Crazy Good Interviewing: How Acting A Little Crazy Can Get You The Job

Crazy Good Interviewing Tips

1. Display a unique talent. One candidate, who was interviewing as for a position as a choir director, sang all of her responses to interview questions. Another applicant delivered his responses as a rap song.
2. Display a unique skill that relates directly to the position. One candidate, who was interviewing for a position in Flight Operations for a major airline, was able to read the interviewer’s questions upside down from across the table faster than the interviewer could read them right side up.  It turns out he had served in military intelligence.
3. Consider a creative angle. When one job applicant was asked to bring his portfolio and three references to his Monday morning job interview for a sales position, he showed up with his three buddies. When the receptionist asked who the three other men were, he responded, “They are my references.” Any guy who can convince three people to accompany him to an early-morning interview is sure to be a persuasive salesman!
4. Learn all you can about the organization so you can ask intelligent and insightful questions. One successful job candidate even had helpful suggestions for restructuring the organization after he researched the competitors and the industry.
5. Be prepared to think outside the box in response to weird interview questions. For example, when one hiring manager asked “How many paperclips would it take to fill this room?” the applicant replied, “Regular or jumbo-size clips?”
6. Be passionate about outside interests. For example, if you coach youth soccer, describe your role communicating with players, parents and other coaches and how this experience relates to the position you’re applying for. 

Crazy Bad Interviewing Tips

1. While waiting in the reception area before the interview, do not exhibit unprofessional behavior, such as humming or singing aloud to your iPod, applying make-up, or flossing your teeth.
2. Don’t play with yourself; for example, tugging at your blouse or shirt collar or pulling at your pant crotch to create more ball room is very distracting. Keep your hands on the arms of the chair. And for goodness sake: If you can pick it, don’t!
3. Do not bad-mouth former employers.  This will backfire on you and alert the interviewer that you could be a chronic complainer. 
4. Do not answer your phone or glance down to read incoming texts during the interview. Silence your phone or, better yet, turn it off! 
5. Do not inquire about employee benefits, bonuses, vacation time, flex time or on-site daycare before you receive a job offer.  Show what you can bring to the table first!

Tips for Veterans Re-entering the Corporate World

1. Be careful about overusing "sir" and "ma'am." It will get tedious in civilian life.
2. Play to the strengths of teamwork and working as a unit.
3. Talk about your experiences in leadership roles.
4. Talk about discipline and comfort with designing efficient routines and processes.
5. Get up to speed on social media and become familiar with video interviewing, such as Skype and FaceTime, to show you are on the cutting edge.