Page 106 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

somebody when they walk in, and that first look sets the tone
for the remainder of the interview.
Irrespective of what other people might say or think,
I personally believe that presentation ranks very highly, because
those first impressions are very hard to change. As part of

your preparation for a job interview you should be continually
reviewing how you will come across – and not just physically,
but mentally and emotionally too.

Whether you like it or not, people will judge you on the way
you look. You have to accept that the judgement can go against
you. My question is always this: ‘Why would you take the risk?’

setting out your stall

Everything about you is like a shop window – how you look,

sound, present yourself, walk, speak, what briefcase or bag
you are carrying when you walk into the interview. Each of
these forms part of the overall window display. if you are not
prepared to invest in the way you display yourself, why

should you expect to be successful?

When I first set up my recruitment company Alexander
Mann, I persuaded the rather sni≠y manageress of a serviced
o≤ce building in Pall Mall to let me rent a minuscule o≤ce

there. I would always meet clients in the impressive entrance
hall and suggest that we nip out for a co≠ee to chat. I would
tell them there were far too many people upstairs to have a
proper private talk, or something along those lines. The reality

94 get the job you really want