Cv For Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Satisfaction’

What helps in growth of our career? A good plan, ability to do the job effectively, improving the existing methods, increasing the efficiency, increasing the returns, and performing the job to satisfaction.  What else? The title of this article talks of optimism. What about that?

What is optimism? Optimism means to feel that things will turn out Ok. Not to look at every situation negatively, but hope for the best. Keep hope and feel good that somehow everything will be all right.

When you want to grow in your career, this optimism helps quite a lot. During our career, we come to many stops where situation looks bleak. Everything looks gloomy. One feels like giving up. All of us begin with great energy and hope. As we encounter obstacles, our energy gets depleted and our hopes turn sour. We slowly start going downhill and a time comes when we are left with nothing but hopeless ness.

Optimistic outlook helps during such times. In every situation, we have two choices- hopes for the best or to worry about the worst. Can worrying help? Thinking of what can go wrong will only further deplete our strength and outlook. Positive thoughts will at least give us hope to fight. Optimism is a great asset. Those who feel optimistic at worst of the times, still have a chance of coming back. Please bring optimism at every moment.

Several Days - One Week Before the Interview

1. Spend some time to research the organization and the position at hand.  To find company-specific information, visit your local library, run a search on the internet, or talk to current or former employees about their experiences and impressions of the company.  Study up on the company’s products and services, industry, target market, annual sales, geographic location(s), structure, history, officers, and any other key information.  Are there any new trends in the industry?

2. Identify the organization’s major competitors and do some basic research on how they differ (either positively or negatively) from the company at which you are interviewing.

3. Prepare specific examples of how your skills and experience make you a strong fit for the organization’s needs.  Practice answering directed questions about your experience, education, and skills and how they relate to the position at hand.  Being prepared to draw colorations between your experience and the needs of the organization is one of the most important interviewing skills you will need. 

4. Identify your strengths and weaknesses.  Be prepared to talk about your weaknesses, but find a way to frame them positively. For example, “My biggest weakness is that I am a perfectionist.  It may take me a little extra time to get a project done to my satisfaction, but you can be guaranteed that the work will pass even the most stringent review, be 100% accurate, and that no detail will be overlooked.”

5. Prepare several intelligent questions about the company and position that will demonstrate your knowledge of the company and your sincere interest in the position.

6. Try on your suit and make sure that it is still well-fitting and in good repair.  If necessary, make arrangements to have it altered or find alternate dress.

The Day before the Interview

1. Contact the company to confirm the date and time of your interview.  Also confirm the name and title of the individual(s) you will be meeting.

2. Get directions to the interview site.  Be sure to double check the directions using a map. This will ensure that you know the way and also give you an approximate travel time – don’t forget to allow for extra time for rush hour!

3. Lay out your entire interview outfit.  Check it for any spot, wrinkles, or snags.

4. Print off a few extra copies of your resume and cover letter on nice paper.  Even if the interviewer has a copy of their own, it’s always a good idea to have a backup copy.  This is also helpful if you end up interviewing with multiple individuals, since the head interviewer may be the only person with a copy of your resume.

Get a good night’s sleep!

1. Your brain needs fuel to run at peak performance and if there is ever a day you needed 110% from your brain, it’s today.  So don’t skimp on meals.  Be cautious about eating large amounts of carbohydrates right before your interview though, since carbs are know to cause sluggishness and may lead to a “post-lunch” naptime.

2. Get dressed early so you do not feel pressured to dash out the door.  Pay attention to the details (brush off any lint, comb your hair, brush your teeth, use deodorant, etc.) and remember that a first impression can reveal a lot about you and your character. 

3. Don’t forget to take copies of your resume, your cover letter, and your portfolio if you have one.

4. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to your interview.  If you arrive more than 15 minutes early, it’s best to wait in the car or outside the building.  Arriving too early gives off the impression that you have a lot riding on the interview (and have nothing better to do with your time), and also pressures the interviewer(s) into feeling that they have to adjust their schedule to accommodate you.

5.Smile and shake everyone’s hand when you are meeting for the first time - you should also smile and shake hands when the interview concludes.

6. Relax!  If you have done your homework you are well-prepared for the interview.  Take a deep breath and spend a moment collecting your thoughts if you need to when being asked a question.  Ask confused about a particular question you are asked, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.

After the Interview

Write a quick “Thank You” message to the individual(s) who interviewed you.

So you want to know how to write a good resume, huh?  Well, how do we define a “good resume”?  In my experience, a good resume is pleasing to look at, easy to read, and contains all the information necessary to know whether or not the person represented by said resume can do the job in an effective and efficient manner.  A good resume should look professional and reflect the abilities of the person it is meant to represent without a lot of fluff in between the lines.

Knowing how to write a good resume could quite possibly be one of the most valuable business skills you can ever learn.  Hardly anyone stays in the same job for years and years and years like days of the past.  We are constantly looking for new challenges, more money, and more satisfaction, so having the skill of knowing how to write a good resume is something that you will always have.  It can mean the difference between getting an interview and not getting an interview.

A good resume will include only pertinent information about you – the job applicant.  It is written in a professional and positive manner focusing on abilities, skills, and talents that can benefit your future employer.  Of course, that can be a little difficult to do on paper, but not when you know what words to use.  A thesaurus can be a life saver here when you are looking for the right words.

Never, ever, make any job sound like it is a mundane, boring position.  It doesn’t matter if you are standing behind the counter at your local Starbucks, you can still focus on the positive aspects of that job.  For example, when you make the coffee, you are responsible for quality control.  When you give it to the customer, you are insuring good customer service.  When you ring it up on the cash register, you are responsible for cash flow.  Any job can sound much better when you “flower it up” and be creative in doing so!

Look on the Internet for tools and tips on how to write a good resume.  We especially like the web site at www.hotjobs.yahoo.com.  Not only do they have examples of resumes to refer to, they have many articles on how to write a good resume and even provide a resume writing service where you pay a professional resume writer to craft your resume from information you provide to them. 

Want to know how to write a good resume?  Just be honest, give as much information as possible in the space provided, and then let the resume talk for you.  Then wait for your call to interview!