interview questions...

[GreenwithEnvy]

On Wednesday I have an interview at a job placement, er, place...
Anyway, it's my first 'real' job interview, so I just have some questions...

1) What should I wear? In the past, at my interviews at retail stores, I've worn black dress pants, my ugly but comfortable Herman Munster looking shoes (flat sole, yet chunky), and a dress shirt.
Is that okay? Or should I do like an actual suit with a jacket and what not?
And I really want to avoid wearing my hideous retail shoes, so should I invest in flats or pumps? As in, what is more professional?
And just HOW professional should I go?
Right now I'm thinking of wearing brown dress pants and one of those brown wrap sort of shirts with a cami under it? Is that too informal/unprofessional?

2) In past interviews, while I've been serious, I let my (wannabe) carefree, bubbly personality show through. Should I let them see this or should I just be all boring and professional?

3) When I'm nervous (as I will surely be on Wednesday), I tend to say 'um' a lot and have A LOT of trouble finding the right words to answer questions. This is very odd and frusterating b/c I am a writer and this is usually not a problem for me.
Any tips?

4) The woman I scheduled the interview with told me to bring 2 forms of ID, my resume, and references with me.
2 forms of ID -- drivers license and, um... birth certificate? SS card? What counts as a 2nd form?
I have a resume all ready but usually when I fax them to places, I include a cover letter. Is that neccessary here?
References -- do I really only need three people? And do I just print out a piece of paper that says 'references' and then have a list of three people, their occupation, and their phone number?

Thanks!

[cache]

1) What should I wear? In the past, at my interviews at retail stores, I've worn black dress pants, my ugly but comfortable Herman Munster looking shoes (flat sole, yet chunky), and a dress shirt.
Is that okay? Or should I do like an actual suit with a jacket and what not?
And I really want to avoid wearing my hideous retail shoes, so should I invest in flats or pumps? As in, what is more professional?
And just HOW professional should I go?
Right now I'm thinking of wearing brown dress pants and one of those brown wrap sort of shirts with a cami under it? Is that too informal/unprofessional?

You can almost never be over dressed for an interview. A suit is always a good idea, it conveys maturity and professionalism. If you get there an the place looks informal, and you interviewer is dressed more informally, you can always take the jacket off. Not sure about shoes...

2) In past interviews, while I've been serious, I let my (wannabe) carefree, bubbly personality show through. Should I let them see this or should I just be all boring and professional?

You have to find a balance between the two. Personality is extremely important, but don't over do it...Don't be bubbly, be simmering(in a good way).
3) When I'm nervous (as I will surely be on Wednesday), I tend to say 'um' a lot and have A LOT of trouble finding the right words to answer questions. This is very odd and frusterating b/c I am a writer and this is usually not a problem for me.
Any tips?

It is something you have to learn how to do, but whenever you are about to say "umm" or "uhhh", don't. An intelligent person thinks before s/he answers any question. The interviewer will look at a brief silence as a good thing. An ummm says that you don't know the answer so you are trying to make something up on the spot. A silence says that you want to give the best answer so you are figuring out how to word it.

4) The woman I scheduled the interview with told me to bring 2 forms of ID, my resume, and references with me.
2 forms of ID -- drivers license and, um... birth certificate? SS card? What counts as a 2nd form?
I have a resume all ready but usually when I fax them to places, I include a cover letter. Is that neccessary here?
References -- do I really only need three people? And do I just print out a piece of paper that says 'references' and then have a list of three people, their occupation, and their phone number?

Driver License and SS Card are two. The 2 forms of do the following: verify you are who you say you are, and the second is verifying that you have a legal right to work in the country. I don't see a need for a cover letter at a placement agency, unless you make it a generic one, which would be of little benefit anyways. As for references, you should make your reference page look like your resume. It should have the same header, with your name, etc at the top. You can divide refences by association:business, personal, educational, etc...or you can list them all together. It would not be a bad thing to have a few more than 3, but no more than 6...that looks tacky.

Good luck!

[spokes]

ditch the herman munster shoes - buy a pair of sensible shoes, and keep them polished.

your wardrobe sounds fine, just make sure it is clean and pressed, make sure you wear something differedt when you get to the second, third, 4th interview.

be yourself, but if your carefree self means that you can't speak a sentence without using an "f-bomb", then be conservative.

make sure you know your resume off the top off your head, and be ready to expand on it.

lastly relax, the people who are interviewing you put thier pants on one leg at a time, and remmber you are interviewing them as much as thye are interviewing you.

[CuranderaC]

On Wednesday I have an interview at a job placement, er, place...
Anyway, it's my first 'real' job interview, so I just have some questions...

1) What should I wear? In the past, at my interviews at retail stores, I've worn black dress pants, my ugly but comfortable Herman Munster looking shoes (flat sole, yet chunky), and a dress shirt.
Is that okay? Or should I do like an actual suit with a jacket and what not?
And I really want to avoid wearing my hideous retail shoes, so should I invest in flats or pumps? As in, what is more professional?
And just HOW professional should I go?
Right now I'm thinking of wearing brown dress pants and one of those brown wrap sort of shirts with a cami under it? Is that too informal/unprofessional?

2) In past interviews, while I've been serious, I let my (wannabe) carefree, bubbly personality show through. Should I let them see this or should I just be all boring and professional?

3) When I'm nervous (as I will surely be on Wednesday), I tend to say 'um' a lot and have A LOT of trouble finding the right words to answer questions. This is very odd and frusterating b/c I am a writer and this is usually not a problem for me.
Any tips?

4) The woman I scheduled the interview with told me to bring 2 forms of ID, my resume, and references with me.
2 forms of ID -- drivers license and, um... birth certificate? SS card? What counts as a 2nd form?
I have a resume all ready but usually when I fax them to places, I include a cover letter. Is that neccessary here?
References -- do I really only need three people? And do I just print out a piece of paper that says 'references' and then have a list of three people, their occupation, and their phone number?

Thanks!

1. Always wear a suit unless they have indicated that it is a business casual environment. The suit makes you seem more serious about the position and employers view more formally dressed employees as harder working. Wear the pumps because they make you seem more together and also taller people tend to be offered more money.
2. You should let your personality show in an interview, but don't let it run the interview. Its always good to make a connection with the interviewer on common interests.
3 do a practice run with a friend or family member so that you will have an idea of what your going to say to each question.
4. They want documentation that you are eligible to work in the US. So bring just a passport or bring your drivers license/state ID with a birth certificate or social security card. The print out of your references sounds perfect.

Good Luck!

[Adam Strange]

1) Yes, I agree with what everyone’s said. It can never hurt to be overdressed and you can always loose the tie and jacket if you feel out of place (That’s what I did when interviewing for the job I currently have).
2) Go with the flow. Seeming unprofessional is bad but seeming too stiff and unlikable can also be bad. Rehearsing the interview with someone else beforehand can make you more relaxed and prepared.
3) “Um” or other non-verbal fillers can give the impression you don’t know how to answer the question or are stalling. Just being silent for a moment gives the impression that you are thinking over the question carefully. Try to do that instead.
4) Driver’s license and either birth certificate or SS card are usually fine.

Good luck. It’ll be nice someone is getting a job near my home of Pittsburgh.