You’ve arrived at the office and are shown to the waiting room. What if we told you that what you did in the next few minutes could be a deciding factor of whether or not you are employed?

First impressions are generally formed while the applicant is waiting in the lobby, and they become relevant to the hiring decision between 5% and 10% of the time. Here are some dos and don’ts when playing the waiting game.

DO SIT CALMLY AND QUIETLY

Your nerves may be getting to you but the most important thing is to stay calm. Don’t try to make small talk with the receptionist. She or he may not appreciate the interference during work hours.

DO LOOK OVER YOUR NOTES AND RESUME

Take this precious time to gather your material and your thoughts one last time to make sure everything is in order.

DO ASK FOR RELEVANT COMPANY MATERIALS TO READ

This will definitely get you points when your interviewer shows up in the room. It shows that you are serious about the job and the company.

DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR PHONE

Leave the Candy Crush requests alone. Don’t text or make phone calls. Whatever you want to do with your phone, just don’t. It only shows disrespect if the interviewer comes into the room and you’re busy tapping away.

DON’T START LISTENING TO MUSIC

OK, so it is taking a little longer than expected. That doesn’t give you the green light to take out your MP3 player and plug in your music. This is disrespectful to your interviewer. If you need music to calm you down, listen to it on your way over to the interview.

DON’T LOOK BORED

Resist doodling, yawning or just looking bored. Appear alert, focused and eager. This earns you easy brownie points when the interviewer walks in.

Adapted from Ready4work.my. Driven by content from top employers, Ready4Work.my is a portal to enhance employability of young talents entering the job market.

Click here for more articles like this.