7 deadly sins of interviewing (...and how to fix on a budget of course!)

7 deadly sins of interviewing
....and how to fix on a budget (of course!)

#7 Good Vibrations?:

Turn your cell phone off or do not bring it with you. No vibrate, no silent, no nothing...OFF OFF OFF!!!

#6 Bubblicious?:

Do not chew gum (yes, they will notice). Save your $$$ and yourself from looking unprofessional. Ditch the gum before you go in.

#5 Sweating to the oldies?:

Sweaty hands and weak handshakes aren't a good first impression. I understand that interviews are nervewracking, but if you are someone who gets sweaty palms, a simple fix is applying some baby powder (unscented) to your palms prior to your interview. With your added confidence, you can add power to your handshake and impress the hiring manager with your solid and dry handshake!

#4 Scuffled Sally?:

Please, please, please shine your shoes (yes, men and women). You can do it yourself with cheap products you can buy at your local drugstore. Try an express Shine Sponge that you can take with you on the go! The brand Kiwi has some great products for leather: http://www.kiwicare.com/US/Products/Leather/

#3 Roll out of bed?:

Please iron your clothes. It makes a huge difference. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. If you interviewed someone with wrinkled clothes, what would you think? Lazy? Would you want to rely on (aka hire someone) that can't get up an extra 5 min early to iron their clothes? I wouldn't...

#2 Overdone ~ You're going to an interview, not a nightclub, right?:

Yes, you want to dress to impress, but don't take that too literally! You want to look conservative and professional; no bright colors (no, you are not the cool guy if you wear the bright pink shirt, trust me!)

Women: Polished hair style & minimal makeup, closed toe shoes, nylons, blouse under your suit, no distracting jewelry, etc.

Men: Get a haircut a couple of days ahead of time, shave that morning, do not wear a funny tie (think conservative!).

Both: Dark colored suits. Take out any visible facial piercings.

Drumroll please.....

#1 Skinky stink?:

Watch out about how you smell. Gotcha! I wasn't talking about that kind of smell actually... Skip perfume/cologne/aftershave, etc. A lot of people are allergic to perfume and cologne and you do not want that to kill your chances of getting the job. Also, some restaurants or foods can stay on your clothing, so watch out what you cook or where you go before you interview. You want to smell neutral to avoid any issues, just in case!

Hopefully my tips help you land the job... and a laugh!

Stay tuned for more blog entries.

Jill Shaneck

* Principal Recruiter * Accounting & Finance Division*

* Winter, Wyman & Company*

JShaneck@winterwyman.com