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 have over 1,500 in-person appointments every year and nearly 15% of all the people I meet with are late. Most are only late by one to ten minutes, but about 5% would be categorized as significantly late – ranging from 10 to 60 minutes.

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.

I often meet candidates within a minute or so of their arrival – and 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. Arrive in the employers lobby no more than five to ten minutes ahead of time. There is such a thing as being too early. When you arrive too far ahead of schedule, you create an interruption. Someone then has to be concerned about making you comfortable while you wait.

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.

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.

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.
 Adequate number of resumes, reference sheets and business cards
 Ink pen and paper
 Names of all employer contacts
 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.

Was this article helpful? If so, let me know. And if you have additional thoughts and suggestions – I would like to hear from you. To provide feedback, either click on the tiny “comment” link, at the conclusion of each article (or click on the title of the article) and you’ll find a comment box at the very bottom.

Multi-page Resumes: Never say Never

It drives me nuts when I hear self-described “experts” carelessly dispense their simplistic “absolutes”. I often wish I could assess contributing writers a $250 tax on the use of the words “never” and “always” in articles they pen for media outlets. Perhaps, then, they might not use these words so carelessly.

Today, I read the following gem – from a self-proclaimed “communications expert” – aimed at a few hundred thousand innocent readers of our local newspaper:

“A resume should never be more than one page”.

Before I explain why this isn’t necessarily the case – let me reflect on an old quote my father often repeated to the Newsom family, “Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice.” In other words, you risk hurting people when you offer solutions – or dispense advice – without first considering all the factors and individual circumstances.

Telling the world “a resume should never be more than one page” is like saying…
“Brochures should never be longer than one, single-sided page.”
“Television commercials should never be more than 15 seconds in duration.”
“Magazine ads should never be more than one-quarter of a page in size.”

As a former marketing executive, turned executive recruiter, I’m happy to report that there are no absolutes when it comes to the proper length of a brochure, the size of a print ad – or even the number of pages for a resume.

TIPS ON RESUME LENGTH:

Use as many pages as it takes to tell a persuasive story – but no more.
Only those with significant qualifications and strong resumes are even invited to interview. As a result, more, not less, relevant information is now needed on the resume. However, don’t confuse a resume with a biography. Everything on your resume needs to support your personal brand. And remember, the primary objective of a resume is to generate leads that result in interviews.

Don’t try to stuff six pounds of flour into a five-pound bag.
It’s actually less taxing to read a well-formatted two-page resume than a crammed one-page resume.

When it comes to electronic resumes, key words are king.
For resumes in electronic formats, that are intended to be placed directly in online databases – whether it be for a large employer or a commercial job search web site (e.g. Monster.com, CareerBuilder, etc..,), page-length is immaterial. When it comes to electronic resumes – key word searching drives results.

New grads and entry-level candidates
As a general rule-of-thumb, resume length depends on the level of the position. Resumes for new grads and entry-level candidates are often, but not always, one page. Most undergraduate career-placement centers tell students to limit their resumes to one page. In most cases, new grads don’t have enough relevant experience to justify more than a page. However, some new grads have lots of relevant internships, summer jobs, extracurricular and leadership experience that certainly justifies a two-page resume.

The two-pager: The choice for the majority of job seekers
A two-page resume is the smartest choice for the vast majority of job seekers who are above entry level, but below the executive level. Once someone has been in business for 10+ years – it is very difficult to keep everything on one page.

Resumes for the corner office dwellers
When it comes to senior-level positions (COO, CFO, etc.) decision-makers have a much larger scope of need than just skill sets or even accomplishments. The hiring company will be making an enormous investment and betting the future success of the company on the candidate, so they need to know much more about the candidate than can typically fit on even two pages.

Was this article helpful? If so, let me know. And if you have additional thoughts and suggestions – I would like to hear from you. To provide feedback, either click on the tiny “comment” link, at the conclusion of each article (or click on the title of the article) and you’ll find a comment box at the very bottom.

The “Sexy Job” Trap

Job candidates often look at the employers they pursue like a fashion statement – and that’s especially true for young people.

Music, sports, television and other entertainment-related businesses are certainly sexy. People are attracted to companies in these sectors like moths to a flame – and often with the same result.

And I perfectly understand. After all, telling your friends, at the class reunion, that you work for a record label gives you a certain “coolness factor” you just can’t get with a waste management company.

Frankly, I blame much of this problem on colleges and technical schools. They create glossy brochures and slick web sites describing their academic programs in sports administration, the music business, broadcasting, etc…, – and students flock to the programs with visions of fame and fortune. Unfortunately, the stark reality is that very few graduates (after their internship) ever land long-term, fulfilling and lucrative positions in their sexy field of choice. Only a handful of people do – and that’s just enough to attract another bumper crop of new students.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big believer in following your passion – even if the odds are stacked against you. However, if your passion for one of these business sectors isn’t a full-blown obsession – and you aren’t prepared to work twice as hard as nearly everyone around you – for sub-market level wages, for years – you need to quickly reassess your plan.

The lesson: If you aren’t prepared for the Herculean sacrifice and high risks associated with success in these fashionable industries – turn your passion for music, sports or entertainment into a hobby, and find an alternative plan that can be personally fulfilling and meets your needs.

THE COMMON TRAPS:

Wages are often lower than similar positions in other industries and it’s difficult to make up for lost time. Companies that make up the “sexy industries” know that they are wildly attractive to job candidates – and you can be certain that employers play this to their advantage. I routinely see people who spend years in such companies – earning a fraction of what they would typically earn – all for the “coolness factor”. Granted, you can name-drop celebrities and athletes you’ve met – but you can’t pay your bills with great stories. Added to the problem is that you can’t instantly make up for lost time – when it comes to compensation – once you enter a more mainstream job.

Working in a sexy business sector is often addictive and very difficult to escape. For some, the line between their work and social life is blurred to the point where losing their job is tantamount to losing their identity and their friends. Some won’t move on – even when they are bored and their family is under a mountain of debt. It’s hard to escape when you’ve spent years defining yourself in such a one-dimensional way.

It’s easy to get typecast by your sexy industry. No matter how unfair, it’s hard to convince a healthcare company or pet food manufacturer that your experience promoting Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will translate into success in their businesses. Plus, when you attempt to leave a sexy industry – the potential employer is afraid they are a temporary “port in the storm” – while you are looking for your next “cool job”.

There are often a few rungs left out of the proverbial career ladder. For instance, for a sports team, you’ll often find a few low-level positions and a couple of high-level positions in the marketing department. It’s as if someone removed six rungs in the middle of a ten-rung ladder. So, where are the mid-level jobs? Well, those went to the teams’ ad agency, web design company and their other outsourced vendors.

Was this article helpful? If so, let me know. And if you have additional thoughts and suggestions – I would like to hear from you. To provide feedback, either click on the tiny “comment” link, at the conclusion of each article (or click on the title of the article) and you’ll find a comment box at the very bottom.

Area Codes on Resumes: What Might it Tell Employers?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 20+ years in marketing, it’s that ridiculously small things often make the difference between failure and success. Resumes are no different.

I’ve talked about how much more difficult it is to find a job when prospective employers know that you aren’t a local candidate. And let’s say you lived in Birmingham, AL but recently relocated to Nashville due to your spouse’s work. You might have family and friends in Birmingham, so you think about keeping your old cell phone number at least a few more months. Birmingham doesn’t share the same area code as Nashville. They are 205 and 615 respectively.

Now that you’ve unpacked a few boxes in your new Nashville home, you figure you’ll start sending some resumes to local companies. Since you heard it’s usually best to include your cell phone number on your resume, you include the 205-555-1212 number you’ve had since your teenage son was in diapers. You say to yourself, “they know I live in Nashville, so this long distance cell phone number shouldn’t matter”. Well, you would be wrong.

Unfortunately, here is what goes through some inquiring (and cynical) minds…

“I’ll bet this person actually lives in Alabama, and is now using a friend’s local address. She is just fishing in this market to see if she’ll get any bites. After all, if she already lived in Nashville, she would already have a local cell phone number.”

“She might live here, now, but her heart is in returning to this 205 area code… wherever that may be. I’ll be darned if I’m going to train her for nine months and then have her return to the friends and family she has there.”

Yes, people really are this way. Not all of them, but certainly enough to make you pause before committing this potential mistake.

So, what can you do? Well, if you really are committed to living in Nashville, get your number changed. It’s easy to do and probably won’t cost you more than 15 bucks. However, if you can’t part with your old cell number, there are still other options. You can probably add a local line to your existing phone plan, get a new local cell phone plan, or simply use your home “land line” phone number on your resume. The end result is the same, and you stand a better of chance landing your next employment opportunity.

Was this article helpful? If so, let me know. And if you have additional thoughts and suggestions – I would like to hear from you. To provide feedback, either click on the tiny “comment” link, at the conclusion of each article (or click on the title of the article) and you’ll find a comment box at the very bottom.