Career Blog: Interview Etiquette

Much has been written on the topic of interview etiquette and much more, I’m sure, will continue to be written about this topic.  Because it’s important.  While looking presentable at an interview won’t get you the job without some strong example-laden interview answers, looking unpresentable will certainly prevent you from getting the job.  And we don’t want that!  So here’s a quick review of interview etiquette.

1. Wear well-fitting, up-to-date clothes.  Based on a great talk by Julie Foley, a professional image consultant, the most important thing about interview clothes is that the fit well and look good (and are not 15 years old!).  Think about the impression people make on you when you first meet them.  Do you remember the details of their clothes choice, or do you mostly remember that they looked “good” or “sloppy”?  So choose well-fitting clothes and iron them the night before if necessary.  And don’t forget that shoes do count and are noticed.  Polish them if they need it.  Finally, if there’s any chance of bad weather, bring an umbrella.  A downpour does nothing to improve your first impression if you get soaked by it!

2. Makeup and jewelry yes.  Perfume and cologne no.  It can help your image to wear professional looking makeup and jewelry, but don’t wear anything too outrageous or that distracts the interviewer from making direct eye contact with you during the interview.  If in doubt, be conservative.  In terms of perfume or cologne, some people are very sensitive to scent.  The safest thing to do is skip it altogether.

3. Notebook, pen, resume, but no clutter!  I recommend that clients bring some absurd number of resumes with them, upward of 20, because copies are cheap and there’s no downside.  What if they love you at the interview and ask all your potential coworkers to interview you on the spot?  You look very prepared when you have a hard copy resume for all interviewers!  Besides the resume, bring your references and their contact information nicely typed out.  You could even use the same header as that on your resume to look more put together.  Also bring a notebook and pen.  As it’s an interview conversation, you should focus more on making eye contact and interacting, but sometimes it’s helpful to jot down the occasional note and to record interviewer’s contact information (so you can send a thank you note) in case they don’t have a business card for you.  Finally, bring the essentials, but try to leave anything extra at home.  You don’t want to look sloppy!

4. Don’t be late…or early.  While you will clearly leave plenty of time and NEVER be late to an interview, it’s almost as important not to be more than 10 minutes early.  Interviewers have their own schedules and will often feel put out if they have to clear their schedule sooner than expected.  My favorite thing to suggest to job seekers is to find a coffee shop near the interview location and to get there plenty early so that you can arrive at your interview exactly when you mean to (and a coffee shop can be nice and soothing so you’re relaxed!).

5. Be nice to the receptionist.  While I would always recommend that people be nice to receptionists because it’s a pretty good blanket policy, it’s doubly important when you’re interviewing.  Many companies ask a receptionist their impression of a job candidate.