Don?t Discount The Temporary Position Interview
|
If you think, 'it's just an interview for a temp job -- no big deal,' that's where you're mistaken. Some wonderful opportunities, networking connections and careers have resulted from temporary positions.
Temporary assignments today run the gamut from receptionist to CEO and beyond. And since an agency is usually the first contact with the company, much of the marketing and negotiations have been done for you.
And if you believe 'but the interview is set up and all I have to do is show up,' you're wrong again. The mind set you bring to that interview will make a big difference as to whether or not you get the job.
Most employers like to conduct interviews for temporary positions, even though they are slated only for a few weeks or months of service. They are particularly concerned about people in positions of higher responsibility. The employer is interested in selecting quality people who can be trusted with company information, knowledge and secrets.
Steps to Take to Prepare For Your Interview
-- Step #1 - Do Your Research.
Many companies have Web sites where you can access valuable background information to use in your interview.
By finding out information about the company, like annual revenue and the organization's mission, you will show an interest in what you will be contracted to do. Showing some enthusiasm about the position will demonstrate a positive attitude toward the assignment that you're seeking. You don't want to project the idea that you are there because you can't find a job anywhere else, or are waiting for just the right job -- even if that is the case.
-- Step #2 - Get a Job Description.
Prepare ahead of time.
A worthwhile exercise is to take a piece of paper and fold it down the middle. On one side of the fold write, 'What they are looking for,' and on the other side, write, 'What I have to offer.' Look at the job description and compare the company's needs with your experience and qualities. How do you stack up? Where are your shortcomings? Can you show how you learn quickly or bring added value to the company from the start?
-- Step #3 Prepare a Short Information Statement.
Be ready to answer the dreaded question, 'Tell me about yourself and your background.'
Your statement should include some information on the type of companies and industries you have worked for, your strengths, your transferable skills and some of your personal traits. Practice saying this statement until it is natural.
-- Step #4 Be Prepared to Talk About Your Successes and Experiences.
The employer will want to find out about your past experience -- successes and failures, your work ethic, your track record and, more than likely, the reason you have chosen to work as a temporary employee rather than a regular employee. Make sure you have an answer to the question, 'Why temporary employment?'
Even though you are not being considered for a regular position at this time, there is always the possibility that it just might work out well for both parties -- and the first step to making that happen is by acing the interview.
About The Author
Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, 'Interview Fitness Training Workbook' and 'Boost Your Interview IQ' (McGraw Hill) have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole's FREE 9-week job interview e-course by visiting her web site at: http://www.interviewcoach.com or http://www.interviewfitnesstraining.com.
|
|
|
Rekindling Passion For Work
Passion comes in many forms. I'm focused on the version of passion that is "boundless enthusiasm". Looking up enthusiasm in the dictionary, I learned it is derived from the Greek root entheos, which means inspired by god. Hmmm, boundless inspiration by god! When's the last time you experienced your work or career that way? Not lately? Never? Read on!As a Boy Scout leader, one skill we teach our scouts is starting and feeding a fire. It's a pretty simple recipe ? tinder, kindling, fuel an...(related: Employment)
For My Second Career, I Want To Do Nothing!
Q. For my second career, I'd like to know "What to do when you have done a lot and nothing really interests you anymore. The things that interest me are not financially feasible right now, because one of the things I'd like to give up is working!"A. People often want to stop working when they've experienced a series of challenges. You leave one career and begin another. You experience a great burst of energy as your second career takes off. And then your excitin...(related: Employment)
Writing A Resume That Gets You Noticed
As the old saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." In today's business world, of c...(related: Employment)
Does Your Resume Have What It Takes To Survive The First Cut?
Qualifications" or "Personal Profile") uses bullets and succinct wording to highlight what is likely to most intrigue the employer. Before writing this section, make a list of the 5 to 10 criteria that are most likely to guide the employer's choice ? then summarize your qualifications in a way that speaks directly to the employer's interests.The last 15 seconds?
Write And Get Hired
Want to get hired faster than up to 97% of other job seekers?Well, you can. By doing two simple things almost nobody else is doing:1) write down a job search goal and2) read it out loud 10 times a day.Do this and you'll find a job faster as a result. I promise.Here's how ...Depending on which self-help book you read or success guru you listen to, only about 3% to 10% of the population has written goals, with deadlines. To prove this, ask yourself -- do you have written goals? Probably not. Now...(related: Employment)
What To Ask During The Interview
Don't just sit there and bob your head, waiting to answer the next question - be prepared to ask your own q...(related: Employment)
Make A Good Living Doing What You Love
Don't let anyone talk you into going to college when all you really want to do is be a chef or tear apart a car engine.Some times our society pushes the wrong thing on us. You have to say no way! If you really want to le...(related: Employment)
How To Track Your Right Career
Are you lost in the wilderness when it comes to choosing a career? Once, we knew the way. As children, we played at different roles, but some became our favorites. Those favorites hinted at our gifts. They pointed the way to our exciting futures as entrepreneurs, dancers or astronauts. We did what was fun, and, in the process, we began to find and follow our paths.As young adults, however, our paths began to fade under thickets of ob...(related: Employment)
What Everybody Ought To Know About How To Change Their Career Or Profession And Still Survive...
Dr. Denis Waitley, trainer of leaders, including Super Bowl and Olympic athletes, Apollo astronauts, and Fortune 500 executives, is the most listened to voice on personal and career achievement and the author of the all-time best-seller, The Psychology of Winning claims that the 21st century is unlike anything we could have imaged.According to Dr. Waitley, the employee today needs to learn how to:* make his career fireproof;* go from employee to owner;* change his frustration to motivation;* make "work" work for him rather than ag...(related: Employment)
Integrity At Work - How Do You Show Up?
As the business sections of today's papers and magazines read more and more like the police blotter, ''Integrity'' is fast becoming a hot topc of conversat...(related: Employment)
Waiting For Lightening To Strike
Author and management guru, Peter Drucker says, "People adjust to the level of demands made on them." I would add, we also adjust to the level we demand of ourselves. At some point we grow up and pass for adults by how we look. To match that look with action requires both discipline and determination.I'll give you an example from my life. My son was born when I was twenty-six. I made the decision to stay home with him the first two years. But, I knew I needed brain stimulation and interaction with an adult world, so I decided to pursue my interest in writing. I wrote my first article, sent it to a magazine and waited. Every day I anxiously checked the mail to discover if today would launch my writing career. When the manuscript was finally returned with a regrets note, my a...(related: Employment)
Networking Mistakes And How You Can Avoid Them
'Fear of rejection' is the major reason why individuals looking for a career change hesitate to use networking as the most powerful weapon in their job search armoury. This is even the case with senior people who you would have thought anybody would be delighted to receive a call from. In 99.9% of cases this fear is unfounded - most professional people are pleased to receive calls from like-minded people and are a pleasure and delight to talk to.
(In all my years of networking and listening to people who are conducting networking campaigns, I hav...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment