Interviewing
The three most important parts of the interview are punctuality, appearance, and how you handle the interview.
1. Punctuality
Nothing will destroy your chances of getting the job quicker than being late. If you don’t know the location of the company, call for directions a day ahead of the interview and make a trial run that evening. Always account for traffic in allotting the time it will take to get from your home to the company.
You should always arrive 15 minutes early. Being early displays your enthusiasm and makes a great first impression.
2. Appearance
Always dress appropriately for an interview. The last thing you want is for your wardrobe to be the reason that you didn’t get the job. Use your best judgment or ask for advice. You could also ask the company how to dress when you are arranging a day and time for the interview.
3. Interview Types
You very well may encounter different kinds of job interviews, as well as a variety of interview questions. Understanding the different types of interviews might help you be more prepared.
General Interview Tips
Now that you have a better idea of the critical elements of an interview, here are a few more interview tips.
-Don’t create the answers you think the interviewer wants to hear. If you get the job and then you can’t do the job, or if you gave the interviewer the wrong impression of your skills and abilities, you may not get to keep the job.
-Relate your experience to the job for which you’re interviewing. Provide examples of tasks you have performed to give the interviewer a better idea of your skills.
-Never complain about past jobs or bosses. Negative comments give the impression you would be a difficult employee.
-Always ask for a business card from your interviewer. This card will help you get all the information correct on your thank you/follow-up letter. Also, if you don’t get the job, you may be able to add this person to your contact list.
Building a Resume
Your resume is one of the most critical parts of landing a job and the key to it is how you write it. Potential employers screen out or select candidates based on the content of this document.
When describing your work experience, use action verbs. Don’t only describe what you did at a job. Potential employers need to know how well you did your job as well. If possible, include achievements as part of your explanation for each job.
Basics of a good resume
-Name, complete mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number with area code
-Objective
-Employment history, beginning with the present or most recent
-Education, awards, accomplishments
-Volunteer work, military experience, internships
-Additional training, skills, including other languages
-Computer hardware and software skills
Things to leave out
-Age, marital status, children, health, physical size
-Picture
-Reason for leaving last job
-Salary requirements
-Names of references (make their contact information available as a separate page)
-Use of the pronoun “I”
