What to Do While Waiting for Your Job Interview

You’re a recent college grad and you finally got that all-important job interview. The HR manager said they had selected you out of hundreds of applicants. The pressure to be perfect is huge. You’re sweating bullets before the receptionist calls you in. As Bud Fox put it seconds before his big meeting with Gordon Geckko: “Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them.” What to do? 

Be cool with the wait.

Consider everything a test. Even the possible extended 10-minute wait. Interviewers often do this to see how you react when something falls out of schedule. So “eat the wait.” Stay cool. Don’t check your watch or ask the receptionist about the hold up. If the receptionist tells you the interviewer is running late, be gracious and smile. Your job may have similar delays and frustrations where you’ll have to maintain your composure.

Ditch the gadgets.

Don’t listen to your iPod, play video games, text, call or check your messages on your cellphone. Turn off all devices. Remember, receptionists are often used as informants to see how you behave while waiting. Andy Ory, CEO and founder of Acme Packet says first impressions are generally formed while the applicant is waiting in the lobby, and they become relevant to the hiring decision between 5 and 10 percent of the time.

Fill out their application form.

It’s a pain. After all, they have your resume with all your vitals. That said, fill out the form—in detail. This, too, is a test to see how well you can follow written directions—and how patient you can be in performing busy work.

Sit tight and rehearse.

Don’t start reading a magazine or book. Don’t get up and wander around to look at the photos, awards or other memorabilia on the walls. Sit tight and rehearse your answers to possible interview questions as well as the questions you plan on asking the interviewer. If you think you’re ready for every possible Q&A, ask the receptionist if she has a company newsletter for you to read. This will help arm you for the “what do you know about us” question. By the way, current newsletters are better than brochures or flyers, since many of the latter often have outdated information.

The job is yours to lose.

Workopolis editor-in-chief Peter Harris notes this little-known admission by most HR people: They need someone with your abilities, and the hiring process is taking up valuable time from their regular duties, so hiring managers usually come into the face-to-face interview wanting to give you the job. Your challenge is to not change their minds.

So if you’ve got a carnival in your tummy while waiting for your interview, be cool, relax. They called you in to give you the job so don't blow it!

Image courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net