How to look organized when you’re not

Look, not everyone is organized. It’s just a fact of life. But when it comes to job interviews and otherwise being part of the “real world,” it’s important to at least give the impression that you’ve got your…stuff…together. So, from the Post-it® Organization Masters to you, here are a few tips to help make you look like you know exactly what’s going on – even if you’ve got no idea.

1. Take notes.

   Get yourself some lined – the bigger, the better – and bring them along to any job interview or meeting where you need to look official. Take notes. Lots of notes. Even if you don’t have anything to write, make stuff up. Everyone thinks you’re organized when you take notes.

   

2. Get fancy.

   When you look professional, people assume you’re professional. So, wear a suit. It almost never hurts to overdress – unless you’re interviewing for a tech start-up. Then they might judge you. (In that case, try a graphic tee and a blazer. Can’t go wrong.)

   

3. Make a cheat sheet.

   Can’t remember all those interview tips people (like us, for example) are always giving you? Write the stuff you absolutely need to remember on a and put it on the inside over of your interview folder. You’ve got an interview folder, right?

   

4. Ask questions.

   Make a list of questions beforehand on a and bring them with you. If you can’t think of good questions, just ask things that make your interviewer talk more, like, “What do you like about working here?” While they answer your questions, see if you can think of more. Also, see tip #1.

    

   Remember – your interviewer was once a lowly interviewee just like you. They’re probably not really that scary. And who knows? They might not be organized either. You could both just be pretending.