I'm continually amazed at how often job seekers fail to do these three things. This isn't aimed at anyone in particular and is inspired by a recent panel I was on at the Innovation Showcase. This post was also inspired from conversations I've had with SmallBox's Chief Culture Officer Sara McGuyer who sets up most of our HR/informational interviews.
Show Up: seriously, just show up! When someone comes to us (SmallBox) wanting a job or an informational interview we almost never say no. We want to be accessible as much as possible. But the crazy thing is how many people don't show up or reschedule at the last minute. I know from talking to other folks in town that this isn't unusual. It reminds me of a quote from Peter Buck (guitarist in REM) that I heard years ago: "it's amazing how far you can get in this world by just showing up." Truth.
Do Your Homework: most companies, including mine, have spent a lot of time building websites that will tell a visitor in detail a good deal about them and their business. So do your homework people, visit the website, Google the people you are meeting with, ask around. If you don't do your homework it will show and you will not get asked back for a follow up.
Be Curious: I'm always amazed when I have an job/informational interview and the person I'm meeting with has no questions for me. Show some curiosity. People love to talk about themselves, give them a chance to do it and they will look back on the conversation fondly. It's just how we are wired. So always be curious and come prepared with questions in case you can't think of any on the fly.
Ok, end of rant.