The last 10 of 50 things not to doon an interview

41. Speaking rudely to the receptionist.
42. Letting your nervousness show.
43. Overexplaining why you lost your last job.
44. Being too familiar and jokey.
45. Sounding desperate.
46. Checking the time.
47. Oversharing.
48. Sounding rehearsed.
49. Leaving your cell phone on.
50. Failing to ask for the job.

More of what not to do on an interview

31. Saying "you know," "like," "I guess," and "um."
32. Name-dropping or bragging or sounding like a know-it-all.
33. Asking to use the bathroom.
34. Being falsely or exaggeratedly modest.
35. Shaking hands too weakly, or too firmly.
36. Failing to make eye contact (or making continuous eye contact).
37. Taking a seat before your interviewer does.
38. Becoming angry or defensive.
39. Complaining that you were kept waiting.
40. Complaining about anything!

More of what not to do on an interview

21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions.
22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying.
23. Talking more than half the time.
24. Interrupting your interviewer.
25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer.
26. Yawning.
27. Slouching.
28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother.
29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair.
30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lip-smacking.

10 more "do nots" when going on an interview

11. Failing to research the employer in advance.
12. Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm.
13. Inquiring about benefits too soon.
14. Talking about salary requirements too soon.
15. Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question.
16. Failing to make a strong case for why you are the best person for this job.
17. Forgetting to bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio.
18. Failing to remember what you wrote on your own resume.
19. Asking too many questions.
20. Asking no questions at all.

Here are 1o quick "do nots" when going on an interview.


1. Arriving late.
2. Arriving too early.
3. Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette.
4. Bad-mouthing your last boss.
5. Lying about your skills/experience/knowledge.
6. Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes.
7. Forgetting the name of the person you're interviewing with.
8. Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave.
9. Wearing sunglasses.
10. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece.0 quick do not's when going on an interview

More "do nots" to follow:

I recently went on a client visit and during the conversation I learned that he and I had a similar philosophy when it came to making mistakes. My client told me that he tolerated mistakes a means of learning. His feeling was that a person who was constantly in fear of making a mistake was in danger of not growing or learning.

We both came to the conclusion that failure is only failure when you fail to learn.

Resigning from a position properly is a way to show your professionalism. The following is a sample resignation letter.


I want to thank you for all you have done for me here at [Insert company name here]. It has truly been a pleasure working with you, and representing the company as your [Insert job title here].
I have accepted an offer with another firm and have decided to tender my resignation as of today. The decision has nothing to do with the exceptional opportunity you have provided for me here. You and the company have been more than fair with me, and I genuinely appreciate all of your support.
I wish you and [Insert company name here] continued success, and I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your team. Please feel free to contact me at any time if I can ever be of further assistance in helping with a smooth transition.


Sincerely,
Sign Here

[Insert your name here]

In my last 2 entries I talked about two of the "C's" of success. They are consistentency and communication.
As a vendor or more appropriately a business partner to my clients I have come to learn that people I deal with (clients and candidates) have expectations of and about me. Those expectations evolve around two more "C's" and they are competence and confidence. When I put all four of the "C" words together I have the ingredients of a true client/candidate relationship. I am expected to be confident in my ability to handle a variety of situations, competent and knowledgeable about my niche, consistent in the way I deal with clients and candidates and communicate regularly with the people I deal with. If you implement the four "C" words you will be on the road to success.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Good leadership is all about communication, and the best leaders are completely transparent with their staff, says Container Store CEO Kip Tindell. Tindell shares his private boardroom presentations with all his company's employees, from top to bottom. "There's never a reason, we believe, to keep the information from an employee," he says. "I know that occasionally some of that information falls into the wrong hands, but that's a small price to pay."

The other day I talked about consistency being one of the keys to success. Communication is the second "C" to success.

During my years in the corporate world I had to opportunity to work for a number of different supervisors. I had expectations that my supervisors would not only be a boss but would also be a mentor and a guide to help me further my career. As I look back at the different people that supervised me I can say that I did have good mentors. However, the most important thing that I can say about my supervisors is that they were consistent. It did not matter if they were easy going or tough or difficult to deal with. They were consistent.
I have learned that consistency is one of the keys to success.

I have been an executive recruiter for just under 23 years and have seen 4 economic downturns. This latest one was by far the worst. Nonetheless, when this one started I noted some similarities. Some of the poorer run companies were go out of business and flood the candidate pool. Other companies would start a series of lay offs further flooding the candidate pool. I also started to hear from my clients complaints about reduction in staff and the impact on gross margin. Now as things are beginning to recover and get better the companies that tried to expense their way to profitability are finding that the honeymoon is over and the cuts that were made went too deep. The hiring boon is about to take place and the flooded candidate pool although not dry is certainly a lot lower than expected.

Every day that I speak with clients and candidates I learn something new. However, I am beginning to see some similarities when I ask a candidate about his or her strengths or weaknesses. All too many times on the weakness side I am hearing that I would rather do something myself rather than delegate it to one of my subordinates. On the flip side I recently went on a client visit and during a conversation with the CEO he told me that he tolerated and in fact embraced mistakes as a matter of learning. It was a breath of fresh air to hear this CEO say he tolerated mistakes. He then used those mistakes as a means to coach and mentor his staff members. It is like being the coach of a sports team. If your player misses the free throw, you're not allowed to go out there and take the second one yourself.

If you watched the Oscar awards there were really no surprises. The winners were movies or individuals who went above and beyond. The actors surely were out of their comfort zones. Over the years I have learned that top producers (the "A" players) are constantly out of their comfort zones and that is what makes them the best they can be.

Compromise shouldn't get such a bad rep, says former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani -- after all, real leadership is about knowing when to be flexible to get results. "You can never get everything that you want, so you try to get as much of it as you can," he says. "That's the way you get things done. It's not a zero-sum game."

I have been involved in numerous negotiations and when it is a win/win for everyone involved than and only then is it a successful negotiation.

As the use of technology increases there seems to be a new set of etiquette and rules of behavior. I learned early on that when visiting or talking with client or a candidate it was important to focus on that individual and that my cell phone should be turned off. I know there can be emergency exceptions to that rule. I recently read an article where the head of the Gates Foundation stated that when you are with a person you must be in the moment 100%. Every moment counts and you must make that person feel valued.

I cannot tell you how many times I have prepped candidates to interview with former peers, supervisors and/or employees. It is important to realize that each and every interview should be conducted as if it were the first time you were meeting the individual. To avoid awkward moments be upfront about the change in the relationship and be sure to clearly outline goals and expectations. Thanks to Scott Eblin for his words of wisdom

Here are some mistakes that candidates make:


1. Listening to/taking advice from the wrong people/sources and following it

2. Believing there is really nothing important to know, or that if there is anything important, you already know it

3. Embellishing your resume and overstating your compensation

4. Believing that your resume will get you hired

5. Wasting your finite resources--time, money, and mental energy

6. Ignoring your physical condition

7. Believing that your cover letter/resume/response to postings will be treated more favorably than you've treated those you have received from other executives

8. Misunderstanding the motives, hiring strategies, and consuming behavior of search consultants, CEOs, and gatekeepers

9.Agreeing to foolish requirements to demonstrate your expertise; providing free consulting to companies