You are looking for your dream job and the call has finally come!
You resume has made it past the screening process and you have an interview scheduled. So now, how do you stand apart from the rest of the candidates?
I have interviewed hundreds of people and have come up with the following five tips and tricks which can help set you above the rest!
First tip – never arrive to an interview TOO early! How early is too early you may ask? Never arrive more than 10 minutes early. If you leave your house with plenty of time to get there (because you NEVER want to be late) you may arrive 15-20 minutes early. DO NOT GO INSIDE! Wait until you are about 10 minutes from your interview time and then go check in. Often times we hear about arriving late and how that is a big NO NO! However, many people never think twice about showing up 15-20 minutes before their scheduled interview. Take it from me…. DO NOT DO IT! Sit in your car, drive around, grab a coffee, relax, review some of your questions…..
Second tip – Dress professionally, no matter what type of position you are trying to get. For women, this can be dress slacks, a skirt, and a blouse, or a blazer. Do not wear goddy jewelry, or too much perfume. For men, dress slacks, and a shirt and tie is always a good look.
Third tip – Work on your handshake! A handshake is part of your first impression and it is important that it says the right thing about you.
Fourth tip – Do not over share about yourself. Weather you like to believe it or not, EVERYTHING you say is a small insight into the type of employee you may be. Do not share about any personal issues, family struggles, or prior issues you had with your manager at your last job. If you speak poorly about your last job or boss it could show that you are difficult to work with or that you may not be easy to manager. If you share too much about your personal life or family it may show that you may call out often because you have a lot going on in your personal life. Keep the information to what you have to offer the company, and the experience you bring.
Fifth tip – social media…….turn it off! We may not like to believe it, but HR people look into you, see what you are posting on social media, this includes Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Social Media is your internet presence, and once you start working for a company, you are a reflection of them. The good news is that not all social media hurts you! LinkedIn is your friend when trying to land your dream job! Once you are done with the interview link in with the person you met. This also will set you apart from others, and if your LinkedIn is strong, with recommendations, groups you follow, and your on line resume is strong and clean it may just boost you into the final two, and land you the job you’ve been dreaming of! Sign up for a LinkedIn account today! Grow your Network and see how many opportunities your connections may open for you!
Check out how social media can make or break your chances: http://ow.ly/FSGJw
Follow these five tips and you will be well on your way to making a GREAT first impression and showing your interviewer you are serious about the position!
For more tips on how to interview better check this out: http://ow.ly/FSHfR
Opinionated Woman 
Dear Opinionated woman,
I would have never thought about arriving too early as a no-no. Hilarious cartoon. I am wondering, though– In your experience, are there any instances in which having an active social media presence, other than LinkedIn, could reflect positively upon the job applicant? If so, how would you recommend that the applicant use these social media accounts to boost their online repertoire?
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Dear Srahrado,
Honestly, unless you are applying for a job which entails you running a companies Social Media I have never experienced a time where social media has helped an applicant.
Another reason it could not be helpful is the “connections” part of social media. The hiring manager looks you up and it turns out you have a few “friends” in common, you may not have “privacy protected” your account well enough and now he/she can see all your photos, and photos other people have shared of you or with you.
Now this hiring manager is able to reach out to those “common friends” and ask them their opinion. In all honestly, less information in a world FULL of information is better for you as a applicant.
LinkedIn is great however, because it allows people to write recommendations for you, as well as to click that you have experience in specific skills and tasks.
If you are looking for a position, temporarily inactivate your account, and once you get the job….I personally recommend DO NOT friend co-workers. So often we post about our “bad days” and other personal things, which I a sure you are aware can become public knowledge in a small office setting!
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These are amazing tips for an interview! I currently work in retail and for my interview I wore dress pants and a nice blouse and didn’t think anything of it however, we get SO many candidates that show up wearing leggings and oversized hoodies and can never understand why they find that OK to wear to any sort of interview. I also like the video you included about the perfect handshake. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I go to shake someone’s hand and they barely touch it, almost as though they’re too good to be shaking my hand.
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I could not agree more. I am unsure of where the lack of communication exists for candidates on what is and is not appropriate for an interview. It is NEVER ok to sho up for an interview in leggings, stilettos with a mini skirt, or cleavage. You want the hiring manager focusing and rating you based on your experience, how you carry yourself, your qualifications and your presence, not your attire which is what happens so often!
How do you expect for me to view you as a professional who will represent my company if you cannot represent even yourself well?
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