It was a mistake for Eric to wear a t-shirt to his job interview, and it was a bigger mistake to wear that particular t-shirt.
People who do not get hired after an interview second guess themselves; they look for concrete reasons as to why they were not hired for that particular job. They might justify it by saying the company sucked, the interviewer was an HR douchebag, the hiring manager did not know their stuff. Of course, they may be correct in passing these judgments, however, chances are there simply was a mismatch between the person interviewing and the company. When this happens, count your blessings that the people doing the interviewing for the company knew that. Being brought into a company that is a mismatch with your values and attitudes can impact everything you do, not to mention, make you downright miserable.
An interview is an opportunity for you to interview the company…to find out if you like them. It is not just about sitting in front of some scary people and answering the questions they fire at you. For most people, interviews are not pleasant experiences. However, they are an evil necessity, until a more effective way of assessing people is invented. And this brings me to the point of this blog…how the hell do you get through an interview?
- Be prepared, know the names of the interviewers, know the company business and feel free to bring in notes. It is entirely reasonable to request more information from the company representative setting up the interview.
- Appear enthusiastic and interested (but not so much that you are confused with a salesperson!).
- Dress appropriately. This generally means clean trousers and a shirt with a collar, maybe a tie for the men, a clean skirt and a blouse for the women.
- Answer the questions, and if you do not know the answer, let the interviewer know with the promise to get back to them.
- ASK QUESTIONS…find out enough information to determine whether you want to be an employee.
- Finally, follow up…if you like what you heard during the interview. Just an e-mail will suffice, and believe me that will set you apart from 90% of the candidates.
Related posts:
looks like an article straight out of UK’s MT !
A candidate is obliged to answer queries, even when the company folks are trying to get the problem solved for free. Interview is just the facade.
The company never had the intention to hire anybody anyway. Think about it !