Out of Pod Experience

Get a suit, and I'm not talking something cheap, I mean GET A SUIT. It will be a bit of a cost but it's worth it in the long run. If you are sporting a neckbeard, make sure to remove that as well, including the pornstache. You can always grow it back in afterward. One of our business walk ins also suggested a haircut as well though that may be subject to Employer taste.

Create a portfolio. Be able to show the Employer what you have accomplished up until now. For you this would mean any major projects in school, possibly even some side projects if you have gotten around to it. For instance I've got this video on youtube and I plan to add a lamp assembly soon. I can also use several architectural designs (one of which I posted up here a while back), and for side projects I came up with a few designs for a Tram shell on a trailer for a guy working with Trampower England, and I am currently designing (and building) a grey water shed and a full size portable outdoor kitchen. Remember, you are there to sell yourself. If he asks you about X, give him an example of how YOU worked with or around problem X.

Also get on to LinkedIn. It's kind like a facebook for professionals. But they also drop helpful articles from time to time.

Also, just coming from me personally, don't ever lose the redneck in you. City life is where you make a living, country life is where you live.

You'll need to have answers to the following questions:

What makes good design, and why?

What makes bad design, and why?

What do you want to achieve, and why?

What is standing in your way to achieve this, and how are you going to remove the things that are in your way?

Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?

How do you deal with challenges?

Do you have an eye for detail? Explain why.

What is the future of design, and what changes shall be needed in the industry to meet this future?


The above are all fairly standard interview questions, rehearse the answers in the mirror, with your most honest, wide-eyed, trustworthy face possible.

Ultimately, they wish to gauge whether they should invest time and resources in training and coaching you.

Arrogance is your enemy.

Look them in the eye - if you are being interviewed by two people, focus on the left eye of the one on the left and right eye of the person on the right, if speaking directly. This will keep your eyes rock steady. Unfixed eyes will show uncertainty in what your are saying, which will ultimately weaken your statements.

Remember; communication is less about what your say, than how you say it. So, slow down the answers and stress important words & phrases like '...I believe...' , '...the key to...' , '...in my experience, the best approach...' , '...I have always felt that design is...' - people only listen or take in about 5% of what you say anyway, like scan-reading a website, you only retain relevance, not itty-bitty.

Gesticulation is fine, but move slowly and with purpose. Practice these; rainbow, rain, escalation, linearity, left/right curves, sunrise, sunset, off-centre, smoothness, roughness, tunnels and plucking petals. Doesn't have to be dance-floor worthy, but subtle enough to strengthen your statements and responses. See how they respond to this. If their eyes follow your gestures, you got them.

If you cannot answer a question in two sentences, it will reek of indecision and inability to be concise. This is important as the ability to convey a complex and detailed idea succinctly under pressure is vital. They may come to rely on you to provide answers to questions at the drop of a hat.

Would they want to put you in front of a client?

"The client is king"

Be professional, and enthusiastic; the rest will fall into place.

Don't be Pinocchio. They will see through it in less time than it takes to say 'thanks for coming in'.

Cherry on the cake - ask to meet everyone whilst you are there. Shake their hand, introduce yourself, state their name when known and repeat it when you say goodbye. They will remember you, and if you made a good impression, will ask the senior management whether you were successful, or not.

They would rather hire someone with zero experience who would get on with their staff, than someone who got 1,600 on their SAT's and spends their time bitching about how stupid everyone is at their job.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WEAR AFTER-SHAVE

Get a goods nights sleep, and drink a litre of water before you go to bed - this'll keep the skin lookin' fresh n rosey the next day and minimise pimples.

AK

Some good advice in this thread.


The point about one good business suit is important. In 1996 I got an expensive suit, tailored and all that, and have been using it since then (luckily it still fits). You should always have that one good business suit with a conservative tie for job interviews, court, etc.

Never worry about being overdressed for an interview too. If you are asked why you are wearing a suit, and everybody even the interviewer is in jeans and T-Shirts, tell them you had more appointments previously unless it's very early. I have never been asked.


Once, in Seattle, I went to a job interview for a IT and wore my suit, but since I was hitting every interview I could get ( I have a wide wide range of skills), I also had an interview for a welding job down in the nearby seaport. So I brought my coveralls too. When I got to the welding job in my suit, they thought I was an inspector from the government. Definitely overdressed!! But before welding as part of the interview I put on my coveralls and you can still see my tie at the collar of course - still overdressed but I didn't get any holes in my suit. They offered me a job but by then I found a job elsewhere.


The next good advice is how to handle questions about your capabilities. Real work is more about your ability to solve problems and less about what you know. So if you cannot answer a direct question about something, make a point to honestly say you don't know, but describe in best and most proficient terms how you would find out how to solve the problem (don't say "I would google it").

Another area to score points is to have questions for them, instead of just being asked questions and then having nothing for them. Research the organization and their goals and come up with some questions beforehand. It makes it see, like you are engaged in the endeavor of coming to them for work and not just going through the motions of an interview.