October 15, 2026

I read, ok, if I’m being honest with myself, quickly scan through all these tedious articles on my Internet home page (not saying which one, because my colleagues use other ones, and they’re all as bad as each other, the home pages, not my colleagues), giving career advice. They all seem to have numbers in the titles, to attract your attention: 5 things to say in interview, 10 things not to say in interview, 3 tips for the perfect cover letter, 5 things not to do in the office, 2 words that’ll get you the job, 4 things not to

You know they’re going to ask the stinkeroonie questions and you half prepare for them. Or you come up with what you think is a reasonable answer but no-one has told you whether it was good or bad  — an interviewer will never say in feedback, “It was your answer to my favorite ‘weakness’ question that made me reject your application.” So what’s a candidate to do? What is one of your worst weaknesses? Horrible question. The point is, you shouldn’t give them one. I mean, you want the job. Why give them ammo not to hire you. But they’ve

It’s easy to obsess about the difficult interview questions. You know the sort of thing:  “What’s the most awkward situation you’ve ever dealt with?” (Tempting to answer, “I’m in it right now. How am I doing?”). But don’t forget the simple rules of interviewing. It’s a form of kabuki theater (stylized, formal theatre to the uninitiated), and you shouldn’t really try to bend or, heaven forbid, break the rules. It’s probably the first time the potential employer will have met you and if you do anything too out-the-ordinary, they’re going to start worrying, “Whatever will they do/wear/say when they have

Lovely company, people seem normal and you could work happily with them. Good job, money and benefits. We’ve established therefore that you really want the job. But frankly, the interviewing team e.g. mixture of HR, managers and future colleagues haven’t quite got it together to co-ordinate questions & feedback. In the course of the interviews they all ask the same “difficult” question. Clearly they have all read the same book, “How to Interview People and Thereby  Impress Your Mother”. How do you answer so that you don’t sound stale? Worse, what if comes out that you gave an identical answer

Usually it’s so simple deciding what to wear for interview and indeed on the job that it’s hardly worth discussing. But the younger generation has a different sensibility from boring old Margaret, so that it’s worth a blog article about it. Not that I, Margaret, am the one who decides what’s correct! It’s your potential employers who rule the roost. Here are the guidelines from a major insurance company (thanks for giving me permission to print, chaps)…. Insurance companies are a good standard for deciding what’s appropriate for a lot of New York companies. They are formal without being stuffy.

….today’s lesson, gals and guys, will be to talk about the wrongstuff when you visit an employment agency. First, though, please, a word about employment agencies from our point of view. We are here to help you find jobs, and to help our clients find the very best people to fill those jobs. We help our candidates, for free, with their resumes, with their interview techniques, with advice on how not to blow it. Candidates for their part should recognize that, friendly, helpful, and sometimes informal though we might be, we are still interviewing you, just as our clients do.