How to Prepare for an Interview

Interviewing can be anxiety inducing. Making sure you’ve prepared yourself thoroughly can help though. Here’s some tips on how to get prepared for an interview to help set yourself up to show your best face.

Research the company offering the interview

This is extremely important. Here’s your chance to get ahead of the game and get familiarized with the specifics of the company in question: Their products, the services they offer, what makes them unique compared to other companies. This will allow you to be better prepared to show how your experience relates to the role, and develop your own questions to ask the employer.

Additionally, this is an opportunity to get a peek into the company’s culture to determine if this role is a fit for you.

Be prepared with relevant specifics

Make sure you review the job description thoroughly, and understand what purpose the role fulfills. Try to make sure you have some answers developed for questions that ask you to explain how you handled difficult situations, as some interviews will ask behavioral questions.

Additionally, make sure you have some accomplishments prepared. Whether this is your successful sales numbers, or how you improved the efficiency of company processes, make sure to be able to brag about yourself.

Be conscious of body language and proper attire

Yes, your body talks. You want to make sure that it’s talking about your professionalism and confidence. This means being attentive, making eye contact, having proper posture, and doing your best to speak clearly and with confidence.

Have an understanding of what is the appropriate attire for an interview with this company. Sometimes what is normal for one company or industry can leave you over/underdressed for another. See if there are staff photos on their website, or ask your recruiter or whoever contacted you for the interview what to expect.

And don’t forget about hygiene! Make sure you’re clean; fingernails, hair, etcetera. Try not to overdo it on the perfume/cologne, you may end up overwhelming your interviewer.

BE ON TIME (or if you can’t, make sure you reach out)

This is so incredibly important. Set yourself up ahead of time to make sure you have everything prepared that you will need for your interview so you aren’t left scrambling when the time comes.

If you have an in-office interview, make sure you have enough gas, have determined how long it will take you to get there (and which route you’ll take), and get there with time to spare.

If your interview is set to be conducted over video call, make sure that your computer, camera, and microphone are working properly, and that the space that you will be in will be free of distractions and clean.

And if something has come up and you aren’t able to make the interview, reach out to the company or your recruiter to let them know.

Things happen. They may be willing to reschedule the interview. But be sure to communicate, or you may lose your opportunity with the company for good.

Practice to cement your confidence and see what needs more attention

If you’re having trouble being confident in your speech, try practicing with a friend. Have them ask you questions that may come up in the interview. This will allow you to get comfortable with how you will answer, and identify any potential gaps or weaknesses to your answers.

Additionally, if you’re able to practice with someone who has experience in the industry you’re interviewing for, they may be able to offer you valuable feedback and insights that can help you.

Now that you’ve prepared yourself, go forth and conquer your interview with confidence.

Don’t forget to thank your interviewer for taking the time to speak with you!

Want to climb the career ladder?

Take initiative.

Today’s career requirements are highly developed and require much more than someone who won’t take risks. In today’s competitive career landscape, employers are looking for individuals who can bring fresh ideas to the table and take initiative, start new projects, pitch new solutions and create new opportunities for the business.

Be your own evaluator.

One of the best ways to achieve career success is to keep assessing your performance. Don’t wait for your annual appraisal – do it yourself. An ideal way to do this would be to identify quantifiable goals and set a timeline for achieving them. Start with setting short-term goals when you’re new to a job. Create a detailed plan to achieve these goals. Break the tasks down into weekly or even daily tasks and fill out a small form at the end of the week to assess where you’re headed and whether you need to change your strategy. You can even show your own performance report to your managers at some point to show how you’ve progressed. This will show that you understand the importance of constant self-evaluation and improvement.

Be ready to learn.

To excel in your career, you have to be willing to learn. No matter what university you graduated from or what grades you had, professional life will be very different from college. Be prepared to have a million questions pop up every day regarding what you’re doing. It might take you days to get a hang of your duties at your new job, so show management that you are coachable, paying attention and always willing to learn new things.

Anticipate needs.

To succeed in your new job and achieve career success, you will have to be well aware of what your manager needs. Stay a step ahead of your boss by asking yourself, “If I were my boss, what would I want done next?” By making sure you get things efficiently done in time, and take the initiative to do them yourself, you will be showing a positive, go-getter attitude to higher management.

Value of an inside referral

Find someone to refer you. You are missing out on job opportunities by not identifying someone inside the company to refer you for a job. While job boards are the primary source of hiring, 71 percent of HR professionals surveyed rated employee referrals as the best source for finding candidates, yet only 7 percent of job seekers surveyed viewed referrals as their top source for finding a job.

  • The average employee will have 150 contacts on social media networks – 100 employees means around 15,000 contacts (and possible candidates).
  • Employee referrals have the highest applicant to hire conversion rate – only 7% apply but this accounts for 40% of all hires.
  • Applicants hired from a referral begin their position quicker than applicants found via job boards and career sites (after 29 days compared with 39 days via job boards and 55 via career sites).
  • Referral hires have greater job satisfaction and stay longer at companies – 46% stay over 1 year, 45% over 2 years and 47% over 3 years.
  • Sales persons are the most hired position from employee referrals.
  • 67% of employers and recruiters said the recruiting process was shorter, and 51% said it was less to expensive to recruit via referrals.

Do your research

Research Your Top Career Choices

Once you have a tentative idea of some careers worth investigating, then you will need to research them in detail to further assess their suitability. Begin by reading about each of the fields on your brainstorm list. Look for information on our online career information resources.

Try Googling each field like this: “Career Information Sales Accountant.” You will find that professional groups provide excellent sources of career information. Review the requirements for entering the field and make sure that you are prepared to complete any training, certificate programs or educational degrees which are required.

For your remaining options, the next step should be to conduct informational interviews with professionals in those fields. Reach out to college alumni, contacts in your personal and social networks, as well as local professionals to schedule in-person or telephone consultations.

Keep notes regarding what you have learned during your research and match it up against the list of interests, skills, and values which you generated during your self-assessment phase. Make a list of options which are still worth considering.

As always consider having a conversation with the recruiter’s at CareerPaths NW, we are always available to chat with you about your career options.

Developing an Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been in a situation where you had the opportunity to talk with a highly important person? Let’s say for example they’re employed in a company that you really want to work for, and one of the first things they say is tell me about yourself. Would you know how to respond?

You need an elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is based on a premise where if you had only had 2-3 minutes to have a substantial conversation with someone, would you be able to? Here are some things that will help you build a great elevator pitch:

  • Create a positive first impression
  • Give a powerful and unique personal statement
  • Leave a positive lasting impression

Remember this is not an interview, you only have a few minutes, make sure you give the highlights that are of value to the person you are talking to.

Things to consider before accepting a job interview in Redmond

In reality every job interview is an opportunity but before you go down the path of saying yes to every interview that comes your way consider these three things.

1. Make sure you and the hiring manager are on the same page. 

It’s easy for information to be lost when it’s passed down from top management, so make sure you know exactly what you’ll be discussing. If you’re looking for a full-time job, confirm that it’s not a freelance position. If you have management experience, confirm that it’s not entry-level. The last thing you want is an expensive plane ticket that leads you nowhere.

2. Address any other concerns. 

If you’re clear on the position but still feel on-the-fence, you can buy yourself more time to think by asking questions. If you have salary requirements or are curious about the company’s parental leave policy, it’s totally OK to ask for that information upfront. This new data gives you an opportunity to reconsider—and if you do back out, it’s time saved on both ends, not just yours.

3. Finally, ask yourself, “Would I accept this job if they offered it to me?” 

So you’re clear on the title and parental leave policy is, like, 10 years down the road for you. Still, it’s a good idea go back and give the job description another good, hard read (because let’s be honest, it may have been weeks since you applied). Now that time has gone by and new opportunities have come down the pipeline, are you still interested? If you can no longer see yourself accepting the position, then there’s no reason to take the interview. Simply say your circumstances have changed and thank them for the consideration.

Job Search in 2019

Determine What Job You Want and Are Eligible For

Before you start looking for a job, you have to figure out what position you want. Have a specific job title in mind, and then do some research to determine the keywords you’ll use when you start looking for jobs.

When you start job searching, the job description, responsibilities, and requirements will tell you more than the title alone, as titles and roles tend to vary between companies. It can also be a helpful exercise to write a sample job description outlining your ideal position.

Although it’s acceptable to apply to several “reach” positions, don’t waste your time searching for or applying to jobs that you are clearly unqualified for. Figure out in advance how you’re going to decide which jobs to apply to, then actively keep these parameters in mind when you’re job hunting.

Take control of your job search like a boss.

Consider the hiring manager’s perspective

Keep in mind that, even if you’re desperate for a job, the company is almost as anxious to find someone capable to hire. Most companies need to attract the best talent, but don’t have their pick. Even at Google, the talent war is real.

And here’s a pro-tip that will help boost your confidence: The hiring manager wants to hire someone who will make them look good in front of their boss.

If you can show them that you are that person, then you’ll be exponentially more successful in your interviews.

Prepare to answer classic interview questions

Interviews have enough unknown variables to potentially throw you off. Because of this, you should try to prepare for as many of the known variables as you can. These are questions like…

  • “Tell me about yourself.”
  • “What’s your greatest weakness?”
  • “What’s your biggest strength?”
  • “Tell me about the time you overcame a challenge.”

The thing is, you can crack almost any interview, as long as you have a good answer to the tell-me-about-yourself question. Don’t make it chronological. Instead, pick 3 qualities and tell 1 story for each.

Competence Triggers

Have a firm handshake

When you walk into the interview room, subtly wipe your possibly clammy/sweaty hands on your pants or skirt and get ready for the first competence trigger – the handshake. If the interviewer doesn’t initiate one, feel free to extend your hand yourself, and give their hand one firm shake.

Relax

I know, I know – relaxing in an interview is easy to say, but hard to do. Here are a couple tactics that you can use to stay relaxed and confident:

  • Remind yourself of the work you’ve done upfront – Practice interviews, research, coffee meetings, etc. If you’ve done your best to prepare, then you’ll do your best at the interview – which is all that you can ask of yourself, whether or not you get the job. In line with that…
  • Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” – More often than not, that means totally bombing the interview and not getting the job – not fun, but then again, it’s not the end of the world, either.

If you have time, you can also quickly run to the washroom to calm yourself down, have a few quiet moments, and take a few deep breaths.

Show your excitement and enthusiasm

You can do that by reminding yourself about how cool the job or company sounds in the job description, or even about all the stuff you can buy once the dough starts rolling in – whatever gets your blood pumping.

So, before you walk into the interview room, slap on a big grin on your face, and reflect your enthusiasm in your…

Body language

In an interview, you want to come across as confident and personable. How to be more personable will be covered in the next section, but to accomplish the first one, you need to take up space when you sit, and minimize movement. If you’re sitting in a chair, lean forward a little – this shows that you’re interested. Speaking with your hands is OK, so long as you slow down your movements.

 

Searching for a Job in Seattle

Is your job search off to a slow start or getting stuck? Here are some quick time-saving job search tips that will help your hunt for a new job go smoothly.

Be Prepared. Have a voice mail system in place and sign-up for a professional sounding email address. Consider getting a separate email account to use for your job search, so you can stay organized. Put your cell phone number on your resume so you can follow up in a timely manner.

Be More Than Prepared. Always have an up-to-date resume ready to send – even if you are not currently looking for work. You never know when an opportunity that is too good to pass up might come along. If you’re not on LinkedIn yet, create a LinkedIn Profile and start making connections who can help you job search.

Don’t Wait. If you are laid-off, file for unemployment benefits right away. You will most likely be able to file online or by phone. Waiting could delay your benefits check.

Get Help. Utilize free or inexpensive services that provide career counseling and job search assistance such as college career offices, state Department of Labor offices or your local public library.

Many libraries provide workshops, programs, classes, computers and printers you can use, and other resources to help you with your job search. Here’s more on getting job search help at the library.

Create Your Own Templates. Have copies of your resume and cover letter ready to edit. That way you can change the content to match the requirements of the job you’re applying for, but, the contact information and your opening and closing paragraphs won’t need to be changed.

Microsoft Word users can download free templates for resumes, cover letters and email messages which can be personalized for your own correspondence.

Review Samples. It’s always a good idea to look at sample letters and resumes to get ideas for your own job search materials. Take a look at our collection of resume, cv, and letter samples.

Use Job Search Engines. Search the job search engines. Use the job search engine sites to search the major job boards, company sites, associations, and other sites with job postings for you – fast. You will be able to search all the jobs posted online in one step.

Jobs by Email. Let the jobs come to you. Use job alerts to sign up and receive job listings by email. All the major job sites have search agents and some websites and apps specialize in sending announcements.

References Ready. Have a list of three references including name, job title, company, phone number and email address ready to give to interviewers. Print a copy of your reference list and bring it with you to interviews. Here’s how to create a list of references.

Use Your Network. Be cognizant of the fact that many, if not most, job openings aren’t advertised. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work. Ask if they can help.

Get Social. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a good way to get job listings before they are listed elsewhere. Plus, you can promote your candidacy using the social media tools that are readily available for free for job seekers and companies are increasingly using social media for recruiting. Here’s how to get started with social networking.

 

Tips for a Job Search during the Corona Recession

The Corona Virus has put everyone on the back-foot, if you are already unemployed or have lost your hours and feel like your job is in trouble you will can follow the following tips to kickstart your Job Search.

Pick and Choose Your Targets

It’s important to put your time and energy into opportunities that you’re the most interested in and that have the best chance of coming to fruition. Pick a few companies you’re interested in and pursue them, whether they have current openings or not.

Concentrate on Growth Industries

Focusing on growth industries and areas. And any job that alleviates pain is recession-proof. Similarly, the National Guard, Border Patrol, homeland security and the defense industry in general will continue to thrive as the next stage in the war on terror continues.

Work Your Network

Flip through your Rolodex or business social media contacts and let them know you’re looking.

Take a Temporary Position

Consider interim staffing to fill a temporary slot for work that needs to be done despite the economy, or temp with a company that interests you. Many of these options pay well and can carry the burden of bill-paying until a permanent position comes along.

Sweat the Small Stuff

Don’t forget the personal touches,  don’t use a template cover letter — make sure each letter addresses specific skills or qualities the company is looking for. And always send a thank-you note or email after the interview. Use this correspondence as an opportunity to revisit weak areas of your interview.

Stay Positive

The most important thing when searching for a job in these tough economic times is to retain a positive attitude, even in a job market with 10 percent unemployment, there’s 90 percent employment.

Struggling to find a great job in a bad economy can be a drag, but undertaking even a few of these tips will improve your chances of landing a gig.