I Don't Know Why I Didn't Get the Job, When All I Did Was…

1. Answer my phone-During one interview, I heard the candidate, “Hello.” Then she said, “I can’t talk now, I am in the middle of an interview.” She actually could have taken the call, because after that, she was not in the middle of an interview, she was at the end.

2. Come unprepared-I have had more than one candidate come into an interview and ask me what we did at the company. I cannot imagine submitting your resume or asking for a referral from a friend then coming into an interview and not knowing what the company did. Also, bring several copies of your resume and something to write on and a pen. It is also a good practice to know who you will be interviewing with and ask for that person by name when you come into the office.

3. Wear something inappropriate-This would include something that you would wear to “go out” on a Saturday night with your friends-This can run the gamut from: for guys-shoes with no socks or sandals, being unshaven, jeans with holes in them or even jeans at all, and for girls-shoes that are too high, tops that are too low, skirts that are too short, and any piece of clothing that is too tight. Even if you are interviewing at a company with a casual dress code, it is respectful to dress appropriately for an interview.

4. Not have an answer to the question, “What do you do in your spare time?” You are interviewing to come into an office where you will be a contributor to the office culture. If your answer is, “I don’t know, sit on the couch and play videos games, stay home and watch movies, hang out with my friends and party or drink beer, or I spend a lot of time on Facebook, then you do not seem like someone who would be enriching the office. Some good answers are anything involving sports, it makes you seem active and a team player. You can say creative endeavors such as art, music, or photography, it shows you have additional talents. You can also say I like to work on my house, my car, my garden, something that shows that you would be a fun and interesting team member.

5. Come late-While one plan is to check the time distance on Google maps, the best plan is to actually make the drive before the interview and see how long the drive takes. You should also know where to park and determine exactly where the office is located. When someone says to me, “I made the drive this weekend to see how long it took”, then I know they have done some preparation. I have heard all of the excuses for being late. If you know that you are going to be late, call the office and tell them how long you will be. One guy told me that he put the time on his calendar in Eastern Time and so he would be an hour late. Another candidate called and said she was halfway to the office and decided that it was too far to drive and wanted to cancel the interview for that day. The worst is coming in late and acting like it was no big deal and not apologizing at all.

Looking for a job is stressful, but you can relieve some of that stress by following a few simple interview rules. If you prepare and practice, you could someday have your dream job, maybe even at a great place to work like PMG.