Candid camera

With the help of a career coach, four college students learn presentation tips for job interviews

Patricia Kitchen | Change@work

April 25, 2004

First of three parts

People may think that getting a job is all about having the right skills. But it also has a lot to do with the image you present. Do you come across as a gawky, uninitiated novice who wouldn't even know how to answer a telephone? Or as a reasonably smooth professional who could be trusted to represent an employer well?

Because it's hard to flip automatically from student to professional mode, we've invited four college students to work with Dinah Day, a Manhattan career coach and image consultant, for three "charm school" sessions. Among the subjects: basic speaking skills, appearance and etiquette.

"This is like putting all the pieces together - it's completing the puzzle," said Emily Buchberg of Baldwin, after the second session. She graduates in December with a fashion marketing degree from Nassau Community College.

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So, this week and the next two, we'll report on what they're learning and how they're integrating it into their lives.

'We love this camera," Day told the four students, all looking skeptical at the beginning of the first session held one Saturday morning at a studio in Manhattan. After speaking of the value of "living out on the edge, where it's a little uncomfortable - out on the skinny branches" of the tree, she plunged right in, asking each to introduce him or herself while being videotaped.

It's all about establishing rapport with interviewers - a likability, she said. "They hire your energy." Think of hailing a taxi cab, she told them. "You don't kinda hail it. You speak up loud and say, 'TAXI.'"

After all four students had been taped, they watched the replays as Day told them how to build on their strengths. Instead of leaping on the flaws, Day, who works often on college campuses, pointed out their strong points first.

Despite feeling terrified when speaking to groups, said Okleha Bazile, 21, a finance major at Pace University, she did not stutter or shake, as she'd feared. Indeed, Day told her, she has great posture and demeanor.

But she advised Bazile, a junior from Jamaica, Queens, as well as the others, to avoid dwelling on either earlier gaffes or the scary implications of blowing any one job interview. That just "puts you in a downward spiral." Instead, stay in the moment and try saying this

"verbal intervention" to yourself: "People enjoy me and I love presenting to them. I love meeting new people."

Sure, it may not be true, but "your body remembers what your mind tells it," Day said. This is a good way to cut down on the jitters that can lead to mumbling and negative body language, such as rounded shoulders and downcast eyes.

Shablall Mohabir, a senior at Farmingdale State University of New York, reluctantly removed his cap for the taping. A computer engineering technology major, he came across as serious and monotone at first, but he lit right up when speaking about the side business doing computer repairs he's starting with two fellow students. At that point he flashed a mega-watt smile the others all commented on later.

"Use this face more often, especially on an interview," Day told him. "Smiling like that when you meet people helps them feel closer to you."

Because Mohabir, 23, of South Ozone Park, has a name that may be hard for U.S.-born interviewers to pronounce - he's originally from Guyana - he might want to enunciate it more slowly so people won't be as likely to ask him to repeat it, she told him. He also needs to work to keep energy in the end of sentences, so the last few words don't trail off.

And how about that mustache, Day asked him. Would he consider removing it so he would look a little less casual? He said he wanted to check with his wife on that one.

Even before Day could comment on the video, Buchberg, 19, squirmed and said, "I don't like the sound of my voice" and "I look like I'm 5," in response to seeing her hand gesturing and shoulder shrugging.

Buchberg, a sales associate at Nordstrom who's just been accepted in a management training program there, said she would like to work on doing a better job pronouncing words with the "sh" and "ch" sounds.

But Day pointed to the energy and spirit she shows when she speaks. "You just have to learn how to style this enthusiasm. You might want to slow down a little. And for a corporate meeting, keep your hands more quiet." She later sent Buchberg an e-mail with tips on pronunciation.

Earlier in the session, Carlos Castillo, about to receive his degree in media arts from Long Island University, Brooklyn campus, said, "I am somewhat shy, but I will speak up when I need to." He told of his being named to "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges." The question he and others had was how to mention such honors to interviewers without seeming conceited.

These are perfect "talking points," said Day, for when you are asked to tell about yourself or your greatest strengths. See it as educating the interviewer, not bragging.

Her advice to Castillo, 23, of Inwood, was to breathe a little more, as even he commented that "I do hold my breath a little."

The four agreed that the camera proved not to be such an enemy, after all. "I learned I was not as bad as I thought," said Bazile.

Indeed, over the course of the following week, both Castillo and Mohabir reported practicing speaking more slowly and clearly. Even the guys at school, who really don't care much about such things, noticed Mohabir's improved enunciation, he said. "I guess this is helpful after all."

Day also passed out gift bags from a contact at Clarins, a French beauty products company. Goodies like that call for expressions of gratitude, she said, so the students' assignment for next week was to draft thank-you notes (handwritten, not e-mailed) to their benefactor at Clarins.

Their other assignment - come to the next session dressed for a job interview. And watch the details. She warned the women, especially, to examine their shoes, as men seem to be more inclined to buff, polish and watch those run-down heels.

"Everything you carry with you or wear says, 'This person really cares; this person is taking this seriously.'"