The Etiquette of Getting Hired

Manners matter – before, during and after an interview

You’re under the microscope while you’re on a job interview. Recruiters and interviewers are judging you every second. So to make the best impression – and maintain that excellent impression after you get the job follow these essential etiquette guidelines:

Be on time, if not early, for your interview, “Arriving early is good etiquette, since you may have to fill out an application and a releases form,” advises Kristin Urhausen, a former recruiting operations manager for accounting firm KPMG.

“We’ve had candidates arrive on time or slightly late, and then the time it takes them to fill out our paperwork pushes back their interview and throws our entire schedule off. Try to arrive 15 to 20 minutes earlier that your scheduled interview, and your consideration of us will reflect well on you.”

Come Prepared. “Bring extra copies of your resume so that we can pass them around to all of the interviewers who will be present. Be sure to bring your driver’s license and your Social Security card so that you’re able to deliver exactly what the interviewers require. And turn your cell phone off: Interviewees are immediately disqualified for checking a vibrating phone or answering a call.

Dress appropriately. Peggy Post, co-author of Emily Post’s The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success (Collins Living), recommends researching the company. “Some businesses are more informal, and they may have a culture of being more dressed-down, “ while industries such as finance and law may be strictly suit and tie. “It’s okay to ask someone you know, either at that company or simply in that same field, for advice on the dress level – and then for your interview you should ‘dress up a notch.’ Wear something conservative and comfortable. Look your sharpest, “says Post. “Strive to be ‘clean and neat’ both in your dress and in your personal grooming. Appearance is very important on a job interview, so be impeccably groomed as a manner of good business sense and good etiquette. Candidates have been eliminated for having chipped nail polish, for instance.”

Have a good handshake. Interviewers are impressed by a quality handshake as well as good eye contact and body language that shows comfort and confidence. Be sure to shake the hand of the receptionist when you arrive, since front-office staff are often asked for their impression of your manners.

Have quality questions prepared in advance. “Ask about the direction of the company, what the teams are working on presently, not any what’s-in—it-for-me questions such as how many vacation and personal days you would get.”

Address people by name. Contrary to common etiquette beliefs, it is okay to address your interviewers by their first names. It’s fine to be casual, but professional, in an interview. If I introduce myself as Kristin Urhausen, it’s perfectly acceptable for you to say, ‘Kristin, thank you for meeting with me.” “You can’t go wrong, though, by using the more formal and respectful) Mister or Ms.

Don’t share too much personal information. “It’s important to build rapport with your interviewers, and the way to do that is through a good handshake, maintaining eye contact, smiling, being engaged and interested in your interviewers. This does not include sharing the sordid details of your breakup as the answer to, “So what brought you to this city?”

Follow up with a ‘thank you.’ Sending a  thank you letter after the interview is crucial. Post has heard stories of people getting hired because they were the only ones to practice this essential standard of good etiquette. “Handwrite your thank-you on fine notepaper or a classic note card. Write neatly, spell everything correctly, be sincere, be concise – just a few sentences are all that’s necessary and send a thank you note to each of your interviewers within a day or two’s time.

Many job hunters wonder if it’s okay to email their thanks, and Post responds that it’s a good practice to send one after the interview as a first step, then follow up with the handwritten note. An emailed thank you note is okay because the interviewer may travel often, or they may work in a technology based field. You will stand out if you send both and email thank you and a print thank you.

There’s no need to send anything else. Do not send flowers or gifts after the interview, such extravagance could turn off the decision makers, since it might be seen as an attempt to buy their favor. And don’t ask how did I do? Or what are my odds? After the interview or in a follow-up email. That’s a big don’t.