Cv for Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Contact’

Job Search – How to Handle Rejection and Follow Up

Last Saturday evening my wife and I visited friends at their home. They are a couple I have known since elementary school days, seventh grade as I recall. Yes, childhood! They grew up living next door to each other, dated during high school, and are still together. Last year they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

They had invited several people for dinner – all of whom I have known since childhood. After dinner we were seated in their family room talking about some of the silly stuff that has happened over the years. Suddenly their cocker spaniel, who happens to have run of the furniture, wanted attention, and jumped into my lap. I was a little surprised, because at home we will not allow our dog on the couch, and I was not expecting little Rex to land on me. But I decided that is okay. I am a dog-person.

I petted Rex for a while, and when I stopped he stuck his muzzle under my arm and pushed upward – hard. He wanted to be petted more. A few minutes later when I again stopped, he gave me the muzzle-up treatment again. I said, “No, Rex,” but he continued to want me to rub under his ears. He would not take “No” for an answer. So he persisted. Rejection did not bother him. He simply continued to let me know what he wanted.

People do not enjoy rejection, and most will go out of their way to avoid it. Therefore they will no ask to be hired. They might be turned down. Then they do not try to contact the interviewer again a few days later to see how things stand. Have you been there? You have gone through an interview, did not get the job at that moment, and a couple days later when you want to call back, suddenly the telephone seems to weigh 2,000 pounds. You can not bring yourself to call.

Relax. The business is looking for a particular person to fill the job position, they had more interviews to do, and the owner wanted the office manager to interview everyone who applied – whether or not they qualify. You are on the list, and you helped put yourself at the top of their list. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. You just have to call to keep reminding them you exist. You have to be like little Rex, and not take no for an answer several times.

Almost nobody calls back to follow-up with the interviewer. How crazy is that? Other people applying for the job all have telephones that seem to weigh a ton. When you follow-up you are making yourself stand out again. Do it. You will be surprised.

Don Schenk has been conducting hiring interviews for four decades. The real, insider’s secret to Job Search is not what you think it is! Discover the 3 little-known strategies that will make the interviewer want to hire you within the first 30 to 40 seconds of the interview! Go to:

http://www.HowYouFindAJobFast.com

You may find it hard to use networking to find a job if you can’t rely on
your warm contacts to give you the information you need. At times,
you would have to ask your warm contacts to refer you to at least two
people that they know who will be able to give you the information you
needed.
However, there are times that your warm contact, particularly those
who don’t know you well, may not readily provide you with the
information. Some of your warm contacts may feel reluctant about
vouching for you to their other contacts.
Because of this, you may find it difficult to use your network. To make
networking and getting referrals an easy task for you, here are a few
tips.
* Nurture your warm contacts.
Before you even need your warm contacts or before you even
ask for help, keep in touch with your warm contacts. You may
send notes or greetings from time to time, call to “catch up” on
them, invite them to lunch, be interested or help in their
business or do anything just to cultivate your connection with
them.
In this way, by the time you need help, they can remember you
and can more readily give information about their other contacts
that will be able to help you.
* Be polite.
Since you might not have close personal relationships with some
of your valuable warm contacts, it is inappropriate to just give
them a call and ask them for information about your field of
interest.
Sometimes, sending a note in advance, or asking to meet them
for lunch is a better way to ask for their help.
* Listen to them.
Most of the time, even if your warm contact knows little in the
field where you are trying to find a job, they might offer you
advice. Be polite and interested in what they are saying. Who
knows, the information that they are giving may be valuable to
you in the future.
There are times that your warm contacts may be telling you tips
on what manner will work best when you talk to the persons to
whom you are being referred. Your warm contacts may also
imply what qualities and qualifications the person is looking for.
* Ask for at least two referrals.
Before you ask for referrals, make sure that your warm contact had
said everything that he or she can say about your field of interest.
Even if they know little about that field, it is impolite if you cut them
short while they are speaking to ask if they know somebody who will
be able to help you.
If they weren’t able to refer you to at least one of their contacts,
thoughtfully ask them why they couldn’t do so. They may give you
answers that may include indirect comments or suggestions. They
may also indicate a lack of confidence in your work strategy. If this is
so, you may have to make follow ups with them to prove that you are
indeed credible and match their requirements.
However, there are also times when they can’t refer you to their
contacts because they just don’t know anybody who might have the
information or might be interested in the product.
In this case, ask them to keep their eyes open for opportunities that
you might be interested in. You can also leave with them copies of
your resume.
* Just ask for two referrals.
Two referrals are enough from each warm contact. This is to have
another option in case the first one didn’t work out. Asking for more
than two referrals could be impolite as it can take much time from
your warm contact. Also, that will make your warm contact feel that
you are relying mostly on him or her for your job search. So, unless
they volunteer the information, don’t ask for more than 2 referrals.
* Contact referrals as soon as possible.
When your warm contacts give you referrals, there are times that they
also call these people personally to give more information about you.
On the other hand, when you contact the people to whom you were
referred, your referrals may call your warm contacts to verify the
information or to ask more information about you.
Either way, you have to contact your referrals soon enough that these
people can still remember their conversation with your warm contact,
or your warm contact can still remember that you have talked.
At times, after your referrals were called by your warm contacts, they
anticipate your call and even prepare questionnaires and exams for
you to take. Do not waste this opportunity by delaying follow-up on
referrals.
Keeping these tips in mind will be able to help you in asking for good
referrals from your warm contacts.

You may find it hard to use networking to find a job if you can’t rely on
your warm contacts to give you the information you need. At times,
you would have to ask your warm contacts to refer you to at least two
people that they know who will be able to give you the information you
needed.
However, there are times that your warm contact, particularly those
who don’t know you well, may not readily provide you with the
information. Some of your warm contacts may feel reluctant about
vouching for you to their other contacts.
Because of this, you may find it difficult to use your network. To make
networking and getting referrals an easy task for you, here are a few
tips.
* Nurture your warm contacts.
Before you even need your warm contacts or before you even
ask for help, keep in touch with your warm contacts. You may
send notes or greetings from time to time, call to “catch up” on
them, invite them to lunch, be interested or help in their
business or do anything just to cultivate your connection with
them.
In this way, by the time you need help, they can remember you
and can more readily give information about their other contacts
that will be able to help you.
* Be polite.
Since you might not have close personal relationships with some
of your valuable warm contacts, it is inappropriate to just give
them a call and ask them for information about your field of
interest.
Sometimes, sending a note in advance, or asking to meet them
for lunch is a better way to ask for their help.
* Listen to them.
Most of the time, even if your warm contact knows little in the
field where you are trying to find a job, they might offer you
advice. Be polite and interested in what they are saying. Who
knows, the information that they are giving may be valuable to
you in the future.
There are times that your warm contacts may be telling you tips
on what manner will work best when you talk to the persons to
whom you are being referred. Your warm contacts may also
imply what qualities and qualifications the person is looking for.
* Ask for at least two referrals.
Before you ask for referrals, make sure that your warm contact had
said everything that he or she can say about your field of interest.
Even if they know little about that field, it is impolite if you cut them
short while they are speaking to ask if they know somebody who will
be able to help you.
If they weren’t able to refer you to at least one of their contacts,
thoughtfully ask them why they couldn’t do so. They may give you
answers that may include indirect comments or suggestions. They
may also indicate a lack of confidence in your work strategy. If this is
so, you may have to make follow ups with them to prove that you are
indeed credible and match their requirements.
However, there are also times when they can’t refer you to their
contacts because they just don’t know anybody who might have the
information or might be interested in the product.
In this case, ask them to keep their eyes open for opportunities that
you might be interested in. You can also leave with them copies of
your resume.
* Just ask for two referrals.
Two referrals are enough from each warm contact. This is to have
another option in case the first one didn’t work out. Asking for more
than two referrals could be impolite as it can take much time from
your warm contact. Also, that will make your warm contact feel that
you are relying mostly on him or her for your job search. So, unless
they volunteer the information, don’t ask for more than 2 referrals.
* Contact referrals as soon as possible.
When your warm contacts give you referrals, there are times that they
also call these people personally to give more information about you.
On the other hand, when you contact the people to whom you were
referred, your referrals may call your warm contacts to verify the
information or to ask more information about you.
Either way, you have to contact your referrals soon enough that these
people can still remember their conversation with your warm contact,
or your warm contact can still remember that you have talked.
At times, after your referrals were called by your warm contacts, they
anticipate your call and even prepare questionnaires and exams for
you to take. Do not waste this opportunity by delaying follow-up on
referrals.
Keeping these tips in mind will be able to help you in asking for good
referrals from your warm contacts.

Scoring the interview for the job that you want doesnt have to be rocket science. Sometimes you can score that interview by simply making a phone call. There are many ways that people go about trying to get an interview. The methods of achieving one vary by company. It is best to know what the companys application process is before taking your first step.

Generally, when a company is hiring they post an ad in the newspaper or an online job bank. How to contact them is usually included in the ad as well. You dont want to email a resume to a company that is requesting that you walk in with your resume. You dont want to call a company that requires a faxed resume etc. Ignoring their initial contacting information will guarantee that you will not get that interview because you have already proven that you cant follow simple directions.

Sometimes, you can get a job lead from a friend before the job has been posted. If this is the case, you can either ask the friend to give the employer your resume and cover letter. If your friend doesnt actually work where the lead came from, you can try calling about the position and ask what the application procedure is.

There are four general methods of applying for a job, and they include these basic methods.

Sending a Resume

Some companies prefer that you mail in your resume. For this type of approach, it is best to include a cover letter with your resume. The cover is a basic letter that describes the position that you are interest in and a few details of your qualifications and skills. It is basically your lead in to your resume. Before writing your cover letter, you should know whom the letter is to be addressed to. You never want to begin a cover letter with Dear Sir or Madame or To whom it may Concern. It shows that you have not prepared, and that you are not looking for a specific position with their company, but any job that you can get your hands on. Basically, it is disrespectful to your prospective employer.

Emailing Your Resume

Emailing resumes is becoming a commonplace way for recruiters to get resumes. Most companies offer this method as an alternative to the others. However, there are few tips on how you should go about it.
You should attach your resume as a word document or PDF file. These are the most common formats and what most companies will accept. The subject line should read like this: Smith, John (clerical position)This makes it easy for the recruiter to know who the email is from, and what it pertains to. It also assures that your email will be read.
Sometimes there are specific methods for addressing an emailed resume. Some companies have certain subject line requirements so follow them. If your company wants you to paste your resume, dont send attachments because your email will be deleted right away.

Faxing Your Resume

Again, you will need to include a cover letter when you fax in your resume. If you are not using your own fax machine, be sure to include your proper contact information. The rules for your cover letter are the same as for mailing your resume. More about cover letters will be provided a bit later on in this book.

Walk-In Your Resume

For this type of application procedure, you will want to dress appropriately. You would want to dress just like you would for an interview. Companys usually ask you to do this if you are going to be working directly with customers. They ask for a walk in because they want to get a look at your grooming habits right away. Sometimes, a walk in will have the employer giving you a brief interview on the spot, to see if they will require a formal interview later. So be on your best and most appropriate behavior.
Also, walk-ins do not require you to bring in a cover letter with your resume. Your appearance is sort of the cover letter. Sometimes, you will be requested to fill out an application form as well. Smile and be polite, no matter who you are talking to. That could be the difference between getting an interview and just taking an extra trip for nothing.

Telephoning for an Interview

It is not particularly common anymore for companies to ask you to call them for an interview. That is usually saved for jobs that include sales andor jobs that are not so easily applied for by the other methods. Telephoning for an interview is a bit common when a company requires that you be on the phone a lot. It gives them a feel for the quality and the personality of the person on the phone. When making this type of interview request, always speak in a clean and clear manner. Be polite and prepared to answer any questions that may be asked of you. You might approach the telephone interview like this:

Hello Mr. Brown, I am Mike Sandal. I am calling with regards to your ad in the Post about the clerical position. If you are asked your experience andor previous work experience, be prepared to answer quickly and explain how long you have been doing that type of work and give a brief description of your duties.