Know Where You Need To Go
Know where you need to go. Check the exact location of where you need to be for your interview, including the floor and room number.
If you do not know the city or location, get a map or specific directions, do not trust someone else to get you there.
If you plan to use public transportation, know which bus or train you need to take and give yourself a generous amount of lead time to account for any delays.
Give Yourself Plenty of Time
Give yourself plenty of time. We cannot stress this enough.
For some candidates this is easier said than done. If traffic is a serious problem, give yourself an extra hour or half hour to get to the interview. Do not worry that you may arrive an hour early. If you do, you have just given yourself more valuable preparation time. Find a comfortable place to relax, gather your thoughts and then head to the interview location so that you are in the building 10 minutes early.
If you are driving, make sure you give yourself time to find a parking spot and get to the interview with plenty of time to spare.
Dealing with a Late Arrival
If you do arrive late – and it happens – employers do not care about your excuse. Trust us, they have heard them all. Do not get flustered. Explain your lateness, sincerely apologize and note that there is no excuse for being late. Accepting ownership for your actions and results is a valuable trait for an employee to have. If you know you are going to be late, let the interviewer know as soon as you do. A call from your mobile telephone could save your chances to recover.
Announce your Arrival
When you arrive make sure the right person—usually a receptionist—knows you have arrived. Then begin your process of marketing yourself.
Arrive 10 Minutes Early
By arriving 10 minutes early you do the following:
- Give yourself time to find and use the restroom to freshen up and make sure you are properly groomed.
- Show that you are interested in the position but have other things going on (i.e. you are not waiting at their office for 3 hours).
- Give yourself an opportunity to be cordial and polite to the receptionist and anyone else in the waiting area. You never know who could be in the waiting area – it could be the CEO’s child, the head of global IT services or your interviewer. In fact many interviewers will ask the receptionist or their secretary for their thoughts about you. So, make a good impression on them and treat them with the utmost courtesy and respect. Make a bad impression here and you may well as have been late – you have just squandered a perfect opportunity to market yourself as a competent professional any company would love to hire.
- Give yourself time to stow your overcoat, umbrella and any excess bags.
- Allow yourself a time window to deal with the unexpected – you never know – the elevator could be out, there could be extra security measures, and you might need those extra 10 minutes just to get from the lobby to the interview.
Use Your 10 Minutes to Market Yourself
Use your time in the waiting area wisely to market yourself and stand out from the crowd.
- Take the chance to read any company literature you see in the waiting area, whether or not you have read it already and present yourself as an interested, prepared candidate.
- If you have a briefcase, bring a cutting edge IT magazine of your own to show you keep abreast of current trends or even bring the local business paper to show a breadth of knowledge. Use this material if there is no company literature close at hand.
- Sit in a relaxed position but do not slouch or put your feet up.
- Turn off your mobile phone and any watch alarms you may have. You do not need beeps or buzzes distracting you or the interviewer during the interview.
Relax. Relax. Relax.
Take these 10 minutes to relax. You will probably be nervous. You are not alone. It is very common. Giving yourself time to relax will allow you to transform your nervous energy into positive energy and best present yourself. If you are having trouble relaxing, take deep breaths (discretely) from your diaphragm.
The First 8 Seconds
Behavioral studies and PAC’s experiences with its membership body indicate that most interviewers make a decision in the first sixty seconds of the interview. It is the first 8 seconds where you set the stage for that minute. The great thing is, it is an easy 8 seconds where you set the stage.
- Stand to your full height, before you make any move.
- Look alert, confident, forceful and energetic. You have no reason not to be – you have prepared and are ready for this.
- Look the interviewer in the eye.
- Smile. It is a universal human tool to make a good impression.
- If the interviewer is standing, walk over and shake their hand, if appropriate in your culture. Your grip should be firm, yet not overly so. No interviewer derives confidence from an overly limp handshake nor, for that matter, from a brutally hard one.
- Concentrate on the name and position of your interviewer.
- Repeat the person’s name in your greeting.
- Stay relaxed and take even, measured breaths.
- Wait a moment and, if you have a choice of seats, try to sit at a 45-degree angle to the interviewer to convey openness and facilitate dialog. If you have no option, sit where the interviewer indicates.
- Wait for the interviewer to initiate the interview.
Understanding Nervousness
By now, you have made a great first impression and your job interview is underway. Understand that everyone gets nervous. Those who channel nervousness into positive energy and use it to their advantage stand out and get the job. You have less reason to be nervous than most job candidates because you have a PAC Score and have used PAC Career Coach to prepare. You are prepared—try to enjoy your interview!
Any feelings of nervousness – a queasy stomach, sweaty palms, excess perspiration, trembling hands or feet and increased heart rate are the physiological effects of adrenalin. You have probably heard of adrenalin – it’s what helps athletes perform at a higher level, it’s your body’s way to preparing for increased stress and challenge.
You can easily deal with nervousness. First, you must recognize it for what it is – your body producing adrenalin. Second, treat it as an asset and do not fight it. It will keep you alert and on your toes, and maximize your performance—so long as you have prepared for the interview.
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