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 feeling a bit sluggish or even hitting a standstill? Here are some quick, time-saving tips to give your job hunt a smoother path forward.

1. Set Yourself Up for Success

Make sure you’re ready to respond to potential employers promptly. Set up a voicemail system with a professional greeting, and create an email address that sounds appropriate for job applications. Consider having a separate email account just for job hunting to keep messages organized and avoid missing important updates. Adding your cell phone number to your resume can help ensure you’re accessible for follow-ups.

2. Always Be Job-Ready

Keep an updated resume on hand, even if you’re not actively looking for a job. An unexpected opportunity could arise, and having your materials ready to go can make all the difference. If you’re not already on LinkedIn, set up a profile and start connecting with industry professionals who could be valuable to your job search.

3. Act Quickly on Benefits

If you’ve been laid off, file for unemployment benefits as soon as possible. Filing promptly, whether online or by phone, can prevent delays in receiving your benefits check.

4. Take Advantage of Free Job Resources

Many community resources, like college career centers, state labor offices, and public libraries, offer free or affordable career counseling and job search assistance. Libraries often provide workshops, computer access, and other job search resources, making them excellent places to bolster your job hunt.

5. Prepare Templates to Save Time

Create customizable templates for your resume and cover letter, leaving space for specific job details. This way, you can adjust each application to the job requirements without having to rewrite everything from scratch. Microsoft Word offers free, downloadable templates for resumes and cover letters, making it easy to personalize your documents.

6. Use Sample Documents as Inspiration

Look at samples of resumes, cover letters, and other job search documents to gather ideas for your own. Reviewing examples can provide inspiration and help you tailor your materials to reflect the best practices in your field.

7. Maximize Job Search Engines

Leverage job search engines to simplify the search process. These platforms allow you to explore multiple job boards, company websites, professional associations, and other listing sources in one go, saving you time and helping you keep track of new openings.

8. Sign Up for Job Alerts

Let job listings come to you by signing up for job alerts. Most major job boards and some specialized apps will send you listings directly to your inbox based on your preferences, keeping you informed about relevant positions as they appear.

9. Prepare References in Advance

Have a list of three references, including each person’s name, job title, company, and contact information, ready to share with potential employers. Print a copy to bring along to interviews. Being prepared shows professionalism and can streamline the process once you’re in final interview stages.

10. Tap into Your Network

Keep in mind that many jobs are filled through word-of-mouth rather than formal postings. Spread the word about your job search with friends, family, and professional contacts, and don’t hesitate to ask for any assistance they can provide.

11. Get Active on Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are increasingly used by companies for recruiting. These platforms can also be a way to find job leads early. Promote your job search and engage with industry communities to enhance your visibility and open up new networking opportunities.

Following these steps can help you make the most of your time and resources, bringing you closer to the job that’s right for you. Stay organized, proactive, and ready, and your efforts will pay off.

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.

December is the best time to look for a job in Seattle

Savvy job-seekers might know how to write resumes and cover letters, but few are aware of this surprising fact: Contrary to popular belief, December is actually the best time of year to look for work!

There are two compelling reasons why this is true–

#1 Competition levels drop dramatically. The majority of job-seekers figure that the holidays are a waste of time and make only marginal efforts to search for a new position. But their unfortunate mistake can turn into your big advantage because…

#2 Hiring takes off in the New Year. Although interviewing for full-time employees takes a dip in December, the months of January and February typically generate the strongest hiring period of the year. Organizations kick-off new projects and initiatives, budgets are put into place and additional staff is required to carry out the company’s plans.

Accordingly, if you take full advantage of the opportunities that the holidays have to offer, you may well find yourself as a sought after candidate–one who’s first in line to be interviewed in early January. To ensure you are making the most of this special time of year, here are three holiday practices you will want to adopt:

Practice the art of seasonal schmoozing. The holidays are filled with parties, gatherings, and community events. These are all prime opportunities to mix, mingle and share your story. Be certain, however, that you don’t dampen the festivities by trying too hard. Resist the temptation to deliver a rehearsed elevator speech unless you are attending a formal industry event where such introductions would be commonplace. Even then, make sure you judge the mood of the merrymakers before you come across as too stiff or businesslike.

At informal gatherings, a light touch is always best. When asked what you do, you can reply with a snappy one-liner that will pique your listeners’ interest. For example, a department store buyer used this playful response when asked about her career, “I shop with other people’s money.” (You can bet ears perked up with that one!) Once the buyer had the attention of her audience, she then continued with a lengthier description of her skills, experience and job search goals.

Reconnect with old contacts. Holiday cards and folksy letters are not only welcomed, they’re expected. Done correctly, they can be a great way of securing new leads and opportunities. After sharing the latest news about your family, you can mention your job search and add a few of the companies you are targeting. Then in a low-key manner, you can let your friends know that you’d appreciate any suggestions or contacts they might have.

You can also send holiday greetings to recruiters you’ve worked with in the past, reconnect and update them on your search. Recruiters are busy people and can easily forget candidates. So your greeting may well put you at the top of their minds in a favorable light. And, if you are very lucky, they might have the ideal job cross their desk just as your greeting appears in their inbox.

Network in new and innovative ways. Volunteering, seasonal hiring, and all sorts of opportunities present themselves for moving beyond your immediate circle of contacts. Pursue as many of these as you can that will comfortably allow you time for other holiday networking activities. You never know whom you might meet and where such opportunities may lead.

Most of all, remember that your goal is to take full advantage of the serendipity and good will that abounds in December. Join in the seasonal festivities, celebrate with your career goals in mind and anticipate that success may be only weeks away. You just might find yourself ringing in 2015 with a brand new job. And that’s a pretty great way to start off the New Year… with a big thanks to the holiday spirit!

Source: Mary Eileen Williams

Help your career during this quarantine

Brush up on your soft skills

Emotional intelligence is rooted in them, business leaders swear by them, and they remain in high demand. I’m speaking of soft skills, those frequently misunderstood and undervalued skills that power career success. Earlier this year, LinkedIn released its annual Global Talent Trends 2019 report, which explores the four big trends fueling the future of the workplace. Topping the list? Soft skills.

This finding underscores a fundamental truth: At its core, business is about relationships. No matter your job function or title, to succeed, you must interact with other people. And those who find a way to combine their hard skills with soft skills create environments that empower and ignite their teams, delight their customers, and fuel sustainable growth.

Master time-management

Your ability to prioritize and focus your attention on tackling work projects is crucial. How and with whom you spend your time, and your productivity while doing so, demonstrate your focus and commitment to what—and who—matters most. When you master time-management, you’ll learn to say no, do, decide, delegate or delete tasks, batch routine tasks, eliminate distractions, embrace mono-tasking, get to know—and work—your own rhythms, and build in breaks to recharge.

Get creative

Creativity is the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly disparate things, and to generate innovative solutions. When you’re creative, you’re able to turn new and imaginative ideas into reality. Business leaders agree that to cultivate your creativity, you should ask big questions, pay attention, be open-minded, set aside time to let your mind wander, and not be afraid to take risks.

Are you an Obvious Fit? Redmond Job Seeker

Make Yourself a “Smack-in-the-Forehead” Obvious Fit

When you apply for a job via an online application process, it’s very likely that your resume will first be screened by an applicant tracking system and then (assuming you make this first cut) move onto human eyeballs. The first human eyeballs that review your resume are often those of a lower level HR person or recruiter, who may or may not understand all of the nuances of that job for which you’re applying.

Thus, it behooves you to make it very simple for both the computer and the human to quickly connect their “Here’s what we’re looking for” to your “Here’s what you can walk through our doors and deliver.”

Tip

Study the job description and any available information you have on the position. Are you mirroring the words and phrases in the job description? Are you showcasing your strengths in the areas that seem to be of paramount importance to this role? Line it up. Line it up.

Seattle Job search techniques

Create your online career brand. The job market is slowly evolving from a paradigm of job-seekers and employers using job boards to find each other to one in which employers find job-seekers online — whether through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or the job-seeker’s personal Website. Building your brand simply means showcasing your expertise and passion online where employers searching the Web could find it — and removing any unsavory — digital dirt — you can find.

Get organized. Before you start applying for jobs, going to job fairs, or interviewing with employers, take a moment to develop a system that works for you in organizing your job-search. A simple spreadsheet works best for many — and some online sites can even help keep your job-search organized.

Build, cultivate, and utilize your network of contacts. For the vast majority of job-seekers, a large and strong network of contacts — of people who know you and want to help you uncover job leads — results in more job opportunities. Networking — in person and online — is essential to your job-search success. Continually seek out new people to add to your network.

Attempt to complete several job-related goals daily. It’s a bit of a cliche now, but in all cliches there is truth — and that truth is that it takes a great deal of time and effort to find a new job. In a long job-search, it’s easy to get discouraged and distracted, but by focusing on achieving daily goals you can motivate yourself while also building a foundation for success.

Develop anecdotes and stories that showcase your skills. People remember stories over bullet points, so your goal should be developing a set of anecdotes you can use in networking and interviewing situations that clearly demonstrate your skills, accomplishments, and passion for your work. Using stories may also help you feel more comfortable talking about yourself.

Excel in the job interview. Research the employer and interviewers, know your route for getting to the interview, dress appropriately, arrive about 10 minutes early (to compose yourself, observe your settings, complete any paperwork), greet everyone warmly (from receptionist to hiring manager), use positive body language (firm handshake, strong eye contact, attentive posture, and friendly smile), confidently respond to interview questions, show enthusiasm, ask questions of the interviewer(s), and close the interview with appreciation and a request for information about next steps in the process.

Write thank-you notes after interviews to all interviewers. A quick note (by email and/or postal mail) of thanks that emphasizes your interest and fit with the job and employer will not get you the job offer, but it will help make you stand out from the majority of job-seekers who do not bother with this simple act of courtesy.

Continue following up with hiring managers. Your work is not done once the interview is complete or the thank-you note sent. Following up with the hiring manager regularly shows your interest and enthusiasm for the job. The key is doing so in a way that is professional while not making you sound pesky or needy.

 

Upgrade your career during these tough times

Setting Clear Career Goals and Achieving Them

Define Your Long-Term Vision

Where do you envision your career in the next 1, 5, or even 10 years? Establishing long-term goals is the foundation of a successful career path. Break down these big aspirations into smaller, actionable steps to create a clear path forward. By setting achievable short-term goals, you’ll stay motivated and steadily progress toward your ultimate vision.

Write Down Your Goals

Research from Harvard shows that individuals who document their goals are three times more likely to achieve them. Writing down your objectives and placing them somewhere visible can keep you focused and accountable. Make a habit of ticking them off as you reach each milestone—this simple act reinforces your progress and keeps you motivated.

Be Proactive in Your Job Search

If a new role or a fresh start in a different company aligns with your career goals, be proactive. Utilize job boards and recruiters to support your search. Working with a recruiter who specializes in your field can offer significant advantages, such as insights into market trends, guidance on interview preparation, and feedback tailored to your potential employer’s expectations.

At CareerPaths NW, we’re dedicated to helping individuals reach their full potential. Click here to view our latest job openings.

Invest in Professional Growth

Gaining a promotion or securing a new position often requires stepping outside your comfort zone. Be ready to develop new skills or deepen your existing knowledge—whether it’s management training or mastering new techniques. This willingness to learn not only enhances your capabilities but also makes you a stronger candidate for future opportunities.

Believe in Your Potential

Confidence is key. Our recruiters emphasize that self-belief plays a pivotal role in career advancement. Employers often recognize when a candidate believes in their ability to succeed. Embrace your strengths, and don’t hesitate to pursue opportunities that may initially seem beyond reach—confidence can be the differentiating factor that helps you land that next role.