Daily Career Connection

You’re watching the second hand rotate around the office clock, in the waiting room. Loud footsteps on a commercial tile floor are moving towards your direction, as you sit on the leather sofa. “John Doe,” the receptionist announces. You feel your heart beating in your throat, and the palms of your hands are sweating profusely, as you clasp your portfolio.

If you’re like most job seekers and prospective employees, going on a face to face interview can be a painstaking process that leaves you weary and uncertain about the results you’ll obtain from your performance.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the best approach any interviewee can take to ensure they receive a winning grade. We’ll discuss techniques to help you conquer your fears of the interview, and help you establish yourself as a true leader during your 30 - 60 minutes of face time with any hiring manager. Finally, we’ll address resources you can access to prepare you for every aspect of the interview, including automating your job search.

It’s no secret that presenting yourself as a viable candidate on any interview starts well before your first meeting is ever scheduled. Having a quality, formatted resume prepared by a professional resume writer is a critical step to getting the anticipated interview. When you arrive to your interview, you need to be dressed for success, have a copy of your formatted cover letter, resume, references, and a personal business card, in a file folder you can leave with the hiring manager or interviewer. Just as important, is the fact that you bring your professional portfolio of work samples, if appropriate. It goes without saying, in every case, it is imperative that you leave to go on your interview with plenty of time, and arrive at least 15 minutes early.
(more…)

As you read the following wrong scenario, ask yourself whether this has ever happened you. Jane is in the process of interviewing. She has applied for twenty jobs, three of which have asked her for an interview. On the first interview, she walks into the room and is invited to sit across from the interviewer. Aside from the welcome, the first thing that she says to him is, “What do you know about our company?” With a blank stare, Jane sits there and smiles trying to recall any scrap of detail she can. She can’t, however, because the company isn’t a name brand and it wasn’t one of his referrals. Saying, “I am not that familiar with your company,” draws from the interviewer what can be defined as ‘exasperation.’

If you even said that it happened one time, that is one time too many. I think that quite possibly the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a candidate during an interview is forgetting information about the company, the position or the interviewer.

In the News

According to a recent report from CNN, the majority of job candidates are not prepared when they walk into an interview. It is important to know that many organizations rely almost strictly on performance during an interview when making final decisions. In other words, if it comes down to two almost identically qualified candidates but one candidate represented him or herself better in the interview, it is almost a sure bet that the better prepared individual will get the job offer. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure the potential employer sees your “best self” throughout the process. This means knowing not only yourself, but also the industry and the company. According to his recently published book, “Next-Day Job Interview,” author Michael Farr says, “The more you know about the job, the industry and the employer, the more likely you are to present yourself well in the interview.”
(more…)

Whether you like it or not, you have to be careful of how you project yourself during those crucial job interviews. Irritating habits like twirling your mustache when you’re talking to friends should be dumped fast. Annoying habits distract tired interviewers and will cost job applicants their chances of being hired.

The Job Interview Booboos

During job interviews, job applicants commit deadly slip-ups. Some go to the job interview inappropriately garbed, chew gum to calm their nerves, and sometimes project that self-assurance verging on the brazen. Others are so petrified that they barely squeak out their replies and cannot make eye-contact.

Some interview snafus to avoid are not knowing the interviewer’s name, not knowing anything about the company, smoking, arriving late for the interview, answering the question before it is completed, sitting down before you are offered to take a seat, using too much hand gestures, bad mouthing previous employers - the list goes on and on.

The Job Interview

The interview is handled by the company’s Human Resource division. In small or medium-sized businesses, the business owner usually tackles the job. Whether you are applying for a job at McDonalds’ or at the neighborhood’s Mom ‘n Pop grocery, be prepared.
(more…)

If you turn on your television or open up your local newspaper, you’ll hear the news. The unemployment rate is creeping up, and the analysts are talking about recession. When economic times take a downturn, it’s a given that the job market will slow right along with everything else. Does it have to be this way?

Absolutely not! If you’re a true professional in your field, there are options available to you, that will literally blow your mind. You’ve heard about automating your life; have you heard about automating your career search? I’m not referring to setting up a few searches in one of the major job boards. Yes, that could be considered partial-automation, but I’m talking about something with a little more substance here. Are you aware that there are Career Search companies out there, that make their living, representing quality candidates like yourself, at absolutely no charge to you?! You can literally sign up as an active or passive candidate with these firms, and they will handle every aspect of your job search - on your behalf!
(more…)