A good many things fall into the category of “a dying art.” Darning socks. Shoe repair. Upholstery. People just aren’t interested in doing them anymore.
If you want to throw away your socks instead of darning the hole in the toe, that’s fine by me. I guarantee that I’ll be doing the same.
But when I see interviewing for a job listed as a dying art -— now, that’s really a cause for concern!
In my last post, I mentioned a York College study showing how poorly the Millennial generation is reported to be doing during job interviews.
What can be done to help these kids land good jobs, be professional enough to keep them, and even advance once they have them? After all, they are the future business leaders of our country. So, if any of you millennials are out there reading this post, here’s what you need to know about being interviewed.
8 Tips for Effective Job Interviews:
- Do whatever you have to do to ensure that you are not late. Try and give yourself a cushion and arrive five to 10 minutes early. If you are the one who’s kept waiting, keep your cool.
- Don’t bring coffee, soda, or food with you -— and definitely don’t bring a pet. No, no and no!
- When you walk into the interview, extend your hand, look your interviewer in the eyes, and greet him or her with a solid, but not bone-shattering handshake Say something along the lines of “pleased to meet you.”
- Turn your cell phone off or at least to silent, not vibrate. It will still create a distraction. If your interviewer answers a call during your interview, that is not a signal to whip out your phone and check your texts. Please, no!
- Wear appropriate professional attire. Just because you might be able to wear jeans on Fridays, once you’ve gotten the job, that still doesn’t mean you should wear them to an interview. Ladies, no micro minis or low-cut tops, unless you are interviewing at Hooters (in which case, micro minis and lots of cleavage would be helpful). Guys, no jeans hanging off your butt with your boxers showing at the top. For any kind of management or corporate job, think suit. Better a bit too formal than a bit too casual, which looks like you are not taking the job seriously.
- Come prepared. Try to find out as much as you can about the position and the company you are interviewing for. A friend scheduled an interview with a company that makes a shopping app for malls. She went to the nearest mall, installed the app, saw how it worked and arrived for her interview with a list of things she saw that could be improved upon. (That’s what the position was all about.) The recruiter was blown away by her professionalism and preparedness. That kind of attitude is always noticed and appreciated. Always.
- Bring a copy of your resume, even if you’ve already submitted one.
- Try not to zone out or babble from nervousness. Consider doing a mock interview with a friend or family member acting as your potential employer who asks questions. This “practice” session can help calm nerves the day of the actual meeting.
Want to learn more? In many ways, the same skills you’ll need to land the job are the ones that will move you ahead once you’ve landed it. It’s all laid out for you in my book, Help! Was that a Career-Limiting Move? .