Interviewing for a career opportunity? went down her chin and throat. he was acting as if nothing was irst, are you looking for a “ ob” or a “career ” Those two things are di erent. on t waste your time or someone s time if you are ust looking for a “ ob.” hoose a career path that you can see yourself growing within , , years, or longer. career in which you learn, grow, and succeed is much more satisfying than a “ ob.” I have had many terrific interviews over the years, but a few “out of the ordinary” ones stand out. ne young woman wore so much perfume to the interview, I began to get a throbbing headache, and I never get headaches. e were in a small, closed o ce. My face was getting ushed and my eyes were watering. It was so bad, I had to stop the interview and ask her to go to the bathroom to try to wash o the gallons she had applied. he came back, embarrassed as you can imagine. he was a terrific interview otherwise. ever heard from her again. I don t have a great sense of smell, but there is something in perfumes, colognes, and lotions that I and others can smell a mile away. My rule of thumb is to use unscented lotions and leave the scented stu for dates. It is easy to get “nose blind” to the scents you may be applying every day, and they can be a real turno to others. I had a salesperson who wore scented lotions. I kept telling her how strong it was, but she persisted. he met with a client, who like my interview before, had to stop the meeting with her because he was getting a headache from her lotions and potions. he finally got the message. I heard a great quote once “ erfumes and colognes should be discovered, not announced.” f course, it s not ust scents that can raise questions in your interviewer s mind. ne interviewee of mine pulled a fingernail file out during the meeting, and began cleaning her fingernails. That s not appropriate anywhere, but least of all a ob interview. ne candidate brought a cup of co ee we had o ered her in the waiting room into the interview. he took a drink, and a few seconds later, a small stream of co ee came out of her lips and
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happening. Awkward! on t drink anything during an interview.
nother candidate brought in a notepad and a really cheap ic pen. uring the interview, he would chew on top of the pen. The pen already had chew marks on it. e was applying for a managerial role. e didn t get the ob. If you are going to take notes, buy the nicest note pad and pen you can a ord... and please, don t chew on things. peaking of chewing. t a country club lunch meeting, the company president and I were interviewing a very high level candidate. e was REALLY en oying some chewing gum, and when the servers brought our plates out, he put his wad of chewing gum on the side of the lovely china plate. That ust didn t add much to the ambiance or the interview. e didn t get the ob. eing late for an interview or business meeting doesn t set a great tone. If you have a am meeting, get there minutes prior. Leave early, allow for tra c. If you are applying for a position, for heavens sake, please double check your r sum . othing is a quicker turn o than sending a cover letter that you ust sent to another company. heck and double check for typos and accuracy. I am ama ed at how few people call or follow up to make sure their application was received and didn t get into “spam” mail. nd ask for an opportunity to meet. If someone doesn t follow up, I assume they didn t want the position that badly. usiness is a contact sport. nd I love it. Many of my best friends and acquaintances came from networking and business development. Make a great first impression. ollow up. ollow through, and outhustle your competition. ere s wishing you much success
TOPS in Lexington | March 2021