Don't Be Intimidated by the Interview

Most people don’t like being put on the spot or public speaking in general, so the job interview can be very intimidating. If this is the case for yourself, you must get past that point and realize the interview is when you will seal the deal for your next job.

Being called in for an interview is a bigger deal these days than in the past, as a lot of applicants don’t make it to that point because of a poorly presented resume. If you have been called, you are on the right track. That is a big deal, and now it’s time to keep the momentum going.

One way to get ready for an interview is to practice, don’t go in cold. Not being ready is where a lot of worry will steam from. If you practice, you will have more confidence, which you will show to the boss. A great way to go about practicing is to think of questions that might be asked of you in the interview and then formulate your answers. If you are going for a job similar to one you have had, you already know some of the questions you may be asked. No matter what, there will always be something asked you did not think of, don’t be thrown off. Remember these questions are the best opportunity, other than your resume, to shine and get the job. An employer wants to hire someone who handles pressure well, so falling apart in the interview would be a bad sign.

Your resume showed what you can do as a professional in a position, but the interviewer now wants to meet the person behind that paper. What are you like? Will you add to the overall feeling of the office? The bottom line of the business is important, but so is how all the personalities in the office mesh. So, show your confidence, and tell why you would add to the chemistry of the office, while positive helping the company.

You will most likely be asked about your hobbies and interests outside of work. This is a great question as it gives more insight to you. Employers like people who work hard, but also know how to enjoy their free time. If you notice something in the boss’s office that shows they enjoy a hobby or sport you do, talk about it. This is a good way to make a connection and show the boss you have great taste.

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Contacting Potential Employers

Making contact with employers is the best way in which to get a job. Simply filing out a resume and sending it in may work, but it will not work as well as making contract with people.

Know the best ways to make contact to have the best chance for success. Every day we all receive direct mail. However bad junk mail looks, the ones you see again and again are working; otherwise, the senders wouldn’t be wasting their money.

One thing that makes it work in many cases is that long copy is used. That’s what it takes to motivate all of us to action from unasked-for correspondence.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say a lawn mower shop has a new product. And you and your next door neighbor are both out cutting your lawns on a hot day. However, your lawn mower breaks down. Then, the mail carrier arrives at both residences with mail that tells you all about a new lawn mower. It gives a long explanation of why it’s superior. Now, your neighbor will look at the mailing piece for two-seconds and toss it. He isn’t in the market for a lawn mower. On the other hand, they have reached you at the right time, you are likely to read it. Now when you job hunt, your situation is similar. You need to reach the right person. No one else counts.

Some people don’t believe in direct employer contact. They think that anything you send to an employer is thrown away. Certainly, this has some truth, since the great majority will throw away your materials in seconds.

But if you’ve ever needed someone with certain skills, then you know you want the easiest way to find a good candidate. And if a good resume or letter reached you at the right time, you would take action on it. Sending the right materials, to the right person, will get the attention of some decision makers. But, timing is very critical. You need to reach a decision maker that might be looking for someone like you. Even if your timing is bad, companies scan the resumes of the better candidates into their database. Then, as they develop a need, this is usually the first place they turn. Contacting employers directly allows you to reach potential buyers quickly. If you want, you can reach the entire universe of all your best prospects.

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Discover More

People in healthcare and energy might not be interested in considering other industries, since so many good jobs are being created there. But are they missing something? If you think your industry is in job or you can tell there the jobs are few and far between, you need to discover more.

With so many industries in trouble or not hiring, many people need to find a job in a new industry. But even for those who don’t, why not uncover all the opportunities out there for you.

For people in administration, HR, accounting, finance and legal functions, switching industries is often not a problem. But others face a challenge because they usually have no experience and little knowledge about other industries. Still, he maintains, they can improve their chances dramatically by doing three things.

1. Identify industries similar to yours

You’ll need to put some time in on search engines, but this is important and worth the effort. Search for names of industry trade magazines that interest you. Scan the headlines of articles for key information, he advises, then read the two or three lead articles. It’s surprising how informed you can become in just a week or two.

You increase your chances tenfold if you can identify characteristics of a target industry that are similar to yours — product lines, distribution channels, the markets they sell to, similar manufacturing processes, types of selling approaches, etc. The more of these you can point to, the stronger your case.”

2. Know and sell your transferable skills

Know all that you have to offer and what you can do that will crossover into another industry. You might be surprised that you are a hot commodity with another profession you never gave much though to joining.

Once you’ve identified these, it will help your case even more if you cite examples of how you used them to the benefit of past employers. Naturally, if target employers are facing similar challenges, they start to realize you are a good match.

3. Develop your selling proposition

This is a brief statement of the major benefits you bring to an employer. The more specific the better. Can you help them open new markets, develop new products, increase sales, cut costs in some area, or develop important new IT capabilities?

Make sure this is evident at the beginning of any letter or resume, and like anything else, you’ll make a more powerful impact if you give examples of how you’ve done things in the past that the employer needs done today.

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Overcome Weakness

If you are having trouble finding a job, but have a lot of experience in the field you are looking, the problem may be what else is on your resume. You may be showing liabilities that you are not aware of, which are painting you in a bad light to bosses who decide if you are the person for them.

One such liability could be age.

Today there are many dozens of either young or vibrant industries. And, in these industries there are thousands of recently formed companies with young management, and their emphasis is definitely on youth. Despite that, you are likely to fi nd most of them have at least two or three senior professionals who are highly valued.

Don’t forget that several studies have shown senior employees to be more reliable. Many are just as quick to pick up new

information as other age groups. Young management teams often realize that they need to be balanced with the wisdom that extra experience brings, and will prefer an older candidate for functions such as legal, finance and administration.

Another daily reminder should be to review your beliefs and attitudes. Here is a well known fact among psychologists who study such things. We are limited or not limited according to our beliefs about ourselves and what is possible for us, and that generally we are treated by others in accord with our expectations—about how they will treat us.

Because we tend to get what we expect, and because people tend to refl ect back to us the beliefs and attitudes we are projecting, you need to examine your beliefs about yourself and about what’s possible “career wise” at this stage.

If your beliefs are limiting or negative, start working on them. Recognize that all of us fi lter reality through our attitudes and beliefs, so what we perceive doesn’t necessarily reflect reality, but just the way we are seeing it at the moment. If you have held some limiting beliefs related to age, it’s very likely that your “fi lter” has been distorted toward the negative, and has been reinforced by many of those around you. So, consider writing down your beliefs in this area, not as fact, but as beliefs. Start each one with the words, “I believe.”activities require physical exertion, mention them.

If any of them are negative or limiting, then write a corresponding positive version. As you may know, any belief can be justified by the facts, depending upon which facts you focus upon. Use “selective perception” to focus on and write down all the events that support the positive beliefs and ignore any negative ones.

How to Choose Among Career Services That Sound Similar

Understanding exact capabilities and knowing what questions to ask

Selecting a firm to help advance your career is an important decision. The field includes firms ranging from career and outplacement counselors to various types of marketing companies. When they speak of their capabilities, some might give you the impression that they do the same things we do.

This is one reason we go to great lengths to educate you with our videos, literature and high-content website. We want you to fully understand what we can do for you and our specific guarantees. While we have a close personal relationship with clients, we are far more than an advisory service. We do most of the hard work of job hunting for you, including all of the writing… supplying the openings you need… the contacts you need… and the leads you need. We also distribute your credentials… and do much more. If you are choosing a career service, this guide will make sure you ask the right questions.

1—How will they collect your background information?

If you’re told to write everything out longhand… be concerned. The most comprehensive way to gather everything that’s critical about you… is to do it through a highly structured series of online forms supplemented by personal discussions. This allows several staff members to review the information... and it gives you a valuable document for permanent reference.

The specific online profiles we use include n Our marketability profile; n Our career history profile; and n Our industry characteristics profile. Together they give us the information we need to get started on a personalized marketing plan for you, as well as all the resumes and letters we write.

2—Will they help with what needs to be done… before you start a search?

· Your career / industry options should be identified.

· The goals you should pursue need to be clarified.

· Solutions for liabilities must be provided.

· The specific transferable skills you should market need to be pinpointed.

· A weekly campaign action plan to guide your search should be provided.

Too often counseling firms will claim to address these issues, but they do so only with a broad brush. These are all critical to the speed and effectiveness of your search. They need to be addressed with specificity and clarity. And, some of these items should be provided to you in writing. We will provide you with a personal marketing plan. As part of it, we review your career and industry options and recommend goals. And, we supply your solutions for liabilities, pinpoint your transferable skills and give you a customized weekly action agenda… all in writing.

For more Free Job Hunting Info be sure to follow us on Twitter, check us out on Facebook, read our blog, or visit our website!

A Good Attitude

A good attitude goes a long way when looking for a job. You may start out with your hopes high and feeling confident, but after a few times of hearing “no,” you may start to get down and feel sorry for yourself. This is a mistake that will take its tolls on how you present yourself to companies while trying to find gainful employment.

It is tough out there right now, so you have to keep plugging away and know that you will have to fight for every opportunity you are presented with. With so many looking for work right now, you have got to make sure you stand out. You, like everyone else, will hear “no” sometimes, but you need to learn for the situation and keep moving forward until you are hired.

Being bitter, and other negative feeling for yourself or businesses, will not do any good. They will hold you back and take effect on how you go about finding a job. You may even get to a point where you just give up because you think you won’t catch a break, this is a terrible idea. So don’t go down that slippery slope. Have you head in the game the entire time you are looking for a job.

Look at every opportunity you are given when going after a certain job and take what you can learn from it. If a business likes something on your resume and the way you presented yourself, then you know that is in good shape, but if you are told you could have done something differently, or feel as though you could have expressed an idea or skill better, then make sure you do so next time you are in front of a possible future boss.

If you start getting bitter or angry, it really will start to come through when you are presenting yourself to people. You may not even realize it, but your demeanor does change and people can pick up when something is a little off. Negative emotions tend to give a certain impression, no matter how good you think you are at hiding them. So, if you keep a good outlook, than this wont be a problem and you will have a greater chance of finding that new job at a quicker pace. Learn all you can when you hear “no,” and have a plan of attack when you are ready to move forward to hear, “welcome aboard.”

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How to Uncover Job Leads

Everyday events occur that cause decision makers at companies to start privately looking for new employees. The key to successfully uncovering these job leads is to know what kinds of news events are signals to emerging jobs. Employers will often start the process of hiring when these types of events appear in the news:

· An employer receives a new capital.

· A firm kicks off a new product.

· There’s word of new local business operations.

· New contracts are being awarded.

· Relocations are planned.

· There are major licensing agreements.

· Growth expectations or record sales and profits are announced.

If you are able to uncover leads in the news, you most likely can get in the door first and generally, these positions will be less competitive than published openings. If you’re looking for a job, acting on leads should be one of your key strategies. After you uncover a good lead, your next step should be to write a letter or a brief memo or email, linking to your personal marketing website or attached to your resume, in response to a news event. Consider the following examples of brief memos.

· Today’s news indicated that you’re expanding to Georgia. Maybe I can help. As you can see from the attached resume, I’ve had five years of solid experience in plant operations.



· I would like to have the opportunity to tell you how my energy, plus years of experience in your field, can be a winning combination for you.



· My background is a perfect match for the qualities you are looking for to manage the new division. My resume will support this, and I am very much interested in your company.



· Your company was recommended to me by a friend who saw today’s article in the Chicago Tribune. May we have a brief talk?