Non Verbal Cues for Successful Job interviews in Seattle

Practice good nonverbal communication

It’s about demonstrating confidence: standing straight, making eye contact and connecting with a firm handshake. That first nonverbal impression can be a great beginning — or quick ending — to your interview.

Dress for the job or company

Today’s casual dress codes do not give you permission to dress as “they” do when you interview. It is important to know what to wear to an interview and to be well-groomed. Whether you wear a suit or something less formal depends on the company culture and the position you are seeking. If possible, call to find out about the company dress code before the interview.

Listen

From the very beginning of the interview, your interviewer is giving you information, either directly or indirectly. If you are not hearing it, you are missing a major opportunity. Good communication skills include listening and letting the person know you heard what was said. Observe your interviewer, and match that style and pace.

Don’t talk too much 

Telling the interviewer more than he needs to know could be a fatal mistake. When you have not prepared ahead of time, you may ramble when answering interview questions, sometimes talking yourself right out of the job. Prepare for the interview by reading through the job posting, matching your skills with the position’s requirements and relating only that information.

Don’t be too familiar 

The interview is a professional meeting to talk business. This is not about making a new friend. Your level of familiarity should mimic the interviewer’s demeanor. It is important to bring energy and enthusiasm to the interview and to ask questions, but do not overstep your place as a candidate looking for a job.

5 Free job search resources for job hunters in Bellevue

  1. Emurse.com: This is my favorite place to put a resume online, nothing more, nothing less.  Get your paper resume out and simply fill in the blanks.  Your online resume will be accessible from a URL like jones.emurse.com.
  2. LinkedIn.com: I usually only recommend upgrading for people who will be searching a lot and need to reach out to the people they find.  This might describe you, but if not, just get the free version.  YOU HAVE TO BE ON LINKEDIN.  PERIOD.
  3. Job-hunt.org: This site has a tone of stuff, and can be overwhelming to navigate, but two gems that you can’t miss.  First, Deb Dib’s article on LinkedIn for the executive job seeker.   Second, when to find a local face-to-face network meeting, go to Job-hunt.org and look to see what they have listed there.
  4. Twellow.com: Go to Twellow.com (which is like the “yellow pages of Twitter”) and search for people in your city, state, profession or industry.  You’ll find influencers who are probably well-networked – these are people who you want to develop relationships with.
  5. Indeed.com: Yup, a job board, but not for job board’s sake.  Use Indeed to do COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH.  Find out what companies are hiring, what your target companies competition is doing, what job titles look like, etc.  Ignore the idea of applying for jobs using job boards and think about this as a rich database research tool

Job Search Strategies for Bellevue

Be Patient and Strategic, Not Impulsive and Desperate

Heading into your job search without clear intentions is like going grocery shopping parched and famished – and, as we all know, nothing good ever comes from shopping on an empty stomach. (If you don’t know, now you know.) Instead, first construct a plan that incorporates your skills, your expectations, and your short- and long-term career goals.

Be sure to take a day or two mapping out a career plan that reflects what you’re good at and where you want to be. This is the time to be realistic about your qualifications, experience, and future. By doing so, you are less likely to make the all-too-common mistake of being a desperate, needy candidate who will take any old job that’s thrown his way. Instead, focus on finding a career that aligns with your wants and needs, both professionally and personally, and head into your job hunt with the mentality that you’re searching for a dream career, not a paycheck.

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

Feeding off of the whole “don’t be desperate and impulsive” thing, it’s crucial to value quality over quantity when it comes to finding a lasting and fulfilling career. Far too many candidates make the mistake of assuming that casting a wide net when applying for any and all available jobs is the way to go; however, this mentality couldn’t be more incorrect. Applying to tons of jobs blindly because you figure you’re bound to land one is reckless and a great way to wind up back in the job-hunting world before you know it. It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting an employer – any employer, really – to call you back for a job interview because any job is better than no job, right? Well, not really.

Sometimes in life, beggars can’t be choosers. Of course, if you’re in a situation where you need to earn a paycheck to keep a roof over your family’s head and food in their bellies, then, by all means, go out and earn a living – there’s no shame in that whatsoever. But focus your long-term plans on building the career you want, and targeting opportunities appropriately.

 

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New LinkedIn Tool for the Seattle Job Seeker

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could easily send recruiters a message that you’re open to hearing about opportunities?

And wouldn’t it be nicer if you could do that without broadcasting the information to your boss and the rest of the world?

A few months ago, LinkedIn launched a test feature that does just that. Now they’re rolling it out for wider use. They say that switching it on makes LinkedIn Recruiter users twice as likely to look at your profile.

LinkedIn Job Preference Details

You can take a look by going to LinkedIn and clicking Jobs/Preferences/Update Your Preferences.

Once there, you can specify your:

  1. Desired location.
  2. Experience level (trainee to executive).
  3. Industry preferences (from LinkedIn’s preset list).
  4. Company size preferences.
  5. Preferred field/functional area (from LinkedIn’s preset list).
  6. Preferred job title (up to three from LinkedIn’s preset list).
  7. Type of desired employment from full-time to five other options.
  8. Availability (now or a specific month). And:
  9. Whether or not LI can tell recruiters you’re open to new opportunities.
  10. Whether or not LI can share your detailed job preferences with recruiters.
  11. Whether or not LI can share your full profile with recruiters when you apply to jobs.

Items 9 through 11 stay switched on for 90 days, at which point you have to revisit your preferences page and reset them.

Will Your Employer See Your Job Preferences?

Maybe. LinkedIn doesn’t give you any guarantee of protection. However, be sure your current job is linked to your employer’s LinkedIn company page. When you do that, LinkedIn will try to hide you from Recruiter users at your company and its affiliated companies (more here).

If your company’s logo shows on your profile for your current job, then you have linked yourself to its company page.

 

Now Get Busy

5 Etiquette Tips for your next job in Redmond

1. Be polite. Whether it’s a networking event, job fair, or other career-related event, showcase your inner strengths by patiently waiting your turn to speak with recruiters or hiring managers, properly shake hands (dry, firm, one-handed shake), and address the each person by his or her title (Dr., Ms., Mr.) and last name (unless the event is extremely informal — then you can use first names). There are times in job-hunting in which assertiveness is important (to demonstrate your interest in the job), but there is no excuse for not being polite.

2. Dress for the occasion. For job-search events in most professions, the suit is the expected attire — and especially for the job interview. You can do your research and determine the level of attire you need, but if you can’t, then it’s always much better to dress above than dress below.

3. Be punctual. One of the biggest etiquette mistakes a job-seeker can make is arriving late. Whether you’re simply going cross town or driving a great distance, always know the route you’re going to take, take a practice run (if possible), and build in extra time for getting lost, street closures, and accidents. Finally, don’t overstay your welcome — even if your return flight is hours away; when the interviews are done, say your thank-yous and leave.

4. Learn to listen. While a great deal of time is spent helping job-seekers prepare great job-search related communication tools — elevator speeches and interview responses — the art of listening is often overlooked. Ignoring what a recruiter or a network contact is saying so that you can simply throw in another plug for yourself is simply rude.

5. Be knowledgeable. Appearing ignorant — or disinterested — about a prospective employer is a major lapse in job-search etiquette. By showcasing your knowledge of the employer (and even the interviewer), you demonstrate how serious you are about the opportunity while also gaining serious etiquette points. Preparation is a key skill to learn.

3 ways to land your new job in Lynnwood

1.       Be honest about your current situation. If you have no degree or certifications, just understand you may have a tough time with your job search. Understand your weaknesses and strengths and really think about what you want to do.

2.       Check your network. Somehow we believe that if we have hundreds, maybe thousands, of followers and friends, that we have a valuable network, but that’s not true. Check your network, maybe some of them have retired, gotten laid off, decided to launch their own business, fallen ill, or having a tough time themselves. If that is the case, then they won’t be able to help you find a job and the number 1 way to get a job is through a referral! Check your network.

3.       Update your credentials. Yes, as a resume writer of course I am going to suggest that you update your resume credentials but it not only because it’s my business, it’s because it is very important, just ask any recruiter. They are looking at everything now – your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and social media. Get yourself updated.

Start 2017 Job search in Bellevue by answering these difficult questions.

1. What are you doing that’s difficult?

2. What are you doing that people believe only you can do?

3. Who are you connecting?

4. What do people say when they talk about you?

5. What are you afraid of?

6. What’s the scarce resource?

7. Who are you trying to change?

8. What does the change look like?

9. Would we miss your work if you stopped making it?

10. What do you stand for?

11. What contribution are you making?