3 Things To Remember During Job Interviews

Job interviews don't always come in bunches, so it's important to put your best face forward should you get called in for one.

Most job seekers know the important things to remember when they are preparing for an interview. They know they need to dress appropriately, have all of their talking points memorized, and bring in an extra copy of their resume. There are, however, some other points that interviewees forget when they walk into that office. Let's take a look at three of them:

• The interview starts when you walk in the building. You need to impress people the minute you enter the waiting room, not just when you are speaking to the hiring manager. That means you shouldn't do anything you wouldn't do during the interview (i.e., chew gum, talk on your cell phone). You should also remember to be friendly to the assistant, even if you don't find her to be so nice herself.
• Don't use the interview as a way to find out about what the organization does. Research of this kind should be done before the interview, not during it. Asking questions about the mission of the nonprofit is a good way to show the interviewer that you didn't do your homework.
• Don't just talk about what you've done, show it. Print out copies of some of the work you have done to give the employer a look at your abilities in action. This is much more effective than just saying you are, for instance, good at writing.

One last thing: When you write your thank-you letter after the interview, make sure to be as original as possible. It should read as if a human being wrote it, not a robot, so avoid clichéd phrases.