Seven Tips To A Job-winning Interview
|
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!
1. Investigate the company's culture, markets, and finances. But resist the temptation to show off what you've researched: "I just read that you're about to embark on a new product line") unless you have a question directly related to your career.
2. Look like you belong. Learn the company's dress code and err on the side of conservatism. When you're seeking a senior position based on industry experience, you'll be expected to know the rules without being told.
3. Take charge of the interview! The most successful interviews feel like friendly conversations. When your interviewer has an agenda (such as the infamous "stress interview") stay relaxed. Think of playing a game.
4. Assume everyone you meet will provide feedback to the decision-maker. Some companies hand out comment forms to receptionists, security guards and potential peers who take you to lunch.
5. Communicate interest and enthusiasm, even if you're not sure you're ready to commit. You'll rarely have all the facts until you're looking at an offer.
6. Bring extra copies of your correspondence from this company as well as your resume, references, writing samples, portfolio and current business cards. Interviewers lose documents and conversations move in unexpected directions.
7. Create a relaxed, positive attitude by devising a realistic game plan. When your career isn't riding on a single interview, you'll have fun and make a confident, relaxed impression.
8. Write a thank you letter within forty-eight hours. Create a low-key sales letter, emphasizing how your qualifications match the company's needs. Present yourself as a resource, not a supplicant.
9. After you write the letter, forget about the interview. Email or phone only if you've received a competing offer with a deadline.
Occasionally you may make points with follow-up mailings. A sports team public relations applicant sent puzzles, games and press releases -- and she got the job. Use your intuition.
10. Keep notes of what you learned from the process. What worked? What would you do differently?
As soon as you begin your new job, develop a career plan and a safety net before you need one.
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., wrote Making the Big Move (NewHarbinger 1999). She works with professionals who have seenthe light and are ready to ditch their current career andstart a second one.
Website: http://www.cathygoodwin.com
Your Next Move Ezine:
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html or
cathy@cathygoodwin.com with "YNM" in subject line.
Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294
|
|
|
Create A Rappin? Resume
(Percussion sounds emanating from who knows where while you listen to the cadence of the words below.)It's time to sell yourself.May the words light up the way.It's now your chance to shine,And it's soon gonna be your day.So make sure you show themAll the many things you can do.It's now your chance to shine.With a resume just for you.No, no, no! Wait a minute! This isn't the kind of "RAP" that you should use for your resume. Although, there would be some shock value, and the person doing the paper screening would surely get a laugh and not likely forget your name. The WRAP to which I am referring is W, written wisely and well; R, review, rewrite, re-read; A, analysis and awareness; and P, proofread and proofread again.The WRAP approach needs t...(related: Employment)
Job Lead Websites To Use In Your Telecommuting Search
Let me ask you a question: are you tired ofusing job sites only to find scam after scam? I bet you're noddingyour head in agreement to that question. I know that I was sickand tired of spending all my time online searching fortelecommuting jobs only to find scams. Any type of free job siteis going to have a few scams, but some sites have more legitimatejobs than others, and some are easier to use than others.There is one job site t...(related: Employment)
17 Surefire Ways To Annoy Potential Employers
Despite the President's encouraging words, the job market is still in sorry shape. There are more job seekers than job openings, so do NOT make things harder on yourself by doing any of the things on this list! Never, ever do these!
Bringing Our Family To Work
Let's face it, most of us consider professional success and personal success the same.In other words we become our careers. We also bring our personal and family behaviors to work causing many of the same conflicts we have at home.The number one skill that will improve both our professional and personal life is good communication. What we have to say is not important unless we are able to be heard.Following are tips to help build good communication skills:Listen with an open mind. Concentrate on what the person is saying and the body language used. Put all your energy into thinking this is the most important plac...(related: Employment)
4 Internet Job Search Mistakes To Avoid
The Internet is the most powerful employment tool on earth. Hands down.With the Web, you can access millions of job openings on thousands of sites. With email, you can quickly contact employers and ask for interviews.Yet, if used incorrectly, the Internet can actually prevent you from being as productive as possible in your search for work.How? Why?Here are four mistakes that commonly befall job seekers using the Internet. Avoid them, and get hired faster.1) Don't Email Your Resume Wrong
6 Steps To Re-inventing Your Career
Meaningful work honors the deepest part of your being. It is the embodiment of your gifts and talents and all that you value. Finding it in a safe, smart way requires these six steps:1. Soul Searching. Your journey begins with some intriguing self-examination. This step goes beyond looking at your work experience and skills. You also consider your values, interests, and personality preferences. This can be done informally through the use of specially-designed exercises or it can be done formally through professional assessment testing. Taken all together, the soul-search phase allows you to come up with a comprehensive personal profile that will help you develop future ...(related: Employment)
Losing A Career When Youre Moving For Love
Those who watched HBO's Sex and the City (SATC, now available on DVD) know the last eight episodes were less about sex and more about ...(related: Employment)
Great Salary Negotiation Tips
11 Commandments For Smart Negotiating1 - BE PREPARED. The more information you have about your market value and theprospective employer, the greater your likelihood of success. This is the first commandment because it's the most important. There's awealth of information available on the Internet, at the public libraryand through professional associations and networking grou...(related: Employment)
From Bumbling Bosses To Cranky Co-workers ? How To Overcome What Makes You Hate Your Job
I'll be the first to admit that I hated my job. It took many years for me to come to this realization since I kept accepting promotions in the hopes that the awful ache inside of my chest would go away. This ache was not a medical condition ? it was me longing to have a career where I could be happy.I tried to ignore these feelings but instead, the ache became more intense. I expressed to my friends that I was unhappy with my job as a pharmaceutical representative and they told me that I was crazy for wanting to leave such a well-paying job. I became frustrated because I realized that I was goi...(related: Employment)
Discontentment In The Workplace
While more people are finding employment, more employed workers are discontent and experiencing frustration. In most cases it can be boiled down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events.You can possess a tremendous amount of creativity and skill, but if you aren't given opportunities to utilize and express these qualities to their fullest, frustration can quickly set in. For most employees, there is a huge differential between what they can bring to the table and the resp...(related: Employment)
Recovering From A Career Crisis
If you have ever experienced any of the following, you have had a career crisis:? Losing your job? Being fired? Burning out? Not wanting to do your job for one more dayA career crisis can be caused either by someone else (being laid off) or by your own feelings (burning out).Common Causes of Career CrisesThere are many reasons why people experience career crises. Here are a few:? Corporate downsizing? Burnout? Relocating for your spouse's career? Being fired? Making the wrong career move? Corporate politics? Not fitting inWhy a Career Crisis Is So DevastatingA career crisis is almost always devastating because it can impact your life in so many ways. Here are a few ex...(related: Employment)
Considering A Career Change?
Are you thinking about a career change? Many people do this because of specific problems or difficulties. Others want to make such a change because of some growing, generalized dissatisfaction. A career change is becoming more common. A few decades ago this kind of change was considered inappropriate. People were thought to be "job-hoppers" when they moved from job to job. People with this behavior were thought to be unstable and without loyalty. But now, changing your job or cha...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment