Lynn Espinoza is a broadcast news veteran with more than a decade of media, presentation and executive coaching experience. She has developed personal coaching sessions for Fortune 100 C-level executives, corporate communicators of all kinds, doctors, lawyers and leaders in non-profit.
Interview Don’ts
Posted on May 14, 2008. Filed under: The Tip Sheet
Part of my job as a communications coach is to help young and aspiring professionals to land a great job interview and, in doing so, land a great job.
Please spend a moment with this video for an example of everything-done-wrong. It is both hillarious and horrific. I’ll wait.
OK, now that you’ve watched the video, you’ve seen the don’ts in action. Let me focus on the simple do’s that translate to success.
- Always arrive for your interview early. You can request that the receptionist not contact the interviewer until shortly before the scheduled time, but get there with plenty of time to spare. Being disrespectful of the interviewer’s time is sin number one.
- Dress as though you will be meeting the CEO. If you invest in little else, make sure you have at least one very sharp interview suit. Having two is best, as you may be called back for a second interview.
- Do your homework! Thanks to the Internet, there is no excuse for not knowing something about the company. Most often, you can learn about the company’s goals, vision and customer base. You can also learn about company leaders, and what matters to them. Use this information when asked, “What can you bring to this company?” Spend time thinking about how your values and goals match up to the company values and goals.
- Always stay positive when talking about current or past employers. No matter how rotten your experience, don’t bring the negatives to the interview. You don’t have to lie, but phrases like, “It’s just time for me to contribute to a company that is most in line with my strengths and goals” will work. If you are trashing your current employer, the interviewer will suspect that you will trash the new company as well.
- Every interview will end with a question like this: “Do you have any questions of me?”. You’re answer must be, “YES!”. Ask about what an average day looks like; about whether the leadership is hands-on; about the ability to contribute beyond your assigned role. Don’t ask whether you can bring your dog to work, if you can get extra vacation days or how fast new people get promoted.
You don’t have control over everything in an interview, but you have total control over the things mentioned above.
What are your stories of success or disaster?
One Response to “Interview Don’ts”
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I must share my KOMO interview experience in 1987. I’d not slept for two days. Too excited. It was a long flight from Oklahoma, too. So when I got to Seattle I was a wreck. Assistant News Director Jan Allen asked me at lunch, “Are you OK?” I was in a flop sweat. “No,” I replied. “I’m exhausted.” Long story short. After lunch– Jan and Jim suggested I go to the hotel for a nap. Which I did. I got the job. But don’t try this method.