Landing the Job
Applying for a job can be intimidating, and sometimes even annoying. Often there are hundreds of applicants competing for the same position that you are. Plus, don’t get me started on the weird algorithms that throw out resumes before the human eye even sees them and the repeat questions you must answer when you know the answers they are searching for are in the resume you literally just uploaded. As you can see, you’re not the only one that has grievances over modern day’s society approach to filling a position. However, your experience doesn’t have to be dreadful. Check out these quick tips and tricks for landing a job!
1. Get Your Head in the Game!
Applying for a job is a mental game, so to succeed you must get your head in the game. Getting your head in the game is certainly subjective, but we recommend treating the application process like a job itself. Block off consecutive hours out of your day and place it on your calendar, as if it is a shift. This will help you mentally, and possibly even emotionally, prepare for your shift as you will have full expectations for when the shift will begin and end. We also recommend “volunteering” for several shifts. Chances are you will have to complete several applications before you land an interview, so it may take a couple days, or even weeks, worth of actively applying for jobs before you begin to get call backs. Getting your head in the game will give you the motivation you need to get the job done!
2. Create a Bulletproof Resume.
Your resume should be a representation of the experience and skills you currently have that indicate to the employer that you can complete the minimum job duties required for the job. To ensure the above, you want to make sure that you ensure the below:
Make sure your resume is easy to read.
Grammar and formatting are an example of your work product.
If you didn’t graduate from a doctoral or doctoral equivalent program, or if you don’t have 5+ or more of relevant experience for the job, your resume should not be longer than one page. Tip: You can adjust the font, spacing, and margins to keep your resume at one page.
The only time high school experience is relevant is if you are applying for a job while in high school. Likewise, the only time college experience is relevant is if the position carried in college is directly related to the position you are applying for now. For example, an accounting internship may still be relevant if you are applying for an accounting position now.
Split your resume into several different subsections that hit on your work product, relevant certifications, technical skills, leadership skills, teamwork skills, and volunteerism.
Make sure to include some of the words you see in your job description so that whatever algorithm they are using to filter resumes doesn’t skip over you.
The underlying message from the above is that if it’s not adding to your resume, it’s subtracting from your resume!
3. Provide a Solid Introduction.
Truth be told the introduction process starts before the interview, continues throughout the interview process, and even after you’ve landed the job. No matter what phase of the recruiting process you’re in, follow these tips to ensure you provide a solid introduction:
Be on time. Tip: 15 minutes early is on time, on time is late.
It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed.
Offer a firm handshake with direct eye contact.
Prepare your elevator pitch. Tip: Check out this article for more helpful information.
Introduce yourself with confidence.
Be yourself and be at ease.
Remain enthusiastic, open, and positive.
Keep it conversational.
Focus on your body language.
For more tips on how to provide a solid introduction, check out our article on Telling and Selling Your Value.
4. Practice Your Answers.
Once you’ve landed the interview it’s time to prepare for the question-and-answer portion. While there’s really no way to guarantee the exact questions that you’ll be asked, you can still do a quick google search for the common questions asked for the position/industry you’re interviewing for. You should be prepared to answer behavioral questions that often start with “tell me about a time when…” and questions that provide clarification about something on your resume. Depending on the position you could also be asked brainteaser questions, such as “how would you sell me this pen?” Or “estimate how many people in your state will get the flu vaccine this year?” Since the types of questions are endless, we recommend browsing the questions on the following site to prepare for potential questions you could be asked.
Regardless of the question, we recommend utilizing a method to answer questions and practice answering those questions out loud. The method for answering questions that we strongly recommend utilizing is the STAR (Situation/Task, Action, Result) method, which involves the following steps: 1. Identifying the situation/task you are referring to, 2.) Describing the actions that you took, and 3.) Provide the result of the mentioned actions.
5. Ask Good Questions.
At some point during the interview process, you’ll be asked if there is anything else you’d like to add and/or do you have any questions. At this point we highly recommend highlighting anything they didn’t ask you from your resume that you really want to share. Perhaps, you received a reward at your prior employer that you’d like to mention on the record or maybe you’re in the process of studying for a certification exam that you’re taking soon. Now is the time to remind them of these important attributes.
Additionally, come prepared with at least 3 questions to ask the interviewers. Questions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Career Advice. Ex: What is something you’ve learned throughout your career that you wish you knew when you first started?
Business & Financial News. Ex: I read through the company’s Letter to Shareholders and noticed that you all are partnering with Apple to roll out Product XYZ. Is there anything you can share about partnership and/or product?
Corporate Environment. Ex: Can you describe the work culture at Company ABC?
Current Events. Ex: I was watching the presidential debate last week and was very intrigued about how Topic 123 could impact your industry. Are there any insights you’d care to share on if/how it could impact your business?
Our final piece of advice is, no matter how the interview goes be sure to email every individual that interviewed you a thank you email. We recommend thanking them for their time and reflecting on something they said during the interview that resonated with you. You never know, the thank you email could be your saving grace!
We hope you find these tips and tricks helpful, but more importantly we hope that you land the job you’re applying for. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comment section below!
