Interviewing is a nerve-wracking process. We have all been there before, sitting across from the interviewer(s) and answering the questions as best you can. The goal really is to portray your experience and skills well enough to get the job. With that being said, certain things we say can raise red flags. You may not say it with bad intentions and you might have been nervous, however it can cost you the opportunity. Here’s a list of seven things you should never say in an interview:

1. “It’s on my resume”: When an interviewer asks you specific questions about your experience, the go to answer is not to say that it is on your resume. It speaks volumes of your character when you opt with that answer – and not in a good way.
2. Profanity: This goes without saying, but profanity never bodes well. Even if you excuse yourself when it does happen.
3. “I know I don’t have the experience”: The reason you made it to the interview was not on the premise of not having the experience. They saw something they liked and brought you in. Don’t make the rethink their decision by saying you have no experience.
4. Saying “Um”: We all have the one thing we say when we’re nervous. “Um” seems to take the number one spot. Try to break the habit, interviewers do notice when you say things like that and it can be a knock against you.
5. Saying negative things about your previous company: Bashing your previous company only makes you look bad. This is a major red flag for employers. They will not hire someone on if they feel in turn they will bash their organization.
6. “I’m just seeing what is out there right now”: If you are currently working and you’re testing the waters to see what is out there. Do not make it a point to saying that. Right off the bat it shows you’re uncommitted and wasting the interviewers time.
7. “I don’t have any questions”: Always ask questions, you want the opportunity you will show your true interest with asking questions. They will gauge how eager you are for the position when you ask questions.

If you are hungry and eager to land a new position make sure you don’t say the seven things listed on this list!

 

Looking for a new job is a long and arduous process, and as candidates you must commit yourself the entire way. Once you have been through the entire process and end up at the stage of accepting an offer you must realize your current employer may present a counter offer. Here are some tips on handling the counter offer from your current employer.

Be Committed to your Job Search
You started your search for a reason, it could have been because you were looking to grow your career, you wanted new challenges or overall you have job dissatisfaction. Now, whatever the reason may be you have to 100% think about quitting your current job to go for another. It may seem like a simple task but you need to actually think about leaving your current place of work. Quitting is never easy and if you’re not fully committed to leaving, your current employer can sway you with their counter offer and your whole search would be for naught.

Expect the Counter Offer
Now, when commencing your job search you should expect your employer to present a counter offer when you submit your resignation. To better prepare yourself, you should think about all aspects of what your current employer may potentially present to you. If they offer you $5000 will you stay? If they offer you more money and an extra week of vacation will you stay? If they give you a promotion or new job duties will you stay? You have to expect your current employer to use whatever means to get you to stay. However, if you answered yes to those questions it is better to have a conversation with your employer to see how you can improve your current situation.

More money, more vacation, and improved role are all enticing when put into a counter offer. But as someone who initially wanted to leave their job, take a moment to think back to your initial motivation in wanting to leave. If you still feel the same way, no amount of money, vacation weeks or improved role will keep you long-term.

Your resume is supposed to be an exact representation of you. It should put your best qualities on display. Resume mistakes however do the exact opposite. It can show you in a negative light, and characterize you in an unfavourable way. Let’s take a look at a few of these resumes mistakes:

Spelling Mistakes and Grammatical Errors: When you have these resume mistakes present on your resume it shows carelessness. Simple spelling and grammar errors can be picked up by your word document program. Run it through the spell check and proof read it. Also have someone proof it for you, they maybe able to catch something you couldn’t.

Formatting Errors: The font type, size and color should all be the same on your resume. It should be justified to one side and not all over the place. Mistakes like these show a lack of attention to detail. Employers will likely attribute these resume mistakes to errors you might have potentially working for them. Again take the time and proof your resume, even to the smallest detail.

Experience: Your experience should be listed from your most recent job to any job you have had within ten years prior. Ten years is the typical rule of thumb, however to every rule there is an exception.  When you list your experience in the opposite direction, from oldest to newest it gets confusing. Employers are used to seeing the experience from recent to oldest – update your resume if your experience goes in the wrong direction.

Additionally, keep the description of your experience succinct. There is nothing worse than a resume that drags on about aspects of your experience that are better displayed in an interview. Here you want to highlight key parts of your experience, things that should be on display. I would advise no more than six bullet points.

Resume mistakes will say a lot about you. It will portray you negatively and could possibly put you out of an opportunity as a result. Take these tips and take it back to your resume. It might be time for a refresher or just a quick read through. Your resume is your ticket it, make sure it is the best it can be!

Timeliness and your interview. You may not think punctuality is important but it says a lot about you. It characterizes you in so many ways and leaves a lasting impression. Today we will discuss the importance of timeliness and your next interview.

Being on time for your interview is as important as answering the interview questions correctly. It can truly make or break your interview. Your first impression starts with when you show up for your interview. There are positive and negative qualities are associated with punctuality.  

When you arrive to your interview 15 minutes early you are showing eagerness, ambition, and genuine interest in the opportunity. You show them that you are ready to work! When you come in on time the same characteristics apply. When you come in early or on time you also are showing respect for the interviewers time. However, you do not want to be too early either. Being 45 minutes or an hour early airs on the side of desperation. You never want to come in so early that your interviewer has to wonder why you’re so early. Park at a near by parking lot and wait our your time before being too early.

Being late shows a complete lack of respect for your interviewers time. Everyone has an excuse for being late “there was traffic, there was an accident, I got lost”. All of these excuses will not excuse you from your lateness. Lateness shows unpreparedness, a lack of interest and a lack of respect for anyone’s time. If you expect you are going to be late then call the interviewer to inform them. Even though coming in late is as bad as it is, the least you can do is give them a heads up.

As soon as you know you have an interview coming up map out how far the commute will be. Estimate the amount of time needed based on the map indicators. Add an extra 30-45 minutes to give you a buffer for any issues that could happen. Hit the ground running at your interview by being early or on time, giving yourself the advantage of a positive first impression.

Eye contact with an interviewer during an interview conveys many different messages; the most important being confidence and self-esteem which are both important qualities to have as an employee. The interviewer is also able to gauge your interest level based on the amount of eye contact you make. In today’s discussion we are sharing interview tips on eye contact.

Build Trust

Eye contact during an interview is extremely necessary in order to help convey sincerity as well as honesty. If you continuously avoid eye contact, you will have a hard time building a rapport with the interviewer. Trust will be hard to establish because it is difficult to trust someone who you feel is avoiding making eye contact with you. The interviewer will think that you are trying to come up with a lie to the question they have just asked you. 

Show Interest

Eye contact is a really easy way to convey your interest during an interview. When you are excited and happy, your eyes naturally tend to dilate and exhibit a certain amount of sparkle. Which will help the interviewer pick up on how excited you truly are about the opportunity. Avoiding eye contact will make the interviewer think that you are not interested in the job, company, salary or worse—them.

Look, Don’t Stare – Interview Tips Eye Contact

Even though maintaining a good amount of eye contact is extremely important, remember to look and not stare. There are certain tactics that you can use in order to maintain a natural eye contact level. Take a short pause and look away to think about the question that was asked. Breaking eye contact to think of your answer shows that you are confident and interested enough to think about the question before you answer. You may even consider bringing a notebook to the interview. This shows your interviewer that you are interested enough to take notes and learn about the company. It helps create an effective and natural opportunity to look away from the interviewer. Often times there are more than one interviewer. It is important to make eye contact with everyone that is present in the room, and refer your answers to everyone, not just the person who asked the question.

Interviewing can be daunting, but you need to realize that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. In order to build good rapport and trust with the interviewer or within any relationship in life, eye contact and body language helps play an integral role. Use the information in this blog, Interview Tips Eye Contact, to prepare for your next job interview.

Today we will be talking about how to mitigate job search frustrations. The process of job searching is hard work. It is very taxing and can be a real challenge given today’s competitive job market. Here are some helpful tips on how to stay positive in your job search: 

Write Down your Goals

Take advantage of this time to make a list of your goals, big and small.  Actually putting them on paper will force you to think about what you want to achieve, and will motivate you to reach them.  It’s almost like a to-do list for your career; it will be very cathartic to check things off your list, which will in turn motivate you throughout your job search.  Writing down your goals can also help you to find links between certain interests which may give you some other ideas on careers options you may not have considered before.     

Stay Organized

Use a notebook or spreadsheet to keep track of all of your applications.  Often times when you are searching for a job, it can almost feel like you are sending out resume after resume into the abyss, especially when you don’t receive any response back.  Staying organized will help you keep track and physically see which positions you have applied to.  Be sure to customize each resume and cover letter for each specific job, and ensure you follow up with each application, unless the job posting says otherwise.  Your spreadsheet can include information such as: job title, company & contact, date you applied, date to follow up, and outcome. 

Don’t be too Hard on Yourself

It is often easy to adopt a negative attitude and become frustrated when searching for a job.  It’s common to start thinking that you’re unemployable, which only adds to the stress of the search.  Try to focus on the positive aspects of the job search even if you have not secured an interview.  You may be building a great network, and learning more about what careers specifically interest you.  Just because you have not secured a job, or an interview yet, does not mean no one wants to hire you.  Focus on your strongest qualities and skills and how you can make these stand out to employers.

Take Days Off

It can be frustrating and emotionally exhausting to be checking job boards and sending out resumes every day.  To mitigate job search frustrations, you need to take some time for yourself, and take a break from the stress of job searching.  If you don’t you run the risk of burning yourself out, which will only add to your frustrations and negative feelings.  It can also cause you to lose sight of your main objective, which is to find a job that is the right fit, not just to find any ‘job.’  Have scheduled days off – ‘free days’ – where you don’t think about resumes or interviews.  Taking a few days off here and there can help you to refocus and come back fresh and ready to continue your search. 

It’s important to be able to mitigate job search frustrations and try to work through them.  By following these tips, you’ll be able to handle the stress of the job search and persevere to find the light at the end of the tunnel.