"It takes 500 small details to add up to one favorable impression."
-Cory Grant
In the past few years, we've had several opportunities to sit on both sides of the hiring table. We've both had to hire new employees for organizations that we've founded. And we've both interviewed for jobs ourselves, petitioning our more well-established colleagues for advanced positions. Through these experiences, we've gathered the following reflections on some seemingly small things that can make or break your job interview.
DO: Dress your absolute best. Ok, maybe not a tuxedo for you guys. But you should strive for the highest level of acceptable dress in the business world. For gentlemen, this probably means a suit and tie. For women, a nice suit or dress that might actually be too dressy for a regular rehearsal is not necessarily too much for an interview.
DON'T: Wear rehearsal or street clothes. Even if you're a snazzy dresser daily, make sure your interview outfit is a few steps up from your normal daytime clothes. Dress to impress!
DO: Arrive 30 minutes early to be 15 minutes early. Arrive at your interview location no later than a half hour before the interview takes place. Use 15 minutes (at least) to do some final work as you wait in your car; re-read e-mail conversations with your potential employer on your phone, touch up your makeup, and make sure every hair is in place. Scarf down a breath mint, then head into the building to ensure you are 15 minutes early to your interview.
DON'T: Not know where you're going / get lost on the way there / have issues with public transportation. Do a test run, leave obnoxiously early, borrow a car from a friend- do what you need to do in order to get yourself there with enough time to settle and be the best you can be. If you're late to the interview, no one really cares why- they just see a future unreliable employee.
DO: Your homework. The internet is an incredible thing. Dedicate a good amount of time to researching the organization and the people involved. Find out about them, take notes, and come up with questions about what you discover.
DON'T: Not know what you're interviewing for. This may seem far-fetched, but is applicable more than you'd think (which we've discovered first-hand.) Sometimes there are important pieces of information that can't be found in the job description. Read mission statements, staff bios, and know the previous repertoire and rehearsal/performance schedule.
DO: Optimize your online presence. When someone Googles you, it is likely that your Facebook or Twitter feed will show up on the first page of results. Like it or not, this is the first part of your interview. Employers are looking for how you present yourself online. There's nothing wrong with having some fun personal pictures online, or sharing a link to a funny cat video. However, it's best to refrain from positing anything inflammatory, dramatic, or negative.
DON'T: Use your e-mail address from a decade ago. Once upon a time, it was cute that your e-mail address was chubbybunny23@hotmail.com. However, no longer is that acceptable. Use your name, and use Gmail. Unless you are using an institutional e-mail address, Gmail is the professional standard. Insisting on sticking with hotmail, yahoo, or AOL suggests (whether accurately or not) that you're not technologically savvy. And in today's professional environment, that's a drawback.
DO: Rearrange your schedule to make the interview work. Your potential employer writes you an e-mail, requesting that you come in for an interview at a random time three weeks from now. There is no better answer than "Yes. I'll be there." Prioritize your interview, and it shows that you will prioritize your new position as well. Employers are looking for someone who wants the position, not someone who has other things to do.
DON'T: Reschedule. Did something else pop up? Oh well. Say no. The act of rescheduling demonstrates to employers that you have difficulty balancing commitments, and that you have other priorities.
The job market is a competitive one, and we want you to have every advantage when you go out there job-hunting (unless we're interviewing for the same position :-) Paying attention to these kinds of details will help you to put your best foot forward. Good luck!
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