The Job Interview

Two people could possibly interview you during a job interview. The other person may simply stare you up and down while the other person grills you, point by point, about your resume–which brings me to my next point: Bring two copies of your resume and cover letter.

Let your cover letter reflect your personal accomplishments, but don’t mention you like to watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in your spare time. This is way too personal. It’s okay to mention the types of books you like to read or magazines (this makes you sound smart), but only if they are tasteful. You know the ones underneath the bed?

I’m sure you’ve read how-to-do-well-on-a-job-interview articles in the local paper or a magazine. But here’s the deal, being your true self is the way to go at an interview. If a company hires you, they’ll find out who you are anyway. They can still fire you then. And would you want to work with co-workers that you don’t get along with?

Save yourself the headache and fire the representative who would normally speak for you. This is not to say that if you normally roll out of bed without showering that you should do that on the day of a job interview. You can alter these tangential things. And even kick-start some new habits from here on out. But changing oneself from the inside takes several visits to a shrink.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

When I was looking for an internship, I simply wanted a job that paid. And the one I was interviewing for, at the time, did. But when the interviewer asked me, “Why this job? Why this career field?” I couldn’t give her a real answer. Then it struck me: I didn’t want to work in that particular field. I found it extremely boring! I just couldn’t let her in on the fact I had my eye on a new pair of sling back pumps.

But if you must have that job, saying the right things is a real career builder. When a job interviewer asks you why you want that job, instead of saying, “Money!” say, “I’m seeking more career opportunities.” If it’s a career change, say, “I’m finally seeking my life passion, my life calling.” Instead of saying, “I need a job!” say, “I know this is what I’ve always wanted to do as soon as I started college.”

To really impress them, do background research on the company and add in specifics: “This company has been the leader in real estate for the past seven years, especially now with the merging of XYZ Corporation two years ago.” They’ll respond on the inside: ‘Wow! This bozo has done his or her homework.’

Most importantly, be honest with yourself. Ask yourself some real questions and provide yourself with real answers during your career search. Is this the sort of thing you can see yourself doing for the next five years? Ten years? Believe it or not, jobs are plenty, as long as you have a flexible college degree. So don’t jump at the first job offer because they’re offering money. They all are. Respect your intuition and don’t be a rocket scientist unless your heart absolutely desires it.

Plus, don’t shoot yourself in the foot regarding salary. Salary history will follow your from day one. If you know the rock-bottom salary for your career profession–because you’ve done the research–is $45,000 per year, don’t accept a job offer for $35,000. The base will most likely be your starting salary, so be choosy, not desperate. You’ve got a college degree now. People will hire you–eventually.