The Phone Interview

The phone interview can be a little more difficult than when you are face to face with the client. When you are face to face you can show them with your body language how happy you are to be there. You can look them in the eyes, smile and give them a firm handshake, but it is really difficult to show that enthusiasm over the phone.

The best way to show your enthusiasm is to stand up and smile while you are on the phone. Your voice will get louder and it will come across with all the enthusiasm that you can muster up. Personally when I am on the phone I tend to pace and people can hear it in my voice.

The phone interview is to make sure that you have the basic skills to go to the next level in the process which is a face to face interview. You really want to make sure that you put your best foot forward throughout the process. When they ask you to tell them about your background, you want to make sure that you speak for 30-60 seconds on what you have done on how it relates to the position that you are applying for as you know it. Remember every person that you interview with is looking for a different skill set from you, so the best way to figure out what they are looking for is to ask. “What skill sets does someone need in order to be succesful in this position?” As you go through the interview, make sure that you hit on all the skills they said they are looking for that you have.

At the end of the interview, if everything went well and it is something that you are interested in persuing then let the interviewer know! “I really feel as if I am a good fit for this position, you said you were looking for someone who had A B and C, I have A B and C, do you have any concern as to why I would not be successful in this position?” This is your one and only chance of addressing any concerns that the interviewer might have.

Writing a winning resume!

There used to be a time when a one page resume was the standard. That was back in the day when people worked in the same job for the same company for their entire career. Today, February 2010, the average person has held 3, 4 maybe even 5 positions in their career. It could all be with the same company, but in most cases it is with different companies.

The question then becomes, how do I write a one page resume and have it stand out in the crowd? How do you show all the relevants skills and accomplishments that you have in just one page? The answer is you don’t! When submitting your resume to a company, you need to make sure that the first page of your resume shows enough relevant information, that the reader says “I want to read further”. It is ok to have a 3 or a 4 page resume, as long as you show your relevant skills and accomplishments that relate to the position that you are applying for, on the first page! When you look at your resume and at the job description, would you hire you for this position!!!

Interviewing skills

A lot of people think that I am crazy because I love to interview. I know that sounds so wierd, but its true.  To me, researching the company, the people that I will be meeting with and understanding what the role is, is the most important first step when it comes to interviewing.  I believe that most people that don’t do well on interviews are not prepared.  When you aren’t prepared for something, then there is no way that you are going to do well.  Think about it, when you were in school and you had a test, did you study?  Of course you did, and if you didn’t it was because you did not study.  Preparing for or studying for an interview is no different.  I have interviewed thousands of people in my career, and the ones that did the best, were the ones that not only understood the company that they were interviewing for, but they also asked really intelligent questions.  The only way that they could have come up with those questions was by preparing for them.  I’ve had hiring managers turn down candidates because they did not have any questions to ask at the end of the interview.  Make sure that you ask questions!  I would love to hear any of your stories about either when you were prepared and aced the interview, or when you weren’t prepared and bombed the interview.

Can Linkedin Really work in finding a job?

This is a question that I get several times a day and the answer is always the same. YES! I received an email last week from someone who had read my first blog. He was on the job boards and he applied for a position that he was interested in. He received the standard reply that I spoke about in my last blog, “Thank you for applying for our position…” Two weeks went by and he received an email from a recruiter from that same company that he applied to. The email stated that she had seen his information on Linkedin and could he send her a resume. They exchanged a few emails while organizing the initial phone screen. When he looked back at the original standard email that he received, he noticed that the person that was contacting him now, is the same person that signed her name to the initial “Thank you” email.
For some reason, she passed over the resume that he sent in to her and found his information on Linkedin. She was able to find him through the connections that he had on Linkedin. (It turns out his connection is the boss of the person that he would be working for, and they are only connected through a common group). This is one of many stories that I received over the past week on how Linkedin is beneficial in your job search
If you are looking for a job today, Linkedin is an essential tool for you to be using. Make sure you have your information up to date, you have a professional picture and link in with as many people as you possibly can. You never know if that person that you are connected to is connected to someone that is looking to hire someone just like you.
I love reading your success stories, so please keep sending them in.

Looking for a Job Today!!!

Looking for a job in today’s market is very different then it has ever been. If you are unemployed, or just unhappy with your current opportunity, you need to learn the new rules of looking for a new job. This blog is set up to assist people who are looking for work today, and still trying to do so with yesterday’s methods.

I am Trish Ellis, and I am a Career Coach with On Target Career Coaching. I have been working in the Recruiting business for over 20 years. I know what will work and what won’t work in your job search. I have worked directly with hiring managers, Human Resources and both internal and agency recruiters. I know firsthand what you can to do to get the job. The days of having a two page resume that you post on Monster, or submit to a company and expect a phone call are over.

Today, most companies have an auto-responder for anyone that submits their resume. It usually says something like this “Thank you for submitting your resume. If your skills and experience match our requirements we will get back in touch with you. If they do not we will keep your resume on file for 6 months to see if your skills and experience match any opportunities we might have in the future. We thank you for your interest in our company and we wish you the best of luck in your job search.” You will never know if they even had the opportunity to review your resume.

I am not saying that doing this will NOT yield you the position you are seeking. It is just going to be much more difficult, and you will have no control over what happens next.
In the blogs that will follow, I will show you how to use the Social Media websites to your advantage. I will share some secrets of recruiters and how you can get your resume on the top of the pile. You will learn how to present your resume in a way that it is sure to be read through till the end. You will benefit from my years of experience in the career search business. My goal is to share my wealth of experience in the search business so that you will land your dream job.

Please comment on my blog with your ideas and experiences that may assist other readers in their quest to land the ideal job. If you have any specific topics that you would like me to cover, whether it be about looking for a job or changing careers, I welcome your ideas. I am excited about our journey together on finding your next opportunity!