Interviewing to Impress

For my students. Tips for appearance, preparation, and follow-up.

Transcript

1. Best Foot Forward: Interviewing to Impress
2. Topics • First Impressions • Preparation • Interviewing • Following Up • A Note on Attitude
3. First Impressions
4. What to Wear Yes you need a suit. Yes you need a suit. Yes you need a suit.
5. What to Wear • An outfit is worth a thousand words. • Being overdressed is always better than being underdressed. • Stay conservative.
6. What to Wear: Guys • Dark suit • White or light colored shirt • Matching shoes and belt • Tie • Where to find: Macy’s, Men’s Wearhouse, H&M, thrift stores, indochino.com • Tips: Suit Yourself Infographic
7. What Not to Wear: Guys • Scuffed shoes • Colorful suit • Wrinkled shirt • No socks • Pants that aren’t hemmed properly (costs $10-15)
8. What to Wear: Girls • Suit or jacket and skirt • White or light-colored blouse • Conservative dark pumps (no peep-toes) • Hose (optional) • Light on makeup • Light on jewelry
9. What Not to Wear: Girls • Short skirts • Revealing shirts / gapping shirts (wear a cami underneath) • Peep toes / sandals / strappy heels • Colorful makeup • Lots of jewelry
10. Is the place casual? Doesn’t matter. Wait until after you get the job to dress that way.
11. What Affects a First Impression? • Outfit • Smile • Posture • Hair (have you gotten a haircut recently?) • Scent (too much cologne / smoky smell) • Cat hair / dog hair / lint (seriously) • Handshake (no dead fish handshakes allowed)
12. Preparations
13. Checklist 1. Company and Position Research 2. Interview Questions 3. Practice with a Friend! 4. Prep your Portfolio 5. What to Bring
14. Research • Look up company size, employees, competitors, goals, values, etc. Write it down. • Look up department size, employees, goals, values, etc. Write it down. • Look up your interviewer (if you have their name)
15. Interview Questions 1. Write down a list of questions they may ask you. 2. Then write down the answers to those questions. Questions for You 1. Based on the research you did, write down a page of questions for your interviewer(s). Questions for Them Always, always, always have questions for them!
16. Practice • You may feel silly, but this is the best way to train yourself for unanticipated situations. • Practice out loud at home • Practice with a friend • Practice with your instructor
17. Prep your Portfolio • Make sure your portfolio site looks AWESOME • Take time to write down talking points about each site you made
18. What to Bring • Padfolio. Should have: • Notes • Extra resume copies • Pen • Laptop • Already have your sites pulled up (in case you can’t get an internet connection)
19. What Not to Bring • Giant purses / extra bags • Cell phones (turn them OFF, not to vibrate) • Cigarettes • Sunglasses
20. Interviewing
21. At the Start 1. Smile 2. Shake hands 3. Say how happy you are to be there
22. During the Interview • Stick to the topic - avoid rambling • Take notes (you’ll use them later) • Ask the questions you wrote down earlier
23. What Not to Do • Bring your personal life into the interview • “My kids are sick” • “I’m so broke” • “Dude, I partied SO HARD last night” • Ask about $$ / vacation / smoke breaks
24. After the Interview • Thank them • Ask for their business card • Tell them you are interested in the job and you look forward to hearing from them
25. Following Up
26. Send a Thank You Note • Email or old fashioned snail mail is fine • Make sure to write it the same day! • Make sure you check your spelling! • Mention things you talked about in the interview (this is why you took notes)
27. Following Up • If you haven’t heard from them in a week, call or email to follow up
28. A Note on Attitude
29. • Be curious • Be friendly • Avoid negative self-talk • “Fake it til you make it” (when it comes to confidence) • You don’t need to know everything, but if you convey that you are willing to learn, you can get the job
30. Pro Tips 1. Don’t be the first to name a rate / salary • Say “I’m not familiar with all aspects of the job at this point. What is the range you all are looking for?” 2. Get the interviewer talking about themselves • People LOVE to talk about themselves