Interview basics in the corporate world
1. First impressions count
The moment you walk through that door, you're gonna be judged, so better make your first impression count!
This covers a few areas:
✅ your looks
✅ your dressing
✅ your mannerisms
✅ your handshake
Let's first talk about your looks. Please make sure you at least look well-groomed from head to toe, cos your interviewers most likely are gonna scan you as they try to gauge what kind of person you might be.
Note that I'm writing these based on my own experience in the corporate world and tips to impress the general population. There be certain jobs where these tips may not apply as much but I won't be able to cover them all obviously.
Also read the previous chapters in this series regarding jobs :
@sgbudgetbabe:060517 and @sgbudgetbabe:100517
It goes without saying that you shouldn't have any nose hair poking out, or any dirt in your eyes and nose, and of course your nails should be kept clean. No dirt under nails please, black nails filled with grit will be likely to disgust your interviewer when you shake their hands and you wouldn't want that.
Face & Hair : Makeup?
👦 For the guys, please make sure you're well-shaved and with no stubble, unless that's the kind of "creative" or "hipster" look you're going for. Works in some creative industries like advertising or fashion, but not across the corporate world.
I had a candidate who showed up to a formal conference where C-level management was going to be present, and without shaving in the morning 😨😱 *smacks forehead* why ah?!? I really cannot understand.
Hair wise, make sure it is well-combed or styled.
👧 for the females, there's a bit more to take note of.
When it comes to your face, unless you're blessed with super good complexion, please at least try to put on some basic makeup. At the very least, please do your eyebrows and lips, or you'll look sleepy / tired / sick / lifeless. (I still remember @allycontrary story of the girl who showed up without her eyebrows omg 😦)
I'm not the best at #letstalkmakeup so maybe #dayrebeauty community can chime in? The general rule of thumb is to use what looks good on you la.
If you realllllllly makeup noob, here's a general guide I would advise:
(omg so many campers! I try to update whenever I can k cos got dull day of meetings and interviews today)
Eyebrow colour: natural
Eyeliner: optional. Don't do goth please.
Eyeshadow: optional. Use "safe" colours like earth brown or pink. Green is playing with fire.
Mascara: optional. I actually don't wear any even for formal meetings.
💄 lips : a neutral colour like nude or soft pink. Red can be quite distracting unless you know how to pull it off well.
For your foundation / base / blusher, it can be optional if you have good skin.
What if you have acne?
(shameless plug: if you have bad skin or acne, please try to get it treated. Try Blended organic skincare? It really helped me overcome my acne @sgbudgetbabe:190417
This is important because whether you like it or not, there ARE going to be people in the corporate world who will assume you have poor hygiene if you have bad skin. And you can't possibly defend yourself to everyone who assumes that of you.)
Foundation and concealer will be your best friend. Try covering the redness up at least, and if that doesn't work, a green toned primer before your foundation usually helps to counter the redness better.
Your dressing and outfit
Please dress appropriately for the role you're interviewing for! Shorts and jeans are a no-go in most cases.
For the males, a well-ironed long-sleeved shirt (or Oxford shirts) and black or dark blue pants should do the trick.
For the females, a structured A-line dress is always a safe bet. Otherwise, a formal top and skirt / work pants is good too. Go for muted colours so you don't stand out for all the wrong reasons or give off a "wild child / party girl" impression once you enter.
(disclaimer: this post is generally around office and corporate work k. Not quite applicable to the more creative industries or retail positions.)
Found this and it is a pretty apt description! But work pants can also work la just make sure they're well-fitting please.
Here's the male version!
Your mannerism
It goes without saying that if you walk very sloppily, people may assume you're lazy. If you stutter a lot, they may assume you're very slow in thinking or are just way too nervous? You really don't know what kind of assumptions they'll have, so the best bet is to always demonstrate confidence, down to even giving a firm handshake, a warm smile, making eye contact with your interviewers and don't slouch in your chair while being interviewed.
Don't you hate people who don't make eye contact when talking to you? I know I sure do. One of the candidates we interviewed today didn't have all the perfect answers, but she made consistent eye contact when speaking and with the occasional smile, and that added to her good review.
Know about the company
You would think this is a basic prerequisite by now but judging by the interviews I've conducted, apparently not 😑
Please make sure you read up about the company before you go for your interview, because this question is bound to come up. Research about what the company does and who its competitors are. The more you research, the better. It also prevents you from making any faux paus during your interview – can you imagine Google hiring someone who says they hate using computers?
Do NOT smoke through your answers.
We had a candidate do this earlier this week – giving generic answers that KIND OF described the work we do (but could even be any other industry) and even named all the wrong competitors *rolls eyes*
Interviewers generally know more about the company since they're inside, do you realllllllllly think you can bluff them? Puh-leaseeeee.
Know about the role and why you want it
Beyond knowing about the company, you should also know what the role is about and what you're getting yourself into. This should already be provided in the job description where you saw the opening, so take time to really read through the tasks and expectations.
If you're not comfortable with doing them, then maybe the job just isn't right for you. Try somewhere or something else? Unless you're the kind who can put up with anything just to earn money la.
I'll continue tomorrow with common interview questions!
