Tips For Job Candidates

Based on my experience as an observer of the first round of interviews for a receptionist in our office:

1. A t-shirt (even a nice one!) and parachute pants are not appropriate attire for a job interview in a law office.

2. If you call to reschedule your interview once, that's no big deal. Emergencies come up in everyone's life. If you call to reschedule twice, you've probably just relocated your resume to the wastebasket, especially if your reason for rescheduling is "I just can't make it".

3. You might want to consider running a brush through your hair before the interview.

4. Your first interview is not the appropriate time or place to talk about a weekend drinking party with your buddies.

5. Subject-verb agreement is important. So is the ability to speak clearly, especially given that you are interviewing for the position of "Receptionist"-- that is, the person who forms the first impression of our firm for clients.

6. If you've had seventeen jobs in the past three years, you might consider working for a temp agency. It would certainly look better on your resume than seventeen jobs that "didn't work out".

7. Remember that you have no idea who will be interviewing you. It is therefore in your best interest to be friendly to everyone. That means you, girl who gave me a dirty look when I passed her in the hallway while you were on your cellphone. You too, girl who snapped at me when, returning from lunch to find her sitting in the reception area and no one at the front desk, I asked you if you had an appointment. I had no way of knowing whether or not anyone knew you were out front and was merely trying to be friendly and helpful to you. You had no way of knowing that I wasn't going to be the interviewer and could have blown your chance at the job with that snotty attitude. If I had been the interviewer, I likely would have sent you packing immediately.

8. If we give you directions to the office telling you to take the Metro to Stop X and go into the building immediately next door to the exit, don't get off at Stop Y, several stops down the line, and get upset when we can't tell you exactly how to walk from Stop Y to our building. First of all, you are not impressing anyone with your intellect, seeing as you were given specific and simple directions to our building and couldn't seem to follow them. Second of all, see Tip #7.