Category Archives: Interviewing
Employment Gaps on Your Resume and How to Handle Them
Employment gaps on your resume will raise questions of your stability. In most cases, employers will want you to explain them. Therefore, knowing how to handle unemployment gaps on your resume is important.
A word of encouragement: you are not alone. Many people lose jobs for reasons beyond their control. Here are some ideas that my help.
Some Causes of Employment Gaps
- Recessions
- Industry-wide changes
- Consolidations and mergers
- Business sector collapses
Job Types and New Skills
Moreover, your type of job may no longer exist. Just as the automobile replaced the horse and buggy, new technology eliminates jobs that require specific skills. New skills development is critical to your success tomorrow.
In other cases, job seekers must receive certifications, credentials, or licenses that require formal training.
Interim Temporary Work
There is value in doing consulting work, temporary assignments, and even volunteer work. Include this information on your resume to help people know what you are doing in addition to seeking a new job.
Employment Periods in Years
Job seekers frequently list periods of employment in years. The goal of your resume is to get you to an interview. If there are periods of weeks of unemployment in your past, getting to an interview to discuss those periods of unemployment is better than not getting to an interview at all.
Be Well-prepared
Often, your unemployment is beyond your control. Of course, in some cases, unemployment is the result of weak performance. Whatever the case, be prepared to show that, for whatever reason you are unemployed, you need a convincing presentation to show how you will be an asset to your next company.
Do not blame your boss. Employers may see your problems with your boss as defects in your interpersonal skills.
Make Your Point of View Forward Thinking
Whatever you put on your resume; focus on the next job you want to have. Write your resume to show how you will be effective in the specific job for which the company is hiring.
Transferable Skills
On the other hand, you may have transferable skills: Many people may find that they have transferable skills in a new industry. However, industries will continue to change. Transferring your skills may have limited potential.
Consistency
Maintain consistency between your social media profile and your resume. For example, if you place a record of your career track on LinkedIn or other sites, make sure that the records you keep on those websites are consistent with each other and with your resume.
Resources
Take Care of Yourself
The uncertainty of job searching can challenge you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Your finances become uncertain. Trying to focus on job searching is just part of the mental challenge of finding a job.
You are your greatest asset.
Mentors and Friends
Finding mentors and working with friends can help you stay focused and positive as you go through the daily grind of getting a job. Practicing the fundamentals of contacting employers, making applications, and continuing to seek employment are all critical to finding a job.
Unemployed Job Seekers: How to be Competitive
Unemployed Job Seekers: How unemployed job seekers become more competitive against the employed job seekers.
Unemployed Job Seekers
People without a job face additional pressure. Loss of income during unemployment can create anxiety. To an employer, a person being unemployed creates the perception of instability. This perception can weaken an applicant’s ability to get interviews. During interviews, unemployed people are under the pressure to explain why they are unemployed. The issue of unemployment is a distraction. When you want to focus on your qualifications, you must first overcome the issue of your job status.
Your Employed Competitors
People who have a job are in a more competitive position than people who are unemployed. Leaving a company for a better opportunity when you are doing a great job at your current company makes you especially competitive. Therefore, the best time to get a job is when you have a job.
Solutions for Unemployed Job Seekers
I have helped dozens of applicants prepare to handle unemployment during an interview. Moreover, I have helped these people get jobs. Here are some steps that will help.
Resume
Step one, create a personal brand of success. Structure your resume to focus on your career success. Target your resume to the hiring company.
Some people think that your resume should not show that you are unemployed. These people recommend that you leave the dates off your resume. Others recommend that you write your resume to show that you are still employed: 2013 – Present. However, from my experience, a resume that does not include dates raises questions about what a person is hiding. As a corporate recruiter, the two key points I required from a candidate were a list of employers and the dates of employment. The list of companies told me whether I was working with an applicant who was in the correct industry for my job search. The dates told how quickly the person progressed in levels of experience. Moreover, misrepresenting your information can lead to problems even after you are employed.
Social Media: Likewise, your LinkedIn account should match your resume.
Your Interview
You must be able to handle the issue of unemployment in your interviews. To prepare, write your answer. Then rehearse your answer so that you can give a short, clear reply. Test your answer with people you trust. Get comfortable with your answer so that it makes you look confident in your ability to go forward with success in your next job. Show the power of your qualifications. State how you are seeking the type of job the company offers. Give details of why the job appeals to you. Additionally, talk about the positives of the hiring company.
Conclusion
In conducting your job search, the solution is not to focus on why you are unemployed. Rather the solution is to focus on the steps to getting interviews and getting job offers from those interviews.
Interview Pitfalls: Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?
Interview Pitfalls: If you are unemployed, the reason you left your last job may be important to the hiring company. The interview pitfalls are creating impressions that you have done something wrong.
Your answers can help the interviewer learn several important things about you. Therefore, create your answers based on what you believe the interviewer wants to know. Here are some examples.
- Know what type of job you are seeking
- Help the interviewer evaluate your employment stability
- Give the interviewer information on your integrity
- May simply give the interviewer see how well you deal with difficult questions
- Help the interviewer understand more about your judgement in making big decisions
Reasons People Leave a Job
Remember that there are valid reasons for people leaving a job. Creating presentations on how your company conditions and changes adversely affect your career and life will help the interview understand your situation.
- Safety issues can make jobs undesirable.
- Commute costs or commute distance are sometimes overwhelming.
- Job stress can create the necessity for finding a different job.
- A change in a person’s home life can force a person to find a new job.
- A challenging work relationship with your supervisor or co-workers can make you want to find a new place to work.
- Companies run into difficulty.
- Automation is reducing career opportunities.
- Companies move offices, retail locations, or manufacturing facilities to less desirable locations.
Avoiding the Interview Pitfall
The main issue is that you have a presentation that shows that your leaving your job in no way makes you less a great hire for their company. Your accomplishments alone may allow the interviewer to move past the issue. A good response can make the pitfall disappear. Write out a solid, brief answer. The items above may help you prepare for a powerful, effective response.
Test Your Presentation for Feedback
To test how well your answer will avoid interview pitfalls, try giving your response to different people. Their feedback will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your response. Additionally, different people will have different views on how to answer the question. You may find that these people help you with additional information about your response. Their questions may help you think more deeply in creating a credible response.
Interview Pitfalls
In the end, you will need to select an answer that works best for you. Thoroughly rehearse your answer. And don’t worry. How you answer the question may be more important than your reason for leaving your last company. Don’t let this interview pitfall cost you a career opportunity.
How to Handle Hard Interview Questions
Hard interview questions: The most difficult interview questions are open-ended. These questions require a discussion to answer. They give the interviewers more detailed, meaningful answers. Additionally, open-ended questions display your ability to think and to express yourself effectively. By contrast, the easier questions are closed-ended questions. These questions have yes-no or simple fact answers.
Examples:
- How do you handle stress?
- Why are you changing jobs?
- What does your boss say about you?
Hard Interview Questions
In this chapter, I will cover some of the more difficult open-ended interview questions.
“What Is Your Greatest Weakness?”
“What is your greatest weakness?” is a tricky interview question. Although you want to be forthcoming with an interviewer, you don’t want to give the hiring manager a reason not to hire you.
Furthermore, from my experience, things you say about yourself can affect how people see you after you go to work for the company. I made the mistake of answering this question honestly during an interview for a promotion. I did get the promotion. However, my new supervisor had an annoying habit of reminding me of my answer (my greatest weakness) during our work together.
Show How You Deal with Your Weakness
What should I have said when he asked me about my greatest weakness? I could have discussed weaknesses as growth areas. For example, a person has a weakness of scheduling too many projects. However, the person can learn to start each day by prioritizing work.
Another suggestion is how you become anxious before appointments. You dread being late. Pressuring yourself for time creates more anxiety. The way you are working with this anxiety issue is you arrive to meetings with enough time to relax and organize your thoughts.
Another example might be that you tend to take over meetings. You have found that your behavior annoys other people. However, you are developing the skills to get other people involved in a couple of ways. Sometimes all you need is just to listen. In other cases, you may ask people for their input.
Preparation
Prepare your answer based on something that is true about you. You want to be able to show the skills you have developed to turn your weakness into a strength.
Be specific about the steps that you are taking. Have examples how the steps you have taken will make you more effective at the hiring company.
What is Your Greatest Strength?
Answering this question gives you an opportunity to shine as the perfect applicant for the job. When preparing for your interview, think specifically about how your strengths fit the job.
First however, a little discussion of skills and talents is in order. Understanding the differences will help you present your strengths most effectively.
Soft Skills, Hard Skills, and Talent
There are three elements that determine your ability to perform a task: Hard skills, soft skills, and talent. Each of these qualities has value depending on the requirements of a job. Again, target your presentation to show you how your greatest strengths match the qualifications and requirements of the job. Write these qualities in your resume. Practice presenting them in your interviews. Show how your strengths make you the perfect candidate for the hiring company.
Hard Skills
These skills come from your education and your work you have done. They are the strengths that you can take from one job to the next. These type skills are core qualifications for any job.
- Accounting
- Brand Development
- Computer Programming
- Data Management
- Education
- Financial Management
- Internet Programming
- People Management
- Planning
- Mathematics
- Typing
- Writing
These hard skills normally appear as requirements in a job description.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are tricky. Some hiring managers and recruiters overlook soft skills in a resume. In other cases, hiring managers and recruiters think of listing soft skills as puffery in a resume. However, discussing soft skills is effective when you show how those skills specifically relate to the job for which you are interviewing.
- Interpersonal Communication skills
- Enthusiasm & Attitude skills
- Teamwork skills
- Relationship skills
- Problem Solving & Critical Thinking skills
- Communication Skills
- Determination and Persistence
Talent or Natural Ability
One of my favorite subjects is talent. Talent is a gift. However, everyone can strengthen their natural talents. Gifted athletes are naturally faster or stronger or have greater agility from birth. However, less gifted athletes find that they can build on their athleticism thought effort. Therefore, with repeated effort a person can raise the level of their natural gifts.
In conclusion, discussing your greatest weakness or your greatest strengths give you opportunities to show how you are perfection for the job.
Why Should We Hire You?
Knowing how to show why the company should hire you is simply to succeeding in an interview.
Furthermore, preparing to answer this question creates a framework to help you prepare to interview for any job. This question challenges you to think about your qualifications as they offer value to the hiring company.
The Competition
You don’t know anything about the other candidates. The things that you do know are the facts of your qualifications: that is, the things that make you the person the company wants to hire.
Furthermore, you not only want to show that you have the experience and education for the job. You want to show that you have a record of accomplishments that add value to the hiring company.
The Sales Pitch
Prepare a short pitch on the job, your successes and qualifications, and your desire for the job.
- State the objective of the job.
- State a list of successful things you have done to achieve and exceed these types of objectives.
- State that the reason that you are interviewing for the job is that you enjoy performing the type of tasks the job requires.
- Furthermore, state why you want to work for this company.
- State that the person the company hires will be lucky to get the job. Then say that you hope that the company hires you.
Rehearse Your Answer
Before you go to an interview, rehearse your pitch on how your experience shows that you can perform successfully. Give your presentation in front of a mirror. If possible, give your presentation in front of other people. performed the same job. Say that they should hire the most qualified person for the job.
Conclusion
In conclusion, prepare for the question, Why should we hire you? This type of question challenges you to think about your qualifications. In your preparation, you can practice giving answers that show that you are an outstanding applicant for the job. Answering the question with a positive, enthusiastic statement about how much you want the job will help seal your opportunity in getting a job offer.
Job Interview Agenda: A Powerful Tool for Job Seekers
Job interview agenda: a list of topics to be introduced during an interview. Bringing an agenda to an interview gives you several advantages.
First, an agenda provides you with a reference sheet. With your resume and your agenda, you will have the facts in front of you. Furthermore, having an agenda will help you stand out for the preparations you have made before the interview. Moreover, by giving to interviewer an opportunity to view your agenda, you gain a chance of controlling how the interview goes.
Job Interview Agenda Items
In writing your agenda, prepare to cover the information you want to discuss. Furthermore, prepare to ask questions about the information you need to know.
Create each agenda for the specific company you are meeting. Prepare for the interview with research and outline your research results in the agenda that you take the interview. Show interviewers that you have an interest in their company through the job interview agenda.
Hand out a copy of the agenda when you hand out your resume. Bring a copy for each person you will meet. Make your agenda specifically to fit the company and the specific job for which you are interviewing. By giving interviewers a copy of your agenda, you are giving them a copy of a presentation on why the company should hire you.
You can’t always influence the things that happen in an interview. Some interviewers are locked in on the details they want to cover. Nonetheless, even if the interviewer does not want to cover the information in your agenda, having one will help you be better prepared for the interview.
Examples of Agenda Items
Here are examples taking from an agenda daughter Heather Tran prepared for a marketing position. She got the job.
Example Number One
You might want to make an agenda item, “Why I want to work for your company.” From there, you create a list of reasons why you want to work for the company.
- The reputation of the company as a customer-based marketer
- The long history of success of your company
- The opportunity to work in an environment that enables me to use the promotional and marketing tools I have developed for my career
- Your company’s commitment to respecting and honoring all employees for their service
- The opportunity to work in the field of my choice.
Example Number Two
“What I bring to your company”
- Team skills: I work well with other people in all departments
- Experience in creating promotional marketing programs to target community customers
- Skills to create a call to action that leads customers to buy
- A successful history of developing marketing strategies that include customer service, pricing, product choice, graphic design, and product presentation at retail and in the media
Example for a Specific Position
Marketing Promotion Position
“How I manage a promotion.”
- Does the promotion present value to the customer?
- Does it create the correct brand image?
- Does it reach your target customer base?
- Does it make a buyer out of your customer?
- Does it create repeat customers?
- Does the draw new customers to your business?
Your Experience in Preparing Agendas
The ideas in this article are suggestions only.
As part of my training at a major consumer products company, I prepared an agenda for each day of work. I worked in field sales positions. When my supervisor met with me, I could show him at the beginning of the day what my plans were for that day.
Likewise, you may have experience in preparing agendas. In this case, your personal experience my help you create an agenda that will take you through job interviews.
How to Turn Job Interview Jitters into Poise and Confidence
Job Interview Jitters: At a time when you want to feel confident, you are tense and uncomfortable. Believe in yourself. Take these simple steps to create poise and confidence.
Believing in Ourselves is the First Step to Poise and Confidence. ~ www.jaywren.com
Job Interview Jitters and Stage Fright
Stage fright comes from thinking about ourselves. However, the audience is there to hear our message. Confidence comes from changing our focus from ourselves to what our audience needs to know.
Likewise, job interview jitters come from thinking about ourselves. However, instead, we can focus on the information the interviewer needs to know.
Arrive Early
Clear your schedule to arrive early and have time if the interview runs late. Getting to the interview early relieves you of the stress of trying to beat the clock. Additionally, when a hiring manager must wait for you to arrive, you risk frustrating the interviewer in ways that could cost you the job.
Eat Before Your Interview
Being hungry can make you feel nervous. Take a light snack and a bottle of water with you. Find a comfortable place to relax. Enjoy your snack about thirty minutes before your interview. Give your body time to digest the snack and get the food into your system. Hungry alone can create job interview jitters.
Reduce the Caffeine
Before an interview, avoid dark chocolate bars and caffeinated drinks. They are great for energy. The sugar and caffeine can give you an energy boost. However, as the sugar wears off, you can feel an energy drop. The caffeine can leave you feeling on edge. Caffeine, added to the adrenaline of having interview pressure can give you a heavy case of the jitters.
Prepare Thoroughly
Know the details of the company. Know the details of the job for which you are interviewing. Review your resume. Know how to discuss your experience in terms of how are qualified for the job.
Questions About the Company
Having questions about the company will show that you are interested in the job. Additionally, having written questions will help you to remember to ask the questions that you will need answered.
Anticipate Interviewer Questions
Try to expect questions that the interviewer might ask. Focus on situations in your background that make you feel uncertain about your skills and employment history. Write those situations in the form of questions and write your answers. Continue to practice giving your answers until you feel comfortable.
Breathe
Baseball players use this simple technique often. Watch pitchers right before the windup or batters right before stepping into the batter’s box. The players will take one or two deep breaths. You don’t need to master any complex breathing meditation. Just take a deep breath and release it slowly.
Script the Match
Research the company thoroughly. Create a script: list reasons why you want to work for this company; list reasons why you are the best candidate for the job and the company.
The Interviewer’s Background
Research the interviewer’s background. Be able to tell the interviewer positive things you know about them and their accomplishments. If you have things in common that are relevant to the job interview, mention those things. Use the interviewer’s name during the interview.
Job Interview Jitters: Conclusion
Poise and confidence are always inside us. We just need to know how to find them.
Remember that the interviewer wants to speak with you. The person sees things in your background that show that you are qualified for the job.
The night before the interview, read your resume. Make notes about your accomplishments. Write specific titles and names of the people with whom you have worked. Make a list of the specific skills you have used to create your accomplishments. Read your scripted notes about the interviewer. Review the match between you and the job opening. You should sleep better knowing that you are prepared. A good night’s sleep will give you even more confidence and poise.
Interview Attire: Dressing to Get the Job
Interview Attire: Different companies have different dress codes. Nonetheless, each company has attire that is standard in their workplace. Moreover, making a point to understand the hiring company’s dress codes will help you feel more comfortable when you walk in the door for a successful interview.
Dress at or Above the Company Dress Standards
Sometimes, the way that hiring managers respond to attire appears capricious and unfair. Here are two examples.
In one case, the applicant wore a colored dress shirt and tie. In another case, an applicant wore business casual to an interview at a weekend company meeting. The employees attending the meeting were wearing business casual as well. In both cases, the hiring manager passed on the job applicant for not wearing attire that matched the company’s business dress code.
Business Professional Interview Attire
In business professional interviews, avoid brightly colored shirts and ties. Professional attire for women is a dress, pants suit. An open-collared white button shirt or blouse is appropriate. Professional attire for men includes a navy blue or charcoal grey suit, a white shirt, and tie.
A level below this attire is for women or men to wear slacks and a jacket.
Footwear for women is typically close-toed black heels or flats. For men, laced-up or tasseled dress shoes are common.
Business Casual Interview Attire
Many companies have a business casual dress code. Women wear skirt or slacks, and open-collar shirts or blouses. Similarly, men wear khakis or slacks and cotton or knit, open-collared shirts.
Footwear for business casual includes running or walking shoes. loafers, boat shoes, Oxfords, or lace-up leather shoes.
Salaried or Hourly Employee Interview Attire
So far, I have been discussing office attire. Depending on the type of job, hourly employees or skilled workers may need to dress ready to go to work. Whether the purpose of the job is to make surfboards or to build bridges, knowing what to wear to work may be based on what you will be doing. Again, if you are uncertain, you might call ahead to get some insight into what people wear to work at the hiring company. In other cases, you may go by the workplace to see what other workers are wearing.
Job Interview Preparation: The 3 Things You Need to Know
Job Interview Preparation: Are you frustrated with rejection when you have the qualifications for the job? Understanding these three elements will help you understand what happens in an interview. Moreover, these steps will help you prepare for a successful meeting with a future employer.
There are three distinct elements in preparing for an interview.
Everything About You
In the first step, review your qualifications. This step will organize your thinking about the things you want the interviewer to know about you.
In writing your resume, you will have begun to work on this step. Ensure that you can discuss from memory the dates and places where you where you have worked. Furthermore, prepare to present your qualifications as accomplishments.
In the United States, applicants for jobs in research, education, and medicine often use a curriculum vitae.
Everything About the Company
The second step in preparing for an interview is to research the company and research the people at the company where you are interviewing.
The Internet is a powerful tool in this step. Research the directions to location of the interview. Your smartphone can direct you to the location. However, having to follow your smartphone in traffic is stress that you don’t need. Additionally, know where to park before you arrive at your destination.
Furthermore, is this a location where you want to work?
Then, research the details of the company business. What is unique about the company? Why do you want to work for this company? Can you explain to the interviewer the reasons you find the company attractive?
Additionally, learn about the people you will meet. Are these people you want to work with every day? Can you tell the interviewers why you are excited to meet them?
Thoroughly understand the experience and qualifications listed in the job description. If the company does not publish a job description, find job descriptions for similar jobs at other companies.
Why the Company Should Hire You
Prepare to discuss how your qualifications are a match for the job and for the company that is interviewing you. In this step, merge the preparation you have done on presenting your qualifications with your research on the company.
Furthermore, show how you experience makes you the perfect match with the job requirements.
Based on your research, make a list of the things you don’t know about the job and the company. Prepare questions that you fill in the gaps between what you know and what you need to know.
Do mock presentations. Become confident that you can show that you are the best candidate for the job.
Job Interview Preparation: In Conclusion
You are competing against other candidates. Most of them have the qualifications to get the job. Separate yourself from the competition by using the steps in this article to prepare for the interview.
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