Will you get to the interview on time?
Do you know how to get to the interview? Will you keep the interviewer(s) waiting? It is extremely important for you to get to the interview on time. Your prospective employer will have planned your visit well in advance and will have set up a schedule for you. Usually, several interviews will be required; so your visit will have been coordinated with several company representatives. If you arrive late, you run the risk of affecting several people with your tardiness.
Very often, large companies have several operating subsidiaries in the same geographical area. If you are not aware of the specific subsidiary or the specific department, you can get lost. For example, a major company I know of has five operating businesses in one city. Each company has its own employment department; but all five companies are listed under one name in the telephone directory, with different telephone numbers for each operating company. About the only way you can find the exact company where you will be interviewed is by obtaining the exact address and specific instructions regarding building name or number, floor, room, and so on. To do less may result in your becoming lost, and as a result, late. Don't take chances, call the company beforehand, and get detailed, specific instructions as to when and where the interview will take place.
Will you look presentable?
Maybe your wife thinks the red and blue checked sports jacket she bought you is the latest word in fashion, but it is doubtful that many employers will be that impressed within. Sure, your husband likes you in slacks; but leaves them at home, and wears a modest but stylish dress to your job interview. Judgments based on first impressions are wrong, unfair, and practically criminal. But let's be honest. We're all human, and consciously or unconsciously, we make them. So at least until you are hired, stay in the mainstream with what you wear.
Most interviewers will look at the clothes you wear and how you wear them. Furthermore, most interviewers will evaluate you on your appearance, and this will generally include grooming as well as attire. My advice is to present an eat appearance that conveys a businesslike attitude and that you believe will conform to the particular mode of dress prevalent in the company interviewing you. Regardless of how well you are evaluated based on your academic credentials, work experience, career objectives, and overall capabilities, your presenting a neat appearance during the first, important meeting can be very helpful in creating favorable interview climate.
Did you research the company interviewing you?
When the receptionist shows you to a chair and tells you to wait, don't dig out the crossword puzzle you've been doing, Instead, pick up the company publication in the waiting area, and learn about the firm. Find out as much as you can. How big is the company? What does it make or sell? Is expanding? Is it profitable? Unless you know something about the company or division, you won't be able to deal with the interviewer in his or her world. And it will bemire difficult to determine whether or not the company is right for you.
You can gather a lot of information about the company beforehand by researching it in your local library. There are several publications-such as Moody's Industrial Manual, Standard Poor's Register, Fortune Magazine, and Business Week-that will provide you with a good idea of what the company is all about. Another possible source of information is the annual report, if the company publishes one. The annual report can be obtained free of charge from the company itself. Other sources of information are friends, relatives, or acquaintances who already work there. Go ahead and pick their brains. You can also phone the firm's public relations department and ask them to tell you about the company and to mail you literature about it. Most companies are willing to do this for you. They are concerned about their public image and their community relations.
Once you gather such information and absorb it, you will be able to interact more effectively during the interview. You will have confidence and be better able to understand the interviewer's role in the company, and you will be able to ask more relevant questions during the interview.
