Table of Contents
- 1. IS SMELLING LIKE SMOKE BAD FOR AN INTERVIEW?
- 2. IS BRINGING ACCESSORIES TO AN INTERVIEW A GOOD IDEA?
- 3. SHOULD YOU CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE AN INTERVIEW?
- 4. WHEN DOES THE INTERVIEW BEGIN?
- 5. IS IT GOOD TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER QUESTIONS?
- 5 JOB INTERVIEW MISTAKES TO AVOID AS A SMOKER OR E-CIG USER - CONCLUSION
- REFERENCES
When looking for a job, it's important to put your best foot forward, especially in your interview. We all know the obvious ones, like dressing inappropriately and arriving late but there are other pitfalls that can snare smokers and E-Cig users.
Just by making the switch away from smoking is an excellent start. After all did you know that smokers are 24% less likely to get the job? And if they do they earn almost £7000 less? (1)
Even if you have made the switch there are still things you can do as a vaper to improve your chances. Today then we are looking at the top tips for smokers and ex- smokers to help you get the job you want.
1. IS SMELLING LIKE SMOKE BAD FOR AN INTERVIEW?
As a smoker you know by now that people don’t like the smell of smoke, but what most smokers forget is that cigarette smoke lingers. Stopping for an hour to air out and a quick mint doesn't do the trick.
A lot of interviewers find the smell of cigarettes nauseating, plus it cues them to the fact that you'll be taking frequent smoke breaks if you were hired. It can even leave their office smelling like an ashtray.
Yes it would be considered discrimination if a company didn't hire you because of smoking, but they certainly don’t need to provide that as the main excuse as to why you didn’t get selected.
Of course e-cigarette users don’t need to worry about this. The vapour from an E-Cig is water, not smoke, so it doesn’t smell and doesn’t stick around.
2. IS BRINGING ACCESSORIES TO AN INTERVIEW A GOOD IDEA?
Bringing a bunch of baggage to an interview is not a good look. You want to appear professional and highly organised.
Even something as seemingly harmless as a cup of coffee can be distracting and take away from your professionalism. This goes double for a big vapourizer. To many they still look like a huge brick and dragging one around won’t win you any favours.
If you want to bring your E-Cig to your job interview (and with all the stress you might need to!) think about getting one that is a bit more discreet, and which won’t look like you are smuggling building materials into your interview.
Our E-Cigarettes are great for this, small and compact they fit into your pocket or purse with ease.
3. SHOULD YOU CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE AN INTERVIEW?
Did you know that only 4% of potential employers don't use social media when hiring? (2)
That means that if the first thing they see is you smoking on a night out or doing something… less than professional, you might not even get to the interview.
The best course of action then is to keep your social profiles professional, clean or private while looking for that dream job. Think of it this way: you want to showcase your answer to the interview question "tell me about yourself" in your public social profiles.
4. WHEN DOES THE INTERVIEW BEGIN?
Consider your job interview started 20 minutes before you enter the building. Avoid lounging around in the waiting room, taking personal phone calls, chatting up the receptionist, or pacing around like a nervous wreck.
At times like this it's natural to reach for a cigarette or e-cigarette. For smokers this is of course illegal, but sneaking around the back looks just as bad and sets a bad precedent.
For E-Cigarette users though the challenge is slightly different. Although it might be legal to puff away in the waiting room, the company might frown on it especially if you produce a lot of vapour. After all filling the room with vapour doesn’t create a good impression (no matter how nice it smells).
Be kind and professional with everyone you meet in or around the building, even the jerk who cut you off in the parking lot; they may be your interviewer.
Wait politely and assume you are being observed before the interview even begins.
5. IS IT GOOD TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER QUESTIONS?
It is good to be prepared with questions about the company, job, etc. But don't hijack the interview and be the only one asking the questions. (3)
Many vapers are passionate about E-Cigarettes, after all they save lives! But bringing up something so tangential can disrupt the interview and seriously lower the chances of you getting the job.
Ideally, wait for an opportunity cued by the interviewer and ask only questions that you did not already cover in your interview and which directly relate to the job or the company.
5 JOB INTERVIEW MISTAKES TO AVOID AS A SMOKER OR E-CIG USER - CONCLUSION
Did you know only 2% of applicants get interviews? (4)
So it’s important to make that first impression count. And smelling like stale cigarettes is never a good start. So get on your best suit, and switch to a great, odour-free electronic cigarette by SMOKO.
If you have reached this far and secured an interview, you deserve to get hired. Avoid these job interview mistakes, impress your interviewers and you could be well on your way to landing the job.
If you are a smoker and want to make the switch then why not give our new SMOKO POD Starter kit a try? E-Cigarettes have been shown to be much less harmful, cheaper and leaves a much better impression than smoking ever will!
In fact, the largest study to-date was conducted by Cochrane and found high-certainty evidence that E-Cigarettes are more effective for quitting than traditional forms of nicotine replacement therapy, like the nicotine patch or nicotine gum (5).
Make the switch with SMOKO today!
REFERENCES
(1) Smokers Less Likely to Get Hired and Earn Less: Study
(2) 6 Shocking Job Search Statistics You Need To Know
(3) 7 good questions to ask at an interview
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Mike Cameron
Mike Cameron is a former smoker of 15 years (2 packs a day) until he successfully quit using a cigalike. Mike is the Co-Founder and CEO of SMOKO E-Cigarettes and over the last 10 years, SMOKO has prevented 600M+ cigarettes from being smoked, helped their customers save £320M+ of their hard-earned money from going up in smoke and helped 10,000’s of adult smokers in 25+ countries to live smoke-free.
