If there is one piece of advice you need to follow in your job interview it is to avoid the thought of what is in it for you and concentrate on informing the Interviewer what is in it for them.   

If you’ve made it to the job interview, you have successfully sold yourself in your resume, impressing upon a potential employer that you are a valuable candidate worth interviewing. So don’t stop there! You could just as easily be eliminated in the interview process as in the resume process. Both systems are based on elimination and the goal to find the right candidate is no less important than finding a reason to eliminate you to establish a manageable number of candidates for consideration.

Every aspect of your job interview must be taken into consideration and taken seriously right down to your arrival time! Don’t be too early, as the Interviewer may not welcome the interruption especially if they scheduled a task to complete prior to beginning interviews. Of course if you are late and keep the Interviewer waiting you will probably put yourself at the top of the elimination list. Your appearance and your handshake will create the first impression. If you do not look professional or are unable to put forth a confident handshake, how will you represent their organization? Prepare yourself well. The more knowledge you have about the organization the more confident you will feel. It will also show the Interviewer that you have done your homework and will lend credibility to your assertion that given the opportunity you will exceed their expectations as their new Senior Sales Manager!

What is in it for you does require your consideration but if you want to be considered by the employer, you must convince the interviewer what is in it for them!

Whether you are in a job interview or composing your resume,  Do Not Offer Personal Information! There are those who would like to believe otherwise, wanting to believe the decision maker actually cares but the professional advice offered by experts and decision makers confirms, be professional not personal. 

Jessica Holbrook, a former Executive Hiring Manager for Fortune 500 companies and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast has an excellent article posted on the Happen Blog sitecourtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, So Tell Me About Yourself – STOP! It’s a Trick Question. Included are many reasons you do not offer personal information in a job interview.

A Hiring Professional has a long list of requirements necessary to fill a position and you can be assured that their list will not include sexual orientation, how many children you have, if you are single, married or divorced, which sports interest you or if you prefer red or white wine. And everyone knows to avoid religious and political affiliations! While reviewing professional resumes, the objective is to look for any reason to reject it in an effort to reduce the list of resumes from potential candidates to a manageable number of qualified individuals. A reference to irrelevant, personal information may be reason enough to discard your resume. Beyond lacking professionalism, the potential employer may have some concerns regarding your inclination to take days off work to go to the golf course because you have said you are an avid golfer.

A professional resume and job interview should include your qualifications and notable accomplishments throughout your work history. The HR Manager has a responsibility to hire a professional with the ability to fulfill the needs of the company and those needs will not include your personal interests! Offering personal information will likely leave the same impression as showing up for an job interview in blue jeans and running shoes.

Rarely is it in your best interest when seeking a job to be a follower rather than a leader unless, you are in a job interview. In this case, be a follower, not a leader! Allowing the interviewer to lead the interview will provide you with the opportunity to follow their lead to provide the information they require and to discover the person they want to see in you.

This is just one piece of advice from Challenger, Gray & Christmas in their recent report, “How to find a job in a Jobless Recovery”. Although qualifications are important, the report states you won’t be hired because you are the most qualified, you will be hired because the interviewer likes you the best. 

Most people, whether the job interviewer or a new acquaintance will decide within the first few minutes whether or not they like you. So remember, first impressions count! Dress appropriately, listen and learn and follow the lead.  

The days of a paper resume are gone! If you were considering stuffing your resume in an envelope and affixing postage, think again. HR professionals and recruiters alike expect a properly formatted, professionally written resume with an accompanying cover letter to be submitted online. Your online proficiency doesn’t stop there. You must also have a significant personal and professional online presence. The best way to find out what the majority of recruiters will discover about you is to google yourself.

Maintaining a consistent and professional name for each of your online profiles is important. Unless you have a very unusual name, it may not be in your best interest to use only one initial with your last name as you could end up lost in a sea of people with the same handle or possibly mistaken for someone with a less than stellar reputation. Consider establishing your online presence using your full name, Harold J Smith, rather than H Smith to differentiate yourself. Eliminate all of the dots and dashes and numbers that are often automatically generated and use your proper name. Most online networking sites give you the option to customize your URL and generate one based on the user name you choose. How does this relate to your resume? A resume written in 2009 must contain your Linkedin address with your contact details.

Also included in your resume is your email address. The question to ask in 2009 is not whether or not you have an email address on your resume, but how old is your email address and is it professional? Today there is no excuse! Email addresses are easily acquired and they’re free. If you haven’t updated yours in years or you’re still using the one you created using a nickname, create a new one that can be used professionally. Recruiters are interested in forward thinking individuals who stay current. An AOL address is perceived as outdated and a Hotmail address lacks professionalism so update your resume with an appropriate email address.

First impressions are key to your success and the contact information you provide on your resume is your first impression on paper, or rather, on the computer! Without an impressive resume it is unlikely you will be given the opportunity for a job interview. If you want to be taken seriously in your pursuit of an executive position and increase your chances of a job interview, submit a professionally written resume with at least one online address and a professional email address.

Not sure if you have a resume that will get your foot in the door? Don’t take any chances! Contact us for a free resume critique today!

Job searching is challenging, emotional, time consuming, stressful and depressing. It can be a rocky road that plays out within the family environment and all persons in the house can be affected in some way or another. It’s a time for active support and guidance to open up new job search channels and travel from unemployed to hired in the fastest time.

As a Certified Job Search Strategist, a major component of my work with a client is emotional support, keeping them active and exploring all options in a competitive environment with checks and balances. It’s a turbulent time, well up there on the stress scale and made even worse if you have been terminated. Here are some suggestions:

• Don’t hunker down in your house all the time. Get outside, come rain or shine, for at least 30 minutes each day. Fresh air helps to re-energize you.
• Look for volunteering opportunities, preferably not political, or not religious. Although time consuming, you can gain valuable knowledge. It also shows a potential employer that you are willing to give your time for free, that you are caring, sharing and willing to assist others in need. Also, you never know who you will meet, perhaps a person who can be influential in your career. Networking is an integral element of a job search. Your contributions for free are always appreciated.
• Stay clear of alcohol and other depressants. If in need of some psychological help, seek it fast! If you feel tired, angry or lonely give yourself permission to take a break from the arduous job search.
• Return to college or university; life is one continuous learning exercise. Develop new skills, something that a future employer will applaud. The more trained and knowledgeable you are, the more opportunities for employment. Continuous education is great to show on a resume.
• Celebrate triumphs. After each interview, invite your friends to a party and have fun. With each party you host, you are closer to the big job success celebration where you can really relax.
• Bypass miserable, negative, pessimistic people. Instead, connect with positive, supportive, driven and energetic people who strive for success and are willing to provide proactive guidance and support throughout the job search process.
• Network, network, network. This should be a prime focus. Get out there and introduce yourself to others within your defined area and with other unemployed professionals.
• Do inspirational and energetic things: join a gym, play sports, participate in your community.
• Ask your friends to provide some inspirational things about you; these will inspire you to pursue the job search through thick and thin.

Finally, be realistic about a job search; it takes patience and determination. Make it fun!

If you have received specific instructions and rules related to a company’s hiring process, do not deviate from them.  Choosing to make up your own rules will most likely result in a lost job opportunity and a tarnished reputation.  You may even put the reputation of others at risk so follow the rules.

Recently, I learned of an individual who had an inside track on a great job opportunity within his company and chose to share it with an organization giving them very specific instructions how to apply for the position.  Three of four candidates applying followed the instructions as given, however, the fourth candidate chose to ignore the instructions and contacted the principal of the company directly.  Not only did that person violate the trust that had been extended to him, the individual’s reputation was put on the line and the professionalism of the organization was called into question.  Needless to say, only those candidates who chose to follow the rules were contacted for an interview.

Following the rules or specific instructions established by a company regarding their employment processes is not something to be questioned if you are interested in obtaining a job with them.  Do you recall your grade school days when tests were given with clear, “read first” instructions?  If you didn’t follow them, you failed!

Innovation, persistence, determination and creativity are all wonderful personality traits and may lead you away from a common path in your job search but if you are provided with specific instructions from a potential employer, I recommend you follow their rules if you want to succeed in obtaining a job interview.

In The Wall Street Journal, “The Power of Nonverbal Communication”, provides some very interesting information regarding the unconscious and nonverbal ways that humans communicate with one another.

Dr. Alex “Sandy” Pentland, a professor at the MIT Media Lab, has written the book “Honest Signals”, based on studies related to unconscious social signals and patterns in how we interact with other people offering insight into our intentions, goals and values.  He claims we can accurately predict the outcomes of situations ranging from job interviews to first dates!

Specific areas of communication included monitoring the levels of nervous energy using a “sociometer“, which indicated excitement, anticipating responses in conversation indicating levels of interest, evidence of mimicry of gestures, correlating with feelings of trust and empathy and finally fluency or consistency in tone or motion, suggesting a level of expertise or of being well practiced.

In studying job interviews, Dr. Pentland says, “We found that if job candidates show confidence and practice, if they’re mirroring the inteviewer’s gestures, if they’re active and helpful, if they act the right way, they’ll get the thumbs up.”

The MIT Press, Honest Signals, How They Shape Our World, says scientific background is presented in this book providing an understanding of this form of communication and shows that by “reading” our social networks we can become more successsful at pitching an idea, getting a job, or closing a deal.

Some of us are firm believers in what goes around, comes around and as professionals, we spend a great deal of our time networking. Successful networking involves sharing information, experiences, and most importantly, our needs. Understanding what we can do for others and what they can do for us and then following through will sooner or later result in what goes around, comes around.

Promoting my expertise online as well as my relentless networking generates many calls to my business line and I do speak directly to all potential clients and associates.  Yesterday I received a call from a potential client that I had never spoken to or knew of prior to the call.  He was rude, disrespectful, abrupt and was quick to relay his needs, “I don’t need a resume, I need a job”, just prior to disconnecting the call.  Although my expertise includes that of a Master Resume Writer, I also hold other credentials, including that of Branding Strategist, Career Transition Coach and Employment Interview Professional.  If this person had had the foresight to listen to what information I required from him, it would have been possible for me to address his needs.

Who you know, is likely to be a key factor in advancing your career, or not!  There is a reason that we are being overloaded with information on personal branding.  First impressions are critical.  It sets the stage and is very likely the only impression that anyone is left with.  Did you leave them with a positive impression?  Did you have a positive impression of them?  Would they recommend you?  Would you recommend them?

Did you know that most hiring professionals have a standard practice after a job interview to ask the individual at reception what they thought of the potential candidate?  The next time you are face to face with someone or the next time you pick up the phone you may want to think about the impression you want to leave with that person.  Someday, that person could be a very influential force in your future because, what goes around comes around.

It is unlikely that you will find your new job within the first month of your job search.  Or the second or third or even the fourth or fifth! The fact is you could be in your job search for longer than you expected and although this is not a comfortable situation for most of us, it is important that you don’t panic!  If you want to advance your career and secure the position you are dreaming of, you must remain focussed and present yourself in a postive, confident and professional manner.  Panic can lead to missed opportunities or a costly decision.

Recently, I heard from a job seeker, who was concerned about how long her job search was taking and was looking for any way, as she said, ”basically to learn anything that would help me get employed faster”. Unfortunately, she is now trying to get her money back from a course that she registered for and later found out that there was nothing about it that would help to speed up her job search.

As in any industry, you must be beware of the many offers that will offer little or no return on your investment.  Many organizations will prey on your vulnerability as you transition through this difficult and stressful period professionally and personally.  If you receive an offer from any company offering to provide career management and outplacement services for a fee, keep a cool head, don’t panic and do your due dilligence to verify references and credentials.

If you are offered an interview from a recruiter, say yes.  You want your name out there and if no one knows who you are, you could be missing out on a potential opportunity.  If you are offered a job interview, say yes even if you are not sure that it is the right fit for you.  Don’t panic and try to make it the right fit because you need a job.  Openly acknowledge it, be honest, maintain your professional demeaner and show appreciation for the opportunity extended to you for an interview.  Recently, a client of mine was called back after a first interview because the company was interested in interviewing them for a more senior postion.

Networking is your best resource in your job search, presenting opportunities to share valuable information and pick up postitive leads.  In your career transition, stay positive, focussed, confident and above all, don’t panic!

Globe and Mail article, Hit the ground running, by Wallace Immen relays the reality of expectations for immediate and measurable success from today’s executives.

Stephen Smith, regional vice-president for Canada of Servisair Inc. said, “There was a huge agenda of things I was expected to do immediately”.  In the first week he had to make personnel changes and renegotiate contracts for ground support, baggage handling and aircraft cleaning services.

Bruce Wood, chief executive officer for the Hamilton Port Authority, was given 30 days to make a progress report to the board of directors.  Before actually starting the job he spent two weeks examining the existing operation and developing a progress report which included a list of accomplishments within a clearly defined time frame.

Both Mr. Smith and Mr. Wood implemented similar strategies in order to get to know everyone associated with the organization.  “When you are coming in as a new leader and pushing the envelope, you’ve got to make very sure the entire organization is following you”, Mr. Wood says.

John Burdett, a partner of Bedford Consulting Group offers some great advice to avoid stumbling when you hit the ground running, starting with finding a mentor, through to a forward focus.

As a career expert, I am also quoted in this article and advise executives to ask companies at the job interview itself to open up about their expectations and agenda.  “In fact, companies will think of you as a stronger candidate for being realistic about the challenges involved.”

I am proud to acknowledge Stephen Smith and Bruce Wood as past clients and offer my continued support in their executive roles.