People like to talk about their jobs and their companies. Your honesty in saying why you called, obvious interest, and appreciation may result in a bonus: an internal referral. Listen, but don't lean. If you encounter a potential "inside agent," disclose who you are and why you are calling. Mention that you would like to introduce yourself when you're there. Remain passive. An aggressive approach could cause you to lose a valuable ally.
Finding an internal referral that you didn't know is one example of interview leverage. When you get there, mention the coworker's name. After the interview, call back the insider and report on how it went. Then you can lean. If the person is receptive, you can ask him or her to "put in a good word" for you with the hiring authority.
Express your appreciation with a note and another call around a week after the interview.
This is the rule every actor knows. First impressions do count. But this is no time to make a fashion statement. Those who hire are extremely busy and see many candidates. Standing out because of your costume is definitely a way to be remembered and rejected. Know the uniform and wear it proudly.
John J. Molloy's New Dress for Success and The Woman's Dress for Success Book, both by John Molloy, are still the interview standards. In the former, Molloy wrote:
Those of you who are... saying that fashion is an art form and not a science are making the same kind of statement as the eighteenth century doctors who continued to bleed people. I do not contend that fashion is an absolute science, but I know that conscious and unconscious attitudes toward dress can be measured and that this measurement will aid men in making valid judgments about the way they dress.'
Violate it at your peril. You may think you need moral support. That you'll survive if someone props you up. But you won't. Even a companion who waits for you in the reception area will reduce your chances of an offer by 80 percent. Think again.
You should also avoid attending any after hours social meetings with a spouse or friend where an interviewer might be present.
Getting high level jobs and ones where you entertain clients will sometimes require a second or third interview with your spouse. Usually the interviewer will invite you to dinner at a restaurant.
Now you're dealing with two problems. Rule 3 says "Avoid meal interviews." This rule says "Arrive alone." But if it's a requirement, you'll just have to go and hope for the best. Hope your companion behaves and is received well. Mention that he or she depends on you for support. Your companion should read these rules, too.
Eating encounters are tricky, treacherous, and too often terribly tragic. Recognize them as KO ("knockout") situations that screen candidates out rather than get them hired. They're only partially controllable, but if you must do your best.
Don't arrive late. It demonstrates that you are neither time conscious nor considerate.
If an emergency detains you, phone ahead to reschedule. Interviewers can understand traffic accidents, flat tires, and extended prior meetings. Just don't wait until the last minute to reschedule. Interviewers who wait don't scream, they screen.
The more important reason to avoid being late is that you must begin the appointment with an apology. This places you in a subordinate role and automatically turns your opening lines into a closing act. Do your apologizing, if at all, by telephone before you walk on the set.
Arriving early is not better (or even the same) as arriving on time. When it comes to interviews, only fools rush in. Another reason for not arriving early is that it pressures the interviewer. You don't want to increase the pressure on the interviewer. They have ways of dealing with you.
If you have allowed yourself adequate time for weather and traffic problems, encountered none, and therefore arrived more than 20 minutes early for your interview, don't enter through the personnel department and sit there reading. It will adversely affect your interview. That's one of the many reasons I recommend completing the application in advance.
If you have 20 to 30 minutes before your interview, enter through the main doors, get your bearings, survey the premises, and read bulletin boards for information. Even in those companies where you're booked and kept in a holding cell until your interview time, ask, ask, ask. Learn about company history, philosophy, size, personality, employees, buzzwords, and events. It's a bonanza for an observant listener.
Just don't get involved in anything that will take more than a few minutes. With about 15 minutes to go, find the restroom and "rest." Close the door on the stall, sit down, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Imagine yourself winning the interview.
Then, get up, check yourself out in the mirror, freshen up, and practice your best smile.
Now, eyes forward, chin up, shoulders back, stomach in, feet straight, confident, self assured, poised, suit brushed and breath fresh, check in with the receptionist, introduce yourself professionally, and state who you are there to see. Then, give the receptionist the neatly typed application.
If your appointment is with a department supervisor or other executive, the same technique applies. Only the application may not be necessary.
Respect works two ways. If the interviewer is delaying on purpose just to get the upper hand, you'll have to call his or her bluff.
Even if it's an unavoidable, unintentional delay, you're better off not waiting. You'll be angry, irritable, and dropping from the psychomotor peak (helpful stage fright) reached at the scheduled time.
Don't skip rehearsals, or you'll find yourself center stage on a senseless rampage. You'll miss your cues and flub your lines. You won't get any parts.
Just keep reading and remembering and you will win, time and time again.
