While the job interview can be scary, it doesn’t have to be hard to make a good impression. In fact, if you follow these 8 simple tips you will be able to make it through the interview without freaking out, impress the employer, and be able to move forward with your job search process.
- Eye Contact: This is one of the most important things you can do in an interview. Making eye contact with your interviewer shows that you are confident in your expertise and interested in what your interviewer is saying. However, be careful that you are not staring your interviewer down. Be confident, not creepy.
- Smile: This will also show confidence as well as put your interviewer at ease. A smile makes people feel like you are an enjoyable person and they will mirror the smile back. When you see your interviewer smiling, it will help you feel at ease and the cycle will continue throughout the interview.
- Speak Clearly and With Purpose: If you need to, take a small moment and think about what you want to say (not too long or it will become awkward) in order to avoid using fillers such as “mm” “um” or “hmm.” This will make your answers precise, purposeful, and clear.
- Be On Time: There is nothing that will put your interviewer off more than tardiness. Their time is valuable and if you are wasting it, even for a moment, you are giving the impression that you don’t care about them or their time. Be early if you can, but do not be late.
- Be Honest: Lying is not appropriate or acceptable in the real world, so why would it be okay in a job interview? It isn’t. Be honest and it will make your life and your interview easier, as well as will prevent a termination down the road, if your lie is discovered.
- Dress Professionally: It is an easy thing to overlook, but if you go into the interview looking dingy or unkempt, then you will put off an image that you don’t care about yourself or the interviewers. Dress like you care about yourself, the job, and the interviewer, and you will be on the right path to getting the job.
- Don’t Interrupt: It seems simple enough, but it is important to remember. While you want to make sure that you express who you are and why you would be good for the job, you do not ever want to interrupt the interviewer. No matter how good you think your comment is, it is not good enough to interrupt your interviewer.
- Be Friendly: Don’t be sarcastic or rude. Even if you are having a bad day or you just want to be done with the interview, make it seem like there is nowhere else you would rather be.
Follow these tips and you will be in good standing for your interview and you will be on your way to getting the job.
I keep hearing how the economy is forcing people to tighten their purse strings this Christmas as many won’t be able to afford to buy presents for their loved ones. But guess what? YOU CAN!
This morning I caught a snippet of, “Good Morning, America” and a segment called, “Show Me the Money: Make Extra Cash by Renting out Your Stuff.”
Did you know that people all over the country are renting out their stuff? There are websites devoted to helping people rent out their things– rentnotbuy.com (I found a horse barn, travel trailer, and corn roaster!), us.zilok.com (sewing machine, projector, popcorn machine, 6′ ladder!). Think of the extra money you could make for Christmas!
The news woman in the segment wanted to see if she could rent everything she needed for a day trip in New York. She rented a car $65/day, a cooler $10, a FRIEND-yes, I said FRIEND $50, and even (ick) a bathroom in someone’s house! You can literally rent yourself out as someone’s ‘friend’. Only friendship, nothing else. If you live in a metropolis, this might be a great idea as you could be a city guide of sorts. Are you seeing dollar signs? One couple in the story rented A DOG for $5 a day.
If you need extra cash for the holidays, consider renting out your stuff. I’m looking around my house to see what I can find… hmmm… anyone want to rent books? A kitten? A power screwdriver (I’m sure my husband won’t mind… 😉 ), or a bike? I can help.
It can be tough to find a job even when the economy is thriving, but during down times it seems almost impossible to find a position that fits. Recessions take their toll on just about every job sector. But, that doesn’t mean you have to be discouraged by the lull in the market. Now is a great time to show your resiliency, improve your skill-set and prove how qualified you are. So how do you begin your job search?
Prepare Yourself
Education is key. It’s a perfect time to take additional courses or go for accreditation in your field. Subscribe to your industries newsletter, find out about upcoming projects, look at what firms are hiring, which market segments are experiencing growth, so that you can target your job search appropriately. Connect yourself. Join online groups like Facebook, LinkedIn or Fastpitch.com. Now is the time to make the internet work for you, make yourself the authority in your field online and you will see the job market expand. It’s imperative to keep up with the changing landscape, so do what you can to stay abreast of trends.
Reach Out and Connect
Your network is the most valuable asset you have, but it’s only strong when you utilize it. Make a list of business associates, friends, owners, coworkers and anyone else that you’ve ever known or done business with. Get yourself out there and let these people know that you are available and looking for work. You may just be the missing piece that their company has been looking for. Until you have one, networking should be your full-time job. Contact friends, family, old school roommates, vendors or anyone else that might allow you to find a job.
Time to be Flexible
Flexibility will help you find a job no matter the economy. However, in a down market, you have to be open to trying different things. Maybe your full-time job will get its start through a small contract position. Some firms are reluctant to hire a full-time position due to fears of failing financially – so getting a contract position could give you an in that you need. Just get your foot in the door and be open to positions that are not related to your work experience.
Always be Prepared
Remember, everywhere you go, no matter if it’s dinner with friends, a social gathering or networking event – it could lead to job opportunities. Finding a job is your job now, so you have to do everything in your power to find a job. There are so many opportunities to work with people who will help you find a job. Who knows, maybe the next person you strike up a conversation with will know of an open position. You don’t know, so you should always be prepared to showcase what you can do.
Try to leave a lasting impression with the people you meet. Many people have found a job just by talking to people they meet at parties or through friends. Keep those eyes open.
Once you’re unemployed, it can be tempting to go for that easy job that has nothing to do with your field. But maybe you should not be looking for just any job because the right one could be just around the corner. If you are trained in a certain field, it may be hard to find a position in this economy, but that doesn’t mean there are not advantages to focusing on a specific industry. In fact, you can make a case that if you position yourself correctly, you can find the right job quickly.
So what are the advantages of focusing on a specific type of position?
1. Serious job searches are time consuming. If you are unemployed, you should spend at least 30 to 40 hours a week looking for a position. Some people who are not focused put a lot of time and energy into their job search and end up feeling as though they are doing everything in their power. But, their energy is actually focused in other areas, so they are not putting forth the full effort. Focusing on a specific career will give you a leg up on the competition who are looking into different job options.
2. The more contacts you make in your search, the more likely you are to find a desirable position. The more you concentrate on these contacts, the better it will be for your job search. Putting a concerted effort will give you a better chance of something positive happening. The likelihood will be decreased if you focus on several different career paths.
3. Jobs often appear to those who use most of their energy in a specific direction. It will be difficult for people who are all over the map in their job search. HR managers look at the different careers job prospects have had and weigh that carefully when comparing candidates. Job seekers who are not focused rarely make any significant impact or impression on HR managers in order to attract the right position.
4. A productive job search requires that you present yourself convincingly to your prospective employer. Employers are not impressed by statements like, “I do not care what type of job I do” or “I’ll do anything as long as there’s a paycheck in it.” If you present yourself as professional and are focused in both written and verbal communications, you will give them more of a reason to believe in your skills. It’s important to find the right fit for both you and the company, and if you’re just doing a job for a job, you may be shortchanging yourself and the company.
5. Look at it this way–it may be hard to be enthusiastic and extremely well qualified for a 20 different jobs. So stick with what works for you and find the position that makes you happy and pays you well.
Some people think that resumes are nothing more than a list of your accomplishments, the jobs you’ve had, and the number of places you’ve worked. But, it’s not that easy to construct a resume that markets you to your prospective employer. A resume should be designed to sell you and your potential to an employer. That means that you have to make decisions about how to present your traits.
A resume has to be like an advertisement, it needs to catch the reader’s eye and meet their particular needs. If you’re applying for an accounting job, then you wouldn’t need to showcase your creative writing talents on your resume. You would need to show that you have the skills required to perform the duties of the position at a high level. That doesn’t mean putting everything you’ve ever done on your resume, it just means you have to understand your market and how to reach them. Make sure you put your best foot forward.
Look over your work history and pick the selling points that best highlight your value. Depending on the position, you should highlight specific skills that you have. Deciding what makes the most unique selling points can be the hardest part of writing a resume. Here are five basic steps to help design a resume that markets your skills to employers:
1. Choose the most relevant information first. Focus on the skills and experience that are most important to the job you’re applying for. You may have a whole range of skills, but focus on the ones that are most important for your particular employer. Even if you’re qualified based on past experience, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Instead, make sure that you focus on the skills that are going to set you apart from other potential employees.
2. Showcase the cutting edge, without too much emphasis on the outdated. More experienced workers should focus heavily on this. Any professional should continue to update their resume with new talents and show that they can adapt to new challenges. You may know the beginnings of C+ language, but it will help if you know Flash or Linux.
3. Tangible examples are best. Be specific as possible and use tangible evidence of improvements if you can. Just saying that you have an excellent track record of improving sales doesn’t show much, you need to show actual figures.
4. Use multiple resumes to market yourself in a different manner. If you’re applying for several different types of positions or in different industries, you need to have a resume suited to that profession. So create several different resumes that highlight your skills for that particular position.
5. Get a second opinion. This is perhaps the most important thing you can do. It can be hard to be objective about your career. Give your resume to a friend or a family member, or if you have someone in your industry – even better.
Focusing on your experience, your background and your accomplishments is what’s known as a functional resume. Chronological resumes list all of your employers in the order of the date that you worked for them, typically with the oldest employer at the bottom of the resume. Functional resumes are great for people who are looking to make a career change, people with multiple positions with different industries, people with gaps in their employment and those just starting out on their career. However, as always, I have to warn you that recruiter and hiring people really don’t like functional style resumes. They feel you may be “hiding” something.
You can combine both resume types to give yourself a well-rounded appearance to potential employers, plus hiring managers love to see a list of previous experience, especially when it’s for a position of authority. Providing work history is an excellent way to showcase how your accomplishments have translated to actual success in the work place.
Start by writing a list of the skills that you used at your previous jobs. List them one by one so that you cover a wide range of tasks on your resume. Depending on the position you’re applying for, modify your skills to directly reflect those of the position that you’re applying for. Don’t embellish, instead focus on what you’ve accomplished and how it will allow you to succeed at your new position.
Use bullet points to provide a concise and accurate depiction of your responsibilities and where you used your skills. List our your accomplishments and try to use numbers to demonstrate an actual value. You can say something like, you promoted better paper management and turned your office into a green office, reducing the waste and lowering cost for trash maintenance by a third. Or that you increased sales in your office by 15% over a 5 year period.
Show your employer in the bullet section of your accomplishments. You want to be able to match your accomplishments with a tangible company, so make sure to list the companies where you worked. Your accomplishments only mean so much if they can be backed up. Listing your companies, or contacts you may have done a project for, will help highlight your accomplishments.
Use action verbs at the beginning of your accomplishments. Saying things like, “demonstrated” a strong desire to train new employees, is better than saying “trained staff.” Elaborate on your accomplishments, it’s all right to use descriptive words here. In fact, the HR manager may appreciate your ability to be descriptive.
Complete a short job history below the accomplishment section of your resume. This will help employers get a good idea of your work history. Make sure to include the name of the employer, your job title, the dates you worked for the employer and the location of the job. Write this list in reverse chronological order.
It’s time to get those accomplishments out there and find the job that you’ve always wanted!
Oh no, the dreaded pre-interview jitters. Everyone has been nervous before– you know the sweaty palms, the sense of lightheadedness and the jumpy speech – none of these outward expressions will make a good impression at a job interview.
The stressful nature of a job interview is enough to shake just about anyone to their core. But you don’t want have to worry about having clammy hands or stuttering speech if you follow a few simple tips to help calm your nerves.
- Arrive early enough to relax
Most people know to arrive to a job interview a few minutes early, but if you’re easily stressed out by interviews, you should arrive a little earlier. 30 minutes is a good time to arrive, it will give you time to sit and relax, have a glass of water and find your center. Make sure you check your appearance before the interview; the more confident you feel, the more composed you will appear in the interview.
Smiling makes you happy and relaxes people around you, even if you don’t feel happy. Studies have shown that if you fake a smile, it will actually make you a bit happier and when you portray this in an interview it relaxes everyone. If you show confidence in the interview, the interviewer will treat you with respect, so remember to smile confidently during your interview.
- Breathe for a moment before you answer
Before you answer any questions, just take a moment or two to inhale a breath and give the question some consideration. You may think you’re taking forever to answer the question, but in reality it’s only one or two seconds. The pause will also appear to be a part of your natural thought process, so it appears as if you’re giving the question serious consideration. Also, breathing deep will help to calm you down, and prepping the question in your mind gives you time to formulate an answer and speak when you are not nervous.
- Look your interviewer in the eye
One thing interviewees often do is fidget around during an interview, especially if they are nervous during the interview. To make and keep eye contact with the interviewer, focus on a spot right between their eyes. Just don’t stare at their nose or mouth. They are below their eyes and most people can tell when someone is looking at their mouths and not making eye contact.
If there is a pause in the conversation, use this as an opportunity to review your body. Are you tight and rigid, are your muscles clinched or are you fidgeting with your hands? If you are stressed, try to relax your muscles as much as possible. You will feel and appear more comfortable to the interviewer.
It’s not unusual to feel some apprehension during a job interview, but by following some simple stress-relieving exercises, you can maintain your composure and succeed in the interview.
Your resume is your marketing tool for success. You need to be able to advertise your skills and ability to succeed with your prospective employer. The format and feel of your resume can either open doors or close them, often this feeling can make people question why they didn’t get the interview or thinking they are not qualified.
The resume that lands you the job interview isn’t a simple listing of your past duties or work experience. It has to convince readers that you have the required skills and abilities to exceed the expectations of the position, so your resume should be structured in a way that arouses employers interest in you and gives them reasons as to why you are more qualified than others, while encouraging the employer to get in touch with you for an interview.
Most people do not realize that employers will do a quick scan of a resume, it typically lasts only a few seconds. They’re looking for key skills and accomplishments that the perfect candidate will have. So capturing the employers attention is critical or else you’re information can get lost in the shuffle.
To prevent your resume from ending up in the “Trash” file, here are some helpful resume tips that will set you apart from the rest.
1. Review the job posting and description carefully
A lot of the time, job-hunters will write one generic resume and send the same generic resume to every employer. This is one of the biggest mistakes facing job seekers because it produces so-so resumes that don’t necessarily match the employers requirements.
You need to highlight your appropriate skills for that job. Reviewing the job requirements is a great way to tailor-make your resume contents to the employers needs.
2. Know the difference in resumes
There are two main types of resumes: chronological resumes and functional resumes. Chronological resumes coordinate your past job experience and place emphasis on your experiences that apply to that field.
Functional resumes are good when you have little to zero work experience (or new grads). This type of resume allows you to showcase skills that fit in with the job requirements. Fair warning: most recruiters and hiring managers don’t like this format and feel as though you may be “hiding” something.
If you have a chronological resume, you do not want to have one part chronological and one part functional, because it will throw off the entire formatting and may confuse the employer about your skill set.
3. Focusing on accomplishments
Focusing on what you have accomplished will help to set you apart from your peers. You should highlight the value you’ve brought to companies and the success that they have seen while you are there. Companies are looking for game-changers, they want 5 star recruits, not 2 star players who are not up to the challenge. You have to make yourself into a 5-star recruit, you cannot rest on your laurels and hope for the best. Spotlighting your success will show potential employers that you are capable of outperforming your peers.
