The Interview Handbook

There you are sitting in the hot chair, trying to convince your future employer that you are the best suited for the role. So why should I give you the job?

Here is your chance to show off your skills and personally, but what are my skills and what makes me any different to all the other candidates? This is were people fail to get the job, why? Because people fail to demonstrate in simple language how they would do the job.

Companies are looking for people you can show that they can work in either an autonomous role ie on there own or as part of a team. They also what to see if you can multi-task some people call it multi-skilling they both mean the same thing. Question; what is multi-tasking?

Think of it as been able to do a number of different tasks at once or being able to do more than one role, if you want to learn more on this subject get a copy of - Multi-Skilling: A Blue Print For Success by Marc Vanvdevelde, its a really  good book to get you started.

So why do I need to have this skill? Companies these day’s run very lean, they have very little fat! - fat being people, every body can do a number of different tasks or roles  it all about saving money on the pay role.

So what else do I need to show? Well how about being to communicate to people, and to listen!, I always remember the saying "God Gave Us Two Ears And One Mouth" What! - listening is so important so practice it, your customers are telling you things all the time so are your work colleagues so listen. Show a real interest in them. Read - "People Skills" by Bolton another really good book.

Another one for you think on - Problem solving, being able to come up with ideas to solve a problem in simple terms, its no good just being able to find faults, anybody can do that!  what people fail to do is come up with an answer to the problem. Why do people never look at this a opportunity to show that they really understand the problem, How Do I Do This - listen to what people are saying, and then come up with some ideas that will help them to solve the problem, brilliant it’s so easy. It is but you need to practice and show a real interest in people.

It never fails to amaze me that people bemoan that they get a letter or phone call to say that

“You Have Not Been Successful In Your Job Application”!

How many of us have had that sinking feeling of not getting the job. But stop there who’s fault is it? The employer or you?

Stand back and ask yourself

Did I do every thing right?

You may find that it was not totally the fault of the employer, remember he was looking for the best person for the job both in skill level as well as personality, unfortunately you didn’t tick all the boxes, that’s life it gets harder to find a job in today’s job market, so you have to go the extra mile to get the job, it means getting of your butt and do the research, give the time and effort. So ask the question again.

I will let you into a little secret - Employers don’t owe you anything! Just turning up and sitting in the chair with no preparation and expect to get the job- Get real. Some times there are other people more qualified or have more experience than you, if you get an interview, pat yourself on the back, on average 100+ people will apply for each job, so you are in the front door to get an interview.

So what do I do next

Research

Key Questions and answers

Body Language

Attitude

Presentation

My Skills

Think about it, turn the situation around. You are on the other side of the desk and you are doing the interview, what do you see? Happy? Not so sure; so what do I need to change?

So next time you get a letter saying No!! don’t just assume that the employer was a jerk!

Take the responsibility and make the difference.

A good place to start is to read “How To Win Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, its quite an old book but you can learn a lot about people and to become liked and respected.

Imagine you’re an employer and you have two resumes in front of you. One is filled wall-to-wall with text and uses a range of different fonts. It’s also covered with dozens of bolded, italicised and underlined words and phrases.

The second resume is much more pleasing to the eye. It, too, offers a lot of information, but this time you can easily and quickly scan the document.

Why? Because it makes good use of white space, features clear and consistent section headings and uses bullets to make important items stand out.

If you were the employer which resume would you look at first?

If you’re like most employers who may have to read and understand hundreds of resumes each week, you’ll proceed directly to the second resume. Why? Because it’s easy on your eyes and your attention span, while the first resume is just the opposite.

If you want your resume to stand out and not be put in the bin and have a good chance of being read by prospective employers, you must spend time and effort not only in its content, but also in how it looks. If you’re creating your resume for the first time or in the process of revising it, keep the following design tips in mind:

Use White Space.

Create at least one-inch margins on your resume. Also, leave some blank space between various sections of the resume’s text, so several distinct chunks of information can be seen.

Two Fonts at Most

It’s easy to use all of the typefaces at your disposal, but having more than two fonts in any document only makes it more difficult to read. One font is all you really need. If you use two, make sure they complement each other. For example, use one font for the headings and the second font for the body text.

Use Bold and Italic Sparingly, Never use Underlining.

Use some bolding and italicising in your resume text. Many resume writers may bold their previous job titles and italicise subheadings within each section of the document. As for underlining — don’t. Studies have shown that most readers find underlined text difficult to read.

Emphasize Skills and Accomplishments By Using Bullet Points.

Bullets make it easier for employers to scan your resume quickly, since they’re intended to grab the reader’s eye and lead it to key points you want to make. Use them when you can, especially when you’re highlighting skills or accomplishments. For example:

• Increased sales in the quarter by 35 percent.

• Trained five new field executives to generate new business and client management.

Be Consistent

If you use all caps to present the name of your most recent workplace, for example, use all caps to present the names of your previous workplaces as well. Or if you use bold, centered text to present the first section title of your resume, use bold, centered text to present the remaining section titles too. If you’re consistent throughout your document, you’ll subtly establish a reading pattern for potential employers that will help them follow your resume easily.

In the end, you’ll still need solid resume content to really sell yourself to employers. Even the well-designed resume won’t pass if the information it presents isn’t first-rate. Just make sure the content you feature is visually appealing and quickly scannable so that instead of passing it by entirely, employers will give it the attention it deserves.

What are skills? – That a great question!

Skills refer to the things you do really well. The key to finding the most appropriate job is to match your skills or qualifications to employer requirements and to communicate those skills by using a CV or resume.

It sounds easy, its not. Its take time and a great deal effort, you need to do a lot of research and write a powerful resume to back it all up. Finding your career path is never easy; but it can be fun as well as rewarding,

Majority of the most viable skills are those that are used in a variety of work settings. What are these skills? Would matching your skills to find the right job be successful?

The first thing you need to do is site down and list all the skills you think you have, make your list long, think hard!, remember you are selling those skills to a future employer.

Why do you need to do this?

You want to put yourself at the front, you want to become the leading candidate for the job. Remember I said write down all your skills does not necessarily mean it was adapted in a work environment. If this is your first job search and you have no job experience to date, why not show other of skills which you have.

Majority of skills, including knowledge-based and transferable, could be absorbed and developed as a volunteer, a student, a homemaker, or in your other personal activities. The skills you have used for these activities can still be applied to your desired jobs.

Why do I need to do this?

Organising and listing your personal skills can help you easily fill out job applications, provide useful information for job interviews, and prepare quality resumes. BENEFIT- It saves your time filling in forms and employers can scan read and pick out the core skills-

What’s a core skill?

If they say in the job description you must speak a foreign language, then that is a core skill.

How do I organise and list my skills? - Another good question.

First, categorise your skills by separating your interests and aptitudes from your work experience.

1) Aptitudes and interest. These include all of your hobbies, activities you have been involved in the past, and all the things that interest you. By listing all of these down, you could examine the skills it takes to achieve each item.
Skills from aptitude and interest may be homemaking, playing basketball, fixing cars and many more. All of these items could determine if you are capable of working with a team, able to handle multiple tasks, have viable knowledge of human development, knowledge of electronics and ability to diagnose mechanical and numerical problems. The list goes on, but make sure to consider the skills that would be beneficial for a working environment.

2) Work history. This includes volunteer, part-time, freelance, summer and full time jobs. Once you have listed all your past employment, examine the skills you do work each work duty.

* Ask for help. As soon as you have your list ready, you could now go to job services that could help you acquire your desired job. You could also search job yourself. However, always remember to match your skills and abilities in your list to the needed skills and abilities of various jobs.
In most cases, people who seek jobs are threatened with job titles. This should not be the case. As long as your skills and abilities could meet the requirements of the workload and job title, your possibility of acquiring your desired job increases.

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Writing a resume is a difficult task regardless of your level of experience and is one of those skills in which you needs practice, as you you will only get one chance to impress. While the content of your resume is critical to its effectiveness, the layout and the format you utilize are equally as important.

How to start? Do your research, look at various resume styles and find out which best suits your field. The biggest mistake you make is use a generic template provided in your text editing software, like Microsoft Word when composing your resume.

Most templates are out of date plus they and very difficult to format, not to mention that they do not transfer well to online job applications. Avoid the quick-fix mentality of these templates, and invest time in researching and finding resources that will provide you with up-to-date helpful ways to compose a winning resume. Always REMEMBER,

You are selling yourself

The easiest and least expensive way to find samples of resumes is to do search on the internet. Before you get started, a word of caution: consider the sources of information before you decide to utilize any of their suggestions on your resume. You will come across web sites that promise to teach you how to write an exception cover letter in three and a half minutes. Don’t believe them. Unless you choose to hire a resume writing service, obtaining resources on resume writing should not cost you any money or obligate you to a long-term commitment. If you are not sure of the credibility on the information, find another source and compare your findings. – Remember

Take your time!

A great online resource for resume composition is Monster.com. While they are mostly known for their job search database, they offer a variety of other information and services for those looking for employment. Under the Career Advice tab, you will find a wealth of information on your job search, salary requirements, advice by industry, and of course, information on perfecting your resume.

In addition to articles about your job search and resume-related message boards, Monster’s Resume Center includes a variety of resume examples for professionals in a number of different industries. From administrative assistants to web designers, everyone can find a sample of a resume to fit their career objectives at:

http://resume.monster.com/archives/samples/

The page will show you samples of functional and chronological resumes, traditional resumes and sample cover letters. Take your time to review these samples. They are provided by a reliable source, so don’t be afraid to copy the formatting for your own resume (of course, do not copy the actual text from the resume).

If you already have a draft of your resume, and are looking to make updates or revisions, check out the Resume Makeovers for a great look at before and after resume of real professionals:

http://resume.monster.com/resume_samples/

It is important that you review these samples, even if the industry is not applicable to your line of work. They will teach you the basic dos and don’ts of resume writing – you can see why some things work and why others don’t, and be able to chose the best ways to highlight your qualifications.

Same school rules apply – do not copy someone else’s work. However, use these resources to your advantage and create the resume that presents you in the best light.

People put a lot of thought into changing careers. After all, it is one of the more important decisions you can make. You have to consider your family, living, financial situations, and your competitive advantage in the new field, etc.

Making a career change typically means starting with a blank canvas; while you have the freedom to paint the canvas any which way you wish, you have to invest time, energy, make sacrifices and prove yourself as a credible professional in your new field. You have to be competitive, and motivated, and sustain the drive that is necessary to be successful. After you convince yourself that changing careers is the right thing to do, you will have to convince your potential employers to give you the job you are seeking.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people fail to have a plan of action or are working to some form of goal setting; how can you measure your success or were you are in life. 

To do so, you have to do your research. Demonstrate to your employer that you have an extensive knowledge of the industry, even if you don’t have the accompanying experience. Before you begin your new career, make sure that you understand what professional paths are available for you, and determine what your ultimate goal is. This will help you form the career objective for your resume.

Additional, make sure to do your research on the company you are interested in, as well as their competition (if you are interested in non-profit organizations, make sure to brush up on other organizations with similar missions); if invited for an interview, you will want to appear very knowledgeable not only about their company, but about the industry as a whole. The best resources are your local library, the internet, read local press and why not ring them up and ask for information it seems so obvious but so many people fail even with this simple exercise, which will give such an important start!.

You will have to convince your potential employer that you the best person for the job, better than the candidates with experience – to do that, you have to showcase not only your enthusiasm for the opportunity, but your eagerness to learn and your knowledge about the field, again do the prep-work first, go in prepared

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Transferable skills, those skills that can be utilized in numerous fields, are also a key to a successful career change. Consider your qualifications to date. What experience have you acquired that can be transferred across industries?

Transferable skills include verbal and written communication, people management, customer relations, organization and project management, development of new processes, generation of new ideas or concepts, etc, write them down give the interviewer a copy, remember you are selling to him and he is buying into you.

Such skills can be adapted to all organizations, and you should utilize them to showcase your qualifications for the job you are seeking.

For example, if you would like to ditch the 9-to-5 desk job for a hectic, unpredictable life of a high school teacher, let your potential employer know that your previous experience in leading by motivation makes you a perfect candidate for the job (even if that marketing project you managed has nothing to do with teaching English composition). And again I repeat! Make a list of all your professional experiences and the qualifications needed for the job you are seeking will help you in determining which skills are transferable to your new career. Once you define your transferable skills, use a functional resume to assure most (if not all) of the qualifications needed for the new job are met in your resume.

In addition to your resume, use your cover letter or email to let your potential employer know why you are changing careers, and that your new interest is not a passing one. Make sure that your resume reflects your newfound interest in a genuine and professional manner, and you are sure to have a successful career change.

Remember, Plan for the interview, don’t just rely on your ability.

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Resume Writing in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

One of the main questions asked about resumes is, “Do I have to include everything on one page?” The most common misconception of resume writing is that your entire professional history has to fit within one 8 ½”x11” page of white paper. The truth is, the resume should be well written and concise, and should promote your qualifications in the best possible light. This is sometimes impossible to do in one page. Thus, a resume can extend to multiple pages, with some consideration depending on your career level.

•    Be concise. This is critical. Do not use lengthy sentences and paragraph forms to disclose your experience and your education. Employers want straight forward statements that highlight your qualifications. A resume is not a place to show your creative writing skills.
•    Perfect your resume. You have second to catch your potential employer’s attention. Make sure that your resume is properly formatted, and you are not trying to fit too much copy on a single page of paper. Create appropriate and professional sections for your resume. Your potential employer is more concerned with the look and content of your resume than with its length.
•    Longer is not better when you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective. If you are new to the job market, are changing careers, or you’ve only had one job, stick to a one page resume. If you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective, no matter the reason, do not apologize for it. Don’t try to fill up your resume with irrelevant content; instead do your best to highlight your transferable skills, and stick to the “short and sweet.”
•    Unless you are applying for an executive-level job, or are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not exceed two pages. The purpose of a well-written resume is to sell you as the best candidate for the job with a confident and a straight-forward approach. Do not oversell your skills. Do not list more than three to five previous positions you’ve help. Stick to those skills and experiences that best meet the job requirements and your career objective. The most relevant information has to be included on the first page. The second page should be numbered, with your contact information included as well (just in case the pages are separated when printed, you don’t want your potential employer to discard the second page of your resume completely). If you find yourself going over two pages, review your resume and make sure that you are not incorporating information that is irrelevant to your goals or to the position you are seeking.
•    Make sure that your professional history warrants a resume that is three pages or longer. As mentioned above, unless you are a senior- or executive-level professional, or you are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not extend to over two pages. If you have a longer resume, you will have to make sure that every statement on the resume is applicable to your career goals. If you have had decades of leadership experience for example, demonstrate that using the reverse chronological resume style and only list those jobs that best qualify you for the position you are seeking. If you need to include an extensive list of publications or certifications, your resume can take up more than three pages. Make sure that the important information is still listed on the first page. This includes your career objective and professional profile, and your current or most recent professional experience. All subsequent pages need to be numbered, and include your contact information in the heading.

Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it?  And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on Resume Writing.

If you want to change your old negative habits and turn them into really positive ones you will have to face change. For some of us it is hard to change, yet if you take steps to learn ways to change you will find positive reflections.

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln

This happens because we are plagued by a world filled with opinions, philosophy, theories, suspicion, guesses, and conclusions. You have to learn how to find your own truth before you can improve your life.

What are some of the things I can do to use the power of positive thinking and change my bad ways to good ways?

This is going to be completely up to you, but it takes you to try out new tactics that helps you to grow. No one can change you, but you. when your ready to do this take full control, ask for help and advice from family and friends, don’t every feel that you are on your own, but it will be down to you to make the change. You can learn to build the inner gifts you have within you. The qualities you have include self-esteem, confidence, trust, self-awareness, self-motivation and so on. each quality you can build on to improve your personal well being. You have to figure out what works for you.

For one thing, you need to decide what is making you do what you do and figure out a way to do the right thing. So if it is the people you hang out with maybe you should find some one else to hang with. Maybe people from a support group or a group from your church can help you find ways to change your habits. The first things you have to do is stop lying to your self and to make those changes to your life that will give you a positive stroke. You have to learn how to make good decisions by evaluating the consequences.

You will be surprised how easy it can be. For instance, would you allow a drunk person to drive you home? If you would then you made a bad decision that could cost you your life, or have you tossed in jail. If you are sober, why not drive the drunk person home yourself.

Positive thinking includes friends and family. If your family members are dragging you down, or your friends are holding you back, you have to make a choice. The choice may include talking to them about how you feel and you are making a real effort to be positive, remember we only have one life so living each day to its full is a real joy.

Remember our present attitudes are habits, built from the feedback of parents, friends, society and self, that form our self-image and our world-image.

Try to develop new skills that guide you to remove bad habits, try using your conscious mind. When you observe, listen and hear the things around you, you learn more than you would reading a book. Observation is a wonderful skill to practice. Observation, includes self-awareness. Stand back and take a hard look at you. Do not persecute or self-judge, rather look for ways to make your life better.

In his ground-breaking book, A Primer in Positive Psychology, Christopher Petersen, PhD, says, “…optimism has demonstrable benefits, and pessimism has drawbacks.” He goes on to say, “…optimism…has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to perseverance and effective problem solving; to academic, athletic, military, occupational, and political success; to popularity; to good health; and even to long life and freedom from trauma.”

Questions You May Want Ask Yourself

Do you smoke?

Smoking is the number one reason that people get lung cancer. Smoking is not good for you. If you can quite on your own, great, yet if you need help, ask.

Do you drink excessively?

Do you know the side effects of drinking excessively? If not visit the Internet and learn more about what alcohol can do to you. On the other hand, if you can control alcohol, drink three drinks per week. Studies has shown that drinking three alcohol beverages weekly can reduce the risks of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and so on. If you take drugs, you want to find a way to take control of your life also.

Practice the positive thinking approach outlined above and you’ll find it soon comes naturally. You may be amazed to realize that you simply feel better with a positive attitude.

Why is goal setting important in our lives, especially when it comes to your career and future job interviews?The obvious answer is that if we don’t know where we want to go, then any destination will do. This may be an oversimplification of goal setting, but it has the ring of truth.

Whether we realize it or not, we are setting goals everyday. Each day, from the moment we wake up, we are deciding what we are going to do with that day. For the vast majority of us, we do this unconsciously. We decide what to have for breakfast, what to wear, how to get to school or work on time, what we must accomplish that day, or just waste the day away watching television. We make a lot of choices and set a lot of goals in the course of a day.

The question we must ask ourselves is are we effective in our goal setting? Since goals are so important to us, are we taking the time to think about the impact they are having in our lives? Are we considering where we are putting our time and effort? Do we get to the end of our day, or the end of our lives, feeling as if we wasted valuable, irreplaceable time in accomplishing little or nothing? Remember, time goes by very fast.

The first thing we must do to effectively live our lives is to give some thought to what we want in life. This is where goal setting comes into play. We are not one-dimensional creatures. We have many facets to ourselves. We have, among others, private personal areas, relationship areas, family areas, business and career areas, financial and spiritual areas in our lives. Each of these areas demands and needs our attention.

We have decisions to make in each of these areas. Again, most of us drift through life wondering why we are getting nowhere. This is why goal setting is so important. To get the most out of life, we must give each of the above areas some serious thought.

Of course the earlier we start in life with goal setting, the better. However, it is never too late to learn to set goals. You can begin today. Take some time to sit and think about your life and what you want out of the rest of it. Examine each area of your life. Think about where you are now and where you would like to be in a few years.

Write down what you would like to accomplish. Begin with just the day in front of you. What do you want to do with it? It’s a gift that won’t come again. Plan your day to get the most out of it that you can. Then expand your horizons. Set goals for this week, this month, for the rest of the year, for the rest of your life.

Goal setting is one of the most important and valuable exercises we will ever do. It defines our lives. Give serious thought to your goal setting. The rewards will be greater than you can imagine.

The approach for a student resume is really no different than the approach of a resume of a CEO; it’s about selling yourself, showing that you have all the necessary skills to do the job – Simple if you follow sum basic steps.

Graduating from college is one of the proudest moments you can experience. Receiving your diploma validates all the hard work you put into your education, all the long nights  you pulled before exams. Your graduation signifies your accomplishments as a student, and opens the door into the world of career choices, job searches, and 40-hour workweeks. All of a sudden, it hits you – how will you get a job that requires experience if you have none?

As a recent college graduate, you are entering the workforce at entry-level jobs. Your potential employers have very reasonable expectations. They expect you to have graduated from college and that your major is in line with the job you are applying for. They anticipate that you have some experience, a summer job or an internship, but they are not requiring years of professional experience. They would like to see some references – from your professors or previous supervisors – so that they can get a better idea of your personality and work ethic. Sound reasonable so far?

The best way to show your potential employer that you are a perfect candidate for the job is to create a functional resume. Functional resumes focus on your qualifications, not your career timeline. This style of the resume highlights what skills you have, rather than where and when you acquired or utilize them. In other words, instead of listing your experiences by your job titles, your resume will contained sections titled by your skills such as verbal and written communication, customer satisfaction, project management, etc. This resume style is highly recommended for and most often used by college students seeking internships or their first jobs out of college.

Begin your resume by stating your career objective. Make sure that your career goals are personal. Your objective should be specific to the position you want, and should indicate to your employer how you intend to utilize your education and how this position will help you develop your experience. Your education should be listed next. List the school you attend and its location, your graduation year, and your major. It can be helpful to include your GPA, specific courses you have taken, or any honours you have received while in school. Your professional skills should come next. This section will include sub-headings as they relate to specific qualifications you want to promote, such as communications, customer relations, managements, etc. Here, you can utilize any experience you have that relates to the sub-sections, including your part time jobs, internships, volunteer positions, community service work, or school-related activities. Only include a work experience/work history section if you have held part time jobs while in school or have had internships you’d like your employer to know about. This list should only include dates, titles, companies, and locations without listing any of your responsibilities, since you are covering them in the previous section. If you belonged to any clubs in school, include a section for activities and list only those that support your career objective. For example, if you were an editor of your school paper, and you are trying to get a job at a publishing company, make sure that you include this experience in your resume. Your last section should list references. As a new graduate, it is to your benefit to include references on your resume, and give your employer everything they need to consider you as a qualified candidate for the job. You have nothing to lose by providing this information ahead of being asked for it.

Before you start applying for jobs, take advantage of your school’s career centre and have one of the mentors there review your resume and help you perfect both the content and the format. With a well-written resume, you are prepared to take the professional world by storm.