When is the interview over?

Don't make the mistake of thinking the interview is over as soon as you walk out the office's door! Read this first!

A woman who works for a trucking company told me she watches interview candidates all the way out to the parking lot. "I want to see what their cars look like," she said. "Because if we are going to trust them with a $120,000 vehicle, we want to see if they take care of their personal vehicle. Is it clean?  Does it have scrapes and dents?  Bumper stickers?"

A lot of people in human resources are looking out the windows.  And their stories are great: candidates parking in the handicapped parking without qualifying tags, stripping down into something more comfortable before they drive away, hanging out on their cell phones like they are on a stake out of next candidate (Inside the building, they are asking, "Is he/she still there?") and my personal favorite, making out with the person who drove them.

The interview is not over with the final handshake or when the front door closes behind you. Do not linger and make sure your impression outside the business is professional.

Thank you Culture and Manners Institute!