One of my summer reads this year has been #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso, Founder and CEO of Nasty Gal. I admired her and what she has accomplished even before I knew her story. And knowing more about her story only makes me more admirative. I enjoyed her book, and her messages to women entering the workforce – and cannot recommend the book enough to young women everywhere.

In particular, her chapter on “Hiring, Staying Employed, and Firing” resonated with me. I am fortunate enough to have three amazing summer interns for Alchimie Forever this year (Alchimie’s Angels, as we know them, partly because all three have names that start with A). As I have gotten to know them better over the last couple of months, they have shared some of their dreams, fears, and professional ambitions with me. They remind me of how it was to be a junior or senior in college, of the unique combination of carefreeness and stress of that time. And their stage of life reminds me of the painful process that interviewing can be.

On page 161 of her book, Amoruso lists “Interview No-No’s That May Doom You to Unemployment.” Here is her list of interviewing tips, with which I wholeheartedly agree:

–       “Chewing gum

–       Bringing things with you – a beverage, a pet, a boyfriend, a child

–       Leaning back in your chair and crossing your arms

–       Staring at the floor, out the window, or at the interviewer’s boobs

–       Picking your nose or your nails

–       Having your phone even visible

–       Having zero questions

–       Asking so many questions that it seems like you’re interviewing the interviewer

–       Not writing a thank-you email or note – I especially love a handwritten note because to me, someone who knows to have good manners knows how to get what she wants in this world

–       Dressing like you’re headed to a nightclub instead of a job interview

–       As a female, thinking that you don’t have to wear a bra, even if you’re interviewing at a company with a name like Nasty Gal”

 

I would add a couple more recommendations to her list:

–       Be late, even by one minute

–       Be too early; if you arrive more than 10 minutes early, find a nearby coffeeshop

–       Lie on your resume, in particular about languages; you never know when your interviewer might switch to French because you have “conversational French”

–       Cry

To all young women (and men) interviewing everywhere, good luck! And to my three amazing interns, enjoy the process!