Your Monday Job Interview

Are you spending the weekend preparing for a job interview on Monday? Here's a select piece of advice from my book, "Betting On You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career."

It's available everywhere books are sold, streamed, and downloaded. There's probably a free copy at your local library, too. You can also get tips and tricks to nail your job interview by texting FREECHAPTER to 66866.

Hope you enjoy the excerpt below! - Laurie

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Let’s talk a little more about that much-dreaded interview. There’s no point in looking for work if you aren’t prepared to stick every interview like an Olympic gold gymnast.

Unfortunately, people fail for stupid reasons.

I’m just going to say it: people blow it because they are intellectually and emotionally sloppy. They’re scared of the process and haven’t learned how to control their emotions. They can’t make eye contact when someone talks to them, or their minds are somewhere else—thinking about bills, children, even grocery lists.

Don’t be like those people. When you fail to show up mentally, it presents a challenge to the hiring team. Your résumé might be memorable, and your work experience could be exactly what the company needs, but nobody is saying hell yes to your candidacy. They’ll keep looking, and prolong the hiring process, until they find someone they love.

Once, I interviewed a young man who showed up for his nine o’clock interview and asked how long this would take because he had to leave at nine-thirty for work. I was like, Don’t let me get in your way, buddy.

Then there’s the woman who came in for an early morning interview after accidentally filling in her eyebrows with a purple eyeliner pencil instead of brown. That’s an honest mistake, but it’s a costly one when you’re applying for a job where “attention to detail” matters.

Or my favorite: the woman who Skyped in for an interview from a tiny office at work and was always looking up to see if her colleagues were watching. Yes, dammit, they’re watching you. I’m watching you watch them. It was all very meta.

To nail an interview and speed up the timeline, be an active player in the process. If a recruiter asks you to interview at a time that doesn’t work for you—early morning, late at night, during your weekly staff meeting—put yourself first and say no. You have agency. Suggest alternative times. Otherwise, you’re coming at this in a half-assed way, and it’s over before it’s begun.

Next, look fresh. I’m not asking you to get a makeover, but I am asking you to respect the process enough to impress the hiring team. Yes, there is a beauty bias in our culture. Yes, our interview processes are flawed and based on random first impressions that don’t correlate to success. But you can nail the interview by wearing what you’d wear to have lunch with Oprah. Would you throw on old clothes to meet the richest woman in America? Flip-flops? Leggings that are worn out and show your underwear? I don’t think so.

One middle-aged dude interviewed for a customer service manager job in the nicest version of Harley gear that I’ve ever seen. We offered him the role because he’d probably wear that to have a burger with Oprah and her best friend Gayle. And sure, I’ve hired plenty of people in golf shirts and khakis—which is the standard dressy-business-casual attire for white men everywhere—but I’ve also selected individuals with tattoos and piercings who look phenomenal and would kill it at tea with Oprah any day of the week.

If you ever wonder what to wear for an interview, it’s simple. Be you on your terms. Just freshen it up and try to impress the most successful woman on the planet. Don’t bankrupt yourself by buying expensive accessories or pretend to be someone else in luxury labels you can’t afford. Oprah respects a deal at TJ Maxx.