Are you looking to stand out during your next job interview? Don’t just give answers – tell stories! Part Two Job Search Interview Tips

Past behavior is an indicator of future performance. By telling stories and sharing examples of times that you were put in challenging and interesting situations, you demonstrate your ability to tackle the situation and to produce results in the eyes of the interviewer.

Last week, we spoke about the impact that a story can have on the reader and how you can also use this skill during an interview to increase your chance of landing that ideal job. We have taken a look at how you can frame your story by providing context which can be viewed as similar to setting the scene of a novel or a movie.

Now, we will be taking a look at Part Two of Job Search Interview Tips – the action and result portion to your story.  

The actions and results form the substance of your story, and are critical because they are a likely indicator of future performance.

1. Action: Once you have given your story a bit of context, next you should go into detail about what you did to solve the problem. This should be the bulk of your story and should include your skills and qualifications. Did you use your time management skills and prioritize your tasks to meet deadlines? Did you use your leadership skills to motivate and direct others? Did you learn a new skill to achieve your results? A key thing to remember is that while you can attribute success to working as a team, the interviewer is more interested in learning about your personal contributions and what you can bring to the table. Sell your skills
2. Result: What was the impact of your actions? Was there a positive outcome? Did you fail to improve a situation, but learned from the situation instead? Ideally, a result should be one that can be measured. For example, did you increase the revenues of the company? Did you implement a program in the office that amounted to less waste and more cost savings for your department? Make sure to use key action verbs such as achieved, accomplished, analyzed, delegated, developed, improved, increased, strengthened or other key words that can provide the interviewer a sense of the measureable results. Be sure to mention if there is anything that you would do differently the next time, if you were confronted with a similar situation. Another key pointer is to choose some negative experiences that you were able to turn around into positive outcomes. Review your resume and think about the most significant measureable results and proud moments from previous jobs. 

Follow these interview tips to help you structure your story in your next interview. You can craft yourself into the hero or heroine of your story. Good Luck!

Interested in reading last weeks Blog – Job Search Tips – Tell Your Story! Part One?

Are you looking to stand out during your next job interview? Don’t just give answers – tell stories! Part One Job Search Interview Tips

Just like the author of a novel can leave a long-lasting impact on the reader, you too can develop this skill to leave a unique and lasting impact on the interviewer! When was the last time you read a novel and felt the string of emotions that went into the climax? Do you recall a daunting situation the character was in and do you remember what responsibilities or tasks the character embarked on? What were the results of his or her actions? Did the outcomes lead to recognition and was the character applauded for his or her hard work? These questions ask you to truly think of the impact that storytelling can have on the reader or listener. Stories are a very powerful way to express thoughts and put situations into context. Likewise, you can be the hero or heroine of your own story!

Follow along for Part One of our two-part blog – Job Search Interview Tips – Tell Your Story and be prepared for your next interview.

Good storytelling requires reflecting on your past work history and identifying important times in your career where you achieved goals, were put in unexpected situations, or overcame obstacles. By crafting your story, that brands you as the main character, you will identify your key accomplishments and achievements. No matter what question the interviewer throws at you, you will be prepared to respond using your story!

1. Set Your Story: Stories usually start off with setting the scene or the plot. This is your opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the story. When you are preparing for your interview, think of setting the scene as if you were describing a scene from your favorite novel or movie.  Were you at your desk having lunch and you suddenly received a phone call from an irate client who needed a problem resolved immediately? Did your boss suddenly drop a major project on your desk asking you to come up with several scenarios to retain current customers, due to the fear of a fast-growing and new competitor in the industry? Be sure the who, what, where, when and how are covered here. This will set the tone for your story. One suggestion, is to introduce the situation as a challenge to quickly get the interest of the interviewer!
2. Tasks: Once you have set the scene for your story, the next step is to describe the tasks that contributed to your accomplishment. Did you have to drop everything and attend to a client right away? What were some of the constraints or challenges that made your task difficult to complete? For instance, did you have a tight deadline to meet, were there expenses or lack of resources that made your accomplishment difficult? By describing the tasks, you will demonstrate to the interviewer that you were up to any challenge and had the final goal in mind.

The point of storytelling ultimately is – do not say anything on a resume or in an interview that you cannot back up with an example or a story! This technique will result in more success during your next interview.

Next week look for Job Search Interview Tips – Tell Your Story – Part Two. We will discuss the other aspects of your story that are equally important – the Actions and Results. 

Job Search Email Etiquette Tips: Emails should be written to attract attention, but not deter the reader from viewing your attached cover letter and resume.

Emailing today is like yesterdays phone call. Everyone is doing it! As days, weeks and months go by email etiquette becomes less formal. Job seekers should never yield to conformity and start sending improper emails. In Part 1 of Job Search Email Etiquette Tips, we focused on salutations and avoiding common email practices, today we are discussing appropriate length of an email and spell check.

Part 2: Length of Emails and Spell Check

How long should your Email be?

As a job seeker the key is always to be succinct. The length of your email should never go on for more than four sentences. Your email is like the executive summary and introduction of yourself. For the most part you are submitting your resume and cover letter. All important information are in those two documents. Your brief introduction of yourself should summarize everything from the job you are applying for, the key skills you bring forward, and adding your contact information. This way the Staffing Specialist or Hiring Manager can take a brief look at this and see what is to come in your resume/cover letter. A very lengthy email can deter Staffing Specialists and Hiring Managers away because you are rambling. They may not have time to read such lengthy introductions or they may feel your email is reflective of how you may work in the future. Unless otherwise stipulated emails are supposed to be to the point and summarized.

Spell Check

When searching for a job you never want to let spelling be a reason you were not given a call back. Sending out emails is easy and so is spell check. At the end of your email always take a moment to hit the spell check button. It takes no more than a minute to scan through your email to see if any errors were made, spell check even helps with grammatical errors. But like all technology it is not perfect. Take a minute at the end to always read over your emails, spell check cannot pick up everything and that is where you come in. Proofread your email and make sure it makes sense, make sure that everything is spelled correctly. A Staffing Specialist or Hiring Manager will be less inclined to give you a call back if you have careless spelling mistakes in your email. It will show that you do not proofread your work and it shows thoughtlessness. Simple mistakes can really hinder your chances of landing a great role. Make sure to always read over and spell check your email!

When you are reading over your next email, be mindful of its length and don’t forget to hit spell check!!

Job Search Email Etiquette – Email is the number one tool for job seekers. Follow this guide on Email Etiquette to keep your job search on track!

Email is the number one preferred form of communication in the workplace. Emailing is easy to do, allows you to thoroughly communicate all your thoughts and is easily tracked. For job seekers emailing is your number one tool, but over time email etiquette has significantly decreased. With the changes in technology and the use of smartphones and email, many individuals forget that there are certain rules that still apply. Simple errors and silly mistakes can take you out of the running for a job that could be a perfect fit. Below is a guide to better emails to help you avoid any unfortunate mishaps…

Part One: Salutations and Avoiding Common Email Practices

Salutations

Drawing from my own personal experience when I was in school – I emailed my professor with questions regarding an assignment and received a lesson in email etiquette. I did not add salutations to the email, and the first thing the professor responded with was “Whenever you are addressing anyone in an email, whether it is a student, professor, colleague, your employer etc… you must include the salutations.” The reason for this is simple, the reader should be addressed correctly, there should never be confusion of who the email is directed to and by including salutations you are respectfully greeting your reader. During your job search your salutations should be specific to the Staffing Specialist or Hiring Manager. Do a little extra research and find out their names, this way the email is more personal and you are able to address it to someone specific. Furthermore, during your job search you may receive email responses from the Staffing Specialists or Hiring Managers. During these ongoing conversations via email never forget to include the salutation. Even if the person you are emailing is less formal in their response, you should always include salutations. This approach will portray your professionalism, and could potentially add to the success of your jobs search.

Avoid Common Email Practices

Emailing, as mentioned, has become the norm for business communication and people often send messages that do not follow proper email etiquette. For example, it is not uncommon to use shortened words for convenience purposes (spelling ‘you’ and ‘u’). Often people include emoticons to lighten the mood or use caps lock (all capital letters) to enunciate their point. During your job search you must absolutely avoid every one of these common practices. You must always be grammatically correct. If you show your potential employer that you would rather conveniently spell your words than follow proper grammar, it will demonstrate carelessness. Your emails during your job search are typically the first form of communication that Staffing Specialists and potential employers will see. It could hinder your job search if you are not using proper grammar. Using emoticons is just unprofessional. They may look cute or polite, but can appear childish and likely will not help your job search. Avoid using emoticons altogether. Lastly, communicating through email can be difficult as there is no tone to the email, except the one you create. Never write any of your words in all capitals, as it does not really do anything except confuse your reader. Writing in all capitals is associated with erratic emotional behaviour and will ultimately not help in landing you your dream job.

The next time you send an email to a Staffing Specialist or potential employer review this guide and see if you are following suit. Part two of Job Search Email Etiquette will focus on length of emails and the importance of spell check…