Job-hunting is stressful enough without trying to remember these overlooked details. Never the less, bear these 10 in mind.
Do’s
- Err on the side of over-dressing for your on-site interview rather than under-dressing.
- Be kind and grateful to every staff member you meet during your interview process, not just the hiring managers.
- Reschedule an interview time by sending the recruiter at least three other options. To not do so communicates a lack of interest.
- Ask several questions during the interview, even if you believe you know the answers. It displays mutual interest, and who knows the insight you could glean from asking another employee about the information you only read or heard about?
- Send a thank you card in addition to an email to the recruiting rep, HR rep, or chief interviewer after your in-person interview.
Don’ts
- Don’t deviate from the standard résumé format. (E.g. Don’t place accolades from students or parents in the margins.)
- Don’t call a recruiting rep that has not returned your phone call more than two times.
- Don’t call a recruiter or show up without an appointment to express interest in a position or ask if positions are available unless clearly indicated that you should. Although that was viewed as tenacious in the pre-digital era, it is now viewed as bothersome in light of the conventional online application process.
- Don’t correct, condescend, or reprimand your interviewers. (E.g. Don’t correct their grammar.)
- Don’t cancel any kind of interview with an employer even if you’ve already accepted a position elsewhere. It’s rude, wastes the recruiter’s time, and burns bridges. An interview is a commitment like any other, and employers would rather have interviewed you regardless of you accepting or declining the position.
Matthew Lopez
Associate Director of Talent
Atlas Preparatory School
Colorado Springs, CO