Before I started freelancing, I worked staff jobs. Each staff job required an interview, of course.

I have to admit that for each successful job interview I have had, I’ve had about five unsuccessful ones. Most of these were not my fault; another candidate was more skilled or had more experience. However, I have had a few disastrous interviews over the years which taught me valuable lessons. Let us review.

Never wear a Mickey Mouse watch to an interview (or one bearing the image of any cartoon character, for that matter). There was one incident in which my fancy, formal Swiss watch which I normally wear to interviews had a dead battery, and I absolutely had to know the time, so I donned the only other watch I owned—my Mickey Mouse watch, hoping that the interviewer would not notice. I hoped against hope. The interviewer said, “I find it interesting that someone would wear a Mickey Mouse watch to an interview.”

I replied, “My other watch has a dead battery, and I absolutely have to know what time it is. Punctuality is very important to me.” This was the truth, but he didn’t buy that.

Turn off the ringer on your cell phone. I failed to do this only once in my life and—you guessed it—my phone rang during the interview. At least I did not answer it.

Never second-guess the driving directions that you printed out (this applied in the days before GPS). I once had an interview in an unfamiliar area, and to be prepared, I mapped out and printed out driving directions from my home to the job location. For some reason, I second-guessed them—and got terribly lost. I had to call the location and tell them I could not make it because I could not find them.

Never try to squeeze your body into an interview suit that is some five years old (or older). This is self-explanatory.

What advice do you have for not being embarrassed at an interview?