Interview Etiquette

In most interview preparation I feel that the most emphasis is placed on responses, clothing, and knowledge about the employer but an all too often overlooked facet is general etiquette, manners and poise. For any number of reasons, applicants tend to destroy themselves for actions and words outside of the regular questioning session.

For whatever motives that you might not be entirely respectful and self-aware in life outside of an interview, upon entering that employer's establishment, civility and decorum need to be among the top traits you possess. Certainly technical skills are determinant factors in landing a job but when someone else shows up with the same qualifications,  whoever left the best overall impression will leave with the job.  Some things that are most likely to irk or anger the interviewer:

1.  Cell phones going off during the interview - These are the Worst.

If you're counting on someone calling on a life or death situation (most people claim it), reschedule the interview or be honest let the interviewer know of the situation ahead of time  - something as simple as "I'm expecting an emergency call,  so please excuse me if my phone rings" will do the trick. Abusing this phrase, texting, or playing with/checking up on the phone will undoubtedly tell the interviewer about what you do in a professional situation. Save yourself the distraction, turn it off.

2. Lacking general awareness of the body - This includes actions like in the photo above. Picking the nose, digging in ears, picking teeth, eating hair, and cleaning fingernails are the most common transgressions. Some lesser regarded habits can include putting feet up on chairs/tables, resting the head on hands, putting on make up DURING THE INTERVIEW, finger drumming, and eye rolling.

3. Being too casual - Perhaps you were referred by someone else in the company or perhaps you're know you're a shoe in; there is no reason to represent yourself as anything less than the most professional individual. Recently, I interviewed a candidate who was referred by a former employee of the employer. This person felt that telling me extensive personal information about the person who referred him was important to him getting the job. This lack of discretion with someone he didn't know (me) suggested to me that this is how he might converse, better yet gossip, with anyone else in the company. I don't want to discourage a certain amount of friendliness between you and the interviewer, but take time (nervous, cocky, or not) to consider what your actions are really saying to the interviewer. (Photo courtesy of Trigger Happy TV)

4. Being unprepared - When getting up the morning of and running late, you think:  should I get there late and check out the website or get there on time and look like an idiot? Don't look like an idiot in front of employers. Doing your homework means more than knowing the right industry and the company name; know about the company's history, about what your position might entail and some interesting information on the website. Also recently, a candidate showed up for an interview not only clueless about the employer but described her ideal job that didn't in any way include the employer. The particular employer likes for people to stay on while furthering their education - so this candidate pretty much told me "I'm taking the money and leaving. Bye!" Doing research could have helped her tackle this issue in a more tactful way. Perhaps answering phones all day isn't your dream job but a career that demands skills you get from that job (customer service experience, troubleshooting, conflict resolution) might be.