(I) Dressing for the Interview

Depending upon your fashion style, whether it is the latest trends for the club scene or merely college senior casual, a job interview may be cause for some drastic wardrobe augmentation.

For your interviews, some of your individualism might have to be shelved or kept in the closet. In most business and technical job interviews, when it comes to your appearance, conservativism and con????ity are in order.

While many companies have adopted the “office casual” dress code, don’t try to set new standards in the interview. When in doubt, it is better to be too conservative than to be too flashy. For men and women, a suit is the best bet.

Here are some guidelines:

Men

A two-piece suit will suffice in most instances.
Solid colors and tighter-woven fabrics are safer than bold prints or patterns.
Bright ties bring focus to the face, but a simple pattern is best for an interview. (A tip for larger men: use a double Windsor knot to minimize a bulky appearance.)
Wear polished shoes with socks high enough so no skin is visible when you sit down and cross your legs.

Women

A suit with a knee-length skirt and a tailored blouse is most appropriate.
Although even the most conservative organizations allow more feminine looks these days, accessories should be kept simple. Basic pumps and modest jewelry and makeup help to present a professional look.
Pants are more acceptable now but are not recommended for interviews.

Staying Within a Budget
For recent graduates just entering professional life, additions to wardrobes, or complete overhauls, are likely needed. Limited funds, however, can be an obstacle. Image consultant Christine Lazzarini suggests “capsule wardrobing.” For example, by mixing and matching, she says, an eight-piece capsule wardrobe can generate up to 28 ensembles.

Before shopping, Lazzarini advises establishing a budget, 50 percent of which should be targeted for accessories. For women, “even a brightly colored jacket could be considered an accessory when it makes an outfit you already have look entirely different.”

The most important piece in any wardrobe is a jacket that is versatile and can work with a number of other pieces, according to one fashion expert. This applies to men and women. “If you focus on a suit, buy one with a jacket which may be used with other skirts or trousers,” says a women’s fashion director for a major national retailer. “Then add a black turtleneck or a white shirt. These are the fashion basics that you can build on.”

A navy or black blazer for men can work well with a few different gabardine pants. Although this kind of ensemble would be just as expensive as a single suit, it offers more versatility.

One accessory recommended by company representatives is a briefcase. “When I see one,” says one recruiter, “it definitely adds to the candidate’s stature. It is a symbol to me that the individual has done some research and that he or she is prepared.”

A Final Check
And, of course, your appearance is only as good as your grooming. Create a final checklist to review before you go on an interview:

Neatly trimmed hair
Conservative makeup
No runs in stockings
Shoes polished (some suggest wearing your sneakers on the way to an interview and changing before you enter the interview site)
No excessive jewelry; men should refrain from wearing earrings
No missing buttons, crooked ties or lint

You want your experience and qualifications to shine. Your appearance should enhance your presentation, not overwhelm it.

Taking a Casual Approach
“Office Casual” is becoming the accepted mode of dress at more and more companies. The rules, however, for casual attire are subject to tremendous company-to-company variance. At some, “casual day” is a Friday-only observance, where the dress code is slightly relaxed—a sports coat and slacks for men and slacks and a sweater for women. At others, especially entrepreneurial computer companies, it’s shorts and sandals every day.

The safest fashion rule for new employees to follow is dress about the same as your most conservatively attired co-worker. As a new hire, don’t try to “push the boundaries” of casual attire.

Fashion Arrests: 1) Never wear blue denim jeans or shorts unless the vast majority of others do; 2) Don’t dress too provocatively—you’re at work, not at a dance club; 3) “Casual” doesn’t mean “sloppy”—your clothes should always be free of stains or holes; 4) Workout wear belongs at the gym.

Play It Safe: 1) Chinos or corduroy slacks are usually a safe bet for both sexes; 2) As for ????al business attire, buy the best that your budget will allow; 3) If you will be seeing clients, dress appropriately for their workplace, not yours; 4) Go to the mall—most department and specialty stores have sections devoted to this style of office attire.

(II) The Site Visit

After the initial round of interviews in the Office of Career Services, companies extend plant or job site visit invitations to selected candidates for a day of in-depth interviews. As an invitee, there is still no guarantee of a job offer. So, stay “on your toes.”

The Invitation is usually by letter, but sometimes it may be via a phone call. Acknowledge acceptance in writing. If you must cancel after arrangements have been made, call the employer as soon as possible and follow up in writing.

Arrangements. Some companies will ask you to pay expenses and file an expense report. However, most will book the airline and hotel reservations for you. Be sure to keep the name, title, business address and phone number of the trip coordinator handy. The company will pay for essential expenses of getting you to the facility and back to campus (air fare or mileage, ground transportation, hotel and meals). However, should you have need to spend personal money for any of the aforementioned, keep the receipts for reimbursement. Check with the trip coordinator in reference to method of payment for the trip (prepaid or reimbursement).

Get clear directions to the site. Sometimes transportation is provided. Otherwise, you’re on your own. Regardless, allow plenty of travel time between the hotel and plant site.

Do your homework. Research the company. Review your interviewing skills. Take extra copies of your resume, as well as all data related to the visit.

On-Site—what to expect. Dress professionally. Arrive on time. Be yourself, but professional at all times. During lunch, be aware of table manners; do not smoke or order alcoholic beverages; and keep the small talk to sports, weather, current events and common interests.

During the day you can expect to meet middle-level managers, at least one key ????utive, human resources personnel and possibly recent graduates. You may be interviewed by individuals or by a panel.

Follow-up. Within a day or two after returning from the plant visit, write a “thank-you” letter. Before leaving the site, however, find out when to expect a response. After a reasonable length of time, it is appropriate to inquire about your status.

(III) Are You Ready for a Behavioral Interview?

“Tell me about a time when you were on a team, and one of the members wasn’t carrying his or her weight.” If this is one of the leading questions in your job interview, you could be in for a behavioral interview. Based on the premise that the best way to predict future behavior is to determine past behavior, this style of interviewing is gaining wide acceptance among recruiters.

Today, more than ever, every hiring decision is critical. Behavioral interviewing is designed to minimize personal impressions that might cloud the hiring decision. By focusing on the applicant’s actions and behaviors, rather than subjective impressions that can sometimes be misleading, interviewers can make more accurate hiring decisions.

A manager of staff planning and college relations for a major chemical company believes, “Although we have not conducted any ????al studies to determine whether retention or success on the job here has been affected, I feel our move to behavioral interviewing has been successful. It helps concentrate recruiters’ questions on areas important to our candidates’ success within [our company].” The company introduced behavioral interviewing in the mid 1980s at several sites and has since implemented it companywide.

Behavioral vs. Traditional Interviews
If you have training or experience with traditional interviewing techniques, you may find the behavioral interview quite different in several ways:

Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, the interviewer will ask you to describe how you did behave.

Expect the interviewer to question and probe (think of “peeling the layers from an onion”).

The interviewer will ask you to provide details, and will not allow you to theorize or generalize about several events.

The interview will be a more structured process that will concentrate on areas that are important to the interviewer, rather than allowing you to concentrate on areas that you may feel are important.

You may not get a chance to deliver any prepared stories.

Most interviewers will be taking copious notes throughout the interview.

The behavioral interviewer has been trained to objectively collect and ????uate in????ation, and works from a profile of desired behaviors that are needed for success on the job. Because the behaviors a candidate has demonstrated in previous similar positions are likely to be repeated, you will be asked to share situations in which you may or may not have exhibited these behaviors. Your answers will be tested for accuracy and consistency.

If you are an entry-level candidate with no previous related experience, the interviewer will look for behaviors in situations similar to those of the target position:

“Describe a major problem you have faced and how you dealt with it.”

“Give an example of when you had to work with your hands to accomplish a task or project.”

“What class did you like the most? What did you like about it?”

Follow-up questions will test for consistency and determine if you exhibited the desired behavior in that situation:

“Can you give me an example?”

“What did you do?”

“What did you say?”

“What were you thinking?”

“How did you feel?”

“What was your role?”

“What was the result?”

You will notice an absence of such questions as, “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses.”

How to Prepare for a Behavioral Interview

Recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors or actions, especially involving course work, work experience, leadership, teamwork, initiative, planning, and customer service.

Prepare short de????ions of each situation; be ready to give details if asked.

Be sure each story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, i.e., be ready to describe the situation, your action and the outcome or result.

Be sure the outcome or result reflects positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable).

Be honest. Don’t embellish or omit any part of the story. The interviewer will find out if your story is built on a weak foundation.

Be specific. Don’t generalize about several events; give a detailed accounting of one event.

A possible response to the question, “Tell me about a time when you were on a team and a member wasn’t pulling his or her weight” might go as follows: “I had been assigned to a team to build a canoe out of concrete. One of our team members wasn’t showing up for our lab sessions or doing his assignments. I finally met with him in private, explained the frustration of the rest of the team, and asked if there was anything I could do to help. He told me he was preoccupied with another class that he wasn’t passing, so I found someone to help him with the other course. He not only was able to spend more time on our project, but he was also grateful to me for helping him out. We finished our project on time, and got a ‘B’ on it.”

The interviewer might then probe: “How did you feel when you confronted this person?” “Exactly what was the nature of the project?” “What was his responsibility as a team member?” “What was your role?” “At what point did you take it upon yourself to confront him?” You can see it is important that you not make up or “shade” in????ation, and why you should have a clear memory of the entire incident.

Don’t Forget the Basics

Instead of feeling anxious or threatened by the prospect of a behavioral interview, remember the essential difference between the traditional interview and the behavioral interview: The traditional interviewer may allow you to project what you might or should do in a given situation, whereas the behavioral interviewer is looking for past actions only. It will always be important to put your best foot forward and make a good impression on the interviewer with appropriate attire, good grooming, a firm handshake and direct eye contact. There is no substitute for promptness, courtesy, preparation, enthusiasm, and a positive attitude.

(IV) Questions to Ask Employers

1)Please describe the duties of the job for me.
2)What kinds of assignments might I expect the first six months on the job?
3)Are salary adjustments geared to the cost of living or job per????ance?
4)Does your company encourage further education?
5)How often are per????ance reviews given?
6)What products (or services) are in the development stage now?
7)Do you have plans for expansion?
8)What are your growth projections for next year?
9)Have you cut your staff in the last three years?
10)How do you feel about creativity and individuality?
11)Do you offer flextime?
12)Is your company environmentally conscious? In what ways?
13)In what ways is a career with your company better than one with your competitors?
14)Is this a new position or am I replacing someone?
15)What is the largest single problem facing your staff (department) now?
16)May I talk with the last person who held this position?
17)What is the usual promotional time frame?
18)Does your company offer either single or dual career-track programs?
19)What do you like best about your job/company?
20)Once the probation period is completed, how much authority will I have over decisions?
21)Has there been much turnover in this job area?
22)Do you fill positions from the outside or promote from within first?
23)What qualities are you looking for in the candidate who fills this position?
24)What skills are especially important for someone in this position?
25)What characteristics do the achievers in this company seem to share?
26)Is there a lot of team/project work?
27)Will I have the opportunity to work on special projects?
28)Where does this position fit into the organizational structure?
29)How much travel, if any, is involved in this position?
30)What is the next course of action? When should I expect to hear from you or should I contact you?

V) Business Meal Etiquette

During your job search, you may have the opportunity to eat lunch or dinner with a prospective employer. How are your table manners? Knowing the “dos and don’ts” can make the difference in your professional image, and possibly tilt the scales of the hiring decision. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Know the place and time. Be prompt. (Allow at least two hours for the business meal.)

Wear business attire.

Business usually begins after placing the order. (The host starts the business conversation.)

Order items that can be easily eaten (avoid spaghetti, french onion soup, corn on the cob, fried chicken). Do not order one of the most expensive items on the menu or more than two courses unless your host indicates that it is O.K. to do so.

Feel free to talk about sports, weather, current events or common interests. However, do not discuss personal issues, salary, money problems, sex, gossip, religion or distasteful jokes.

Do not drink alcohol—even if offered.

During the meal, common courtesies include “please” and “thank you.”

Keep your feet on the floor and arms/elbows off the table.

Place your napkin in your lap before you eat (completely unfolded if it is a small luncheon napkin or in half lengthwise if it is a large dinner napkin).

The napkin remains on your lap throughout the entire meal and should be used to gently blot your mouth. If you need to leave the table during the meal, place the napkin on your chair. When the meal is over, place the napkin neatly on the table to the right of your dinner plate.

Wait for your host to begin eating, or everyone is served.

Remember that silverware is arranged so that outside pieces are used first.

The salad fork is on your outermost left, followed by your dinner fork. Your soup spoon is on your outermost right, followed by your salad knife and dinner knife. Your dessert spoon and fork are above your plate or brought out with dessert. The key rule is to work from the outside in. During the meal, after the knife has been used, it is placed on the upper edge of the plate (blade facing you). When finished eating, place your fork and knife diagonally across your plate—knife and fork side by side, with the sharp side of the knife blade facing inward and the fork tines down, to the left of the knife. Always place a used coffee or soup spoon on the saucer.

Food service (salad, bread, dessert) are always served from the left, and beverages (wine, water, coffee, tea) are always served to the right of your place service.

Do not season food before tasting it.

Never chew with your mouth open or talk with food in your mouth.

Foods eaten with a utensil at the table and with the fingers at a picnic include: fried chicken, french fries, and barbecued ribs. Foods eaten with the fingers include bread/rolls (butter and eat one piece at a time), crackers, cookies, most sandwiches, potato chips, and most fresh fruits (except watermelon and fresh pineapple). Shrimp with tail on may be eaten with fork or fingers.

Beverage glasses are always on the right. If you do not care for coffee, turn your cup down.

Cut only enough food for one or two bites at a time. Cut large sandwiches in half.

Let extremely hot foods cool slightly before attempting to eat them. Do not blow to cool.

NEVER ask for a “doggy bag.”