Guest Post by Abby Kelly: Back to Basics: Five Interview Don’t’s

#1: The clock: Don’t be late or sweaty

There is no excuse for arriving late (or on time but sweaty and frazzled!). Accidents, traffic, and unexpected mishaps do happen, but it’s almost impossible to recover from a bad first impression. By the same token, don’t arrive too early – more than 15 minutes before the scheduled interview time tends to make people uncomfortable. In these cases, the interview may be over before it begins.

#2: An extra copy of your resume is a necessity, not a nicety

It’s your job, not the interviewer’s, to make sure he or she has all the information s/he needs, and to make the interview is as convenient and pleasant as possible. Your big interview may be just one small part of this person’s busy day. Bring a copy (or copies) of your resume and any other information you’ve already provided – never assume your interviewer has everything on hand.

#3: Don’t speak for others

Every answer you give is an opportunity to tell the interviewer more about yourself.  If you are not introducing information about yourself at this moment, you need to stop and think about how you can do so. The interviewer isn’t interested in your coworkers or supervisors – s/he is much more interested in how you work with them. When talking about others, make sure you’re introducing information about yourself.

#4: Don’t tell the interviewer what to think

An anecdote about how you increased sales by 300% by the end of your first quarter is much more convincing than simply saying “I’m a great salesperson.” Come to your interview armed with stories and details that demonstrate your abilities. Show, don’t tell, that you’re a great candidate for the position.

#5: Thou Shalt Not Lie

Lies  come in all sizes. Most interviewees know better than to tell a big lie about a story or qualification. It’s the small, innocent lies that make the interview very tough to conduct. Don’t say “I love sales” if you really are more interested in management, and vice versa — otherwise, you will spend your entire time in the chair squirming at the lie you have to defend.

Find these tips and more, plus a practice job interview, in the iPhone app Entoview Career Edition, created by Entoview: Technology For Educators, By Educators.

Abby Kelly has presented to the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce in New York as part of an expert panel on social media and is on Rosen Publishing’s Expert Review Board on communication and social networking. She is a member of Ladies Who Launch.

Contact Abby Kelly directly at akelly@entoview.com or 646 378 7864.

Find Entoview at www.entoview.com, or on Twitter at twitter.com/entoview