It is true that interviews not only cost candidates time, but also money (I don't mean time equals money). Rather, candidates are expected to buy certain style of clothing; and depends on the job interview nature, it can get very expensive. To help you make the best out of your clothing investment, here are the critical things you need to know about dressing for interviews.
1) Job Nature. How you dress is 99% depends on which job you've applied for. Let's say if you apply to be an lawyer, for sure, you need a suit as formal as possible. If you apply to be a mechanic, you probably want to wear a polo and a kaki pants. The best way to solve this puzzle is to visit the interview location ahead of time to see what its employees normally wear. If visiting the employer's place is not possible, you should at least do research on Google or Glassdoor. Also, remember, if you have cannot find anything at all (very unlikely), or if you have doubt, overdressing is usually better underdressing in most cases. 2) Hair. Beside clothing, your hair is very critical because humans focus heavily on others face, including hair. Most people try to find a hair style that fit them best, and this is very subjective. If you want to increase your success odd, you may want to consider selecting the hair style that fit the job's stereotype, whether you like it or not. For example: If you apply to be a chef, you may want to cut your hair short, or at least keep your hair neatly tied because the industry values neatness. 3) Accessories. This includes jewelry, watches, purses, etc. In general, you want to keep these to the minimum. For jewelry, you want to avoid being flashy. Also, it's been confirmed by a lot of studies that facial jewelry (except earrings) makes you look less competent; hence, you may want to remove pierced facial jewelry, at least for the interview. The general rule is that you don't want to look like either a wealthy person or a incompetent candidate. 4) Smell. Yes, you read it right, your smell matters! Avoid wearing heavy perfume and colognes. For the sake of the interview, please shower at least a day before at a minimum. I have seen many interviewers complain about candidate's smell, and I have not seen any job not expect you to take care of your personal hygiene for the interview day. I hope this article will be helpful for you. These points above are common sense, but can be easily overlooked. If you have questions or need a second opinion of a job interview, please feel free to book a session with me, or email me at theresumekid@gmail.com. Happy Hunting, The Kid
0 Comments
It is such a good news that you have landed an interview. Common standard says you should always brings a few copies of your resumes and maybe your cover letter. Imagine if everyone is bringing the same thing, what really makes you stand out then. The answer lies within the "pull-out" method (not a sexual metaphor). What I mean is a portfolio consists of:
1) Work Sample. It is true that some online sites let you attach your work sample. However, it cannot be any better if you bring your work sample and present them directly with the interviewer(s). 2) Detailed Company Research. Nine out of ten times, the interviewers would ask if you know anything about the company. Instead of memorizing from Google, you can prepare small presentation showing what research you have done. 3) Referral Letter(s). This is optional. If you were referred by an internal employee, why not go an extra mile and ask them to write you a short referral letter. Showing this during the interview will make a big impact on your credentials. Now, you should know what documents to "pull out" (from your binder, brief case or whatever you prefer) during the interview. This should give you a huge edge over other candidates. Happy Hunting, The Kid You got a nice hand shake. You got eye contact. You got whatever you expected to create a good impression. The real question is how can you prove and maintain the impression you made. The answer lies within your interaction throughout the whole interview conversation; It lies within your hands.
Have you ever noticed what you do with your hands during the interview? Here are some of the most popular annoying things candidates do: 1) Click pens. Holding an object, especially pens and fidget spinners, usually help the holder stay focused, but it produces a total opposite effect for the other side. I know many of us take notes, but if you can put the pen or whatever object on the opposite side of your main hand, it will help. 2) Bite nails. Many people suffer from anxiety and hence, they bite their nails unconsciously. The only way to fix is to change your daily habit. If you have been biting nails for 10 years, chances are you will do so for the 30-minute interview. Do hiring managers want to you to bite your nails in front of clients? I doubt it. 3) Knock table. Concept is the same as clicking pens. 4) Hide your hands under table. This indicates you lack confidence and potentially lying/hiding something, from the interviewer's perspective. 5) Wave hands randomly. Interviewers see this as lacking focus and gain, annoying. 6) Cross your hands. Naturally, this is a closed-defensive position, which is normally used in arguments, not interviews. So what are we supposed to do? It seems impossible to please the interviewers or at least, to look confident. Similar to magicians, there are two little tricks you can apply to your hands and impress the audience: 1) Show your palms. Studies have shown showing your palms helps foster friendliness and truth telling. 2) Business finger cross. Refer to the picture above for visuals. This position is favored by presidents, business professionals, and celebrities. It indicates extreme confidence and comfort; elements that employers, if not everyone, desire. In my case, it took around 10 interviews to fully apply these little tricks, and I saw improved conversational interaction. Clients that I have trained also report feedback of improved interview results as well as better personal confidence. It only takes some practice to become a great conversationalist, so go out there and practice with friends, family members, or with The Kid. Happy Hunting, The Kid Have you been there when you have one day to prepare for an important interview? You do all the research, review your resume, and pick up a nice dress suit. At the end of your interview, you were asked "Do you have any questions?", and you were stunned with little preparation. "How do you like the company?" is something generic that 90% of candidate would ask. This is a good question, however, it is not cool when you answer this question 20 times a day without getting paid as an interviewer.
I repeated this mistake from time to time because I was too lazy to prepare questions. One rainy day, I decided to actually sit down and formulate a list of "ultimate" questions to make me stand out. I will not share with you 2 of my most powerful questions. 1) Have I answered all your questions? This may seem to be silly to ask. However, this question would help to remind interviewers to ask any remaining clarifying questions if they have. Also, the question "blocks" interviewers from asking further questions, especially the interview were going bad. With this question, many of my clients and myself have experienced very positive reaction from interviewers. 2) What is you best moment so far working at the company? Don't be confused this question with "How do you like the company?". The question about their best moment is a lot more specific and make interviewer's brain sweat a little bit, not too much though (this shows that you are actually curious about the future working environment). On the other hand, the question asking interviewer's opinion about the company is too general and they will BS an answer like a machine. I hope you will consider adding these two questions to your inventory. For more customized questions, schedule your FREE coaching session with me. Happy Hunting, The Kid You pick up the phone or open up an email and it says "congratulations!... please tell us your availability." The happy feeling soon turns into the nervousness. Maybe picking Friday so you have more time to prepare? or Monday after a weekend of relaxation? Let's break it down:
By weekdays: 1) Monday: is probably the worst day to interview since most people try to catch up work from previous week. I had many Monday's interviews before and most of them did not go well. 2) Wednesday & Thursday: these two are not as terrible as Monday, but hiring managers still have heavy workloads. 3) Friday: you probably think this is the best day since everyone is so happy TGIF. However, I had some Friday's interviews in the past where interviewers were so excited about the incoming weekend that they shortened 10 or 15 minutes of my precious time. 4) Tuesday: YES!!! This is the best time since the workload is the lightest; hence, interviewers are also more happy. About parts of the day, be careful playing around with afternoon, it is very hard to guess what time interviewers usually have lunch. The similar case applies for evening, we don't know when the interviewers usually get off work or start having a "mental safari". So the best bet is around 10 - 11 A.M. In sum, if you can have a choice, picking Tuesday 10 - 11 A.M. should be your best option in most cases. Happy Hunting, The Kid |
Free ToolsAll-in-One Résumé
Under-Cover Letter Interview Mastery Business Career Paths Accounting Finance Consulting |
Blog |
Result Coaching |
Let's Work Together!© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
|