If you are unprepared for your interview, the first question will eliminate you from the hiring process. This morning I had the opportunity to sit in on an interview. The candidate was asked one question and within 2 minutes the interview was over. The answer given was poor at best.
How do you prepare yourself for the first question in an interview?
1. You must know who your are and what skills and abilities you bring to the table.
2. You must know more than the name of the organization – Find out about their culture, find out about their core business.
3. …read more

If you are invited for a job interview, try asking the employer if you can review a copy of the job description prior to the interview.  They may tell you no, but they’ll think it was cool that you asked, even if they have a policy against sharing those documents with outsiders. 
If you are lucky enough to get your hands on the job description, by all means, pay attention to it!  Speaking for all the managers out there who have gone to the trouble of writing a job description, writing those things can be a  ruff process so don’t dismiss them. 
Use …read more

I can’t imagine that you send your resume to prospective employers hoping they glance at it and then toss it in the trash. But if you are sending your resume to any job opening you see that sounds interesting, hoping they want to give you a chance you are deceiving yourself.
If your telephone rings and a prospective employer is interested in discussing their job opening with you, then you are on the target. The bullseye would be if you are sitting in front of the hiring manager and they are seriously considering you for the job opening. The HR Recruiter …read more

Here is a scenario from one of my colleagues in the career niche, Chris Russell of Secrets of the Job Search.
“One of my best friends is going through a job search right now. He is a smart guy with an MBA who’s not even 40 years old yet in the financial management industry. His biggest challenge seems to be that most jobs he sees always have one little requirement he cant meet. The old “experience working in [insert industry here] is required“. What ever happened to transferable skills? Why are employers so adamant about only wanting candidates who work in …read more

This morning I received a call from a gentleman I met on an airplane a few weeks ago while on vacation. He called because he has a telephone interview this coming Monday. His question, what recommendations do you have concerning a phone interview? Good question!

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Here is what I shared:
1. Remember that a phone interview is all about elimination – screening out candidates.
2. Energy is your friend. You must be able to convey energy and enthusiasm through the phone.
3. Make sure you have a copy of your resume, cover letter and their job …read more