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Community Corner

You Got the Interview - Now What?

Valuable tips on giving a rock-star job interview, from a Peninsula etiquette consultant.

 

From hundreds of resumes, they selected yours.  The interview is scheduled. How will you distinguish yourself from all of the other applicants? 

Follow these primo pointers:

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  • Shower & brush your teeth.
  • Don't chew gum.
  • Leave your water bottle in the car.
  • Don't wear anything too low-cut, too short, too tight, too peek-a-boo; no message t-shirts, holey jeans, slippers, pj bottoms, wife-beaters, wrinkled pants, flip-flops.
  • Remove sunglasses, nose rings, loud bangles, and hats.
  • Arrive on time.  No excuses.
  • Greet the receptionist.
  • Turn off your cell phone.
  • Avoid slang terms. (no problem, yeah, cool, I'm good, huh, um, like ah...)
  • Do not complain, blame, or bad-mouth former employers.
  • Sit up straight.
  • Stand up to shake hands.
  • Smile. (You want the job, right?)
  • If you smoke, air out your clothes, and wash your hands prior to entering.
  • Do not start with, "So, what are the benefits?" or When's my first raise?"
  • Listen.
  • Say, "Please." and "Thank you."

Competition is fierce.  Putting on your "big-boy pants" doesn't mean that you are becoming your parents, selling-out, or getting old.  There are still time-honored traditions and customs in the workplace; if followed, you will set yourself apart as a leader.

Rosalinda Randall is an Etiquette Consultant and Owner of Your Relationship Edge. She has been spreading civility throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond for over fourteen years. 

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