Job interview checklist

Job interview checklist by Michael Cheary So, the waiting is finally over: it’s interview time.All those hours of painstaking preparations are behind you. Your outfit can’t be changed. There’s no more research to be done. It’s just you and your interviewer/s left standing. Feeling more than a little nervous? We’ve got this…To help keep your anxieties at bay, here’s our comprehensive checklist for during the interview: Interview Checklist Email address: Please enter a valid email addressmessage here By clicking Submit, you accept our Terms & Conditions and consent to receive emails and career related topics. See our Privacy policy for details. Continue without submitting Download Interview Checklist1. Give a good handshakeFirst impressions count.The first few seconds of your interview can be make or break when it comes to getting the role. And it all starts with a handshake.Although there’s no shortlist or secret to mastering the perfect shake, general consensus suggests that the best tactic is to mirror your interviewer’s style.Be confident, offer your hand and don’t rush it. No-one likes the wet-fish-feeling, so squeeze just hard enough for them to know you’re there, but not so hard that their circulation becomes a cause for concern. A few seconds should do it.If all else fails, remember: interviewer’s always like it firm.2. Be aware of your body languageAs much as 60% of first impressions are formed by body language. So always think about what you’re doing as much as what you’re actually saying out loud. Sit up straight, be attentive and don’t fidget. If you have a tendency to move around more when you’re nervous, use a notepad or pen to keep your hands still, and always ensure your legs are planted firmly on the floor.Remember to smile, keep your arms uncrossed and maintain eye-contact wherever possible. Still not sure how to keep your body language under control? Use our list of body language dos and don’ts for some further pointers.3. Take deep breathsNo matter how rehearsed you are with your interview questions and answers, reeling them off a-mile-a-minute is unlikely to impress.To avoid any indecipherable interview chat, try and take a brief pause for a deep breath before every response.Not only will this help calm your nerves and keep all embarrassingly garbled interactions to a minimum, it will also allow you a few moments to think about your answers.It’s pretty much win-win.4. Make notesIt isn’t always necessary to take notes during an interview, but asking if it†™s allowed never hurts your chances.If you are allowed to write things down, it might help you maintain focus and keep your answers on track. You’ll also be able to scribble down any questions you can think of to ask when proceedings come to an end.Not sure whether you should ask anything? No problem…5. Always ask questionsOK, so it’s pretty much non-negotiable.Think of it like this: If you’re seriously considering spending a chunk of your career with a company, you’ll probably have 101 things you want to know before you start.What does success look like for this role? What are the chances for progression? What are some of the day-to-day duties for the job? Where’s the best place to go for lunch? You know, all the big ones.The more interested you are about the role, the more you help convince your interviewer that you’re the right person to fill it. Asking about next steps is another good tactic, and one which will save you a lot of time sitting by the phone waiting fo r a response.Luckily, most of these questions you can prepare for in advance and bring with you. We’ve even done most of the hard work for you and compiled a list of questions you should be asking (and a list you definitely shouldn’t be asking). You’re welcome internet.6. Say thank youFinish off your interview as professionally and politely as possible.Thank the recruiter for their time, wish them well, and you’re done. We also recommend following up with a thank you email, just to help keep you front-of-mind when it comes to decision time.7. And breathe…When the interview is officially over, and you’ve done all you can do, sit back and relax.You should now know how long it will take to hear back from your interviewer (unless, you know, you skipped step 5), so all that’s left is to celebrate a job interview well done.Still searching for your perfect position? Have a look at all of our current vacancies nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career Advi ceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Interview Techniques Job interview tips

How To Optimize Your Resume To Get A Job In 2020

How To Optimize Your Resume To Get A Job In 2020As a student and a job seeker, your resume format can make or break your chances of landing the job. Unfortunately, as most students realize, there is very little that employers can do to ensure that they get your job application in front of the right person, so what do you do? The answer is to give your resume the best chance possible of being seen by the employer.One of the primary concerns in this regard is making sure that your resume format is optimized for the computer that it will be published on. This is the quickest way to ensure that your resume is seen by many people without having to wade through hundreds of rejection emails and an avalanche of poor-quality resumes.The best resume format does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. By choosing the right tools, you can work to optimize your resume for the least amount of time and effort. Some of these tools include:Create an autoresponder. When you create an autoresponder acco unt, you will immediately start receiving copies of your resume to work with. You can also use this tool to inform your employees, and future employers, of your resume on several different channels. For example, you can send them a personalized autoresponder message when you have a job opening that is appropriate for your company.Your resume will look much better if you can add your name to it. You can do this simply by adding your full name to your document.Make sure that your document has been formatted properly. This can be done by following a few simple steps:The basic format for your resume will depend on whether it is a professional document or a school transcript. When you submit a resume to a company, your resume must conform to a standard format. This is the standard that companies are likely to use when creating their own individual forms.If you apply for ten jobs in the next two years, you should expect to be interviewed for about four interviews in the whole year. That's a big difference. If you want to land a job in 2020, you should be proactive about how you present yourself to employers.

The Purple Cow Job Description - Should I Apply - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Purple Cow Job Description - Should I Apply - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Purple Cow Job Description? I guarantee you have read a purple cow job description. Its one of those that, when you finished reading it, you said to yourself: I am not qualified for this job but  is anyone? They are looking for the purple cow. The ideal candidate does not exist! I am going out on a limb to say that most job descriptions are badly written. In my last corporate job, I had an open position to fill. I had to write a job description. Did I know how to write a description? NO! I went onto Indeed.com and searched for openings with the same job title. When I found one I liked, I copied it! I was expanding my team for a training and certification program. I wanted a technical trainer who was familiar with the program and was already certified. We had certified less than a thousand people worldwide. The candidate needed to have five years of technical training experience. I wanted someone who was already located in Austin, Texas. The odds of finding someone who was certified in the topic, had five years experience as a technical trainer, AND lived in Austin was close to ZERO! I was looking for the Purple Cow! Did I write the job description saying I wanted everything? YES! Dissecting the Job Description We will want to look at: High level job description Responsibilities Requirements/Qualifications Education High Level Job Description Can you honestly see yourself with this title? One of the problems with high level job descriptions is they have become so vague. Do not write yourself off even if it does not look like a fit just yet. Responsibilities/Description Read through this section carefully. Have you actually performed more than half of the responsibilities described? Requirements/Qualifications Check out each item in the requirements/qualifications section of the job description: How many of the requirements/qualifications do you have? Make sure you meet at least half of the requirements/qualifications. Do you have equivalent requirements/qualifications? Do you have existing skills that you can map to what is in the job description? How long would it take, given your current experience, to attain what is needed? Education Do you have all of the required educational credentials? Do you have the preferred educational credentials? Do you have experience that can be substituted for any of the credentials? One way to get around having all of the educational credentials is to put in your resume a statement like the following: 20 years of experience in xxxxxxin lieu of an MBA. This will often get you past the applicant tracking systems and at least get you a phone interview for you to prove your worth. Do Not Be Afraid of the Purple Cow Lastly, if you are following a targeted job search   strategy, you will have an internal contact within the company. Ask your contact to find out what the hiring manager is really looking for! Marc Miller â€" Career Pivot Check out my book Repurpose Your Career â€" A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers Do not forget to follow me on Twitter or FaceBook

Considering Success Marla Gottschalk

Considering Success Marla Gottschalk Do you consider yourself to be successful? Yes â€" Im aware thats a loaded question. In this case, Im speaking of workplace success. But Im certain that by the end of this post, other elements of our lives will come into play. Work life success is a complicated construct. It has to besimply because were peopleand people are complicated. But, this query seems to come up quite a bit during the course of our career lives. As I coach clients (both individuals and teams), Ive realized this question often looms central. Unfortunately career growth is not always reflected in the numbers. When career growth doesnt jibe with outside measures of success (such as money, power and title) â€" we have doubts and question our path. We tend to place great emphasis on metrics in business. What youve sold. What youve earned. How many employees you might supervise. On some level the numbers work â€" on other levels, not nearly as well. Numbers dont tell the entire story. They never have. Never will. Sometimes the numbers lull us into a false sense of security. In other cases, they really dont reflect or keep up with the progress we should really claim. I see this too. (Ive left one or two cushy jobs with great salaries to pursue goals.) Think of all the organizations that have misread the cues. They may have thought they were at the top of their game â€" and for a time, the numbers stated that they were. However, the success was fleeting in some part, because their metrics were essentially flawed. When we are in transition career-wise, the numbers almost never reflect the depth and breadth of whats happening. (We may have changed paths in exchange for a lower title, for example. We may have opted to re-train. Our goals or focus may have evolved.) But, we still wait for that outside confirmation that we are doing the right thing. Ive done this. Im sure you have. The important point here it to find the guideposts that work for you. These may not be anything like the metrics we are accustomed to â€" but will offer the information you require. Here are a few alternative measures of success to consider: You are developing a voice. Weve all held roles where our expertise or opinions were lost or ignored. No amount of money can make up for this problem. A voice matters. Always. When you can operate at a level that lets you know youve earned your turn to contribute in a meaningful way, that is priceless. Mastering something new. You dont need to leave your current work life to master something new. Its a commitment, I know â€" but worth the trouble, as the rewards are certainly there. Youve found a challenge. There are seasons of our work lives where a new challenge is the last thing that we need. But, when there isnt enough challenge, this too, can be suffocating. With challenge comes hard work â€" but also a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. The chance to create something. Weve all held jobs where our role was to sustain something â€" a practice, a policy, a program. But, to have the opportunity to create something new (a post, a new product, a business), is an experience that cannot be measured with traditional metrics. There are so many other elements success that Im sure Ive overlooked. Please share your story here. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, consultant and speaker. The Office Blend, has been recognized by Forbes as one of their “Top 100 Websites for Your Career” in both 2012 and 2013.

Can Write My Resume in Code Help?

Can Write My Resume in Code Help?If you're like me, you're probably asking, 'Can writing my resume in code really help?' Writing a resume is no easy task. But when you read hundreds of thousands of resumes every day, you quickly learn that many professionals are typing the same basic information into a Word document for their resume.Writing a resume is not a set of instructions or an instruction manual. When you write your resume, you have to be creative and innovative.I would highly recommend that you use free resume writing software. Free resume writing software is a great way to create a professional resume, especially if you have a short time to create your resume. And even better, you can work with one of these professional resume writing software programs to easily create a quality resume.A resume is a document that outlines the qualifications and skills you have for the job you are applying for. It is not an instruction manual. As a matter of fact, there are several reasons wh y most job seekers don't think about creating a resume.If you do plan on creating a resume, then you must understand that writing a resume is not rocket science. Yes, you can type code, but it won't make your resume look any better. In fact, it may actually make your resume look worse.After you've written your resume, it is time to submit it. One of the first things you need to do is review it for spelling and grammar errors. If you find any errors, then you need to immediately edit it.Free resume writing software will allow you to edit your resume with one click of a button. Most of the software also has a professional grade, error-free design.The simple step I used to create my resume is to follow the guidelines above. I hope this information will help you create your own resume today.

Why Social Media Job Searching Calls for a Multi-Layered Approach - CareerEnlightenment.com

She Polished Her LinkedIn, Twitter and Google PresenceFor LinkedIn, Tammy did the following:She customized her profile for the positions she most wanted to get.She looked at advertisements for the type of jobs she wanted to have,  found keywords that she included in her profile.She used LinkedIn to elaborate on details she couldnt include in her resume knowing that recruiters and future employers were going to be looking for more.For Twitter Tammy did the following:She amped up her Twitter usage to increase her visibility and interaction with key people in her target industries.She got involved in the very active Twitter job search and career  communities.  Each day, recruiters, career counselors, and other job hunters  were sharing great, free advice on Twitter particularly in  chats like #careerchat  and #jobhuntchat.Through those chats, I met some amazingly supportive and encouraging people who  helped give me the push I needed to keep plugging away:  @girlmeetsgeek, @annemesseng er, and @avidcareerist.She got the opportunity to guest blog for @myfootpath about her experience and share her thoughts on being a Professional MacGyver.For her Google Resume (first 3 pages of a Google search for her name) she did the following:Published as much content as possible with her name on itChecked her rankings regularly to make sure she was happy with search resultsUsed Vizibility to manage her search resultsWhat About You?Now that youve read about how Tammy nailed her job search with social media and a clear strategy, what are you going to do differently? Pick one thing from this post that you will do, and then do it. Let me know how it goes in the comments below. Perhaps we can help!

Add a Sense of Urgency to Your To Do List

Add a Sense of Urgency to Your To Do List Farmers are the best at completing their to do list. It comes as no surprise. An item left undone on their list could be a matter of life or death. So what can you do to be more like a farmer? The great news is that you arent alone in your struggle to check everything off your list, according to a recent LinkedIn survey on to do lists. First, write it down According to LinkedIns survey, 45% of respondents recorded their lists electronically and 50% on paper.   You have to wonder what the 5% who reported other were doing Theres a sayingwhat gets written down, gets done.   This is vitally true in job search. How are you doing writing down your daily and weekly action items? Use a calendar! Hold Yourself Accountable (or have others) It seems, generally, when your list contains items that are of a critical nature or directly impact a customer, people are more likely to get through their lists.   Hmmm, so why are people in the legal and medical fields at the bottom of the list of getting their list done?   Lets learn from the farmers! It is hard work! Just know that you will have to roll up your sleeves, get dirty and sweaty and get er done! Be Specific Creatives have a harder time staying on track, according to the LinkedIn survey. When the actions and items on your list are vague, unspecific or not regimented, it may make it harder to complete them.   Do your best to stay focused. Use an egg timer to structure your time if you struggle with this. Because I love infographics, here is the one referenced in the LinkedIn article by Nicole Williams, Does Your To Do List Need a Makeover? Any surprises here? Do you struggle to complete the items on your to do list?