Today I wore a very nice green shirt to work. I actually got complimented on it several times today. To one of my co-workers, I mentioned that it was the same shirt I wore to my job interview for that company. I then told him how I wore it for the specific reason that it was green, and the company’s corporate color is green. I was trying to play a Jedi-mind trick by showing the people who were interviewing me that I was “one of them”.
It must have worked because I got the job. I’m sure it had nothing to do with my qualifications, it all had to do with my great green shirt. But it got me thinking about things I do when in a job interview. Here are some of the basics.
- Look the part - Dress up. I don’t care if it is a casual environment, come looking like you mean business.
- Come prepared – Nothing turns people off more than you not knowing something about both the company and the industry
- Ask questions and listen carefully – You can almost always tell the answer someone is actually looking for by the way they react to you. You need to size up your interviewer. Figure out what they are in there to figure out about you and what is important to them. Focus on that.
- 90% of the time, it isn’t what you say but how you say it – I’m always told I interview well. It really isn’t what I say, but the fact that I speak well and confidently.
- Agree, A LOT – This is something you should do in general when trying to convince anyone of anything. You should almost always agree with someone, even if you disagree. By that I mean you need to find something you agree with in what they are saying or at least make it known that you understand or empathize with them.
And of course, wear a shirt or blouse that matches the corporate colors.
