Interview Do’s and Don’ts

1. Do dress for respect—conservatively and professionally.

2. Don’t sit passively in your seat and wait for the interviewer to do all of the work.

3. Do make small talk and try to find areas of common interest with interviewers, who
are—believe it or not—people, too.

4. Don’t look as if you are facing a firing squad. Smile and try to relax.

5. Do make sure to research the organization before the interview. This shows interviewers
that you are genuinely interested in them.

6. Don’t be late. This makes a terrible first impression. Instead, make sure that you
have proper directions and leave plenty of time (in case traffic is bad, the bus is
late, or you get lost).

7. Do bring extra copies of your resume in case the interviewer forgets or misplaces
your original copy.

8. Don’t call the interviewer by his or her first name unless they specifically instruct
you to do so.

9. Do remember the interviewer’s name and use it periodically throughout the interview.

10. Don’t dominate the conversation. Your answers should always be succinct, direct,
and well articulated.

11. Do learn to listen attentively and show genuine interest and enthusiasm. Remember,
employers want people who care.

12. Don’t deliver answers to interview questions as if you were making a speech.
Although you should prepare responses to typical questions in advance, your delivery
should sound sincere and unrehearsed. Remember: Make conversation, not presentations.

13. Do ask intelligent questions. Ask about job responsibilities, company goals, and
other related topics.

14. Don’t initiate conversations about money or benefits until you have a job offer.
After you have received an offer, you have a lot more negotiating power.

15. Do present a confident self-image that offsets any concerns that you may be hiding
something or have skeletons in your professional closet.

16. Don’t lie or get defensive. Try to frame negative situations as positively as possible
(in terms of a “mismatch,” “different styles,” or what you learned) without speaking
badly about past employers or colleagues.

17. Do answer the questions fully and punctuate your answers with good stories that
illustrate your competencies and style.

18. Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes. It’s part of the process. The important
thing is that you learn from those mistakes so that you don’t repeat them in future
interviews.

19. Do follow up. If you agreed to provide references or additional information, make
sure that you deliver on your promises.

20. Don’t forget to send a thank-you note either by e-mail or snail mail. In your letter,
reassert your interest and qualifications.

21. Do continue to conduct your job search and look for additional opportunities. As
Yogi Berra is famous for saying, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

22. Don’t sit around waiting for the interviewer to call you. If you don’t hear from them
within a week after your interview, make sure that you check in to see where they
(and you) are in the process.

23. Do remember that “no” doesn’t always mean forever. Although you may not always
get a job offer, if you stay on cordial terms with the people who interview you, you
may end up hearing from them again.

24. Never burn bridges. However disappointed or rejected you may feel, try your best
not to take it personally. Make sure that the interviewer knows that you enjoyed
meeting them and are still interested in future possibilities.

25. Do move on. There are many, many fish in the sea of jobs—your challenge is to is
to spot them and catch them.