Put those smartphones away: Great tips for making your job interview count - Anna Post

Key Takeaways

[Music] maners you've got job interview etiquette out there you've got internship interview etiquette out there and you all might be thinking why are we here today to talk at all about etiquette for job interviews well when you think about it an interview is a conversation with somebody that might just be the most life-changing conversation you ever have so no pressure right it's okay couple reasons why I do think that this is really important number one uh this is something that can really set you apart from the crowd and we all know that there's a lot of job applicants out there right now number two it's expected of you interviewers are going to be looking for the things we're about to talk about and frankly none of these things we're going to talk about should be a reason that you don't get a job for which you have experience and qualifications to do and lastly it's a really great chance to show the respect and the interest and the appreciation you have for the opportunity to interview so there's six things that I want all of you to know today about interview etiquette so here we go number one prepare prepare more than you think you need to do okay and prepare Out Loud by the way this might sound kind of silly but you're going to do this in the shower when you're walking the dog maybe when you're in the car you could do this with a friend practice hearing yourself say things out loud like your strengths or maybe answering questions that you think you might be asked in an interview this is going to get you comfortable hearing yourself say this kind of stuff out loud and that Comfort is going to translate into confidence when you're actually in the interview okay so number two dress up a notch okay A Notch from what well it's not always about being really fancy you want to be appropriate to whoever you're visiting so if you don't know it's okay to call a receptionist or human resources HR and find out what the normal attire is at the place you're going into is a great way to show that you value the culture that you're entering into number three be on time no big shocker right I heard a story about a guy really qualified candidate at a major tax company and he was n minutes late for his interview and I know that number was nine because that's how much this company cared about timeliness and I'll tell you something he didn't get the job he walked in and the interview sounded like this we really wanted to hire you but we just can't you were late we're sorry here's the thing I think it's a great idea when you go in for a job or internship interview to do a dry run find out how long that commute will take you to get there so that you know number four the handshake okay now you guys have all done handshakes I know that so you know that eyee contact is really important way to show acknowledgement recognition and confidence you're going to smile so that you look at ease so that you are welcoming the handshake itself right you want a really complete handshake none of this sort of Limp fish stuff that leaves you wanting to wipe your hands off afterwards some people talk about having a really strong handshake right what you don't want though is that crushing handshake here nobody wants that nobody likes getting one of those either then there's my favorite I call this one the Glad hand right this is when you shake somebody's hand and you're like yeah nice to meet you and you're using both of them that's for the politician skip that one now there's something that you might not know about handshakes though and I want you all to do this with me right now and that is to stand up so everybody in the audience or if you're at home you can do this there stand up beautiful you did that absolutely beautifully this is one of the best ways that you can show your respect you're meeting somebody at their eyee level this is fantastic you guys can sit down again beautifully done number five this is about your smartphone or your cell phone or anything else that you've got with you I love mine you love yours but in the interview you're going to want to put them away it's like they don't even exist don't want to see it don't want to hear it why here's the deal you know I like to know the reason why somebody's asking me to do something and here it is giving our full attention to somebody and our interviewer deserves that is one of the best ways that we can show our respect for that person when you divide that attention or distracted Away by a device it diminishes the respect that you're paying to them I think that's why people really feel this one this is a big one for people number six thank you notes all right how many people here raise your hands have ever written a handwritten thank you note before awesome I knew it all right now of those of you out there who have already interviewed for a job or an internship how many of you written a handwritten note for that opportunity this is a fantastic chance to really shine this is a great opportunity now here's the thing I'm not just about handwritten notes I'm all for email too that's great so you can send one of each your email is going to sound like this I just dropped a note in the mail and I wanted to thank you right away for the opportunity to interview you'll probably say a couple things about you know something unique to the interview maybe a little followup these don't have to be really long they don't have to be identical either they can be kind of close but don't copy them and send one to each person that you met with in the interview so those are the six things that I want you to know about job interviews to prepare more than you think and to prepare out loud to dress up a notch to be on time to have a great handshake that you stand up for to have your cell phone away not a distraction and to send thank yous afterwards handwritten and emailed to everybody that you meet with but here's the thing it can sometimes also be about nerves so before you you go in do this with me right now really big smile I learned this trick when I started speaking and it's a great one to put you at ease so I want to thank you guys all and wish you a lot of success [Applause]