<p>I have three interviews coming up this week. They are right next to each other.
Tues- Yale
Weds- Harvard
Thurs- Princeton</p>
<p>The Harvard and Princeton interview are in a coffee shop. I don't really know about the proper ways of conducting an interview...Should i buy a coffee before he arrives...or wait for him to arrive...should i offer to pay for his drink...please help...the interview is soon.</p>
<p>i had my mit interview at a coffee shop. i waited by the main entrance for him. then he went to buy a coffee and i bought my own. i think you should only get something if your interviewer does, and just pay for your own. but that's just my opinion</p>
<p>Frankly, it would be best to simply not get anything to eat or drink because getting that would simply distract you. You probably wouldn't eat or drink anyway since you'll be talking.</p>
<p>If, however, you get something, offer to pay for yourself, but the interviewr probably will pick up the bill. </p>
<p>When I interview students at coffee shops, the only reason that I bother buying anything for myself is to "pay rent" for the use of the space. My drink usually gets cold because I don't have time to drink while interviewing. Usually the students don't order anything. The rare times that they do, I pay for it. It usually goes untouched.</p>
<p>For my Harvard interview at Starbucks, my interviewer got tea and I got a
Odwalla smoothie which I quickly paid for. The interview went swimmingly and my Odwalla was very relaxing . . . and yummy.</p>
<p>good question... im not sure about this either. i had one in a cafeteria of the place where my interviewer worked... we didn't order anything but i kind of think because it was his work he would have paid. but yeah i don't know and i have one at starbucks in a few weeks!</p>
<p>I just got a cup of water, which avoided both the awkwardness of who pays and of not ordering anything when the interviewer does. It worked for me :)</p>
<p>I think it would be akward if he buys a drink and you sit there looking at him while he drinks. Plus taking a sip of your drink might be a chance for some thinking time (just don't be rude and go straight for the drink before answering a question, be sly.)</p>
<p>Plus it'll be relaxing for you and it'll give you something to do with your hands. (Unless the interview goes REALLY well your hands will be pretty useless.) I wouldn't get anything outrageous, or expensive or crazy hot, (this is important, since your hands won't be much use your tongue will have to do most of the work -- don't burn it.)</p>
<p>I would assume you both pay for your own drinks, but I'm not sure about that. Be careful starbucks drinks are always TOO hot you don't want to spit all over the interviewer or make an idiot of yourself.</p>
<p>my interviewers both offered to pay. but for my second one, i said that i already had something...you really have no time to take a sip.</p>
<p>I guess it was a mistake for me to have scheduled my interview for a lunch at La Madeleine...that might be somewhat awkard, what with the being in the line and who pays and not having said anything but ordering food next to each other...and then the issue of actually eating the food. Bad decision on my part, I suppose. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>i've been to enough business dinners(cuz of my parents), kcirsch. just don't eat...</p>
<p>no, seriously, i've never seen my parents eat. fine, they do, just not much.</p>
<p>so don't order anything? doesn't it seem odd that i suggest lunch on a weekday and then don't eat anything? i'm assuming he will since he will be coming from work. i guess i could just get an apple and tea lol</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm still not sure what I will do. But I think I will get something to drink because it would be ackward to just watch him buy a drink and not get one (plus I would feel bad about taking up a table and not ordering anything). Would it be ok if I bought a drink before he came so that I wouldn't have to go through the ackward phase of who pays since I would already have mine?</p>
<p>Kirsch (sorry if I misspelled it)...i would get something to eat since you did suggest that you guys meet at a food establishment. Get something light so that you could be spitting out junk as you are answering his questions or god forbid have food b/w your teeth.</p>
<p>The man that Sarah Lawerence arranged for me to have an interview with suggested with go to this pizza shop. When we arrived, he ordered a plain slice and a coffee...so, I ordered a plain slice and a water. We both ate and it was very comfortable. I took out my money to pay and he said he had it. He was not overly nice or awkward but he made it clear that he was going to pay. He was pretty interesting.</p>
<p>" Would it be ok if I bought a drink before he came so that I wouldn't have to go through the ackward phase of who pays since I would already have mine?"</p>
<p>That's a fine way to handle things.</p>
<p>Just don't offer to pay for the interviewer's lunch. That would be weird.</p>
<p>carry enough cash.. thats all</p>
<p>If you order something to eat, don't salt or pepper it without tasting it first. I was told this a long time ago when going to a dinner with the VP of the department. I can't remember what the VP thought it meant but it was watched and supposedly made a difference in her opinion and she was one that reviewed all raises and promotions. Weird, and almost 30 years later, I notice it when eating with others.</p>
<p>It's considered tacky to salt your food before tasting it. Declasse or something... I always do it and my mother always protests. Haha.</p>
<p>I've had two interviews at coffee shops; both times, my interviewer was there before me (but not because I was late! :) ) and was sitting at a table when I came in. So before going up to him/her, I bought a coffee for myself. I'm clearly not very familiar with rules of etiquette in terms to ordering when the other person isn't ordering or not ordering when the other person does...I picked up my own bill, and that should be good enough, but that's just my opinion.</p>