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…

By thinking over some key areas in your job search, you can increase your focus and effort toward that ideal job you have been hoping for.

Have you questioned whether you made the right career choice or do you feel lost in your career path? The lack of focus is the greatest reason why many jobseekers take awhile to get hired.  It may also be the reason why individuals end up in positions they do not like. By following and thinking through the below tips, you will have a clear focus on what you want out of your career. By using these Job Search Tips you will find it easier to filter out good job opportunities from the bad ones during your dream job search!

Job Search Tips – Ideal Job Description

1. Consider your ideal work location: Location is at the top of the list as it can be a critical deciding factor to that dream job. Ask yourself if you want to work in a big city, a suburb or a rural area. You may also want to consider how close you want to be to home and whether you are willing to relocate for your dream job. It may end up being that your dream job has a strong presence in a city that is 100 kilometers away from you. 
2. Consider your ideal work schedule. A 9 to 5 job is standard – is this ideal for your dream job or do you want to work in a position that does not have a set schedule? How many hours do you want to work per week and are you ok with overtime? You may want to factor in your commute times into your work schedule as well.
3. Consider your ideal job role and function. Do you have a specialized skillset that you want to use on a daily basis? Consider your aptitude with skillsets such as creativity, problem-solving, financial, interpersonal and physical skills. Besides this, do you have an expertise that you would like to use and enhance further? What are some results that you want to achieve through your ideal job role?
4. Consider your ideal salary. A prevalent and undisputed reason why many of us work is the potential to make big bucks. For this reason, your salary should be considered thoroughly in accordance to your skillset. Consider how important salary is to you and what your requirements are. If you are unsure where you stand with this, do a search online on your ideal role and see what the salary range is. This will give you a good indicator on what to expect when you are considering your salary.
5. Consider your ideal employer size. Size should matter during your job search especially if you are concerned with your future prospects such as growth in a company. This may often get overlooked as a critical factor because working for a small employer is very different than working for a larger employer. If you are leaning toward a smaller employer, it does have its perks. Smaller employers may give new employees a greater amount of responsibility. This is rewarding because being able to do a variety of things along with your dream job function will not only allow you to gain exposure to other aspects of the business, but also it is rewarding because it will be easy for others to notice your work. In contrast, working for a bigger company can mean going unnoticed from the other “fish in the sea” and climbing up the ranks can be difficult. Bigger companies often offer more opportunities for development, higher salaries and benefits and sometimes greater security. Your choice of ideal company size will depend on many factors.

Follow these great tips when you are doing your next job search! While it can be challenging to factor in each of these considerations, compromise is a part of any job change especially if you are in search of a new opportunity.

Job Search – Take Control of Your First Impression – Social Media Image

Take Control of Your First Impression – Part Two: Your Social Media Image
Last week we discussed how your resume can impact your first impression. Today we will discuss social media and how it affects your presence, and how it can impact your first impression.

Social Media has taken the world by storm. Not only is it interesting and fun to use, but it keeps people connected. While there are positives to the use of social media, it has its downfalls as well. How you portray yourself on a social media platform can impact your first impression and success in landing a new opportunity. See below the following social media platforms and how you should approach utilizing/managing your image:

• LinkedIn: This social media platform is the most advantageous for any job search. Make sure all information on this page is detailed and accurate – do not leave any sections blank. Similar to your resume, have your experience and education listed with position titles, dates, and a brief description. Add a section to write about your interests to give it a personal feel – make sure your interests are appropriate and reflect well on your first impression. Lastly, your LinkedIn profile picture will say more about you than the entire page will. The picture should not be one of you at a nightclub, it should not be one of you dressed casually and it definitely should not be one of your pets. Just as important, leaving it blank can be detrimental. Your picture should be polished and professional. By having a picture that reflects poorly on you will indeed deter staffing specialists and potential employers away from connecting with you. Impress a staffing specialist or a potential employer by giving some thought and effort into your profile.   
• Facebook/Twitter: At the moment, this platform is not primarily used for job searching or finding candidates. However, staffing specialists and potential employers may decide to type your name into a search engine and find your name come up with either one of these social media platforms. When you create a Facebook page or a Twitter page, you are fundamentally allowing the world to view your personal space. Often, individuals write about their feelings, their opinions, and political stance. Everyone is entitled to what they want to say and how they want to say it as they are personal pages. On the flip side, when a staffing specialist or a potential employer views your pages, this can negatively skew their opinion of you and thereby leaving a lasting negative first impression. By limiting your subjectivity, managing your privacy settings on these pages is very important. Limiting your exposure and who can see your posts will greatly help you. Make sure your page is only meant for your friends and family to view. Never post about companies and your negative thoughts on them. If you enjoy posting and sharing your political views and know that they can be taken in a negative way, create an alias for yourself that cannot be linked back to you. In the end, both of these platforms are primarily used for leisure and therefore should be maintained only for certain audiences to view.

Your first impression will last a lifetime if it is negative. Maintaining and managing your social media pages will maximize the type of success you will have in your job search. Do not deter any potential staffing specialists or employers away from considering you because of things that can easily be resolved. Take some time to review your social media pages today and give yourself that positive lasting first impression!

Manraj is a Recruitment Consultant at Fusion Career Services, connect with Manraj at contact@fusioncareer.com or leave a comment below.