To Do Or Not To Do...

...that is the question! Enough Hamlet, let's get serious.

When attending a job interview, there are certain points of contention as to what to do, or what not to do. Often, someone advising you to do one thing, and it is the very thing that others are telling you not to do.

What should you do, then? Take a poll?

No, not at all. Feedback is helpful, but often, you need to put everything in perspective. Sometimes the reasons people advise you to do (or not do) certain things may not apply to the situation. Sometimes the reasons made sense back in the 60s, but are ridiculously obsolete now.

Let's take a look at some of the things that people claim you should do during the interview process, and examine the reasons for doing, or not doing, them. Specifically, in the tech context.

Before: Cover Letter

Some recruiting firms claim that this is a way to make your resume stand out. It gives hints to your personality, and your ability to (gasp!) write a letter. In fact, it's very strongly recommended that you write a cover letter. Personally, I think that if a company is going to insist on a cover letter before they even look at my resume, they better be one motherfucking huge badass company to warrant that level of effort - in which case they probably receive more cover letters than they care to look at. Cover letters are meant for companies you really want to join, as opposed to those you apply to simply because you need a goddamn job. Again, if a company is vain enough to require that an applicant wants to join them specifically, they better be huge. Like Google huge.

Do at least write a perfunctory introductory email in addition to attaching your resume when you apply. A couple of lines will suffice. Because, otherwise, the email just looks odd with only a subject title and an attachment. It may even look like spam.

Don't overdo it. Nothing screams desperation like trying too hard. There's no need to rehash your resume, or write mountains of paragraphs just to show you know how to write three-syllable words. Less is more. Trying too hard is not appealing in an applicant.

Welcome!

There's also no need to worry too much about personality. Heavens, you're a techie, not a club hostess. Personality is a liability. A company wanting to hire a tech for personality is barking up the wrong fucking tree and you're better off avoiding that potential trainwreck.

If in doubt, don't. Let's face it - the tech scene in Singapore is flooded with foreigners, the majority of whom English is not their strongest suit. Where it comes to leaving out the cover letter altogether, you're in good company.

During: Wearing a tie

Some old-school business people like to see applicants wear a tie when interviewing. It reminds them of the good old days where a visual first impression was one of the main factors of consideration. Personally, I prefer to wear a pressed shirt. Nice shoes. Combed hair, cleanly shaved, a touch of cologne. The works. And yes, a tie. Not that I think it matters that much; but if I'm going to spend good money on a four-foot piece of fabric, I'm damn well going to employ every feasible excuse to wear it. Even when interviewing for a startup, because that's how I roll.

Tie or no tie?

Note that it isn't necessarily just about how you appear to the interviewer. As a tech, it's your skills that are important, true. But employers may also want to get a glimpse of how you would carry yourself in a non-technical context, i.e, when representing the company to speak to clients. In that sense, your value isn't in just your technical skills, but also your communication skills.

Do be presentable. Obey the stated dress code, and yes, if it's formal, put that tie on.

Don't disregard the stated dress code. If they say "casual", for example, don't do the whole blazer-and-tie route. If you can't seem to understand basic instructions, you're probably not much of a hire. That said, don't take "casual" to the extreme and show up in berms and slippers. That's a no-brainer, right?

If in doubt, don't. Most techies don't bother going beyond a nice shirt, pants and shoes. You're not going to stand out for not bothering either.

After: Follow-up letter

Again, recruiters like to make a big song and dance about how important it is that you stand out from the crowd, be memorable, and all that hogwash. Remind them that you exist, and so on. It's recommended that you send an email thanking the interviewer(s) for their time and inquiring after the job.

Thank you for your time!

Do exercise a little common courtesy and thank the interviewer for their time, perhaps a few days after.

Don't be pushy or needy. Don't mention that you need a job. Few things kill off your hopes of getting hired faster than looking like you have no other options. People always want to hire techies who have options, unless they're planning to hire desperate cases in order to exploit them.

Oh, and don't send the follow-up email right away. Timing is everything.

If in doubt, do it. If you've already blown the interview, it's still good manners. If not, it revives your chances. If you've accepted another offer, all the more you should do it.

Do, or don't do?

As I said earlier, a lot of it depends on context. Even when you narrow it down to a tech context, the answer's not always cut-and-dry. Exercise some judgement!

Do have a nice day. Don't sweat the small stuff!
T___T