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Interview Tips
If you had a business, you
would probably inventory your assets before putting it on the market. The
same is true in the interview process.
Take a self-inventory, go
someplace quiet and quantify your accomplishments. You are the only one
who can sell you! Then put it in writing.
WHAT IF THE MONEY DIDN'T MATTER? If you won the
lottery tomorrow and only worked because you enjoyed what you were doing,
would this be it? We all had those dreams of grandeur. Have you ever
stopped and asked yourself why you aren’t an astronaut or a ballerina?
The dreams are still there, dust them off and go for it.
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What do you want to do for
the rest of your life? Do some soul searching.
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What can you offer that
the next interviewee can't?
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Keep record of your
accomplishments, a brag book if you will. This allows you to keep a
scorecard of your career. This can also prove to be a valuable tool in
the interviewing process.
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Have a game plan and put
it in writing. Keep in mind that long-term goals are only a series of
short-term goals. Remember this when you interview. If it is your goal
to run a major organization, chances are you'll need to go through the
ranks to get there. It's not the end of the world if you don't get a
job offer.
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Be ready to embrace
change. Interviewing itself is change. The only thing in the business
world, or in life for that matter, is change. Prospective employers
are looking for people who EMBRACE
CHANGE.
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Don't allow rejection to
defeat you. Once you've decided to change your career, you need to be
prepared to face rejection. Again, it isn't the end of the world if
you don't get an offer. There are plenty of 'dream jobs' to go around.
If you strike out, just keep swinging until you hit a homerun.
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YOU ONLY NEED ONE JOB!!! You only need one offer because you
only need one job. Opportunities are everywhere, eventually one will
knock and you’ll answer.
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BE PREPARED! This is essential to you getting an offer
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Investigate the company
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Research online. There is
a wealth of information available right at your fingertips. Be
proactive. You can visits site like Hoovers
and find out about top executives, sales figures, etc. Other sites
that I highly recommend are MSN Investor, Bloomberg, DOW, Fidelity,
Smith Barney, Goldman, Sachs, Morningstar, and Value Lines. Also make
sure to check out the Motley Fool chatroom
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What's the company
culture? Sometimes this can be difficult. Talk to current or past
employees. In our industry chances are good that someone in your
network came from there at one time or another. Read up on their key
people on their website; find out where they're from, where they went
to school, and so on.
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Talk to customers and
vendors
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Familiarize yourself with
the product line
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Check out the interviewer
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Even in our small
industry, the door opener is still your resume
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Proofread your resume.
Even the smallest error will be a red flag to the interviewer and make
you appear careless
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Avoid gaps in your resume.
They jump off the page and if not addressed prior to your interview
that will be the killer
FATAL ERRORS IN A RESUME
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Poor grammar, typos,
misspellings. A sloppy resume says you’re careless
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Overkill. Anything over a
page and a half is too much
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Vagueness. Quantify your
results. Don't say "Responsible for 5 field reps" Instead
say, "Managed the efforts of the 5 person outside sales team
that increased x% in a x time frame"
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Plagiarism. Be unique
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Colored Paper. Any color
other than white is unacceptable
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Cliché's and buzzwords.
Hiring authorities are not impressed with 'team player', 'flexible',
or 'creative'
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Avoid tiresome details
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Indeterminate gender.
If
your name is Pat or Lynn. Preface it with Mr. or Ms. Don't keep them
guessing
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Lying
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Omitting your job
objective
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Listing your job objective
What to bring to an
interview
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Several copies of your
resume
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A reliable pen
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A notepad
While all are obvious, you'd
be surprised how many people forget to bring them. Asking to borrow a pen
or pencil makes a bad impression
What to wear
I don't agree with the statement "Don't judge a book by its
cover". All things being equal, the odds are in favor of a job going
to an attractive candidate. S hort of plastic surgery, your facial features
are what they are. Clean, shiny hair is a must. For men pay special
attention to facial hair, and I hate to say, ear, eyebrow and nose hair as
well. Woman should avoid heavy make-up. Always go with the day look,
little to no jewelry and light perfume.
Dress to impress. My favorite adage is dress for where you're going, not
where you are. No matter what the dress code is, always dress to impress.
Men should stick to dark suits, crisply pressed white shirts and a tie
that complements the suit. Shoes should be in good condition, well shined
and preferably black. Socks should match the suit and tops should not show
when you sit down. Women should also stick to suits. Skirts should reach
the top of the knees; trousers should be generously tailored.
Again, dark colors are best.
Blouses must fit properly, shoes; hose should
match skin tone or your shoes. If you can't keep you underwear line from
showing, wear something else. Any jewelry that jingles is a no-no.
You
only get one chance to make a first impression
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Be readily available.
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Arrive on time
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Carry an attaché case
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Greet the hiring authority
with a firm handshake and a friendly smile. Always make good eye
contact.
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Extend common courtesy to
everyone from the receptionist to the hiring authority's colleagues.
You never know who will say what to whom after you leave.
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Walk briskly. Give the
impression of purpose.
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Minimize small talk.
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Be prudent with expenses.
The
.000111 Factor.
My fellow golfers will understand this analogy. In the average round of
golf the club only actually touches the ball for less than one second.
Imagine all the time spent on lessons, and reading books, there's so
little contact with the ball.
This analogy represents the relatively little time spent in interviews
compared to the number of hours worked as an employee. Let's say that the
average employee works a 40-hour week for 45 years, for a total of 90,000
hours. Our statistics reveal that this individual will average 5 jobs, and
will average little more than two hours of interview time per job. Hence
two hours of interviews produces 18,000 hours of employment-a ratio of
9000 work hours to one interview hour, or the 0.000111 percent.
I like to use these numbers to emphasize what's at stake during an
interview. The relatively little time you spend interviewing over the
course of your lifetime can be the most lucrative hours ever.
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Not all interviewers know
how to interview. Some interviewers do so little interviewing that
they don't know what they're doing. The average executive spends fewer
than 12 hours a year interviewing. Sometime you will need to take
charge.
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Remember you have a 50-50
chance.
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Make it a two-way
conversation. All an interview is, is a conversation between two
people who have a common interest. Do your homework. Have you ever
heard the phrase "Knowledge is Power"? It's true, the
more information you have the more confident you will be in the
process.
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Silence isn't a flaw in
the conversation. Salespeople, especially, often mistake silence as a
bad thing. Don't feel obligated to fill up dead air.
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Consider that every
interview has two salespeople and two buyers and those roles will flip
flop several times throughout the process.
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Interview the interviewer;
find out why he came on board and what keeps him there.
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Ask tough crucial
questions. The key to success is to not ask the tough questions to the
rearview mirror as you drive away.
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SMART QUESTIONS
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If you hired me, what
would my first assignment be?
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What is currently the most
pressing business issue or problem for the company or department?
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In this position, what
goals would you like to see accomplished in the first 60 days? 6
months? First year?
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Would you please describe
for me the actions of a person who previously achieved success in this
position?
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Would you please describe
the actions of a person who previously preformed poorly in this
position?
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Where will the company be
in the next 5 years?
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Where is this job heading
in the next 5 years?
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Assuming that I do a good
job for the company, where can I go from here?
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What do you enjoy most
about this company?
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What level of authority
does this position carry?
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What plans does the
company have to increase business?
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Would you please tell me
about the people I will be working with?
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Why is this position open?
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How long has this position
been open?
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How did you get to where
you are in the company?
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Other than yourself, who
else is involved in the interview process? Is it possible to meet with
them today?
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What makes the company
better than the competition?
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Where does this position
fit within the overall organization?
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I'm sure by the end of the
day I'll have additional questions. Is there a convenient time during
the next few days when I could call you?
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When do you expect to fill
the position?
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What is the next step in
filling this position?
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Is there anything else
that I could explain to give you a clear understanding of my
qualification and suitability for this position?
15
questions you should be prepared to answer.
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What can you tell me about
yourself?
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What is your ideal job?
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Why should we hire you?
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Where do you picture
yourself in 5 years, 10?
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How do you normally react
to praise, criticism?
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What is your opinion of
the company that you currently work for?
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Are you considering other
positions?
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What are your weaknesses?
The wrong answer is "I don't have any"
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Do you consider yourself a
competitive person?
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Are you willing to
relocate? If not now, down the road.
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What motivates you?
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What kind of frustrations
do you face in your current company?
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Do you consider yourself a
success?
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What is the worst decision
you have ever made?
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What do you like best and
least about the position we are trying to fill?
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Interview KILLERS
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Is the weather always this
bad?
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In the good old days,
listen son, the girls in the office, when I was your age or when you
get to be my age.
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Addressing the interviewer
as 'dear' or 'honey'
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Referring to grown women
as 'girls' or gals' and grown men as 'boys' or 'guys'
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I didn't get much sleep
last night
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Name dropping
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Asking about lunch
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Volunteering an
explanation of why you lost your last job
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Explaining why you won't
do well in the interview.
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Spicing up your comments
with religion, politics, race, gender, age or ethnic references.
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can I be honest with you,
'trust me' and 'now, this is the truth'
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Lording over others
because you went to a top private or business school.
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Introducing yourself or
asking to be addressed as 'Doctor'
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Blabbing confidential
information about your present or past employers.
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Discussing yourself
without explaining how you can benefit the company.
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BE FOCUSED
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LIGHTEN UP
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KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR
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Chemistry is important.
Often times, the candidate that has the best chemistry will beat out
the highly qualified candidate.
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YOU'RE SELLING TRUST.
People want to hire a person who will get the job done. Someone who
doesn't just talk the talk but WALK YOUR TALK.
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Know when to shut up.
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Interviews are proactive
now. Long gone are the days of sitting across the hiring authority
desk and being drilled.
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Be prepared for opinion
based as well as behavior based questions.
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Paint a vivid picture.
No
one else on earth can put the enthusiasm of landing the big deal.
If
someone asks you about the Bears game, do you usually say they won
22-19? You explain that the Bears were behind 21 to 14 with 45 seconds
left on the clock and no time outs. You describe how they completed
five quick passes, and with no time left on the scoreboard and all
receivers covered, the quarterback ran 12 yards up the middle for a
touchdown.
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TELL THEM HOW GOOD YOU
ARE!
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Learn about the company
culture.
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Listen the 80-20 rule.
Listen 80% of the time and talk 20%. If you listen hard enough they
will tell you exactly what they want.
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Respond BRIEFLY. If the
interviewer at any time says, "Can you briefly tell me…"
that's your clue.
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BE A GOOD LISTENER
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TAKE GOOD NOTES! Odds are
always in favor of a good note taker. It's flattering, it demonstrates
that you think that what they are saying is important enough to write
down. It’s a sign of respect. It provides you with a record of
events, If you have any questions later in the interview you can refer
back. It verifies that you are attentive.
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Turn your minuses into
pluses
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Be open to new ideas
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Don't bulletproof
yourself, no one is perfect.
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The job is most important
to you.
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Avoid confrontation.
Don't
ever argue a point with a hiring authority. You may walk away right,
but you won't get the job. Some interviewers will put you on the spot
to see how you handle them.
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Sell yourself
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Don't oversell
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People want to hire people
who have FIRE IN THE BELLY
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Build rapport
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If the decision maker
loves you, anything is possible
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Be likeable
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Never badmouth a present
or past employer
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Take criticism lightly
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Give sincere compliments
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Prepare for multiple
interviews.
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Come prepared for a panel
interview
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13 etiquette tips to use
during the interview
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be
punctual
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dress
properly
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groom
yourself thoroughly
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shake
hands firmly
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stand
when someone enters the room
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don't
use first names without permission
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don't
smoke or chew gum even if the interviewer does
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never
interrupt
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avoid
gossip
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never
swear or use slang
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when
someone tells a joke, laugh or smile even if it isn't funny
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express
your gratitude for the interview at the beginning and at the end
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extend
your best manners to every single human being you encounter
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common sense things you should know about interviewing
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leave
for the interview with plenty of time to spare for traffic or bad
weather
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never
go to an interview with a full bladder
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never
chew gum
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don't
allow the title to influence your decision
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wear
conservative business attire
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never
consider moving somewhere your family has no desire to live
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never
ask to use the hiring authority's phone
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don't
look at your watch
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remove
your sunglasses
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maintain
good eye contact but don't stare
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listen
intently
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don't
ask about perks
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ask
for the spelling of each interviewers name and write it down
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don't
mention salary on your resume or during an interview
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don't
tailor your personality in an attempt to charm an interviewer
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remain
silent about personal problems
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don't
park in a meter or tow zone
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turn
off your cell phone
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keep
your eyes off the interviewers desk
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don't
handle anything, especially personal items
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don't
pour on the cologne
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never
be sarcastic
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if
required to drive others, perhaps to lunch, obey the law, exercise
caution and stay calm
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never
criticize anyone, especially an employer
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if
asked to complete a form or application, fill in every space, never
write "see resume"
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don't
linger, a long farewell is annoying
CLOSING
THE INTERVIEW
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Make it clear you want the
job
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Set the stage for the next
step
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Create a good final
impression
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Get an actual offer
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Create a sense of urgency
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Don't keep it a secret
that you want to work for the company
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An important question
"When will I hear from you?"
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Playing hard to get is
sometimes a good thing. A cting desperate never got anyone a job.
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WRITE
THANK YOU NOTES, IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INTERVIEW!
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