In Fashion Part 4

Fashionista Frontline: The Interview-Ten Things to Do in Ten Minutes or Less

Congratulations! You landed an interview. Now what? First find out from the a.s.sistant of the person you're meeting if there is an actual job opening and, if so, everything you can find out about that job. Don't be deflated if it's called an "informational" interview: They wouldn't be seeing you if they weren't interested, and staffing needs, especially at the entry level, change all the time. Here I've distilled the advice of dozens of high-powered friends in TV, magazines, retail, fashion houses, and agencies to guide you through this process. Together with my own experience, it's your blueprint for what you need to achieve during the loaded six hundred seconds that you sit in the interview chair.

1. Show a Spark, a Pa.s.sion

This is the ephemeral, energetic quality that you need to find a way to project. It comes from a fascination with a place or a business. A dash of sheer fear, perhaps. It's a twinkle in the eye. A positive energy. A palatable sense that you want to be here-a childhood dream about to come true!

Many bosses are actually looking for a younger version of themselves-before they became so fabulously successful and jaded. Spark cannot be faked.

Note: You want your eyes to sparkle so if you wear contacts or suffer from dry eyes, be sure to put drops in your eyes just before the interview. Projecting an att.i.tude of "why did I agree to this loser interview anyway?" will get you back out on the street in your fab new shoes faster than you can say "world weary."

2. Demonstrate a Sense of Humor

Displaying humor needs to occur opportunistically. It could be a simple play on words. If your last name is Caddish, for example, you might say, grinning, "Yes, it rhymes with radish," as the interviewer struggles with the p.r.o.nunciation. The high point of my interview with Rebecca Onion (yes, her real name) was her funny way of explaining how she dealt with her surname. That sparkling moment won her the job.

Humor in the interview situation shows that you don't take yourself too seriously. If the interviewer mentions that you're from Wisconsin, as I am, you might say that you left your cheese-head at the door. It could be expressed in light sarcasm. "Yes, I'm from Fargo, North Dakota. I spent my first eighteen years trying to get out." Humor should occupy only a millisecond of the interview. Like a dash of smoked paprika on the perfect deviled egg. Under no circ.u.mstances should you be glib about getting the job or boastful about how great you are. That's not humor; it's arrogance.

3. Give Evidence of Your Hunger and Ambition

This will come across in how you present your qualifications for the job. Frame your resume in terms of preparing yourself for the job you're interviewing for. Give examples of how you've overcome obstacles in your life. Sick as a child? Stuck in bed looking at art books for your entire seventh year? Always good material. The influence of a great-aunt photographer, designer, or nun.

4. Be Convincing That You Will Work Hard

Drop in the conversation that you're no prima donna. Then back this up with specific examples of long hours and hard work even if it was community service in Colombia when you were a college soph.o.m.ore. Convey that while the job sounds glamorous from the outside, you understand that there's lots of organizational, clerical, and administrative donkeywork that supports the real mission of the place. That you'd feel privileged to play a supporting role so that you know what goes into making a magazine (a collection, the season's numbers, an ad, or a TV show). That you understand the notion of an apprenticeship to learn the ropes.

Detail what you learned performing community service. How, for example, you managed to collect unused computers from businesses in your home town, then how you convinced a service to refurbish them gratis so that you could give them to schoolchildren whose families couldn't afford them. Talk about the obstacles and how you overcame them. How you cut red tape and developed follow-through skills.

5. Prove That You Know Your Stuff

While your background understanding of the business may never be directly displayed, it'll be obvious in how you articulate your responses to questions. Check online. Read everything posted about the business and the top boss during the past year. This is called research.

Sometimes, the most daunting thing about an interview situation is that there is an entirely new language and customs. It's as if you've crossed the frontier to a foreign land. Sure, the new tongue and the energetic bustle can be disorienting. But do yourself the favor of orienting yourself as much as possible. Go online and read about the company on its official website. Its owners, sister companies, founders, history, staff, successes, mission, global presence, Web presence. Who would be this company or brand's most natural compet.i.tion? Read about that company or t.i.tle, as well. When the interviewer refers to others on staff using their first names, or other properties the company owns, or key brands, you'll know what she's talking about.

6. Show That You Are a Team Player

Simply asking about the team you'd be part of conveys your understanding of the team nature of a workplace. Every creative company wants team players, but it's one of the toughest things to evaluate about a person before bringing someone on board. Team players love to be included in headline and idea meetings, brainstorming and building on others' concepts; they love the spontaneous spurt of ideas that somehow add up to much more than any one's original thought. Loners want to sit at their computers and e-mail in their thoughts. Team players love the energy of a bullpen; loners dream of quitting and working freelance at home with their cats. During my years as an editor in chief, the kiss of death for a new hire was always when I'd call an idea meeting or a cover line meeting and this person would never perk up or engage. She'd drop that she was better sitting in front of her computer alone.

How do you convey that you deserve a spot on the team? If you've ever played team sports, you might mention how your training might translate to an office setting. Don't say that you're a "people" person-a deadly cliche. Say that part of your motivation in seeking the job is to collaborate with "the team." Give an example of satisfying teamwork at an internship or cla.s.s project.

7. Bring a Visual Aid

No matter what job you are applying for, bring something you've made to ensure that you're the one in one hundred who is remembered and called back for the next stage of interviews. It'll calm you down to talk about something familiar and clearly direct the conversation to you while humanizing you to the interviewer. What you bring can be an idea book, clips, photos, sketches, college newspaper clips, or your journalism school magazine project. Or you can print out a series of your best blogs. Be humble when discussing, but also proud. You are proving that you have the ability to produce.

8. Nail the Pet Question

The pet question usually pops up in the second half of your interview. It'll seem innocuous, but nothing matters more. In my interview to be the beauty editor of Harper's Bazaar, Liz Tilberis asked me how well I knew Evelyn Lauder and Calvin Klein. She cared a lot about how connected I was because, being new to the States, she needed someone with built-in ties to the business. Beauty advertising was a big revenue stream-my connection with advertisers was crucial. I made it through the question, but I wasn't well prepared for it. That stung.

Joanna Jordan, head of her own booking agency, Central Talent Booking, asks those she's interviewing who their favorite guests on TV shows are, and why. Then she asks what the dream booking would be for a show they might possibly work on. She's gauging how they'd do the job they're applying for.

People say that Laurie Jones, managing editor of Vogue, quizzes potential candidates about their favorite magazines, then zooms in to ask about their favorite writers for that publication, then their favorite works by their favorite authors, then wants to know very specifically why. Her honing strategy probably reveals for her how someone thinks, whether they really read magazines or simply flip through. The flippers don't get in. Even into the fashion department closet.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR CRITICAL EYE AND CRITICAL VOICE.

You're tuned in to the Super Bowl. Or, you're parked in front of the flat screen for the Oscars. Just your average couch potato night? No. These are the two most-watched televised events in the United States for which the most antic.i.p.ated, creative, and expensive new advertising has been generated. Either represents a perfect forum in which to develop your own critical eye. Typically, you, in your civilian hang-out role, watch a succession of Budweiser, IBM, Ford, Revlon, and Pepsi commercials while IM'ing friends, listening to music, nursing a beer, downing Doritos. Or most likely, you catch the first one, then mute the set or leave the room to grab more salty snacks.

Next time, try this. Really watch the commercials. Listen to the dialog and watch the images. Instead of letting the football game or the red carpet be the main course, it's all about the commercials. And you're the judge. Strap on your groovy-insider goggles, and pretend just for once that the world is standing by waiting to hear what you think!

Consider how the spot works. Is it trying to be funny? Does it succeed? Is it trying to pull your heartstrings? Does that work? Is it comfortably or uncomfortably nostalgic or patriotic or pandering? How long is it? Is that too long or too short? If a celebrity is featured, does that person fit the brand image, help communicate the message? Does he or she flop or, conversely, steal the show? Does the production quality feel cool or conventional? Like a movie? Like a video? Overall, is a strong, clear message communicated? Does it make you like the brand better? Does it have anything to do with the brand? How long does it take for you to understand which brand is being advertised? Is it generic feeling or fresh? Ultimately the only question that matters is this one: Does it break through the clutter of your living room, get inside your brain, and make you want to buy it?

That doesn't happen very often, so don't be surprised if your answer is usually "no."

The next day, check online at the New York Times and Adweek to hear what the "experts" have to say about the commercials. Trust me, your opinion is just as valid as theirs. Probably even more important since you are more closely aligned with the targeted profile than they are. Sad thing is that this exercise may well be more entertaining than the game itself.

When you read the newspaper or look at a magazine, you do so as a consumer. Scan and flip. Scan and flip. In the trash. Chances are, you are gathering information or news interesting or entertaining to you. Sometime when you're not rushing, take the time to read a newspaper or magazine story critically from top to bottom. What draws you into the story in the first place? Does the story deliver the promise made in the headline and display copy? Does the story give you what you need to act on the subject in your own life? (Say, a website, phone number, or address for additional information.) Is it helpful? Complete? Do the pictures or ill.u.s.trations make sense with the words? Look at the lead of the story. Is it compelling? Why or why not? Practice using words like derivative, original, breakthrough, fresh, generic, flat.

Women's Wear Daily's Pete Born apparently always asks job candidates for writing positions whether they prefer the researching of a story or the writing of it. If the candidate says "research," they don't get the job. Writing, he believes, must be the first pa.s.sion.

SAMPLE PET QUESTIONS.

Where do you want to be in five years?

Why are you the best person for this job?

What has been your biggest disappointment in life, and how did you get past it?

Whom would you put in our next ad (on our next cover, on a company T-shirt)?

Who are your favorite authors? Photographers? Why?

What's the coolest new book (magazine, brand, ad) out there and why?

Why do you want to be in magazines (books, advertising, TV, PR)?

What's the best way to communicate with your generation?

9. Show That You Have a Critical Eye

One of a creative professional's most basic a.s.sets is his or her critical eye. This is your ability to separate yourself from the great ma.s.ses of the consuming public and put yourself in the mindset of creating words, pictures, stories that would interest key segments of the population.

10. Say You Want the Job, and Explain Why You Are the Best Person on the Planet for the Position

At the end of every interview, the interviewer will ask whether you have any questions. I cannot remember anyone ever asking a great question. This is actually code for "your time is up so say something important or get out." If you have not yet made it perfectly clear that you want the job, this is your moment to say that clearly. Even though your brain is probably scrambled eggs at this point, you need to spit out that you are absolutely undaunted by the job's demands and that, in fact, you'd like very much to be considered. Consciously shift your voice to a lower, more confident octave, not a squeaky screech.

Next, make a swift and polite exit. Say something straight on your way out the door like "I'd love to be part of your team" or "I'd love the chance to work with you." Shake hands firmly. Make eye contact. Smile. Stop talking. Breathe. You did it.

Foolproof Interview Looks

Everything about you will be scrutinized-your hair, nails, shoes, bag, picked-over and badly covered up pimples, teeth, and, of course, the most obvious element: your outfit. You need to withstand the scrutiny, leaving nothing to chance and still feeling like yourself. It's so important, and it has taken such a huge amount of planning, that I remember what I wore to every interview of my life. To my Ellen Levine interview, I wore a lemon linen Perry Ellis suit with an orange 7UP T-shirt underneath to prove I wasn't dull, but I missed with boring navy pumps. I wore black platform Prada sandals, a crisp white blouse, narrow black trousers, and a Prada backpack (it was a Prada-meets-Pilgrim moment) to my first Liz Tilberis interview.

Dressing right for the interview is the budding fashionista's opportunity to portray something unique about her- or himself-in a way that isn't pushy or offensive.