Demar Tracey, Outlook Youth Writer
It's your first interview after leaving school for more than a year; you are desperately trying to enter the working world, so you can't afford to mess up. Therefore, you …
Should …
Arrive on timeRalston, 22: "First impression lasts forever, so if you arrive late, it will be a strong non-verbal statement that you will not be a punctual worker and, therefore, not a suitable employee."
Try to relaxRayon, 20: "Being overconfident or being too nervous can lead to disaster, so it is best if you try to relax and get your thoughts together before the interview starts."
Turn off all electronic devicesSushana, 19: "You don't want to look back on the prospect of what should and could have been if your cellphone or beeper didn't go off in the middle of the interview."
Keep responses short and directAndrean, 23: "There is no need for you to try and impress the interviewer with a demonstration of your large vocabulary, as the simplest of answers can be equally, if not more, effective than one that is drawn out and filled with big words."
But, you should never …
Forget your documentsTa'san, 19: "It is just inexcusable to attend an interview without your documents. They (the interviewers) will not take your word as gospel, they need proof."
Sit before being offered a seatColvette, 20: "It would be a sign of disrespect if you sit before the seat was offered to you, and at that moment the manager could come to an unfavourable conclusion about you."
Lose eye contactWinston, 21: "Don't spend your time looking around the person's office; you have to look in their eyes to let them know that you want that job."
Chew gumRussell, 18: "Chewing gums in an interview? That's unprofessional. If I were conducting that interview I would have asked you to leave immediately."
Feedback
Outlook Youths are asked to share their views on the magazine and about social issues in general. This is what they say:
"I disagree with the notion that arming yourself should be classified as a 'Don't', as published in the 'Dos and Don'ts' column on November 4, in which the scenario was going to a club or a session. The society has become so violent that you need to have a little protection when staying out late at nights."- Samantha, 22
"I think that more comments should be used in the 'Have Your Say' section of Feedback, because it is likely that the issue at hand will be controversial. So getting more than two comments would do justice to the issue being discussed."- Kirk, 24
Have Your Say
Dons are known to maintain the peace and break it when and if they feel like. Yet, they are embraced and loved by most of their 'subjects'. But to the wider society they should be imprisoned. So, do you think the purpose of a don is an acceptance of evil or a necessary evil?
"Where I come from I feel more secured knowing that there is a don in the community, as police don't come to my area unless someone dies. We are lacking in legal security. So I think their presence is a necessary evil, because it protects more lives as opposed to taking them in the community."- Ramone, 19
"I think it's a bit of both, because their subjects actually believe that they will protect them, which is quite ironic, because these same dons are the ones who are killing them. But, if being a don entails that you extort, rape, rob and murder persons, then there is nothing necessary about that, that's just plain evil."- Carla, 20
- Demar Tracey
