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The importance of first impressions in a job interview

Your outfit says a lot about you and this can't be any more true at a job interview. Your clothes can be your ally or your enemy. Even if you are the absolute best at what you do, an interviewer will hesitate to hire you if you show up to an interview wearing baggy jeans, or a stained shirt.

Arrive at your interview ten to fifteen minutes early. Remember that your interviewers had to make time out of their busy day to accommodate you. Being late for an interview shows a lack of interest, lack of respect for a company, and an inability to manage your time.

Show a sincere interest in the people interviewing you. A smile goes a long way and shows that you are genuinely excited about the company and about being there for an interview. Be inquisitive and motivated about the work that you might end up doing, if you are hired. The interviewers can tell when you are really fired up and will hire someone who will put the most effort and dedication into their work.

Do not oversell your skills and abilities. If you lie at an interview about being a whiz at making PowerPoint presentations, when in reality you have no idea what PowerPoint even is, the interviewer might ask you a program or task-related question which can get you busted, if you don't know the answer. Lying about skills is sooner or later discovered, and may even get you fired!

Almost every interviewer asks at some point, "Do you have any questions?" Be sure that you have one or two inquiries on your mind that you can lay out on a table. By simply saying "no", you may be misconstrued as having a lack of interest in a company or a job. After all, how would you feel if, upon arriving at an interview, no one asked YOU any questions about yourself. Awkward and uncomfortable, to say the least.

After the interview, be sure to follow up with a courteous thank-you note. This is also your chance to briefly remind the people who met you of your skills and abilities. Close the note by expressing your continuing interest in the job position and express hope in possibly working for that company in the near future.

Now, if you have nailed all of the above points down, sit back and relax - you will soon be receiving a call back letting you know that you got that coveted job!

236811_m Learn more about this author, Olha Romaniuk.
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