Employment Network Plus

Interview questions to ask to improve your chances to get the job.

Interviewing is not a one way street. Yes, the employer will ask a lot of questions. And to move to the top of the class you have to shine in answering these questions. However, there is one area many applicants fall down. They simply do not ask questions.

Near the conclusion of the job interview you are usually asked, “Do you have any questions?” Don’t freeze up, or think that if you ask the wrong question it will hurt your chances for the job.

If you’ve done your research on the employer (you have done in-depth research haven’t you?) you will come up with several questions that show interest in the employer and the job.

Questions like-”how will I be involved in the new quality control program?” or “what opportunities are there for personal and professional advancement?” or “briefly explain how the company rewards performance?” You get the idea.

Even if the question is answered in the interview-plan to ask follow-up questions. Remember, the employer is also trying to sell you on the job. Be alert for evasive or incomplete answers.

In your thank you letter after the interview, use it to add to your answers that may have been incomplete or not clearly understood by the interviewer. Of course leave the door open or you to call or email if you have additional questions.

Do you pay to get your resume written or write it yourself? That is the question facing many looking for a job or a new career.

Writing an effective resume may only happen two or three times in your career. Plus, there is usually many years between resumes, and standards of effective resume writing may change. So what looked good and was effective ten years ago may not get you the desired interview this time around.

All resumes start from the same place. Your accomplishments, skills and abilities. If you pay someone to write the resume you have the assignment of putting together information concerning your work history, and what skills you bring to the prospective job.

After you’ve done this level of work, it seems to me, that the formatting and writing of the resume can be researched. From this research you can build a current resume that will get you the desired interview.

One of the resume writing problems is that to many resumes lack the one necessary ingredientthat addresses the prospective employer’s needs. For example, if the employer is looking for a customer service manger; who can manage people and improve customer relations, to say you managed eight customer service reps in a busy customer service center doesnt say much. However if you said, you managed eight people and in three months developed an program which reduced the time to answer a customer inquiry from 8 minutes to less than 30 seconds without adding staff. Now you’ve got the employer’s attention.

Accomplishments should always be quantifable; you didn’t improve morale your reduced unwanted turnover by 34%, you didn’t just improve the safety record you reduced work related accidents by 22%. You get the idea.

If after your resume is proofread by a friend, or better yet by several friends, and you are not satisfied then you may look to a professional to help you out.

Job Search: Networking your way to a great job.

Everyone these days talks about networking for job searches.  But for those who are just starting their initial job search, they might not know exactly what networking is.  While it sounds like a computer term, networking is actually utilizing the people you know to find jobs in your field. 

For example, if you have just graduated from engineering school and your father has a friend who is an engineer at a nearby firm, ask him to look into any openings at his firm. 

Then perhaps he can mention you to his boss or to personnel, and it just might get you in the company.

Networking is by far the most common way of finding jobs in larger corporations. Since large companies and corporations receiver thousands of résumés for each job opening, they rely on word-of-mouth and personal recommendations from good employees of the company. 

This is how many people end up with terrific jobs: they know someone else who works for the company.

This networking approach works for any size company. Many job openings are never advertised but you come along with your skills and education and the employer makes room for you. He has a need but just hasn’t formulated the need into a job advertisment.

Good luck on your networking your way to a better employment opportunity.

Educational growth will win the race.

If you are going back to work after an absence, or if you are thinking of starting a new career, to look into your educational history. 

It is a big benefit to be able to add a two year degree or a bachelor’s degree to a resume that formerly had no higher education listed. The problem for many who want to further their education is that you many times do not have the time to go back to school.

Some options for you could be Saturday and weekend classes or online classes.  Many degrees are currently available through online universities or through brick and mortar universities that have online programs.  Saturday and weekend college are generally all day events, but many companies pay all or a part of the costs for their employees to take these classes.

Don’t overlook self-study.  A well planned out reading and study program can pay big dividends. How may books have you read in the past year? Resolve to increase the number to one or two a month. What should you read? Things that have a relationship to your career, current events, history, management, and biographies all are good starting points.

Another tip is to keep a journal of things you have studied and read, and ideas for further study will be a record of your accomplishments.

You’ve just been offered a new job. You’ve gotten the offer in writing, with the salary and other information. You’ve accepted and now the question: “When Can You Start?”

Accepting a new job is a terrific feeling.  But if you have been looking for a while, or if you have gotten the offer for a dream job, you may be skittish about answering the impending question: “when can you start?”  You may want to tell the company that you can start tomorrow, and then are stuck not giving your current employer any notice. It’s never a good idea to burn your bridges.

In meetings where candidates were being evaluated, I can recall a number of occasions where an otherwise qualified candidate was not hired because years before the individual left a job without giving proper notice.

Employers will understand if their newly hired candidate needs two weeks to give their current employer proper notice.  In fact, many employers will see this as a sign of respect on the part of the new hire.  They will know you take the company’s policies into consideration with your decisions, and this will make you even more attractive as an employee. 

One additional tip, if you have a number of resumes in the job hunting pipeline and you are called and offered an interview for another position what do you do? Do your research on the new company, go to the interview and if offered a job you now have two options. Carefully consider your current new positon with the new job offer and then make you final decision.

There is no doubt if your new employer had a change in direction, you would be one of the first to go.  

An employer may get several hundred resumes for a very desirable job. If you get to the interview stage, almost without exception, all selected for the face-to-face interview would do well in filling the job opening.

What will win in the job interview? One tip to consider. Prepare to answer the inevitable question,”Do you have any questions?” 

At the end of most interviews, the interviewer will often ask you if you have any questions. 

Many candidates are reluctant to ask a question, fearing that they will either not like the answer or that the interviewer will not like the question. 

The thing to remember is that most interviewers like it when candidates ask questions.  This shows them that the you were listening and are genuinely interested in the position.

Research the company before the interview. Newspaper and magazine articles are good sources of general company information. If you have the time call the company and have them send you copies of annual reports and sales information.

Are you being considered for a new position? What are the main challenges? Does the new position tie in with a new product or expansion of existing products?

If you are replacing someone, did they get promoted or did they leave the company? What are the top two or three challenges for the position? Promotional opportunities? What is the competition doing? How is the company reacting to the marketplace?

You get the idea. What came up in the interview that you need additional information? Ask questions during the interview to clarify information but hold two or three questions for the “wrap-up” stage.

When you get back to your car, write out your notes regarding each person you interviewed with. And do not forget to send thank you notes to each individual you spoke to. If necessary use the thank you note to elaborate on areas that may require clarification or to emphasize you strengths and experience relative to the demands of the position.

With this job interview preparation you’ll be steps ahead of the competition.

Finding a Job: Study the Job Descriptions

After you have registered with a job search engine, the state employment office, the career center at school, and several recruiters, you will be ready to start looking over the posted job descriptions. 

A few good things to remember are not to underestimate your abilities, but to be realistic about the written job requirements.  Be aware of what you are qualified to do and what you have little or no experience doing. 

Don’t apply for an engineering job when you do not have either the required degree or a great deal of experience: it is a waste of your time and the interviewer’s time. 

But don’t hesitate to apply for jobs in your field that will be a challenge; career challenges can keep you from becoming bored at work and can further your career.

Make sure you meet all of the criteria for the job; if the position requires 4 years of experience, you can apply if you only have 3 years of experience, but don’t bother if you only have 1 year of experience. (There is always an exception to this rule if your 1 year of experience was highly relevant to the job requirements: ie: you worked on the leading edge of a new process, etc.)

For more about using this strategy to your advantage visit my employment or career sites. 

Don’t Worry About Getting Laid Off-Get Ready

Everyday we read about layoffs, or we hear about a friend or someone in the neighborhood being laid off. If you spend any time looking over your shoulder regarding your job, now isn’t the time to panic, but it’s time to get prepared.

Here are seven key areas to prepare for a possible layoff.

1. Organize critical information:  Copy critical personal information from your office computer. Take home your “atta boy or girl” file and any other personal documents that reflect on your performance.

      Pull up and print out copies of performance appraisals and other personnel records. Do you have any newly acquired skills? Copies of certificates or records of attendance to additional training are important to add to your skill bank.

How about recently completed or even partially completed projects? Results and positive comments should be added to your record of accomplishments.

2. Research and write your resume and cover letter: If it’s been awhile since you’ve written a resume and cover letter, do some research. Read some books on the subject.

Be flexible and focus on accomplishments. Keep you job objective short-under 17 words. Anything beyond this is fluff and should be avoided. Tailor-make the resume to match the job opening. One size resume does not fit all.

3. Know what the company owes you: Can you take advantage of any benefits to which you are entitled? How about tuition refund on a course or seminar to upgrade or add to your job skills?

If you’ve got a flexible spending account make sure all claims are up to date. Are your expense accounts up to date? If not don’t let the balance get too high. After you’ve left the job you may have a problem documenting and getting reimbursed.

Do you have in your possession information about the amount of vacation or other benefits owed you? If not, secure the required information and keep you records up to date.

4. Networking strategy for success: Spend some every day networking. Talk to friends and former co-workers about job opportunities. If you are a member of a professional association become more active.

If you know employment recruiters now is the time to discuss possible opportunities with them. And above all if you can help others in their job search by all means do so-you never know when they might be in a position to help you.

5. Start the job search: Research possible employers. What requirements are listed in job postings? Do you have the necessary skills? If not, taking that course or seminar or even self-study could close the gap.

Don’t do any job hunting on company time. Don’t use the company copy machine to run off dozens of resumes. Doing so may accelerate the possible lay off. If and when the layoff comes you want to be totally prepared and if possible you have another job offer waiting at about the time the company decides to axe you job.

6. Negotiate your exit: If you’ve done your homework you’ll know what severance, vacation and other pay you may have coming. In one instance, the employee getting laid off negotiated staying on the payroll for another week which qualified him for a full match in the company 401k plan and was worth over $3000.

7. A positive opportunity: A looming layoff can be stressful, but with proper planning and a positive attitude you can place yourself in a better employment position. Change is happening all the time so accept this opportunity and prepare to take advantage of what is available.

Writing the Best Resume: It all starts by correctly answering one important question!

The best and most effective resume starts by asking yourself the question, “What exactly does the employer want when they hire someone for the job I’m looking for?”

Do you have what the employer needs? Look at every thing. What have you done that will fill those needs. Obviously past work counts, but don’t overlook education including self-study, possible volunteer work, hobbies and travel. This sort of thinking is the foundation of a great resume that will result in the all important interview.

The actual writing of the resume is important, but excellent writing by itself will never overcome your failure to understand what the employer wants. By positioning yourself squarely in the center of the employer’s needs you will assure that your resume elicits a positive response.

Here are some pointers to make sure you clearly answer the all important question: “What does the employer want…?”

Job Hunting Skills-Don’t overlook this small but important step!

You’ve worked hard on your resume. It brought you to the next level the telephone interview. You passed this test and now the face-to-face interview. The interview went well and now the prospective employer asks for three references. At this stage don’t overlook this critical step.

You’ve managed everything well up to this point so don’t overlook properly managing the reference check process. Almost without exception, organizations hiring new employees check your background (credit, prior employers, education, etc.) and call your references.

The prospective employer has asked you to provide them with three names of previous bosses, or former co-workers, teachers or other professional colleagues as employment and character references.

In the early stage of your job hunt develop a list of potential references. Contact each prospective reference; explain your situation and the type of work you are looking for. Ask if they would be willing to talk to a prospective employer and give you a good recommendation. If they have any reservations don’t include them as a reference. Verify all their contact information, email address, and best way and time to contact them.

Your goal is to have a list of references that you can choose three that will be able to speak about your skills and experience that closely fits the needs of the prospective employer. For example, if the key need of the hiring employer is someone with cost cutting experience, provide them with three names of people that can personally speak to your skills at cost cutting.

Never list your references on your resume. If you are asked for references at the face-to-face interview, have them provide you with an email address so you can promptly respond. Information from the job announcement, the telephone interview and face-to-face interview should provide you with the two or three key needs of the employer.

Consider the critical needs of the employer and choose three names from your reference list that can provide the employer with the best information about your skills that matches the employer’s needs. Then immediately contact each of the references sent to the prospective employer and provide them with a short summary of the employer’s needs. Also, remind your references of your skills and specific experience. If possible brief them on what you learned about the job in your contacts with the employer.

Ask that the reference contact you after the call from the employer. Based on the employer’s questions to you references and their answers, you can be in a position to correct any missteps in the communication. If you reference, for example, said you preformed a function for one year and you really did in for three years (and the employer’s is looking for someone with three years or more experience in this critical function) you have time to get this key item corrected.

Finally, here’s something that many forget. After you get the job, contact all your references, bring them up to date and thank them for their assistance. You never know when they might be needed again.

If this job hunting tip was useful, visit our site and find a host of valuable information to assist you in your job hunt. Good luck!