Trish’s Jobsearch Tips

More tip’s for interviewing since this is what makes most of us tremble!!!

Many companies have Human Resource Departments off site, so you most likely will get the first call from the Human Resources Recruiter. This will be your first interaction with the company you just sent your resume to, so it’s just as important to be professional and make a good impression on them. Because they are the gate keepers, so if fail with them, you won’t get that interview.

Additionally, many companies want their Human Resources Department to weed out those people that are not viable, not what they are looking for etc. You will most likely have your first interview with one of them, if you make it past them and they call you back to set up an interview with the hiring Manager then this is like a second interview, but may still be considered a first interview.

When you go for your scheduled appointment, be sure to be on time, dress as if you already had the job and were meeting with the CEO, because you just might. Many times when you go for the interview you will wind up meeting not only the hiring Manager, but his boss and possibly the bosses boss. So be prepared with extra resumes, and plenty of time because you never know.

I know interviews are stressful, but try and relax, be yourself. I don’t mean put your feet up on the desk, but try to do some meditation before you go in while you are waiting. Think of the most relaxing thing you enjoy and take a few deep cleansing breaths( form of yoga so to speak) this should assist in relaxing you somewhat.

Wait for them to begin, after you have been seated, answer their questions truthfully, keep your voice moderate slightly upbeat. ( it’s not a funeral just an interview!) Try to come up with a story that fits the question that has a positive spin, this will help to make a connection with the interviewer and will make you more memorable. The entire point of the interview is not just to find out if you have the skills, you wouldn’t be there if you didn’t, it’s to see if you fit.

Lastly don’t forget to shake hands with everyone, tell them it was a pleasure, request business cards and thank them for their time. When you get home write a thank you note to everyone and bring up all the pertinent points of the interview, and anything you forgot that you feel is important. Don’t write full length letter just a few paragraphs, and thank them again for their time.

Well I think this pretty much covers it, however one last thing, have some confidence in yourself and your skills. It will come across during the interview so don’t be shy and timid (honk your own horn, if you don’t who will !!!)

I have had a very successful week, some of the seeds I planted last week are starting to sprout. I received another call today to schedule another interview. So that makes three interviews next week, so I will be sharpening my interviewing skills too. Two of the interviews are as direct result of friend and being focused on where I am looking and some perseverance. Let me tell you it’s not easy, being out of work is scary.

Well thats all for now. Not sure if I will be able to post tomorrow or not so if not talk to you on Monday and have a great weekend the weather is supposed to be great. So get out and enjoy it.

Trish

Salaries, Benefits, 2nd Interview, Job Offers!! When to ask?

A friend of mine is now in the process of going to an internal interview for a promotion/higher level than his current position. He asked me about when it is okay to ask about the salary? This is not cut and dried but in his case, he is already working for the firm and it is a posted position he is applying for so the circumstances may be a little different from some one who is applying from the outside.

The general rule of thumb is to wait until the second interview. However, if you are posting internally, there usually is a way to find out what the position pays. Most companies have core tiles and there is a hi/low within the tile, depending on how long you have been with company and how experienced you are will depend on where you fall within the tile? You can always call human resources to get an idea of what core tile the position is in. This way you don’t have that ackward moment in the interview, where you have to ask what the salary is.

There is other way to ask what the salary range is, when they call you to setup the interview or when you call to set it up the interview. This is always an acceptable question, this way you know whether it’s worth your time or not.

2nd Interviews

You, made it past the initial interview, good for you, this means that there is some interest in you as a candidate. So you will need to sharpen up your interviewing skills even more. Practice in front of a mirror, practice answering those difficult questions i.e. What value can you bring to the company? Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years etc. There are some who suggest you create in your mind situations that fit the questions where you succeeded, or a story, it helps to cement your answers in the interviewers mind. Here is an article with a list of difficult questions to help you prepare by Allison Doyle from About.com

Salaries

As I stated earlier the general rule is to wait until the second interview. At this point you have made it past the initial interview screening and they are somewhat interested. However again when they call to schedule the interview it is okay to ask what the range is. Based on the position and title and location, you should already know what that position range is and if it doesn’t fall within this range you may want to reconsider the interview. (If this is your dream company, the job you always wanted, it’s your decision. But if it’s way below market you need to ask yourself why?)

So this leads me into researching salaries, find out what the market value of the position you are interviewing for, in most cases it depends on experience, location. So go to any of these sites below to research salary.

Salary

Payscale

Salaries

Everyone says salary is not the only reason to accept a position, but it’s a pretty good one. Don’t low ball yourself just because you didn’t do the research ahead of time.

Benefits

Benefits are as important as the salary. You want to wait until the second interview, however many companies now publish there benefits on their career section of their website. So if you check there you might be able to get an idea of what they offer. Here are a few articles written by Allison Doyle from About.com this is a check list, this is all about benefits About.com

Job Offers

You made it past all the interviews and now there is an offer on the table. Don’t just say yes, you need to weigh the offer. Go through everything they are offering Salary, benefits, vacation, PTO, working conditions, hours, commute, will you have to travel/how often etc. You need to make a list of everything and weigh everything against your life conditions. Do you want to negotiate something? Now is the time, not after you accept the offer. ( I think I should write an entire entry on negotiation, but usually everything is negotiable, salary, vacation etc) Here are a few articles on Negotiating that job offer to the perfect job offer.

Negotiating Example

Everything is Negotiable

Negotiating Tips

Well I think this covers pretty much everything.

Today, I had a phone interview and have scheduled the 2nd interview for next week, so thats two interviews next week. Wish me luck! So I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.

Have nice day

Trish