Do First Impressions Count? You Bet They Do!
You would be very surprised at what can be ascertained from the
first few moments in some ones presence. An interviewer or
employer will discover a great deal about you in a relatively
small amount of time by use of their experience in body
language. It’s a bit like when you make new friends, generally
speaking you know within a few moments of meeting a person for
the very first time whether you will like them or not (despite
knowing very little about their background). I personally think
it is some form of basic primate instinct. So your first few
seconds are fairly vital when you walk into that interview room
or are greeted by your employer. We all give out different
signals and these can be influenced by the way you dress to your
body language. In my opinion good body language starts with a
firm handshake (that’s firm - don’t shake their hand off!) and
being smartly dressed. Don’t bathe in perfume or aftershave as
strong smells often give off an overpowering smell and can be
very off putting. Not everyone has the same taste in cologne and
there is nothing worse than being stuck in a room with a smell
that makes you feel ill. It’s always best to be clean and
neutral!
Prior To Attending Your Job Interview:
It’s always a good idea (and I think a courteous one which shows
manners and initiative) to confirm with your prospective
interviewer the interview arrangements by letter once you have
been invited to attend the interview. This doesn’t need to be a
long winded letter it can just be brief confirming the time and
place of the interview. It also gives you the opportunity to
send in any documents that the interviewer may wish to see in
advance or anything you may have omitted to send when you
originally enclosed your CV and job application form.
Dress Code - What Clothes Should You Wear For
Your Job Interview?
It’s always a tough call when trying to decide what to wear for
a job interview. Traditionally men always wore their smartest
suit and tie and the same could be said for women – either a
nice skirt and blouse or a suit. However things have changed a
lot since the old days, for example if you are going to work for
an IT firm or Graphic Designers then the dress code may be smart
but casual - by the same token if you are going to work for a
firm of Solicitors, Accountants or Insurance Brokers then the
chances are the dress code is going to be formal so it can be a
hard call to decide what to wear for your interview. If you are
applying for an internal job then this won’t apply to you as you
will already know what standard of outfit is or isn’t acceptable
at your place of work. There are two fairly simple ways to
ascertain what type of dress code your potential future employer
demands and these are as follows:
1.
Drive up to the offices or workplace at a time when the staff will
be arriving or leaving – this will give you a good indication of
what types of clothes the other employees are wearing.
2.
Pick up the phone and ring up the interviewers’ secretary and ask
her what is the typical dress code of the company – as
previously mentioned secretaries generally speaking are always
keen to offer assistance to the “newbie’s”!
As
a pointer it’s always a good idea to “Dress Above The Rest” at
an interview – remember you are out to make a special impression
so although you will want to fit in if you get the job you need
to be appointed first! So a pretty simple rule - if the
companies dress code is casual then you need to be dressed
casually but a little smarter, for example if the other
employees are wearing trousers and open neck shirts then it
would be a good idea for you to wear trousers, a tie and a smart
jacket. If the dress code is a suit and tie then you need to
wear your best suit and tie – get the picture it’s pretty easy
for you to judge for yourself. Another good point is when you
are invited into the interview don’t ever remove your jacket
without be asked. If the room is hot – well quite frankly that’s
just a bit of tough luck. I have to admit I have always kept my
jacket on even when my interviewer has offered for me to remove
it – my reason being that we all perspire during stress and
there is nothing worse than seeing perspiration marks around the
arms of your shirt!! So what type of clothes should you wear at
your interview? Well it’s an individual’s choice really. However
I would steer well clear of bright outrageous ties if you are a
man as not every interviewer will share your love of cartoon
characters such as the Simpson’s - try and settle on neutral
colours. Finally as previously mentioned it’s a bad idea to wear
overpowering aftershave or perfume – it can be very off putting
to others.
On Arrival At Your Job Interview:
If
you are organised you will have arrived at your interview in
good time and if so you will have a few moments to compose
yourself and utilise the rest room before your big moment. If at
the office there are some bathrooms in the waiting area (or if
not just ask someone to direct you to them) go and make a few
final checks on your appearance. You might want to comb your
hair, use the lavatory (make sure you do up your zippers) or
adjust your make up if you are a lady. This time will give you
the opportunity to make sure you are ship shape and looking a
million dollars, it will also give you reassurance so that once
you are in the interview you don’t have to worry about whether
you have done your zips up or whether your hair looks tidy –
issues that are important but that you don’t want to have to
worry whilst trying to win over the interviewer. It’s always a
good idea if you have a briefcase and are wearing a tie to take
a spare just in case you spill something down it before going
into the interview. It’s easily done I was once attending an
interview and on the way I stopped to drink a can of coke as I
had arrived early. To say I was mortified when I spilt it down
my tie is an understatement. I had no spare and apologised
profusely to my interviewer who was very kind and said it didn’t
matter but I still spent the entire interview worrying about it
and my performance was definitely hindered by it. A lesson
learned to say the least!
When Your Interviewer Comes Out To Take You
Into The Interview – Or When You Are Called Into The Interview
Room:
OK, in my opinion this is the most stressful time of the interview
– and when my heart beats the most! This is the time when you
are entering the unknown – new surroundings, new people
(sometimes as many as four or five) a strange room. As I have
stated before you need your maximum concentration at this point
as “First Impressions” do count. So how do you greet your
interviewer? Firstly look your interviewer in the eyes and
smile, everyone likes a smiley face, I don’t mean beam like a
Cheshire cat - just a pleasant friendly smile. Secondly, offer
your hand out to shake (remember don’t squeeze the interviewers
hand until it turns blue – just a firm professional handshake)
and offer a greeting (“Hello very pleased to meet you” or
something like that). Your interviewer will then either take you
into the interview room (or you may already be in there as you
have been called in) and offer you a seat. Please do not just
sit down when you enter the room, wait to be offered a seat –
it’s good manners.
The interview is going to start along the lines of chit chat,
you will probably be asked how you journey was etc, etc and then
offered a drink. Depending on the type of person you are and how
well you cope with nerves (and remember we all have them, from
the person applying for a job flipping burgers in a burger house
to the Executive applying for a new £ 250K per year position)
it’s up to you whether you decide to accept a drink. You won’t
be thought of any less should you not accept a drink (and if you
think your hands are going to be shaking like a coconut tree in
a hurricane every time you pick your cup up) it’s probably a
good idea to decline. That way you won’t chance spilling the
liquid all down your front should you really lose your nerves!
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