On Interviews...

Interviews last approximately five seconds. The bad ones, that is. Fail the first impression, that vital moment of contact between a door opening and your ass hitting a chair, and you might as well apologize for wasting the interviewer's time, get up and leave. Fortunately, this is not difficult. What people fail to realize is that the process begins before you enter the building. 

No one expects students to be wearing thousand-dollar suits. In fact, even if you happen to be part of the 1% and have access to such things, I'd recommend leaving them at home. What we're going for here is the opposite of entitlement. Standard interviewing uniform consisits of khakis, blue blazer, blue or white shirt, red tie. You, however, are not standard. Wear grey slacks, the darker the better. Go for a shirt with some color, like yellow or pink. Demonstrate that you're willing and able to make yourself impeccable, but without the loss of personality that usually entails. Long hair and beards are ok, as long as they're visibly groomed. Kids are kids, and reasonable adults will usually make allowances.

When you arrive at the building, treat every single person you encounter as if they have the power to hire you. Be polite to the lobby receptionist, the security guard, and for the love of God be nice to the interviewer's assistant. Some companies, these days, place cameras in their reception areas to watch you squirm. So don't. Sing songs in your head, breathe slow and deep, take a seat if offered. You should be wearing a watch, to demonstrate your commitment to punctuality, but don't look at it under any circumstances. Also, as long as you are in the building, your cellphone does not exist. Do not make a call, send a text, or play angry birds while you wait. Doing so makes you look like a petulant child deserving a place at the kiddie table. 

Sad but true: most of my generation (I'm 23) is incapable of conducting a conversation with humans of the non-pixelated variety. The people you meet will have low expectations. And that means an opportunity. When you meet the interviewer, shake hands firmly, smile big, and say what a pleasure it is to meet them (you dont have to mean it). Once you're face to face, the interview has begun, so be careful of what you say. Remind him of who you are, of your career goals and passions and unique qualifications.  Listen well, and respond to what he says. Be detailed. You will, of course, have researched everything about the company beforehand, so mention a recent piece of activity and ask how it serves as an example of the firm as a whole. While he speaks, nod and respond in appropriate places. Ask followup questions. Fun fact: successful people like talking about their successes. Use that. 

At the end of the conversation, ask the questions you've prepared ahead of time. My personal favorite: "What is the biggest challenge someone in this role would face?" When the conversation is over, let it be over. Don't waste anyone's time. Its appropriate to ask when and how they'd like to be in touch. Use the answer to decide when you'll be sending a followup email. Offer your profuse thanks, ask for a business card if they haven't offered one already, and get out. Wish everyone you see a good day. Game over. 

The Real Social Network...

I have a friend who worries constantly over his lack of charm. When he first told me this I looked at him like he'd said his skin turned purple in sunlight. My friend recently became engaged to a woman who looks like a bikini model's younger, hotter sister. He isn't the most gregarious person I know, but is sufficiently respected by his peers that I once saw the host of a frat party shut off music so people could listen to him speak. This is not a man whose social life is in need of assistance. Of course, he wasn't talking about charming classmates. He was talking about networking.

Meeting people is a science, and like all sciences your skill improves with practice and study. First, understand that coldcalling is brutally difficult and rarely if ever works. Anyone in position to hire at a given company sees and dismisses a dozen resumes each day. In that situation you have somewhere between ten and thirty seconds to make yourself memorable, and you won't even be in the room. So don't do it. Stop resume-spamming, and focus on putting a plan into action.

To do this you need a goal. Figure out the job you want before shaking a single hand. Be as specific as possible. Deciding "I want to be in finance" will get you nowhere. Deciding that "I want to be a market analyst focusing on low-risk mutual funds" still might not get you anywhere, but its a start. Why be specific? Because when talking to powerful people the single greatest sin is wasting their time. Prove that you've done the research, that you have a plan for your life and you're going to make it whether they help or not. Alphas like to help other alphas, especially if their only issue is the need for a little guidance. Betas get nothing.

Understand that everyone has connections. The adults in your life have dayjobs (shocker I know). Find out what those are. Your college has a career placement office and (much more importantly) an alumni network.  Identify 2-4 people in your chosen industry, and politely ask for a few minutes of their time. Prepare a template introductory email, and customize it for each attempted connection. Say who you are, what you want to do, and why you've chosen to contact them specifically. The entire thing should be five sentences, tops. Again, be confident. Networking, when you're starting out, is about making yourself into someone that others want to speak with. If you don't believe it, they never will.

Right, I think that covers step 1 adequately. Next up, we discuss the art of the interview…

Announcing a New Series...

I'll admit, I don't want to blog tonight. I'm severely sleep-deprived, and coming off one of the more stressful days I can remember. Turns out being a working stiff ain't all its cracked up to be. But hey, thats the real world. I have a certain lifestyle in mind for myself, now and in the future, and the next few years are about making that vision into reality.

That's been the theme of this entire year, now that I think about it. 21st century job-searching is time consuming. I went to college in connecticut, but drove to Boston eleven times during the spring semester for interviews and introductions. Most of those leads, however promising they looked at the time, went nowehere. I didn't mind, though. Interviewing is a skill like anything else, and real-world practice is the only way to learn. To any college students who happen to read this; take advantage of whatever mock interview program your school offers, but be prepared for the difference. The questions may be the same, but nothing can really duplicate the sickening knowledge that the pencil pusher across the desk holds your career in his hands.

You know, I'm glad I sat down and made myself write this. I've learned so much in the past year, and maybe someone else can benefit from hearing about my experiences. Way too much to cover tonight though. Right, consider this the official announcement of my first series: 21st Century Jobhunt. Unless, of course, I get a full night's sleep and it seems like a bad idea. But that won't happen. Probably. Look for part 1 tomorrow pm. For now, peace out, interwebs.