Dating your Future Employer

How is job interviewing associated with finding the ideal couple or dating? When was the last time you went on a first date? Maybe it was recently or maybe a long time ago, but certainly we all have been there before and know how exciting but nerve wrecking that could be.  Carefully picking the right outfit or perfume for the occasion, thinking about what would you say or what not to say during the date, and looking  up your date’s name on social networking web pages, are among the many things you do to get to know a little bit more about the other before that special moment. If you have been there before you should be a step closer to obtaining the job you want, but unfortunately for many of you, that is not the case.

As a human resources professional with more than 5 years of experience interviewing hundreds of applicants, trust me: I haven’t seen it all! Applicants go to their interviews without having a clue about the company and products, not knowing what to ask about the position, dressing poorly and in many cases with no idea of what they want. Getting prepared for a job interview is very similar to getting prepared for a date. Let see how job interviewing is related to a first date.

Carefully select your clothes

If you look at yourself in the mirror and realize that it is an outfit that you can use to go to the mall or for a ladies night out, please turn around, open your closet again or visit your nearest department store! Prepare your outfit a day in advance, earlier even better. Pick your outfit accordingly to the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a clerical position, it is ok to use a suit but is not a must. A long sleeve shirt with a tie and a good pair of pants, neutral colors, is safe (some creative or artistic positions might be different).

Please avoid multi color nail polishes, creative or exotic hairdos; the simpler the better. Make sure your clothes are clean, free of wrinkles and smell good. Avoid perfumes, especially strong ones. A perfume can be a turn off for an interviewer, it can remind him/her of someone they don’t like too much and guess what? They will relate them to you! Use something subtle and in a very small amount, maybe soap and water is all you need; go safe!

Research about the company

A job interview is not an adventure. You look very bad when the interviewer ask you what you know about the company and you reply: – “not too much” or even worst: -“I did not have the chance to go to your website; my computer crashed last night”. Don’t we have libraries? or friends with computers? There is not a valid excuse for not knowing about the company; don’t be a looser before you even start the game.

 It is known that blind dating is an adventure but also a risk, you don’t know who you are meeting. Your date could end up being someone amazing, but there are more chances of meeting someone you don’t like. We are not that naive, with all the technology and social networks available to us today, you have probably goggled your date’s name, visited their FB page or asked someone you know to tell you more about him/her. If you are intelligent enough to do that, you should do the same before job interviewing. You never go to a job interview without researching about its values, vision and mission, knowing the owner or president’s name and getting to know the services and products the company offers. It is very important that you learn more about the company and the job you are applying to, that way you can decide if it is the right fit for you. Also please keep in mind that the ideal job is not necessarily the one the pays more, it could be the one that offers more challenges, opportunities to grow and that is aligned with your values as an individual, as well.

Get prepared for possible questions and answers

 Don’t you rehearse what you would say to your date? Or how about what you like or what your goals are in life? Wouldn’t you ask questions to your date too? When job interviewing you need to be ready to answer questions related to your career goals, skills, what do you do better or about your weakness (yes we all have them). If you don’t know the answer of these basic questions, start deducting points.

There are plenty of websites with information about possible questions that you might be answering during the interview, don’t be lazy and do your homework. Also, it looks bad if you don’t have questions about the company. Not having questions might be perceived as lack of interest in the company, that you are only there to get a job and a paycheck. Employers want employees with initiative to learn and do more, and who genuinely care about the company and where it is heading. Employers hire not only a set of skill, also a set of values and high ethic.

These are only the basics, there is much more to do before and during a job interview. Please be prepared:

1. Do not EVER chew gum, even if you try to hide the gum by sticking it on your teeth;  we can see it!
2. Remove your tongue piercing or any other piercings you might have; there still are traditional companies out there; do not take chances because a piece of metal.
3.  If you are a female, avoid excessive cleavage or fancy shoes; you are not dating or clubbing. Use a neutral color long sleeve shirt or suit, make sure buttons close comfortably and please use closed shoes. We don’t want to see your high heel sandals, your funky nail polish and we definitely do not want to see flip flops either; yes, you read it right: I have had applicants coming in flip flops for their interview, Welcome to Florida the Sunshine State, where you will find a lot of palm trees, alligators, and flip flops.
4.  Would you call or text your date the next day after going out? “Thanks for last night”, “l had a great time yesterday”. Out of 10 applicants only 2 or 3 send thank you letters; that is sad. Are you aware of how many applicants you are competing with? First and last impressions are important; not knowing about your date after a night out could be a bad sign. Please thank your interviewer for taking the time to meet you. Recruiting and finding the right candidate is time consuming and challenging, even more challenging and disappointing when applicants are unprepared. Stand out among the mass, send a thank you letter. If you don’t know how to write one, there are plenty of letter templates on the internet, use them as a reference and make sure you mentioned something that was discussed over the interview; it shows you were paying attention.

I do not pretend to touch every single aspect on how to prepare for an interview; there is much more, maybe 100 pages on the subject will not be enough. Please, do not harass the employer calling repeatedly after you phone interview, we have lots of applicants and you are not the only one. Please get the message, when your date does not respond to your calls after the first date, he/she might not be interested in moving forward.  If you want to call your recruiter or the HR Manager to follow up after the interview, please call just once and leave a short message; no more.

Please proof read your resume, one misspell might be ok, a couple of them maybe, but many misspellings on your resume are a call for disaster; the job interview… that you cannot control, but misspellings can be prevented 100%. If possible and before your interview, rehearse questions and answers with someone you know, maybe with a Manager or someone with HR experience, or ask a friend who has recently attended an interview to share his/her experience with you.

And please remember my analogy before attending an interview. Thinking about what you do before going on a date, getting ready in advance, being presentable, and doing a little research, it might be helpful before attending a job interview. If you get prepared, chances are you might be going in the right direction to make a good impression and getting that job you want. I will be writing more articles about this subject and will go in more details in each step of the process; from the application trough the job interview and the follow up. If you have questions about this article you can contact me at majeanettes@yahoo.com. Good luck in your interview and in your future endeavors.

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