I bet you are wondering how I am going to tie these two activities into the interview process. Or perhaps you are wondering if my next blog title will be "How to eat more desserts to lose weight". But hear me out as this ties into some scientific data that is much more accurate than any hunches I might have that could sound like a late night infomercial.
First, allow me to provide some context. I was watching a show on National Geographic Channel that provided me the inspiration (and data) to write about this topic. While they were relating the data to being more productive at work and creating long term wealth, I took some creative freedom to apply it to the interview process instead. But I think the data would support my ideas as well.
The picture above is actually a popular attraction at larger employers that have employees working long hours. Usually software or IT related companies. They have conducted research that the optimal power nap should last about 26 minutes and created exponential amounts of productivity.
I will take even further creative liberty here and not suggest a nap before, during, or after your interview, yet definitely suggest getting plenty of rest during the interview process. The best example I can give of this is candidates that get back to me one day after taking a personality profile test at 2:00 am on a Saturday morning because they couldn't sleep. Not surprising at all, they almost always have bad results when that happens. I could write about dozens of other ways to take care of yourself as you interview, but this is a pretty basic one that often gets overlooked.
The second topic is perhaps more interesting - the idea of procrastination being beneficial. That word generally has a negative connotation, but if you really think about it procrastinating can have many great side effects if used effectively. I will also caveat up front that I'm not advocating days and days of procrastination, but rather dividing it up into even hours or down to a few minutes.
One great example can be the idea of sending a thank you note or email. You may come out of an interview on an emotional high and want to send a message right away to show how interested you are. I have even had candidates send it directly from their smartphone, thinking that it will be impressive to see something so quickly. But you're really not being objective, you could have a message filled with grammatical errors, and you may think of something more you want to say later that evening. Do you really want to have to send another thank you email just to get another point across?
Sometimes taking just a little time to gather your thoughts and maybe even sleep on some ideas can have a great impact. Plus then you can combine these two ideas into one - procrastinate and send the thank you email the next morning AFTER a good night's rest!
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