Cv for Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Perception’

Correct these 3 fatal flaws to dramatically improve your chances of winning job interviews…and getting job offers:

1. An ordinary resume without a good Look and Feel.
2. Weak communication skills.
3. A below average personal appearance.

If anything I say rubs you the wrong way…this might be a good thing. Pain often awakens something deep inside us, making it easier for us to see true reality instead of our limited perception of it.

Your shortcoming could be something simple to overcome…or a little more complex to solve. Either way, any problem can be solved if you simply park your ego, open your mind, and learn to see yourself in a new way.

Ok…ready? Let’s go over each of these areas. Examples and detailed instruction is provided via the link at the end of this article:

An ordinary resume:

More than ever, companies today are making the decision to interview you not only from the content of your resume, but its overall Look and Feel. It is one of the most important things you can do to improve your odds of getting an interview.

Yet, most people let their egos take over and create a resume that basically screens them out. And, by the way, it doesn’t make any difference if your resume was done by a professional resume writer. Some of those resumes don’t work very well either.

How do I know this?

Because for years I made my living by placing people with companies who gladly paid me a hefty fee to find qualified people for them. I grew sick and tired of seeing outstanding people rejected all because someone at the company didn’t like their resume.

So, if I didn’t fix this problem, I didn’t eat. Simple as that.

Special Tip: Your resume is a work in progress. It can be updated and tailored frequently. But, the do’s and don’ts of creating content and developing a good Look and Feel do not change.

Weak Communication skills:

Ok…once your resume is up to snuff and starting to turn a few heads, you can expect a couple of calls to set up a phone interview. This is the next critical hurdle you need to get over to be invited in for a face-to-face interview.

No face-to-face interview…no chance of an offer.

The only purpose of your resume and phone interview is to win an on-site interview. Period.

The telephone is a cold instrument and it is difficult to get a warm and fuzzy feeling for someone over the phone. So, you need to communicate well over the phone in order to make a positive impression.

Below Average Personal Appearance:

Ok…your resume is starting to work for you. And, you nailed your phone interview. Your greatest challenge now lies ahead…making a good first impression at your on-site interview.

Fact: People will judge you by your appearance. This is unfair, but it’s an unavoidable reality. Human beings are visual creatures.

During your job search, your appearance needs to be on the conservative side and your body language positive. I’ve seen a lot of bright, talented people rejected because of a poor personal appearance.

On the other hand, I’ve seen some pretty average folks hired because they looked sharp and interviewed well. More often than not, the best prepared candidate is hired over the best qualified candidate.

You may not have the money right now, but if your clothing is old and out of style, you might want to consider it. Also, work with a good clothing consultant at the store. Tell him/her that you are looking for a job and want to look your best.

My April newsletter, Job Brick Wall, contains detailed examples of what works best to overcome these 3 fatal flaws.

All the best to you with your job search.

Mike

Michael Petras is a veteran Executive Recruiter of 14 years and also spent 20 years in the Recreational Vehicle Industry as a Regional Sales Director. He hired and trained over 50 sales professionals. Many have since gone on to become Directors, Executives, and Presidents of companies both inside and outside the RV Industry. Mike conducts community workshops for job seekers and career changers on a volunteer basis. He also publishes a daily blog and a monthly newsletter available through his website: http://www.job-interview-wisdom.com.

A good way to find the perfect job is to prepare for it before you begin with your job
search. When you are still in high school and preparing for college you should begin
to determine what you consider to be the perfect job. That does not mean your first
job will necessarily be the perfect job, but you will know what you want and can
already identify your perception of the perfect job.

The key to getting the perfect job is knowing what you want and obtaining the
education and training necessary to perform that job. This is best identified in high
school so that you can take the college courses necessary to assure you can
graduate and pursue your career of choice. That does not mean you cant make a
career change later or take additional courses in order to acquire the education you
need, but it makes it easier if you can do it immediately out of high school.
Before you enroll in college try to figure out what you want in a career, what your
perfect job is so that you can obtain the training during your college career. That
doesnt mean you cant obtain the training later, but its easier to do it before you
graduate from college. Of course, its understandable that some people are not
certain even when they first graduate from college what they really want to do for a
living, but if you are able to identify it while you are still in college it will reduce the
amount of job searching you will need to do when you graduate.

For those who did not define their perfect job during college, its important to
discover what you need to do in order to find the perfect job and make it your
career for life. That means you have to identify your career and the requirements
for entering that field. Some companies may vary in their requirements but if you
follow the general guidelines for that field you will be in a position to at least
negotiate with potential employers. On the other side of the scope lack of
knowledge will get you nowhere including into your perfect job. Its essential to
know what you want and the skills you need in order to get there. Only then can
you hope to fulfill your dream of having your perfect job.

We all get stuck in ruts from time to time, and that happens on the job as well. You’ve thought about doing something different with your information technology career, but just haven’t quite gotten around to it yet. Sound familiar?

You can make 2006 the best year yet for your IT career. There are several simple steps you can take to accelerate your career – but you have to take the step, not just think about it!

Learn something new. One of the biggest reasons you get tired of a job is that you’re doing the same thing every day. If you happen to love what you do, that’s great, but if not it’s time to break out of the box. Besides, learning a new skill adds value to your career. If you’ve been doing server work for a long time, take the time to learn some Cisco skills. If you’re an Exchange specialist, learn some Linux skills.

Get certified. Not very many of us get to work for the same company for the rest of our IT careers. The only job security is the security you give yourself, and one of the ways to get that security is to add professional certifications to your resume. Certifications such as the MCSE and CCNA get you noticed and help you stand out from the crowd. Ask yourself what your resume would look like if you were laid off today, and then take steps to improve yourself and your professional standing.

Be prepared to take one step backwards in order to take multiple steps forward. You may be in a situation I was in a while back when my employer saw me as strictly a server guy. I wanted to get on the Cisco side of things, but there was this perception that I was “only a LAN guy”. I had to leave that company to get my shot. There was some short-term financial pain, but in the long run it was the best career move I’ve ever made.

People get typecast in every field. In his book “Often Wrong, Never In Doubt”, Donny Deutsch writes about a job candidate who wanted to become a junior ad executive, but couldn’t break in with his current employer – which was an ad agency! He was typecast in a support role, so he applied to other ad firms and was quickly hired.

Sometimes you have to look outside your current situation in order to create a new situation for yourself. Don’t be afraid to take a step backwards in order to open up new possibilities for yourself. There’s an amazing career out there, waiting for you – if you have the courage to make it and take it.