On the left: perfectly good business-casual interview look. Below: not so much.
Interviews. We all hate them. Dread them beforehand. Fear we flubbed them afterwards. But they are a necessary evil.
Woman I know was once interviewed by a company that was all gung-ho starting a new project. They flew her somewhere to interview with someone from Mahogany Row. Then there was a long, long silence. Through the grapevine she found out the project had stalled, and was eventually abandoned. Then guys who had interviewed her started turning up at her company looking for work.
Many companies seem to get all het up about a new project and jump the gun just a little, interviewing people for a project that will by no means ever actually exist. Sure, having a list of shiny potential workers might help them land the project, but it’s not very nice for the hopeful people being interviewed for a more-or-less imaginary job, if it all goes blooey in the end.
Mr. Sierra, a veteran of many interviews, both giving and getting, was once interviewing a guy for a position at his engineering firm. The guy stated baldly that he would not work for a woman. Well. Guess what. A – he just earned himself an easing-out-the-door anyhow, and B – he would’ve been working for a woman. Kind of a pity he disqualified himself, if he’d been hired to work for her, she’d’a knocked the horsepucky right out of him.
When I had my bookstore I had the occasional person walk into the store and ask for work. I remember one poor woman, clearly desperate for work, badly dressed, came straight in the door and said, “Are you hiring? I really need a job.” I felt for her, but, um, desperation is not a good job qualification.
I do not recall anyone ever giving me a formal application or resume. Sure, it was just retail clerking, but to me it was a big deal hiring someone, a little gravitas would have been nice to see.
Even freelancers have to interview, since each new job they land has to be, well landed. Life sometimes seems like one big interview. (Except for the bits where you’re imploring them to pay your invoice.)
We agonise so much over what to wear. Have you ever found yourself at an interview and realised your clothes were all wrong? Too formal? Too casual? Did it matter, in the end?
So, do tell us your interview-related war stories, horror stories, happy-ending stories.
