Most of the United States currently feels like we’re in an episode of Game of Thrones where John Snow and his men prepare to go North of the Wall each time we step outside. Merely inhabiting this proverbial ice globe is a daily challenge, with bone-crushingly low temperatures, wind chills and silly amounts of snowfall. So, now that you’re all warmed up, here’s a couple practical ways you can stay prepared to crush any in-person job interview during this cold snap.
- Plenty of Gas in the Tank: If you drive a car, keep it filled with at least a quarter tank of gas before leaving your place, even if it’s a short commute. You never know what kind of traffic, crazy weather, or accidents you can run into on your way to an interview. Running out of gas is not an option, just ask this guy. If you’re going electric, make sure that puppy is charged up!
- Extra 30 minutes of Commute Time: This is on top of what you’d normally do to arrive at least 15 minutes early. Better safe than sorry, here. As mentioned above, if you run into unforeseen delays, leaving early will give you plenty of time to get there and park. Once you arrive early, you can spend a few extra minutes in the car reviewing notes or decompressing to your favorite tunes.
- Chapstick: Confession, I get bad chapped-lips in the winter, and always seem to own 7 different chapsticks stashed in multiple locations. If you’re like me, you’ll want to keep one of these bad boys handy just prior to the interview. Nobody likes the feeling of talking to strangers with dry lips. Level up your comfort and confidence with Chapstick!
- Gloves/Hand-warmers/Extra Socks: This extreme cold makes it harder for our hands and feet to stay warm. Wear warm gloves, pop a hand-warmer in, and pack and extra pair of socks to change, just in case. What’s worse than walking into an interview with numb, wet feet, or offering the interviewers your limp frozen fish hand to shake?
- Consider a Shoe with Grip: A sloppy parking lot can make for a spectator’s blooper reel if you wipe out, but nothing’s funny about walking into a job interview with dress pants covered in wet winter parking lot gunk. Perhaps today’s the best day to consider ditching higher heeled shoes for the more conservative play. Interviewers will understand if the weather is that bad.
Stay warm and “stick ’em with the pointy end”, friends!