Preparing to Answer and Route to Company

Develop to-the-point answers to the questions that will probably be asked of you

Think of reasonable answers. Write them out. Boil them down. Say them over and over until they're second nature to you. If you have a tape recorder, listen to them to make sure they are clear, succinct, and convincing. It's amazing how long-winded some job-seekers can be in an interview when they grope for an answer on the spot, and how professional others appear when they answer directly and cut through to the heart of the matter.

Learn the route to the company and the time it takes to get there

A small point, perhaps, but a most important one. The worst way to begin any interview is late. It's inconsiderate of the interviewer's time; who needs a thoughtless person working for him? The following story explains why it pays to ask your interviewer's secretary the exact route to where your interview will take place. A job-seeker told me he had a date with someone at the Shulton company - the people who make Old Spice. Their plant is in Clifton, New Jersey. The job-seeker didn't call for instructions because he had seen the plant many times. It fronts the Garden State Parkway, one of the major arteries in the area. Unfortunately for the job-seeker, there's no access to Shulton from the Garden State and the plant has to be approached through a maze of back roads that he did not know. It ended up taking him more than twenty minutes to arrive at Shulton after he had passed the building on the Parkway! Those twenty minutes were among the most frustrating of his lifetime, he advised me, and the perspiration on him by the time he walked into his interview fifteen minutes late was incredible.



There's an eighth point you must include as part of your advance preparation and that's learning about-and then doing something about-your interview idiosyncrasies and style. In fact, I consider this item so important that I've devoted a separate section to it at the end of this chapter.

But first let's consider the day of your interview. What can you do then to maximize the value of any advance preparation? Here are some suggestions:

• Dress as though you already had the job.
  

The great majority of people reading these pages don't need any advice on dress; they naturally dress right for any occasion. But if, perchance, you haven't given much thought to dress and its impact on your success in interviews, this suggestion: Don't look as if you're going to a wedding or a baseball game. Dress in the clothes you think your boss will wear. It's as simple as that. If your prospective boss interviews you in shirtsleeves, take your jacket off. One job candidate I coached told me that taking off his jacket was actually the key factor in getting his job. The man who interviewed him considered himself to be a real "shirtsleeves" worker and had on only a shirt and tie. The candidate asked if he could take off his jacket. That was it. The interviewer smiled and told him he was "his kind of man."

During seventeen years of talking with job-seekers, I've suggested to several candidates that they shave off their beards. This suggestion may make you think I'm a fuddy-duddy. I'm not. I don't care if you have a beard or hair down to your shoulders but I do hate to see a person put any obstacle in front of himself when it comes to getting a new job. If you suspect your prospective boss has a short haircut, you might as well get used to the fact that if you don't have one too, he might downgrade you - consciously or subconsciously. If you work for an advertising agency at which long hair may be in style, then your hair ought to be long. The point is this: Don't give yourself a black mark by wearing your hair long or sporting a beard if you suspect in the slightest it may be held against you. Get the job first. Then let your beard and your hair grow any which way. This suggestion may sound like an infringement on your personal freedom. But remember, you're looking for a better job. Give in a little with your ego-at least for the duration of your search.

This same principle holds true for women executives. Flashy hairstyles and gaudy attire can be equally devastating to a woman as to a man if it's out of place. Dowdy, un-pressed clothing, even if it's in style, can be just as bad. It suggests you didn't care enough about the job to do anything about looking your best. The simple secret of interview attire is to wear the same style of clothes as your prospective boss is wearing and to make sure they are clean, pressed and not worn. Enough said.

• Plan to arrive early.
  

If you lose your way and you plan to arrive fifteen minutes early, at least you'll have a cushion so that you can be prompt for your appointment.

• Use the waiting time before your interview to prepare yourself for your meeting
  

Read over the information you have collected on the company, people, job. Read over your list of questions for the interviewer, and the ones he is likely to ask you.

• When you have completed your review, look around the waiting room.
  

You may discover additional data that can aid you in your interview. Frequently in the reception area you'll find the company magazine. It may well have articles on new developments in the company's growth that are germane to the position you are applying for. It also might include a write-up of the person you are going to see. If he has been promoted and you are applying for the position he vacated, there's a good likelihood his promotion may be announced in the corporate newsletter. If there are any display cases of company products, or awards hanging on the walls, or pictures of the various company locations, check them out, too. Any extra insight you have might come in handy.

• Relax.
  

Look over your materials as much to keep occupied as to benefit from your review. Don't sit empty-handed, growing more tense by the minute. Having well-thought-out materials to review puts you ahead of 99 percent of the people you compete with. Keep that in mind. It will make you feel more confident, and your attitude will reflect itself in the interview when you enter the lion's den a few moments later.

• Look around the office.
  

If you are ushered into your prospective boss's office by his secretary and are told that your interviewer will be back in just a few moments' time, look around. You may see pictures on the wall, or other clues (a golf putter in the corner, perhaps) that suggest a mutual interest between yourself and your prospective boss. Keep in mind, however, that while looking around at the obvious is a good idea, looking at materials on the desk and reading them upside down is in poor taste! If your prospective boss had wanted you to see such materials, he would have faced them in your direction! When you've made your "quick inspection," take a few deep breaths and calm down.