multi-tenant building, scout the building and find the correct suite number (then retreat)
• Read your resume one more time
• Check teeth (you should have dental floss with you, just in case)
• Address your breath – but dispose of your gum before the interview
• Use a lint roller
• Use your car mirror or use the restroom mirror in the building before the interview to make sure your tie is straight, your make-up is right, your hair is the way you want it and, hey guys, check to see if your fly is unzipped.
• Use any extra time to calm yourself, gather your thoughts and imagine yourself saying all the right things and being the perfect candidate for the position.

AUTHOR: Mark Newsom
Founder of FiveChairs, a Recruitment Firm, focused on Nashville Talent and
Goldfish Resumes, the foremost resume writers in Nashville. | mark@fivechairs.com

Invite Me. I’ll Accept.

What to Wear to a Job Interview in 2010.

When you’re in a job search, remember, you’re marketing a product – yourself. The old saying, “Dress for the position you want, not the one you have” is still current in 2010.

Appropriate attire supports your personal branding, suggests you take the interview process seriously and indicates that you understand the nature of the industry and/or the role in which you are trying to become employed.

The first judgment an interviewer makes is within the first few seconds. Without even thinking about it, they are quickly assessing how you look and what you are wearing.

Should you be judged by what you wear? Perhaps not, but the reality is, of course, that you are judged. Throughout the entire process employers use short cuts — rules of thumb — to save time. With cover letters, it’s the opening paragraph. With resumes, it is a quick scan of your professional summary. With the job interview, it’s how you’re dressed, that sets the tone of the interview.

Will dressing properly get you the job? Of course not, but it will give you a competitive edge, a positive first impression and a boost in your self-confidence.

Even if you are certain that everyone, including the CEO, wears business casual – it still doesn’t matter. Outside of some of the “special exception categories”, mentioned below, rarely will you do yourself harm by dressing in formal business attire.

As a recruiter, I’ve never heard a hiring manager tell me that a candidate would not be called back for a second interview – simply because they were too formally dressed in the initial interview. However, I’ve seen many highly qualified candidates harmed by what they wore to an interview.

Hiring managers often look at it this way: how you present yourself to me is how you will present yourself to my clients. If you are too casual or too laid back for an initial meeting – that can come across as indifferent or arrogant.

While conservative, formal business attire is the answer for most interview occasions, there are a handful of situations where business casual is more appropriate – depending on the position category, the industry sector of the prospective employer and the setting.

Some possible exceptions to formal interview attire:

IT People
Unless you’re going after a senior-level IT position – it’s usually fine to wear business casual attire to an interview. A sport coat would be a nice touch if the job might involve managing people or interfacing with clients – not that they would expect you to wear a sport coat in a typical day. They just want to be sure you know what to wear when their largest client, or an investor, comes to visit.

“Creatives”
This category only includes creative directors, art directors, designers, illustrators, copywriters and the like. If you are a member of this category, many of the rules go out the window. It’s fine to be a little left of center – within the bounds of good taste. The key is simplicity and understanding the culture of the organization. In most ad agencies, they expect far more casual dress from “creatives”. However, if you’re interviewing for a graphic design position within a law or accounting firm, don’t expect that they will approve of your free-spirited clothing selection.

Differences at creative, entertainment, fashion or dot.com firms
If you’re headed to an interview with a creative, entertainment or dot.com firm – it might be smart to do some mental preparation.

Unless you are a “creative” or an “non-executive-level” IT candidate, it’s still smart to come to the interview in formal business attire, however, if the interviewer seems uncomfortable by the formality of your attire, just ask if he minds if you remove your coat. And if he makes an off-hand remark about how dressed-up you are – reply, with a smile, that this wasn’t your typical style and that you are relieved that they have a more relaxed work atmosphere.

Differences – depending on setting
If your networking skills land you an informational meeting (not an interview) at the local Starbucks, you might want to take the “business casual” approach – even if you would typically wear formal business attire.
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Dressing for the Interview While Employed

You aren’t doing anything wrong by looking for another job – you have to take responsibility for your career, because no one else will. Being discreet makes it easier to avoid rumors, keep your current job, and not burn any bridges in the process. As long as you act professionally, you have nothing to worry about.

Now that most employers have a business casual dress code it has become very difficult to dress for an interview and not raise eyebrows all over the office.

Before the interview, allot an extra 20 minutes to stop in a public bathroom and change into the dressier attire. A good place to change is a lobby restroom in a moderate to upscale hotel near your interview. They are always open and since people are coming in and out with clothing – they won’t even give you a second look.
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If you want more help in this area – let me know and I’ll send you a free 10+ page guide that outlines all the details related to dressing formally for an interview. Just let me know if you want the men’s or women’s version.

AUTHOR: Mark Newsom
Founder of FiveChairs, a Recruitment Firm, focused on Nashville Talent and
Goldfish Resumes, the foremost resume writers in Nashville. | mark@fivechairs.com

Invite Me. I’ll Accept.