5 Things Not To Do In A Job Interview

The year, or the year and one-half, that you spend in cosmetology school will fly by, so we like to prepare our students for what will come next: The Job.

Some of you are probably already job hunting, and if you are, here is a time-honed strategy:
apply for the receptionist position while you are still in school
(it has a lot of benefits and perks to advance your career that we will cover in a later posting).

This morning on my drive to work I was listening to a talk radio station, which is where I heard numerous callers talking about the many, many, painful mistakes job applicants make. This went on for the better part of 30 minutes, and there were 5 points I noted:

1 - Don't dress to casually. And dress appropriately for the salon to which you are applying. Look at how the other stylists are dressed as well as the clientele, and fit in. The caller remembered a candidate whose thong underwear rose above her pants. Needless to say, the interviewer was not pleased, and the applicant was not hired.

2 - Do not forget your manners. One caller remembered a young man who through his gum into the waste paper basket - from across the room. The caller did not mention whether the young man made the shot, she did mention that the young man didn't make the job.

3 - Do not arrive, on the dot: "on-time" is the new "late". It is more professional to arrive 10 minutes prior to your appointment (not 1 hour early; 10 minutes will do nicely).

4 - Don't list that your chief reason for wanting to work there is that it is "just seconds from your house". It is O.K. if this is part of your consideration, it simple shouldn't be the biggest part of your consideration. Instead, mention something special about the company, something you could have only known after doing a little company research, and how that "something" fits nicely with your talents, interests, or personality.

5 - Don't leave home without knowing what is available about you on the internet. Consider Facebook, MySpace, etc. Many young people today have put a lot of personal information into the public domain that thereafter, they wish they could get back. Since you cannot get it back - at least know what is out there...

For help in passing your State Board Exam:
www.cosmetologystateboardexam.com