How to Excel at an Initial Interview: 5 Strategies Learned Eavesdropping at Starbucks

“It’s just a conversation at Starbucks to make sure they want to call me back.”  

“It’s a pretty low bar.  As long as I come across as normal, I’ll advance to the next phase.”  

“It’s at Starbucks.  It’s just an initial interview.”  

Do any of these sound familiar?  Recently I’ve observed several initial interviews in various coffee shops where it seemed clear that the job candidates had those thoughts before the interviews.  And afterwards, based on their performances, I am confident they each regretted that approach.