Tips for a Successful Interview #1

Great news, from the mountain of applicants for the position, they found your resume and the recruiter has called you for an interview.  Bad news, you are a bundle of nerves about the interview.  How can you survive this process and land the job you want?  Whether you are new to the job market or a seasoned professional, you need to prepare to be successful on your interview.

Keep Your Perspective

• Allow yourself to feel good about being selected for the interview.  Clearly they saw something in your resume and cover letter that makes them want to invest time to get to know more about you.  This is great news and should give you confidence.
• Remember, the interviewer wants you to succeed.  The recruiters are anxious to find qualified candidates they can send to the hiring manager.  If the interview goes well, you’ve made their job easier. Hiring managers want someone who can do the job and that they will enjoy working with over time.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

• The more prepared you are for the interview, the easier it will be to manage your anxiety.
• Review the job description carefully.  Have examples of work you have done that demonstrates your ability to perform in this new job.  If it is something you have never done before, share an example of how quickly you learned new aspects of your current job.
• Research the company and the people you will be meeting ahead of time.  Have specific thoughtful questions prepared that you can ask your interviewer.  Demonstrate that you have done your homework.
• Get a good night’s sleep the night before.  Don’t go to the interview on an empty stomach and stay hydrated.
• Spend time with a friend or family member prior to the interview.  Tell them why you would be the best person for the job.  Before you can convince the interviewer, you need to convince yourself.  Go in feeling confident.
• Identify sample interview questions and think about your answers in advance.  Don’t memorize them but feel confident about how you want to answer typical questions.
• Have examples prepared for behavioral questions.  Be prepared to summarize the situation, identify the actions you took and the results of those actions.  You can find sample behavioral questions online for reference.
• Picture yourself confidently presenting your job-related skills and answering the questions clearly and effectively.
• Be sure you know where you are going and allow plenty of time to get there.

Focus

• Arrive a few minutes early.  Use the waiting time to collect your thoughts and gather your confidence.  If you get sweaty palms, use the rest room to wash your hands.
• Treat everyone you come in contact with at the company as if they have the authority to hire you.  You never know who will be asked for input.
• Greet the interviewer with a smile and enthusiastic greeting.  Let them know you are happy to be there and are excited about the opportunity.
• Maintain eye contact and listen carefully.
• Take quiet deep breaths through your nose and exhale slowly through your nose to stay calms and focused.
• If necessary, admit that you are feeling nervous.  Sometimes it helps relieve stress to verbalize it and the interviewer may have empathy.  Frame it as “Despite all my preparation, I still feel nervous because I’m so very interested in this opportunity.”
• Ask if you can take notes, sometimes it helps relieve stress to be doing something.  Capture just high level points.
• Stay in the moment – this is the best place for you to be at this time.  Don’t worry about anything else and don’t worry about next steps.  Stay focused on the interview.
• Be a confident YOU.  Don’t try to be someone you are not.

Follow Up

• Thank the interviewer for their time.  Reinforce your strong interest in the opportunity and ask about next steps.
• Send a handwritten thank you note within 24 hours.  If the process is moving quickly send an email thank you as well.

Watch future postings for additional resume, cover letter, and interviewing tips.

How to Write a Customized Cover Letter #1

You see the perfect job posted online and you can’t wait to attach your resume and hit send.  Resist the urge.  Take the time to create a customized cover letter and it will increase the odds of the hiring manager reviewing your resume.  A resume is a historical look at what you have done in the past.  The cover letter is an opportunity to focus on the specific position of interest while highlighting your historical and transferable skills to meet their needs.  Do not assume that the hiring manager will take the time to “connect the dots” between your experience and their needs.  Writing a customized cover letter does that for them.

Focus on Their Needs – The hiring manager has a business need to meet so focus on how you can meet their specific needs.  They really don’t care about what you need and want.  Be very specific in addressing their needs outlined in the job description and show them how you can address their specific needs.

Highlight Transferable Skills – You may not meet every requirement in the job description but you bring valuable transferable skills to the position.  Focus on what you bring and the value it has to them.  Maybe you never worked in that industry before but if you have successfully transitioned to a new industry before, leverage that.  If you never used the particular software they use but have learned new systems quickly in the past, highlight that.

Be Careful with the use of “I” – The cover is letter is about meeting their needs so be very careful not to overuse “I”.  Do not start every paragraph or multiple sentences with “I”.  Think about different ways to get your message across.  Keep it focused on them.

Do not use a generic letter – Most recruiters and hiring managers can easily recognize a template cover letter.  It typically does not relate to the specific job or even the specific company.  Don’t waste the hiring managers’ time by sending generic letters.  Worse still, avoid the cut and paste errors of referencing the wrong company or position.  That is a guaranteed trip to the “no” pile.

Attention to Detail Matters – Be sure your letter has been proofread for spelling and grammar.  Most employers will consider it a sample of your business writing.  Worse still, don’t cite your attention to detail as an attribute and then have glaring spelling or grammatical errors in the letter.  That is a quick route to the “no“ pile.

A successful job search is the result of strategic effort.  It is not about how many positions you can apply to online.  A successful candidate is one who identifies the right positions and then submits a flawless resume and customized cover letter.  Further success comes to those who have also networked at the company in advance.  Don’t let the lack of a cover letter or a poorly written cover letter prevent you from advancing in the process.  If the job is worth applying to, it is worth the time to create a customized cover letter.

Watch future postings for additional resume, cover letter, and interviewing tips.

Tips for a Successful Resume #1

A resume is not likely to land you a job.  The goal of a successful professional resume is to get you an interview.  The interview provides the opportunity to sell yourself for the position.  The resume is the critical first step to help a hiring manager see how you may be able to contribute to their organization.   Flawless execution is expected.  Don’t give the hiring manager any reason to move your resume immediately to the “reject” pile.

What a Resume Is and Isn’t – A resume is a summary of your professional experience, education and skills.  It should focus on accomplishments.  A resume is not a summary of your job responsibilities for each position you’ve held.   It is not your LinkedIn profile either but may contain some of the same information and must be consistent on that information.

Formatting Matters – For an initial resume review it is likely that someone will spend less than a minute reviewing your resume.  If you want them to spend more time and really see what you have to offer, it needs to be concise, easy to read and the key information must be easy to find.  Your resume should not exceed one page unless you have more than seven years of experience.  Be sure you use white space to keep it visually appealing.  You must have your contact information – address, email and telephone – so they can easily reach you if they are interested.  You should always use a professional looking email address with just your name – avoid cute nicknames etc. when job searching.  Quickest path to the reject pile is typos or grammatical errors.  Be sure to proof your resume and carefully and have someone else proof it as well.

Open Strong – They first thing they read should give them a quick sense of who you are and what you could do for them.  I strongly recommend starting with a summary statement focused on your key transferable skills and core competencies.  Whenever possible, focus on key words from the job description.  The summary gives the reader a lens through which they read the rest of your resume.  Catch their attention from their first glance.  Employers I work with find a summary statement preferable to an objective.  Often job seekers have specific objectives that do not relate to the job they are applying for.  Someone reading your summary should have a strong sense of your core competencies for the role you are exploring.

Honesty is the best and only policy – A resume is the factual history of your work experience.  Do not embellish or over-state your accomplishments or responsibilities.  Employers value integrity and you demonstrate that by being honest and forthright in all your interactions, starting with your resume.  Many companies will use outside firms to perform verifications with prior employers and schools.

In the early stages of the recruiting the process, your resume is you.  It needs to represent you professionally and accurately so they will want to know more about you.  While you resume will not likely land you the job, it needs to catch their attention so you will advance in the process.

Watch future postings for additional resume, cover letter, and interviewing tips.

Practice Social Distancing with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a valuable business networking tool and is critical to a successful job search.  It is the perfect way to build your network and support your job search while practicing good social distancing.  At Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business Graduate Career Center, we work with our students to help them maximize the value of LinkedIn.  We are seeing an increasing number of employers using LinkedIn to find candidates to meet their needs.

There are key considerations for a successful LinkedIn strategy to support your job search, all while practicing good social distancing.

Be Found – Build a powerful profile so employers searching for people like you can easily find you online.  Make it easy for alumni, current students, and former business colleagues to find you.  The true power of your connections comes from the second and third level so work to build a strong first level of connections.  Be sure to use important key words for your industry and functional area to help the right people find you.  Highlight the critical skills you offer that will enable you to succeed in your next role.

Quality Not Quantity – There is no prize for having the most contacts but the right contacts are invaluable.  Build a network of people you know to help you achieve your career goals.  Work to build connections in your target companies.  Each new connection broadens your reach.

Seek Feedback – We review the students’ LinkedIn profiles with them and offer suggestions for improvements.  Have someone else review your profile and share feedback.  Another set of eyes can add valuable insight.  Ask someone who knows you if the profile will help you be found by the appropriate employers.

Alumni Connections – In additional to joining LinkedIn groups for alumni, utilize the alumni search to identify alumni connections in your target companies.  Alumni can provide valuable insights about the company and can help connect you to other appropriate contacts within the company.

Regardless of what stage of your career you are currently in, Linked In is a powerful tool that you can leverage to increase your success.

Prepare for Your Starring Role in a Video Interview

With most HR departments and hiring managers working from home, they are leveraging technology to support the hiring process.  With the work at home orders, if you are lucky enough to get an interview it will likely be a video interview or at least a phone interview.      What can you do to ensure that you have a starring role in your electronic interview?

Dress the Part

It is still an interview.  Full business attire is expected and shows that you are taking this seriously.  Put your best foot forward.  You want to appear as the successful business professional you aspire to be.  Suit, crisp clean plain shirt and a coordinating tie for the men and a suit with a blouse for the ladies.  Avoid any jewelry that could be distracting or noisy during your interview.  If you can’t see yourself on the screen, place a small mirror nearby to ensure that you remember to smile while you are answering their questions.

Know Your Lines

If you were appears on stage you’d rehearse your lines.  You need do to the same for an interview.  Think about the key points you want them to remember about you.  Anticipate key questions and prepare your responses.  Have examples prepared that you can share in response to behavioral questions.  You do not want to memorize your answers but you want to be prepared enough that you can adapt on the fly.  While it is ok to have notes and a copy of your resume, do not read from them.

Test the Technology

Prior to the interview, test the technology on your end.  Ensue that the appropriate accounts are set up in advance and that you know how to use the applicable technology.

Consider the Scenery

If you will be interviewing at your desk, be sure to clean it in advance.  Eliminate anything that could be distracting.  If you are taking the call from home, think about what the interviewer will see in the background.  While your pets may be great moral support, close them out of the room so they will not be a distraction.

Be Well Prepared

Ensure that you prepare thoroughly.  Review the company website and the job posting.  Review your networking notes.  Do whatever research is needed to be well prepared and to have insightful questions prepared to ask your interviewer.  It is just as important that you interview them as it is for them to interview you.  Critical to find the best fit.

Curtain Call

Remember to thank your interviewer and demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm as you wrap up the interview.  You should still send a thank you note to the interviewer even though the interview was virtual.  Email is the most effective way to send the note while everyone is working from home.

 

Why Networking Matters

Now more than ever networking is critical to the success of your job search.  Most HR professionals and their hiring managers are working virtually.  Schools and businesses are closed disrupting our personal and work lives.  The health and safety of our loved ones is top priority.  But you may still need to find a job.

What is a job seeker to do?  Network!  It is more critical than ever that if you hope to land that next position, you need to be networking.  While initially networking is a valuable source of information, you can build a network of supporters who can transform your job search.  Supporters can forward your resume to the hiring manager to increase the likelihood it will at least be reviewed.  Supporters can offer a recommendation which is valuable to the hiring manager.  Supporters can provide insights on the hiring process at the company, the particular position and the team.

While social distancing is the new normal, this a great time for networking.  Either using video tools or by phone, this is a great time to connect and build a network to help you learn more about the companies on your target list and to help them get to know you and the talent you could bring to their organization.  Set yourself weekly networking goals and hold yourself accountable.  In a time that many parts of life are feeling out of control, focus on something you can control – achieving your networking goals to support your job search.

General rule of thumb for a successful job search, spend ten times more time networking than sitting behind your computer.  It is the single most important thing you can to ensure a successful job search.

Networking Virtually

As we adapt to the challenges of the COVID 19 virus, working from home and social distancing, networking has had to change as well.  We had our spring networking breakfasts scheduled for the MSF students this spring when the world changed so dramatically.

Thankfully our breakfast guests were willing to be flexible and we hosted the events virtually.  While everyone missed the opportunity to face-to-face, the true value of the networking as not lost.  Students heard interesting updates from employers and alums who shared their professional experiences and advice.  Students had the opportunity to ask a wide range of questions as well.

For the introverted students, it was a great opportunity to build some networking experience in a less stressful way.  They did their preparation, had their questions with them and actively participated in the session.

The valuable learning for everyone was things don’t have to be the same as they were before in order to be valuable.  Great networking conversations resulted even though the format had to be modified.  Even without the structure of a formally scheduled breakfast meeting, networking virtually is a great option while we are all working remotely.

Searching for a Job with Challenges of COVID 19

For most people, the thought of a job search process is daunting enough but add to the equation the current stay at home orders, the shutdown of many businesses, record unemployment, and the rising infection rates while home schooling children, providing your own day care and the on-going challenge of obtaining food and necessities, what is a job seeker to do?

Take a deep breath. Stay focused on staying safe and healthy and doing the same for your loved ones.

A job search is a significant undertaking so take advantage of this time to dedicate time and attention to your search. There are companies hiring and it is a great time for networking – virtually! This is not the time to sit at your computer sending online applications to every possible job you find online. That is not a recipe for success. Your application is a needle in the haystack. Better to develop a strategy and execute against that strategy.

For a successful job search in these challenging times, you should:

Develop Your Target List – Think about what you want to do. What skills and experience qualify you for this position? In what industry do you hope to work? Where in the world do you hope to work? What functional role are you seeking? What do you need in terms of company culture and values? Start drafting a list of companies for whom you would love to work. Think about industries that are currently hiring and what skills you bring to those opportunities.

Informational Interviews – Leverage your various alumni, family, friends and former colleagues’ networks to identify contacts who work in your target companies. Set up informational interviews to learn more about the company and your area of interest. What is the hiring process like? How does the company support their employees? What does the person like about working there? What would they change if they could? You will likely learn things you like and things you don’t.

Continually Refine the List – Based on what you learn in your informational interviews, continue to refine your target list. Some companies or types of roles will fall off the list and you will learn about new companies to explore further. Continue to build and refine your list as you continue to conduct informational interviews.

Build Networks within Your Target Companies – Throughout this process you are building relationships with people who work in your target companies. Keep detailed records of your contacts. Be sure to thank them for spending time with you and helping you learn. This can be a great time for networking with most people working from home and attending fewer meetings. Take advantage of the opportunity to make connections and get valuable feedback.

Identify Opportunities – Once you have your target companies updated and your network in place, you are ready to start exploring opportunities. When you see an opportunity at a target company, reach out to your contact to see what insight they can share. Ask if they would be willing to pass your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager. Maybe they can submit it in their employee referral program. Having an internal advocate moves your resume to the short pile instead of the mountain that arrives blindly online. This is a huge advantage. Your internal advocate can also share additional insight and perspective to help you prepare for the interview.

These are challenging times on many fronts but there are businesses seeking talented individuals to join their team. Leverage this time building your list and your network so you can find the next great opportunity to advance your career.