Many of the elements that make a great first date make a great first interview. If the person was attractive, appropriately dressed in clothes that fit him/her properly, they did not have bad body odor, the conversation was lively, you enjoyed the interaction because the person made you feel that they were really interested in you and you could see how they would add value to your life, you want to see this person again. You want to learn more about them. Would you go on a second date with someone who did not impress you on the first? I don’t think so.  Will an employer or recruiter be interested in seeing you again if you were unimpressive at the first meeting? This is unlikely.

An interview is a performance. You have an opportunity to show your best side. You have control over many of the factors that will influence how you are seen, so prepare yourself. Having interviewed several hundred people over the last several years, here are a few tips I want to share.

FIRST DATE GROUND RULES

Get the Details of Where to Meet – Know when, where and what time. Not sure where a place is? Get precise directions and write them down. You won’t sound very bright telling the interviewer that you are late because you were lost or you missed the date or time. We have heard these excuses and they don’t cut it.

Do Your Homework – On the company if you know the company, and on the post. Please, do not show up for an interview for a job in the Fast food industry for example totally clueless on what is happening in the industry locally. Don’t know what the job entails? Ask – friends, do research on-line. The Internet is not just for downloading music and chatting to strangers.

Don’t Seem Too Anxious – Don’t get there an hour early unless your nickname is Glad-dys or Glad-stone. Be on-time or 10 minutes early.

Appear Confident – We said Confident not cocky. This is a delicate balancing act as people who are perceived as ‘nuff’’ are often not well-received in our culture. Lack of confidence is also not appealing – not in a partner, and not in a candidate for a job. Nobody likes a saps/softie. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

Posture Counts – Kotching on the receptionist’s desk or slouching in the chair as you wait does not win you points. How you present yourself is important and this starts from you enter the premises. I am sure you know people who will stay across the road while they scope out the date making his/her way to the steps of Carib 5? Same thing applies in an interview setting. Have you heard the story about the man who peed in the bush between the main gate and the office where the interview was scheduled? The guard reported him. He didn’t get the job. This is a true story.

Be Polite To All Who You Meet – If you are rude to your date’s dad, chances are you will be asked to leave before your evening has even begun. Being rude to the guard at the entrance is not a good idea. Tempted to give ‘bad eyes’ to people milling around in an open office? Nix that idea also. You may just be interacting with your interviewer. This too is a true story.

Do You have A Lyrics Degree? Jamaicans love language, we love good lyrics. Deejays are folk heroes because of their ability to turn a phrase. Brush up on your language skills. Expressions that you use with friends are often not expressions to use in an interview. Don’t know what I am talking about? Here are a few – “Trust mi”, “Yu dun know” and “To be honest” say more than you may want to divulge on the first interview. Crutches such as “Ah”, “ahhm” and “well” are distracting and annoying. Get rid of them.

Sound Enthusiastic about the Opportunity but Not Desperate. You can demonstrate this interest in your voice quality, in the questions you ask, and in your preparedness. No-one is going to be your boyfriend/girlfriend because you really need a companion. No-one is going to hire you because you really need a job. The same way you want to know what they can do for you, they want to know what You can do for Them!

Raise Yu Hand If Yu Look Good – As you know from your own experience with partner selection, appearance is critical. Make sure that your clothes, hair style (and colour) and handbag/portfolio case are all in keeping with the job you are being interviewed for. Gentlemen, make sure that the jacket fits.

For those of you who have been in the game for awhile and who are trying to obtain higher post, take a good look at your teeth. They matter. A supervisor who is dressed to the nines with rotten teeth? Ain’t happening!

Eye Contact – 5 to 7 seconds is optimal. Less time is interpreted as sneaky; more is seen as your trying to be intimate or to intimidate. Neither one is appropriate.

The Handshake – No-one likes a limp one, and no-one wants to have their fingers crushed. Practice makes prefect. Prone to sweaty hands? Dry them just before you go in.

What to do with your feet? - Find a comfortable place for your feet and keep them there. Constant shifting is distracting, and might make you seem dishonest. Resting your ankle on your knee will come across as too casual and even overconfident.

Smile- it is the least expensive way to improve your looks. It is relaxing to giver and receiver. Remember the advice from Black Uhuru – “show I yu teet, plastic smile caan work”

Dr. Semaj is a frequent facilitator for Strategic Planning Retreats, Cultural alignment and Organizational Restructuring. He conducts Staff Selection and Development Programmes for different business sectors across the Caribbean.