Monday, May 14, 2007
Late is not great
In the recent film, 'The Pursuit of Happyness', Will Smith lands up for an interview with a brokerage firm in a ganjee, and paint splatters.
You see as he was painting his house he was picked up by the cops and sent to the slammer. For defaulting on a bunch of parking tickets. The next morning he is released at 845 am... and runs straight to the interview.
He got the job, no thanks to a quick repartee with the senior partner. Which went something like this:
Q: "What would you say if I offered a job to someone who came in without a shirt?"
A: "I would say he must have been wearing a really nice pair of pants".
Nice line - in a movie. But it wasn't a smart alec response which saved the day. The interviewer used his judgement of people and situations, built over the years, to conclude this guy had a genuine problem.
The trouble is, most of you who land up late for interviews - don't. You probably left home late, or 'just in time' and got caught in a jam somewhere.
Arriving late for an interview is a big blot - no matter how great your resume is. It conveys casualness of attitude, a lack of respect for the job you don't even have yet.
If something - anything - is really important to you, you make sure fate does not get in the way!
Like when you go to give an exam you carry 3 pens, 2 pencils, sharpener, eraser - whatever it takes. When you travel abroad, you make sure you have your passport,ticket, credit cards, foreign exchange, contact lens solution - whatever it is you can't live without.
Please treat a job interview the same way. Calculate how long it takes to reach and leave half an hour BEFORE that.
You can't change your qualifications, personality, or marks. But this - is completely in your hands. And small things do make a big difference.
You see as he was painting his house he was picked up by the cops and sent to the slammer. For defaulting on a bunch of parking tickets. The next morning he is released at 845 am... and runs straight to the interview.
He got the job, no thanks to a quick repartee with the senior partner. Which went something like this:
Q: "What would you say if I offered a job to someone who came in without a shirt?"
A: "I would say he must have been wearing a really nice pair of pants".
Nice line - in a movie. But it wasn't a smart alec response which saved the day. The interviewer used his judgement of people and situations, built over the years, to conclude this guy had a genuine problem.
The trouble is, most of you who land up late for interviews - don't. You probably left home late, or 'just in time' and got caught in a jam somewhere.
Arriving late for an interview is a big blot - no matter how great your resume is. It conveys casualness of attitude, a lack of respect for the job you don't even have yet.
If something - anything - is really important to you, you make sure fate does not get in the way!
Like when you go to give an exam you carry 3 pens, 2 pencils, sharpener, eraser - whatever it takes. When you travel abroad, you make sure you have your passport,ticket, credit cards, foreign exchange, contact lens solution - whatever it is you can't live without.
Please treat a job interview the same way. Calculate how long it takes to reach and leave half an hour BEFORE that.
You can't change your qualifications, personality, or marks. But this - is completely in your hands. And small things do make a big difference.
Labels: interview
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