1. Your big girl (or big boy) panties.
If you’re going for an interview, leave the childish attitude at the door. This includes all of the following (and more): obsessively checking your phone, “like” and “um”, the Hunchback of Notre Dame posture (the hunchback does not get the girl… or the job), fidgeting of any kind – pens, fingernails, foot tapping… Just sit still, for heaven sakes.
What’s more – if you’re going into an interview with a top finance executive in a fancy-shmancy office, get rid of the black or neon pink nail polish, the purple hair extensions, the nose/lip/eyebrow rings – basically anything your grandpa would call “goofy looking”.
2. A Pleasant Demeanor
I’m not asking you to smile like a weirdo the whole time.
I’m saying don’t be negative, complain about your previous job, paperwork, or previous co-workers, and if you remember one thing from this harshly true blog, remember this: “I Hated Group Work in School” is never an acceptable phrase to say, even if it’s the humble brag with the additional “Because I Always Got Stuck Doing All the Work”.
3. Your Humblebragging Skills
I know, I know. I just made fun of humble bragging, but actually, it’s a good skill to have, if you do it right.
Worse than the arrogant bro-tank is the gem, the diamond, the perfect candidate who is too polite or shy to let me know, “Hey, I’m the perfect candidate for this job, and here’s why” – remember, your interviewer isn’t interviewing a bunch of strangers, posting and re-posting job ads, pleading daily with HR, and sifting through hundreds of resumes (some bearing the phrase “domestic engineer”) just for their own entertainment. They need someone – they need help. They need you.
4. A Normal Looking Outfit
By normal looking, I mean normal to them. Look at their website (during the research you’ve surely been doing since you found out about the interview, *hint, hint*) and try to wear what they’re wearing. Now is not the time to “outwardly express how you feel on the inside”. It’s a first date, where you hide all the weird stuff, like that Mickey Mouse tattoo you got that one night when none of your true friends were around to stop you.
