Introductory Stage
First impressions can be lasting impressions. Ordinarily, you
should dress and behave exactly as you would for a regular interview.
However, if the person suggests that you meet, not at his or her office,
but at home or at a coffee shop or other informal location, then it would
be acceptable to dress a bit more casually, but never in blue jeans,
shorts, sundresses, or other distinctly “play clothes.”The following are
some points to keep in mind during the introductory stage of the inter-
view:Thank the person for making time for you.
Confirm the amount of time the person can give you, so that you don’t
overstay.
Talk a little about your mutual contact, if a friend helped you set up
the interview.
Explain why you asked for an interview. Give a shortexplanation of
who you are and why you want to talk to this person:“To determine
if this job/organization/field would be right for me. And to find out
what employers are looking for in candidates.”
If you have prepared a resume, this is a good time to hand it to your
interviewee. Even if you’ve already sent the person one, you should
bring extra copies to the interview, as it might have been misplaced.
Your resume is particularly useful at this stage of the interview for
giving a quick summary of your background. Moreover, if the person
with whom you are speaking asks to keep your resume, it can serve
as a reminder of you and also be something he can show to others.
Do not give the people you are interviewing the impression you are
looking for them to give you a job or help you get a job. If you do, they
will most likely resent the fact that you have, in effect, deceived
them. You said you wanted to get advice from them and now you’re
pestering them for a job! They know you’re looking for a new job; if
they want to mention some possibilities in their firm, fine. But let
them make the first move.Need-to-Know Stage
Once you have completed the brief introductory phase, you will
want to spend the bulk of the time you have asking the interviewee
questions about what it’s really like to be in the job or organization or
career you’ve come to learn about. And, as noted earlier, you will want
to learn more about what employers are looking for when they inter-
view candidates for positions in this field.
As a result of your research, you may have developed some industry-
specific questions for your discussion. It is usually helpful, however, to
begin the discussion with a few broad or general questions. And, remem-
ber to be sensitive to the age and title of the person with whom you are
speaking. Certainly, you will ask different questions of a chief executive
officer than of a marketing assistant.54 Part I: Building, Using, and Maintaining Your Career Portfolio