Are you getting plenty of interviews but no job offers? If so, you have some work do to on your interview skills. One part of doing well in an interview is preparing for it! The Jobs Guy offers some extremely useful steps to take before going on any job interview. Do these things and you’ll have a lot of material you can use to succeed in an interview! Interviews Are Precious… Are You Preparing Enough to Get the Job?
A cartoon image that had me laughing out loud was an “IKEA Job Interview.” The interviewer sits behind a desk in a sparsely furnished room and points to a bunch of pieces of a disassembled chair, which lie neatly on the floor. “Please have a seat,” says the interviewer.
While this image is hilarious, if the interview were for a mechanic or an assembler of chairs at IKEA, the scene would not be so farfetched. And in fact, it is not unusual for an interviewer to test an interviewee with a task to perform on the spot. A good interviewer might test your practical skills in an interview, or your ability to respond to criticism, by asking you to perform a task or adjust your demeanor mid-interview.
I once interviewed a young man for a social worker position at the non-profit where I worked in Brooklyn, NY. There were two of us interviewing him, and I really liked him. He answered questions well and I was considering hiring him. My frustration was that he never made eye contact with me. It seemed as if he were gazing off into space and not fully connecting with me. And I knew there was no way I would actually hire him if he couldn’t make eye contact.
I did something perhaps unconventional. I stopped the interview, told him what I was experiencing, and asked him why he wasn’t making eye contact. He gave a reasonable response that he was struggling with having two interviewers and didn’t want either of us to get all his focus. From that moment in the interview, he made full eye contact with either me or my associate.
I hired him.
Why? Because I knew beyond doubt from that interview that this man took criticism and coaching well, and could implement a suggestion quickly and effectively. He also had all the other qualifications we were looking for.
He is still working at the organization today, and is appreciated for his work ethic and great attitude, as well as for the results he produces.
So this IKEA cartoon, while humorous, might not be that far off the mark for something you might be called upon to perform on the spot in an interview. Luckily, all the tools you need are already in your possession. You just need to be good at following directions.
Who else would you want to take advice from but a hiring manager? US News & World Report offers 21 tips straight from the people who judge your job applications. I wouldn’t argue with their advice if I were you! 12 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew – from Yahoo and US News & World Report
Did you know you should never schedule an interview on a Monday or in the late afternoon? Find these and other simple tips for increasing your chances of getting hired. If you’re not getting job offers, it might not be personal! Find out why in How Make Yourself Three Times More Likely to Get Hired – by Arthur I. Frank
Don’t assume you know everything about searching for a job on line. Janet Fouts offers some great current tips on how to conduct your job search through social media. This article is worth a read! Job Hunting with Social Media
These resume mistakes provide some comic relief for anyone getting too serious about the job search. Just make sure not to make these mistakes yourself! Worst Resume Blunders
The exact numbers vary, but it’s generally agreed upon that the vast majority of people obtain their jobs through networking. The statistics are particularly valid for high level corporate positions. This article from The Wall Street Journal provides some insight into the process of “greasing the inside track.” Greasing the Inside Track to a Job
It’s never too early to start putting together a resume! As a teenager, you are competing for jobs just like adults. Plus as a teen, your resume can help when you start requesting letters of recommendation for college. Your recommenders will love to have a resume as part of the materials you hand to them! Find out more tips on how to craft a successful teenage resume: Even for Summer Jobs, Teens Should Craft a Resume - The Washington Post
Just about every client I work with lately brings up the rumor they’ve heard that no one reads cover letters anymore. This rumor is ONLY a rumor and if you take action based on it, you will shoot yourself in the foot in your job search.
In a recent article posted on Work Coach Cafe, “15 Job Search Tips from a Guy Who Just Got a Job,” a successful job seeker named John relates how the CEO of a company personally reached out to him to thank him for sending a cover letter! In fact, John was the ONLY candidate to send a cover letter, most likely because everyone else believed the rumor that cover letters never get read. John made an impression.
This topic is also covered on Great Resumes Fast in “Cover Letters: Does Anybody Read Those Anymore?” The author points out that the cover letter is your opportunity to show genuine interest and to make a case that you are specifically qualified for this job.
Why would you tailor your resume to a job and then write a generic cover letter? If you are truly interested in a position, it is worth your time to write a unique letter to the company about who you are and why you would make a difference for that company. Do not write a generic cover letter and send it along with a generic or somewhat tailored resume to zillions of job listings, hoping that you‘ll somehow win the numbers game. That is NOT the way to get a job!
Instead, begin building a relationship right from the start with the company that might be your future employer. Imagine yourself in this job and write down what you will bring to the position. Sell yourself.
Anyone can spot a cover letter that is really just a mail merge. Remember… you are a human being and, if you get past the computer scanners, so is the person who reads your cover letter. By writing a custom letter, you reveal your humanity and respect the humanity of the HR person or hiring manager. If you begin early to develop a relationship with that person, you are in great shape to be asked for an interview.
I have received many inquiries lately from clients who think it’s a good idea to copy their current job description into their resumes, and/or copy the job description of the position they’re applying for into their resumes.
I STRONGLY recommend against both tactics.
1. Copying current job descriptions:
Your current job description is just a list of job duties. The cardinal rule for resumes in today’s job market is to write your resume as a list of achievements and accomplishments, NOT as a list of job duties! I would go so far as to say that your job description has very little to do with what you actually do and accomplish in your position.
I’ll take myself as an example. The job description for my current position at the University of Wisconsin Law School says that I counsel students on their legal career search. It doesn’t say what my success rate is, or how creatively I work with students’ cover letters and resumes, or that I created a PowerPoint presentation on Resumes for Law Students. It doesn’t mention the 5 job search resource manuals I created for various big cities across the United States. It doesn’t mention the positive feedback I get from the students I work with.
It is my job to put these successes, which are nowhere to be found in my job description, into my resume. They speak much more to what I will accomplish in my next position than that I “assist students with resumes and cover letters.”
Guess what? You don’t need your current job description to write your resume. Just write about the things you’ve really done that will be relevant and impressive to the reader.
2. Copying future job descriptions:
I’m willing to bet that a lot of people make this mistake. If you make it too, you will have a lot of company from people who do not get called for interviews. Copying and pasting requires no creativity and actually makes it appear that you did NOT do the things you claim you did. All it does is show a hiring manager or HR person that you can cut and paste.
Instead, FIRST write your resume to highlight your accomplishments. Create the best document you can create. AFTER you have put together a great resume, THEN see if there are small tweaks you can make to include some of the keywords from the future job description.
For instance, I recently worked with a client applying for a Senior IT Director position. The position description listed “Develop and approve exceptions to policy…” His finished resume did not have the phrase “exceptions to policy” in it, but he worked with exceptions to policy regularly. He was able to add this phrase into an already existing bullet regarding his program management accomplishments.
In general, when crafting a winning resume, truth and honesty are the best policy. Don’t get lazy or think you’re “working the system” by using the cut and paste functions on your keypad. What will get you an interview is your unique accomplishments. Focus on those and you will see success in your job search.
