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Things you should never do during a job interview

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No matter what stage you are at in your career, going on a job interview can be unnerving. Anxiety and stress may rear their ugly heads, and the fear of the unknown can be equally nerve-wracking. Even if you are normally calm, cool, and collected, the prospect of meeting with a potential employer for the first time in a setting where you must be at your best can cause palms to sweat and insecurity to come out of the woodwork.

But you can do this! Nail your interview by being well-prepared, polished, and poised. If you are the right person for the job and you make a stellar impression, chances are you'll get the job. That said, there are some things that can ruin your chances of being hired. The actions and behaviors below are major no-nos. Stay on top of your interview manners and you will be one step closer from nailing the gig.

Not Learning as Much as Possible About the Company

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You wouldn't show up for an exam without studying, so do not arrive at your interview without knowing as much as you can about the company and the person interviewing you. Show you have a vested interest in the business by doing your homework.

As suggested by Michael Page Career Advice, "Check the 'About Us' link on the company website and read their mission statement. Find out who the competition and major players in the market are." These days, a search is just a click away, so there is no excuse not to know at least the basics about the company and the job you are about to be interviewing for.

Knowledge is power! Prove you are proactive and prepped.

Dressing Unprofessionally

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What is on the inside is what counts, but your outward appearance reflects your sensibilities and understanding of the type of business you are trying to be part of. You do not need to dress in a way that isn't your personal style, but there is a level of professionalism and appropriateness that is expected and appreciated.

Career Builder notes, "Wearing clothes that are too tight or too loose, too dressy or too casual, or wearing brands and logos in professional settings is a bad sign, according to 49 percent of hiring managers."

And according to The Balance, "Err on the side of overdressing to demonstrate that you are serious about the opportunity."

Dress to impress and for interview success!

Showing Up Late

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Unless there was an unfortunate accident or horrible unexpected storm, there are not many other acceptable reasons to show up late to an interview. As per Michael Page Career Advice, "Unless you have a very good excuse and ring ahead to rearrange, turning up late for an appointment will not endear you to any employer." Their time is valuable, so wasting it will surely leave a sour taste in their mouth… before that first handshake.

As The Balance recommends, "Prepare your travel carefully and leave a cushion for unexpected delays. Arriving late can be a deal breaker and create the impression that you might be an irresponsible employee."

Save those "fashionably late" moments for your personal life. Don't forget, the early bird catches the worm. If you turn up too late, you may be shown the door before you're even invited inside.

Some other interview blunders?

  • Lying
  • Leaving your cell phone on… or worse, texting during the interview
  • Fidgeting
  • Poor posture
  • Bashing your previous boss or company
  • Getting too personal
  • Not making eye contact

Make the most of the interview experience by remembering to be yourself, remain confident, and speak clearly. Be honest, open, and show you are trustworthy, eager, and smart. Good luck!

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5 things you should probably leave off your resume

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We are always being told what to include on our resume, but there are things we ought to leave off as well. More is sometimes just more - not necessarily useful, and some items can be exhibited more clearly and concisely, as well as projected more professionally.

As per The Balance, "Recruiters can take as little as thirty seconds to conduct an initial review of your resume. You should avoid cluttering your document with unnecessary information which might make it harder for the employer to find the most qualifying elements of your background."

Redo your resume by letting go of fillers and wording that doesn't represent the best version of yourself and your accomplishments. Potential employers will be impressed with you before they even meet you in person!

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An Objective

Many resumes start off with an objective, which usually consists of a generalized statement that nearly anyone would agree is sensible, but not specific. "I'm seeking to grow with your company," or "I will use my education and experience to excel at a new position," are not particularly useful or give any indication of how you'll add value to the business.

The Muse suggests an alternative. "Craft an executive summary or 'Who I Am' section that showcases your overarching value proposition and speaks directly to the stuff you know the target audience is going to care the most about. This is your chance to make it clear you're a strong fit."

This summary of qualifications, "encompasses your skills, abilities, professional expertise, and what makes you most suitable for the position," as per The Balance.

"Big" Words

Stick to the facts of what you have done thus far using simple and straightforward language that gets the point across clearly. Now is not the time to show off your broad vocabulary or former spelling bee champ internal word database. All this will do is become a distraction, making your resume harder to read, not to mention, borderline obnoxious.

According to The Muse, "Using non-conversational words doesn't make you look smart; it makes you look like someone who spends too much time in a thesaurus."

Let your background speak for itself. If you need to adorn your experiences with "bells and whistles," perhaps you need to rework how you layout your past responsibilities, so they reflect your work ethic and valuable skills and experience.

Insignificant Jobs

Depending upon how long you have been in the workforce, there may not be a need to list every job you've ever had. If you are applying for a senior-level position, those two months of scooping ice cream the summer after college aren't going to sweeten the deal.

According to U.S. News & World Report, "Short-term jobs raise red flags for hiring managers, who will wonder if you were fired, couldn't do the work, or had trouble getting along with co-workers. Plus, a few months on a job won't typically be useful in showing any real accomplishments or advancement anyway."

The Muse adds, "Unless something you did more than 12-15 years ago is vital for your target audience to know about, you don't need to list the entry-level job or internship you held in 1994. It's totally OK to leave some of the life history off."

Personal Info

While a resume is all about you, it must be related to work experience specifically. This is not your mini-autobiography. Not only can adding non-professional info be "TMI," but it may make your resume super-long and difficult to peruse.

For instance, as Inc. suggests, "Don't list hobbies on your resume--save these for interview conversation. And any awards you list should be from community service or previous work." Even more importantly, "Don't include things like date of birth, ethnicity, religious affiliations (unless the job you're going for is somehow related), reasons for leaving your previous job, specific street addresses, or phone numbers of previous employers."

Additionally, "Unless you're applying for a job as a model or actor, photos of yourself have no place on your resume. Since your appearance has nothing to do with your ability to do the job, including a photo comes across as naive and unprofessional," notes U.S. News & World Report. The interviewer will have plenty of time to see your face if you are asked to meet in person.

Silly/Unprofessional Email Address

If you still have that same email account from high school or college made up from a nickname or something silly, stupid, or scandalous, now's the time to get a brand new professional email address. Start things off on the right foot without embarrassment or being passed over altogether.

As Inc. recommends, "[email protected]," may have been fun to use at one point in your life, but in the professional world, it's a miss.

And perhaps an even worse idea is to use an email address from your current place of employment, as noted by The Muse. "Nothing says, 'I job search on company time' quite like using your current work email address on a resume. Unless you own the company, it's poor form to run your job search through your company's email system."

If you still think your resume can use some fine-tuning and refreshing, let TopResume take care of your resume for you. Get a free expert review, career advice, or have them rewrite your resume for you. TopResume guarantees they will get you two times more job interviews within 60 days by signing up with one of their resume packages.

Revamp that resume and get the job you're seeking. Good luck!

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Why restaurants are moving away from tipping

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To tip or not to tip? That is the question these days… not on the minds of patrons, but from restaurant owners themselves. Would eliminating the common, longtime practice of tipping waitstaff benefit employees as well as diners?

As per H Careers, "Some activists and commentators criticize the practice of tipping at restaurants, often alleging that tipped workers like servers and bartenders are underpaid. According to supporters of the so-called 'no-tipping movement', restaurants should eliminate tipping and instead institute a service charge or raise prices in efforts to pay their workers higher wages. The discrepancy in pay between servers and back of house employees is a reason some restaurateurs want to end tipping (as well)."

This seems like a reasonable notion, as some people are poor or inadequate tippers despite satisfactory service. And restaurant employees like waitstaff, bartenders, runners, and bussers rely heavily on tips as part of their take-home pay.

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"Employees in other occupations know their pay rate before starting work. Waiters, waitresses and bartenders, on the other hand, often have no idea how much they will earn from a day's labor," as per The Conversation. "Shifting to a model where labor costs are built into food and drink prices has many benefits. It shifts risk away from workers by eliminating uncertainty and by providing more stability in a server's pay."

Danny Meyer of the Union Square Hospitality Group is one of the more well-known restauranteurs aboard the no-tip train. As of Nov. 2015, Union Square Hospitality Group, "roll(ed) out an across-the-board elimination of tips at every one of its thirteen full-service venues, hand in hand with an across-the-board increase in (menu) prices," as per Eater New York.

Meyer stated, "The American system of tipping is awkward for all parties involved: restaurant patrons are expected to have the expertise to motivate and properly remunerate service professionals; servers are expected to please up to 1,000 different employers (for most of us, one boss is enough!); and restaurateurs surrender their use of compensation as an appropriate tool to reward merit and promote excellence."

Some other popular restaurants which don't take tips, as per CNN, include Manhattan's Dirt Candy, Chicago's Alinea, and San Francisco's Bar Agricole.

Thrillist notes two main reasons to get rid of tipping. "The first is moral. Studies have shown diners judge servers (and therefore adjust their tips) based on looks and race, and servers judge diners (and therefore adjust their effort) on age, race, and ethnicity. The server is incentivized to drive up the check and manipulate the diner. And the diner can use the tip as a weird form of punishment/reward. The second argument is wage discrepancy."

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Do diners prefer tipping or is this no-tipping method on its way to becoming the new norm? Cake from Sysco suggests some pros of a no-tip policy. "Guests may be excited to try a brand-new way of dining. Raising ticket prices allows restaurant operators to raise wages for all employees, including servers, barbacks, and kitchen staff. Higher wages increase employee loyalty and morale." That said, there are the cons. "Some critics are concerned that without tips, staff will be less motivated to provide great service." Plus, the adjustment will take time to get used to.

If a restaurant-wide end to tipping ever comes about, it is sure to be gradual, but as more and more restaurants adopt the payment model, the more customers will get accustomed to it. Would you like to see an end to tipping and an increase in menu prices to make up for the change?

'Till then, tip your server fairly and if they've gone above and beyond, generously.

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How to Develop an Effective Elevator Pitch

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Elevators in corporate office hold quite a few people. In this instance, the Editor-in-chief and CEO of the magazine I had just interviewed to intern for was standing next to me.

He turned his head and looked at me quizzically.

"Do you work for me?" he asked me.

"Not yet," came out of my mouth. And the entire elevator filled with business professionals became incredibly quiet.

He was taken aback at first. Then he laughed and everyone laughed.

"Good answer," he told me.

My academic advisor died laughing. She said that was the shortest elevator pitch she's ever heard. I was surprised I had an elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is a clear, brief summary about you, your work and what you can do for a company. Think of it as an oral cover letter that's 30 seconds or less. It's quick—normally the length of an elevator ride— hence the name. An effective pitch normally has three parts.

Start with who are you. It's pretty basic. Summarize your skills and unique traits into clear, concise thoughts. Emphasizing your distinctive take on a skill is important to standing out. If you're a social media expert, what is your area of expertise? "I am adept at turning niche content into viral hits on Instagram and Twitter" is far more memorable than "I am a social media savvy millennial."

The second piece is your ask or your goal. Are you looking for an opportunity to work with or for a company? Or are you asking from an interview, advice, or connections? Be honest and specific about what you want. It shows you have a goal in mind and are interested in completing the necessary steps to achieve the goal.

End with your why. Why do you want what you are pitching for? It needs to be genuine and or compelling, because otherwise why grant your request? "I want help people" or "I want to make your company better" is not enough. "I'm interested continuing research in food production in countries with high malnutrition rates in order to find a reliable solution to improving children's health." Or "I believe in your company's philosophy and helping you helps bring a bigger audience to the issue of the pay gap."

Once you've put all of your pieces together, it's time to practice delivery. There's a very fine line between being confident and cocky. Don't promise the moon when you know you can't deliver it. Knowing how to tip toe the line into delivering a strong, elevator pitch takes practice. Try your elevator pitch to yourself in a mirror. Then try it on friends and family until you can deliver it with confidence and without stuttering.