Interview Success: Nail the Interview & Know When They Lie

Interview Success: Nail the Interview & Know When They Lie

Interview success isn’t as tricky as jobseekers might think. Whether you are looking for a career in hair, beauty or another field, nailing the interview has a lot to do with confidence and asking the right questions, because oftentimes the interviewer doesn’t reveal the entire scope of the job.

Happy Monday hotties, and welcome to Ask the Pro Stylist’s Hair Police piece for the week. As some of you are aware, I recently participated in a Spike TV reality program called Family Takeover. Unfortunately my chosen career didn’t contribute nearly enough to the family finances, therefore I was assigned the task, as you will soon see, to find a job of a certain income.

My first job out of the gate was temping in a local law firm as a paralegal assistant, earning more than was requested. This was an easy in. I posted a status on Facebook, which a friend saw, and the job was mine: interview success was guaranteed.

The paralegal was returning sooner than expected and I needed to find another job quick. In my desperation I took a job in another law firm, which grossly misrepresented the job description/title. There was interview success on my part, however, this position lasted only 4 days because the three bosses lied during the process.

I thought I had landed my dream job when a woman contacted me for a local salon in Rockville Centre. She is a businesswoman and I was bamboozled into thinking this was the perfect spot. In my desperation to find another job, I immediately jumped at the opportunity, believing I had immense interview success in our meetings.

I thought I knew the questions to ask, as my prior job held back the facts throughout the interview process. I believed the owner when she informed me of my hours, duties, and requirements, including the possibility of a good future. I had no reason to think there were massive internal problems, because she assured me she had a quality staff that was merely on vacation. Not one person had lasted the full 18 months the salon had been opened; a fact I immediately learned from the 2 girls who also just started, and through a few guests’ concerns. The shop had a huge turn around of employees. Big red flag!

Having been a business owner that also recently partook in a various amount of job interviews in a short timespan, I felt this was an important topic for this Monday’s column, especially as not being forthright in the process hurts both the employer and future prospects, thus landing the last 2 employers a violation from the Hair Police.

So what can you do to guarantee interview success?

• Be confident, not cocky.
• Don’t seem desperate. You might be, but the interviewer doesn’t need to smell blood.
• Write your questions down, and have them handy during the interview.
• Do an Internet search beforehand; however, don’t believe everything you read on Yelp. It was obvious the salon had planted 5-star reviews, which were countered with 1-star ones. There were no middle of the road critiques…another red flag.
• A tour should be offered, if not, then ask for one. The law office had my interviews hidden from other staffers. I should have insisted…another big red flag.
• Don’t hesitate to inquire why you wouldn’t want the job. Not everyday is going to be perfect, but understand that you will spend most of your waking day at work, and you don’t want it to be full of stress. BE informed about the pros and cons.
• And finally, don’t undervalue yourself. This was a huge lesson Victor Antonio impressed upon me. If you believe you are overqualified to fetch coffee, you ARE!

Visit me next Monday for another edition of Ask the Pro Stylist’s Hair Police with hair and beauty advice that could be similar to today’s tips for interview success. Until then, happy styling!

©Deirdre Haggerty, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior written permission and consent from the author.