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Give these tips a review before your next job interview

Art Linkletter used to say "Kids say the darnedest things."

So do job applicants.

As the economy heats up and more folks are looking for new opportunities, it’s time to dust off the list of interviewing do’s and don’ts.

By L.M. Sixeli
The New York Times

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Jun/06142004/business/175155.asp

Some of the following is funny; some of it is so basic that it’s almost insulting. But I hope the examples give you pause the next time you’re in a job interview and you think to yourself, "You know, that’s not a very smart thing to say."

"Why did you leave your last job?" It’s a common question — right after, "Tell me about yourself," so be prepared with a quick response. Do not under any circumstances discuss your jerk of a boss, your messy divorce or annoying co-workers.

Unfortunately, many applicants see the question as an opening for catharsis and spill their guts, said J.P. Magill, vice president of operations for the Achilles Group, a human resources consulting firm. "They think you honestly care at this point."

One of Magill’s more memorable responses: "The owner was sleeping with the general manager and the general manager is best friends with the girl I’m sleeping with."

A better response would have been, "I liked the job. I liked what I was doing. But I had family issues that caused me to move. I’ve resolved those issues, and I’m ready to move forward."

So, consider yourself warned. And practice what you’ll say.

Know why you’re there. When Frank Lawrence was in charge of college recruiting for a natural gas transmission company, he always looked for motivated applicants. Real go-getters.

So he typically would ask why they wanted to interview with Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.

"I really didn’t," an applicant told a surprised Lawrence. "My roommate signed me up for the interview."

It was a pretty quick "interview" after that, he recalled.

In a similar vein, know everything you can find out about the company before you sit down with an interviewer. Otherwise, you face the great likelihood of looking really clueless.

Be up on the trends of the industry. Wanda S. Dalton recalled that when she was interviewing tellers at a Houston bank, she came across a promising candidate and suggested she would work well at the drive-through.

"That would never work," the applicant said. "I don’t have a car."

So, was this in 1946 when the new-fangled "Autobank" got its start?

Dalton laughed. It was in 1996.

"Suddenly, she was not so promising," said Dalton, who is now senior vice president and director of human resources of Sterling Bank.

Mind your manners. That means be nice to everyone and no cursing and no chewing gum.

Anita Taylor, staffing manager and senior recruiter at J.P. Morgan Chase, has seen it all.

One applicant for an executive secretary position swore during the job interview.

Another answered her cell phone during an interview. Even though she immediately said she would call back, the interruption stopped the flow of the conversation.

And don’t think the interview starts when you shake the recruiter’s hand. Taylor said she checks with her assistant on how applicants behaved.

Humor is great. As long as it’s witty and intelligent. In fact, Betty Bellomy looks for clever applicants because that’s what her lawyers want. Bellomy screens applicants as office manager for Haynes and Boone.

But there is a limit. Bellomy recently interviewed a litigation secretary candidate who seemed promising and sent him on to the attorneys.

He apparently decided to be funny, she said, but it backfired. When the lawyers asked why he left his last job, the candidate said:

"Well, you just blend with people. One law firm took me to lunch, fed me caviar and champagne, and I felt just like Queen Esther’s stud pig."

The lawyers are still talking about Queen Esther, laughed Bellomy.

And mind those manners after the interview, too. Kim Perez, employee relations manager for Sterling Bank, relayed a story that still makes her laugh. The human resources manager at a local hospital called to offer a position to a job candidate. While they were talking, the manager heard water running in the background. He didn’t think much of it until he heard a toilet flushing.

"It’s that terrible," laughed Perez.

No word on whether the offer was revoked.

© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune.

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