The intelligent interviewee recognizes the importance of the first impression and the role played by appearance and grooming in shaping a favorable one. With this recognition, the interviewee can control the interviewer's initial reactions and thereby influence the outcome of the selection procedure.
Here are some ''self-packaging" tips to assure you a professional and respect able image:
Consider the job interview a serious and formal sales opportunity; therefore, completely avoid any type of informal, casual, or leisure dress.
- Dress neatly and tastefully, avoiding radical styles and bright colors.
- Wear clothing that complements you and accentuates your strengths, and not clothing that is distracting and pretentious.
- Make certain that clothing and accessories are well coordinated.
- Dress appropriately. Understand the climate and dress code of your field. Is it a very serious climate with a highly conservative dress code or a lighter climate with a leaning toward *'in" or fashion-oriented dress?
- Dress the role. Help the interviewer visualize you in the job and the company by wearing the quality clothing you can be expected to wear if hired. See how other successful people in this and similar positions dress. Read professional magazines, attend meetings, and always remember to watch styles of dress. Your goal is to make the interviewer think, 'This person looks as if she would fit in well.
- Dress successfully. If you want the interviewer to think you are successful and that you care about quality, then pay a little more for the attire you wear during the interview. Remember, there is no way you can buy quality appearance with a bargain-priced suit—when it comes to clothing, good quality is apparent. Furthermore, make sure your clothing is properly fitted; have your outfit tailored if you must. Even the most expensive suit will look goofy if it doesn’t fit properly, while a relatively cheap fitted one can make a great first impression.
- Be well groomed. This means shined shoes, manicured nails, appropriately cut and styled hair, clean shaven face, fresh-smelling breath, and clean-smelling body, scented with light deodorant. Avoid strong perfumes and colognes, as you never know how an interviewer will react to a certain scent. No matter how well you dress, if you step into the office with scuffed shoes, extend nail-bitten hands, talk with smoker's breath, and emanate offensive body odor, or reveal a head of scraggly hair, the interviewer will not take you seriously.
- Carry a small, business-looking attaché case or briefcase to your interview. In addition to serving as a case for important job-getting documents and writing paper, this adds to your professional image.
Impressing with Functional Selling Points
Functional selling points are extremely useful during job interviews, too. A number of opportunities arise in the interview in which you can effectively sell yourself by stating functional selling points. For example, if you are asked, "What are your credentials?" or *'Why should we hire you?" you may reply directly with one or two functional selling points. Indicate that you realize the importance of a particular job function and that you have competency or experience in this area. Then mention several accomplishments in that area which prove your point. Very clearly, knowledge of your functional selling points allows you to respond quickly and directly to an opportunity to sell yourself within the interview.
If you have already prepared a functional resume for your job campaign, you may draw your functional selling points directly from that document when selling opportunities arise within an interview. If you have developed, instead, a chronological resume for your campaign, take the time now to sketch out a few functional selling points, not for use as a resume, but for use within the job interview.
Impressing with Job/Company Information
One of the surest ways of impressing an employer is by demonstrating your knowledge of the company, including its major problems, programs, needs, and plans. You gain credibility and stature in the interviewer's eyes by showing that you have investigated the company, understand its organization, know its product lines and services, and can tell where and how you would fit in.
Know as much about the company as the company knows about you. Gather your information from annual reports, brokerage-house reports, journals and magazines, company publications, and mass-media releases, as well as from reliable friends and colleagues in the field. Be sure that the information you gather on the company is accurate; this will enable you to mention it with confidence if the occasion arises. As occasions do arise in the interview, reveal your knowledge of the company so that it becomes quite evident that you are not one of those unprepared job explorers, passing through with designs on any interesting prospects. Let your interviewer conclude that you believe the company is special to you.
Develop a Company Data Sheet for each company you interview with, using the following categories of information:
Company Information
- Company name
- Major products/services
- Names of key executives
- Locations of offices and plants
- Size of organization by sales, assets, number of employees, and share of the market
- Financial position
- Brief history and growth record
- General reputation in field or industry
- Comparison with other companies
- News reports about the company in the media
- Company programs, methods, processes, and problems with which you are acquainted Job Information
- Title of position you seek
- Brief job description and key qualifications
- Salary range and other job benefits expected Interviewer Information
- Name of interviewer
- Interviewer's title and department
- Interviewer's job functions
- Other key information about interviewer Interview Information
- Time and location of interview
- Interviewer's telephone number
Impressing with Personal Success Stories
Recall past problems or situations that required your attention and that you successfully solved by brain or by brawn. If these stories can be related to the job you want, you have created another useful portion of your sales presentation—the personal success story.
A personal success story proves that you possess appropriate experience and capability by pointing to a problem shared by the employer and then by describing your successful method of solution. In telling a personal success story, go through the following four steps:
- Identify the problem and situation.
- Describe what you said, thought, and did.
- Point to the solution.
- Explain the positive results in terms of increases in sales, profits, and production or in terms of savings in time, money, materials, supplies, and personnel.
As you did for functional selling points, prepare a few good success stories that can be interjected into the conversation when opportunities to sell become available. An appropriate success story may also be used in a reply to an inter viewer's question, such as ''Have you had a similar situation or problem occur to you?" "What has been your success with the new routine?" or "Tell me about your experience in this area!"
Pay close attention to every aspect of your appearance and presentation, for this is the time to really advertise yourself to the interviewer and convince him or her that you are the solution to their problems.
