I consider myself to be an authority on this subject. What makes me an authority? My own personal record of getting the jobs I interview for. I almost always get a job offer after interviewing.

I have been in Information Technology for over 11 years as a contract programmer. During this time I have had many interviews and many jobs. I have become very good at interviews. Believe it or not, they are even fun to me. These interviewing tips I’m about to give you have landed job offers for me almost every time.

Following these tips should help you land the job, but keep in mind that there may be other things not mentioned here that may hinder your success. Things such as a lack of work history or education in comparison with the competition for example.

You need to first understand that this is a game. Play the game. Think about human nature and how people might react to things. You are trying to get a job offer and if you want it then they will need to like you. From the time they meet you they are evaluating if they can work with you or not. You want them to feel that you will make a great addition to their team.

This is self-promotion time. You only have a short period of time to impress, make it count.

The #1 rule when interviewing

• Do not be late. It’s better to be early and have to wait in your car for a bit.

Before getting dressed

• Eat before you put on your suit. Don’t drink too much coffee. It may make you seem fidgety or nervous. Once you are dressed, eat nothing and only drink water. You don’t want accidents on this day.
• Hygiene - Shave, shower, brush your teeth, fix the hair.
• Skip cologne - Some people may not like your brand, and you may use too much which is even worse. People have been fired for using too much perfume.
• Pluck those pesky stray nose and ear hairs.

How to dress for your interview

• Wear a suit. Always. No combat boots. Make sure it’s a decent suit and not a 1970’s throwback. I usually wear my favorite dark suit with white pen-stripes. You’ll need slacks with matching jacket, long-sleeved button-shirt, tie, belt, and polished shoes. Be sure to have your clothing dry cleaned and ready in advance.
• Wear an undershirt. It will help catch the sweat.
• Wear your wedding ring. Showing that you’re married may give them a feeling of your being dependable, stable, and mature. It may lessen the expectation that you will be coming in drunk on a Thursday morning after crashing a frat party the previous night.

Things to bring to your interview

• Bring a pen. You probably won’t need it, but if you do you’ll be prepared and won’t have to ask them for one. You’ll be a Boy Scout.
• Bring a briefcase or folder or something containing extra resumes, letters of reference, etc.

How to act during your interview

• Cell phone - Turn it off. You can survive an hour without it.
• Be cool - Be calm, cool, and collected, not crazy. Act if necessary, you only have to do it for an hour or so.
• Shake hands - When shaking hands with men give a decent firm handshake. Wimpy handshakes are for wimps. When shaking hands with women take it easy and don’t crush their poor little hands.
• Be friendly - Greet everyone you are introduced to with, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.“
• Be confident - Portray confidence, but not cocky. Always look people in the eye when you speak to them. If interviewed by a team of people, while you’re speaking, look at each person for a few seconds then move on to another, like they taught you in speech class in college. This will get them nodding at you to show you they are listening. Be sure to volunteer the reasons why you are the best candidate for the job, your experience, education, commitment to excellence, history of performance, etc.
• Listen - When they are speaking, nod your head too. Show enthusiasm for what they are saying. Smile occasionally.
• Ask questions - This demonstrates your enthusiasm for the position.
• Humor - Don’t be afraid to be humorous. Just be sure it is indeed humorous and appropriate, not offensive. No jokes beginning with, “A Priest and a Rabbi walk into a bar…”

Answering Interview Questions

• This may be the toughest part. It is important to have the skills necessary to do the job and the ability to demonstrate it here. You need to know your stuff. The questions can vary greatly depending upon the industry and advances in technology, so I can’t really give you any question/answer combos here.

Additional suggestions

• Do not drive a piece of junk car to the interview. They may see you pulling up or leaving. What you drive to the interview doesn’t have to be anything special, just decent. Borrow a car if you must. Lame and superficial? Yes.
• Keep your comments about their hot secretary to yourself.
• Check your fly.

Good luck!

Caveman Conclusion: Getting a job is easy, it’s having to go to work everyday that’s hard.

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