Interviews

Plan on getting to the building 45 minutes before the interview. This does NOT mean go into the building 45 minutes early. They won't have a clue what to do with you. But you want to be there with plenty of time beforehand. Go past the building and then go get a cup of coffee, or take a walk, or read a book in the parking lot. The last thing you need to do is show up late to the interview, and 45 minutes early is normally enough of a cushion to take care of everything. You should go into the building about 15 minutes before the interview is supposed to start and make it to the front door just 5 or 10 minutes early. What do you do in those 5-10 minutes? Go to the bathroom. It's your last chance until the end of the interview. Then wash your hands in cold water just before meeting. it keeps your hands from feeling sweaty and takes away any callowness to your hand, making your handshake seem more firm and you feel more comfortable.

When talking with anyone, including the receptionist, ask for their name and be friendly. Don't worry about engaging in small talk while you're conducting the business interview, but people watch how you interact with the other members of the team to see if you'd be a good fit for the personality of the company. Equally important, you want to see if you can get a feel for how much people like working there, and you can't easily do that if you only talk with the management.

When you meet anyone new, you should always stand and close the space between you and the person you are greeting. Don't get so close you're invading their personal space, but do meet them halfway across the table or toward the door. This says, in effect, that we are equals. Also greet with a head shake, hand shake, and genuine smile if you can muster one... but not a fake smile. A serious expression is better than a fake smile. And when shaking hands, keep your palms straight and only apply the same amount of pressure as the other person.

During the interview itself eye contact is really important. There have been a lot of studies done of people who are dishonest or tell lies they often look to one side or another. So when you're answering a question, look at the other person's eyes while they're asking the question. Look to the corners of the room rather than to the side while you formulate a response, and then look at their eyes while you answer.

Also while sitting, keep your body open and subtly mirror your interviewer. Your neutral position should have your hands resting comfortably on your knees or on the table in front of you. Crossed arms make you look sullen and defensive. Using your knees or your ankle and knee on a crossed leg is a good cue to making sure that you have an open stance.

If offered a drink, (water, coffee, or soda) take one but only actually drink from it if the other person is doing so, or if your mouth is dry and you feel like you are smacking your lips while talking. People want to see you are comfortable, but also want to think that you are like them. That sense of "like me" also comes from mirroring a person's body language. It shouldn't be a game where you are literally trying to do every thing they do, but if they lean in you should do the same. When they are leaned back to the side and their legs are kicked up, you should sit with your shoulder toward them.

Oh, and practice that when you're not interviewing. You should make that almost subconscious. It helps in all kinds of ways to make people feel at ease.

The other thing to do is to figure out how to make yourself really stand out. They are looking to fill a need, but often in today's business world you need to fill several positions. While you're interviewing, you should ask if you would have the opportunity to fill other roles as well. I personally ask about business analysis and some software implementation, explaining that I just don't believe that anyone can architect a good solution if they don't get to keep up to date on technology, and if they aren't at least partially driving the business process analysis. So what I end up interviewing for is a position where I get to fill several roles, which makes me more valuable. Almost anyone can think of things they can do that are similar to what you have experience with that would let you take on more responsibility and gain more visibility at work while you still stay in your comfort zone. The more different roles you fill, the fewer people the company has to hire. Thus you are more valuable to them, more likely to get hired, and more likely to get paid well when being hired. Plus when the day is done, you are more likely to keep your job as long as you want it.

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