Interview Resource - Keller ISD Schools

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INTERVIEW RESOURCE | 7 Dress and Appearance: To a T Dress, Appearance, and Demeanor The better you look, the better you’ll feel. The better you feel, the better you’ll score. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that how you look is on the scoring rubric. Unless you are told differently by your coach, you should always wear a suit to a competition interview 6 . If you can’t get a suit, be as close to a suit as possible—for guys, this should be at least a dress shirt with a tie and nice slacks. For girls, this should probably be a plain dark skirt (or dark pants) and a button-up shirt. A suit is really a good way to go, though, and it’s something that you are sure to need for non- Decathlon activities at some point 7 . Think of it as an investment. This is where it gets a bit tricky, because dress standards are a bit different for guys and girls. Guys, you probably want to go with a nice, conservative black or navy blue suit with a white shirt and businesslike tie. If you feel a need to wear a colored rather than white shirt and you have validation from others that it looks great on you, go for it. But I would recommend against wearing black or other very dark dress shirts under suits; on most people, it just doesn’t look professional or clean-cut. Find some nice dress shoes to go with your ensemble. Girls, you have a few more grey areas to negotiate. It probably won’t matter whether you wear a skirtsuit or pantsuit. You probably want some nice, solid color blouse under your suit jacket—don’t go too outrageous, but don’t feel like you necessarily have to stick with white shirts. There are a lot of really awesome, cute pastel suits out there—DON’T wear them to Decathlon meets. You want to appear as businesslike and professional as possible, so wear black, dark blue, brown, etc. Oh, and on a completely stupid note that’s going to make most of you think I’m too concerned with appearance: if you use makeup, find a middle ground. You want to appear professional, but not too dramatic. Judges do tend to like the “natural” and confident look. For everyone, hair is important. Boys, if you’re going to get your hair cut before a competition, do it about a week before the actual competition so that it isn’t so apparent that you just cut your hair. Short, neat hair is better than shaggy hair for guys—though, of course, times are changing, and longer hair seems more common every year. For girls, make sure you don’t have to touch your hair during the interview. Don’t push it back behind your ear, don’t sweep it off your face, etc. Do something with it that will stay put, like a ponytail or a bun. Also for both genders, basic hygiene is always a good call. Use deodorant, brush your teeth, make sure your hands are clean. These little things make a huge difference in the impression you leave your judges. Why dress up for the interview? Why be clean-shaven, nicely dressed, and well-scrubbed? First of all, it sends the impression that you care about this interview. If you went to all that trouble to find a suit, 6 I recently made a new beige suit in Thailand. I’ve been told it’s vaguely Miami Vice. – Daniel 7 Live in Los Angeles? Stop by my dad’s suit store. He outfitted my team, though somehow I ended up in purple. – Daniel
INTERVIEW RESOURCE | 8 shine your shoes, and get a haircut, you’re obviously taking all of this very seriously. Bonus points. Secondly, in some cases it’s a matter of expectation and first impressions. Judges are used to interviewees dressing a certain way, and you want their first impression to be “wow, this kid has it together.” Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I guarantee you that you will feel better in a suit. It will add to your confidence and give you a nice boost in self-esteem 8 . Consider the case of Dean Schaffer, who lost about 20 points in appearance at the California state competition in 2006—and took second place overall individual at the competition by just 12 points. He still grouches about it. The Handshake: Don’t Shake Them Up It may appear ridiculous to devote this much of a page to a simple greeting, but never underestimate the value of a good handshake. Many decathletes have cold, clammy hands by the time they enter the interview. Others are so nervous that they wrench their judges’ arms out of their sockets. It is not good to begin an interview by disabling your judge. Says Michael Kim: “As a favor to sufferers of arthritis everywhere, I offer the suggestion that genuine warmth and thoughtfulness will earn more points than showing off over-developed forearm strength. Be gentle and firm.” Items to consider: Wet hands—little is worse than shaking a wet hand. Be sure to dry them in your pockets, or in a bathroom. Do this before entering the interview room—don’t wipe them against your pants as you approach the judges. Cold hands—I always had this problem. My teammates and coaches would rub my hands, I would rub my own hands and even sit on them before my interview—all to no avail 9 . It’s tough. Basically, though, you just have to keep trying—few things are more distracting than an ice-cold handshake. Rub your hands together as much as you need to, and take a few deep breaths. When I was less tense, my hands got noticeably warmer. Don’t be sexist—most panels of judges are of mixed gender. Don’t shake the hands of the men with noticeably more strength and/or gusto than you do those of the women 10 . It sometimes shocks observers to watch a boy swagger into the interview room, grab a male judge’s hand and squeeze it bloodless, than take a female judge’s hand and barely brush it with their fingernails. Find a good middle ground. Be genuine. And if you’re female yourself, don’t restrain yourself— better to impress with a formidable handshake than to aim for genteel and achieve dainty. Use medium pressure—I’ve noticed some people, afraid of squashing judges’ hands, overcompensate by going completely limp. Both these extremes are not anywhere near as good as the middle ground: you want to have enough pressure that your judge thinks you are sincere, but not so much that you leave him or her stinging. This comes with practice, so don’t be afraid to shake hands, in the days before a competition, with your teammates, coaches, parents, significant other, and anyone else you can find. Ask them for feedback. It’s geeky but helpful. 8 It can boost test scores, too. 9 Try picking up some hand warmers at the ski supply store. – Daniel 10 Then again, some decathletes from more conservative communities have written in suggesting that this is sometimes appropriate and even anticipated at their own competitions. – Greta
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