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interviewer bring up the topic of money first.
    After the Interview:
    Write thank-you notes to everyone you spoke to.
    Follow up with the interviewer for a status on your offer.
The Real Deal
    My first job out of college was at a sporting equipment manufacturer. That kind of place attracts a lot of “jocks” and wannabe “jocks.” I came into that environment as the smart kid from a good school, and these people felt it was their right to harass me as much as they wanted. I really couldn’t relate to my coworkers because they were all married with children. Also, for them, it was just a job, and I was genuinely interested in the technology I was working with. It was a terrible fit. I didn’t know until I left that job that the workplace does not have to be like that. At my new company, I found people with similar interests and was able to enjoy my work much more.
    Frank, 28, Florida
    Many companies have their human resources representatives conduct interviews, but you should try to meet with—or at least speak with—the person who will be your official manager. The reason behind this is pretty simple: if your personalities clash or if you have fundamental differences in the way you work, you need to know immediately so that you can determine if you want to pursue the opportunity further. I’m not saying that one conversation will accurately reflect how your boss will act on the job or that problems won’t ariselater that were impossible to predict. However, if you hate the person on sight, you should consider whether it’s a smart move to work for her.
    While you’re interviewing, you should also talk to existing employees at the company—preferably those in the department you want to work for. Tactfully learn as much as you can about the organizational culture, or the working environment and politics. Think seriously about whether you could fit in, because you won’t be able to have a happy and fruitful career in a place that makes you uncomfortable or doesn’t meet your individual needs. Get a sense of the overall mood and morale of the employees, and listen carefully to what they say—and what they don’t say. If you think that every employee is going to sing the company’s praises just because you came up from HR, you might be surprised. I interviewed at a technology company that really impressed me until two of my potential colleagues told me to leave “before I got sucked in.” I didn’t take the offer, but I might have if I hadn’t taken the time to get the insider’s view.
    A quick word about interview thank-you notes: Some people think email thank-you letters are enough, but I have to disagree. If you want the company to think you are a “go the extra mile” type of person, start by spending the extra minute it takes to snail mail actual cards.
Airtight References
    You just had a successful interview, the employer is about to make you an offer, and then he asks for a few references to reassure himself that he wants to hire you. The operative word here is
reassure
. By the time employers get to the reference stage, their minds are usually made up, and they are just doing their due diligence. That said, you must assume that your references will be called, and, subsequently, grilled about your work experience. So, yes, your references have to be real people, and the contact information you provide for them must be accurate and up to date.
    The best references are not your best friend’s mother or your favorite elementary school teacher. They also do not include your current boss. I don’t care how chummy the two of you are, you don’t want your manager to know you’re looking for another position. If you’ve never had a job before, you might ask an internship supervisor or a professor you’ve worked with to be a reference. If you have been employed, a friend you worked with in the past or a former