Things Not to Do When Interviewing for a Job

Job interviews are a daunting process. You’re putting yourself in an unfamiliar situation, meeting new people, and knowing you are being evaluated based on a conversation of an hour or less. Still, an interview is often the only way you’ll be offered a job, so it’s to your benefit to practice, prepare, and know the dos and don’ts of interviewing. If you can avoid these 5 interview pitfalls, your talent, personality, and experience will better shine through, hopefully landing you an offer.

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The Job Market is Improving: 7 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Landing a New Job

Unemployment rates are going down, and many people are finding that the job searching process is a lot more hopeful than it’s been for a few years. If you haven’t been on the job hunt for a while, you may be a little rusty, and if you’re fresh out of school, you may feel overwhelmed. Here are some tips that will get you ready for a successful job search.

1. Revamp your resume
   Are you using the same resume you submitted last time you were searching for a job? It may be in need of an update. The format may be outdated, and you may not be including your most relevant and recent experience. Check out some of our tips on creating a new and polished resume that you’ll be proud to start sending out to potential employers.
   
   

2. Clean up your social media profiles
   Nowadays, you can expect that most employers will be Googling their candidates. Any information associated with your name will be easy to find, whether it’s your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. It’s important to make sure no inappropriate content appears publicly on any of these pages.
   
   
3. ...And then make those profiles into an asset!
   Social media can, however, also work in your favor. If an employer finds that you have an established professional internet presence, this will reflect positively on you as a candidate. Anyone who is on the job hunt should be on LinkedIn. You should make sure that your profile is updated with a professional picture and your experience and skills, and you should start adding connections. By reconnecting with people you’ve known, you increase your chances of finding job leads. Additionally, if you endorse your contacts for their skills, they are more likely to endorse you in return. A fully completed profile with ample connections and endorsements makes you look way more professional.
   
   

4. Use online tools effectively Most job seekers are doing their searches online—often even from their phones and tablets. There are tons of job searching sites such as Indeed and SimplyHired that can be a great resource. Using these sites, you can search for jobs in your area and field, and you can even use advanced search options to specify parameters like salary. Indeed and SimplyHired are job search engines that scrape listings from recruitment websites, employer websites, and job boards. Job boards are sites where employers are posting their listings directly. These can be especially useful for niche areas if you’re looking for something in a really specific field. You can also set up email alerts from job websites so you can be notified when relevant jobs get posted.
   
   
5. Figure out who you know, and reach out to them! It’s time to start evaluating who you know and if they can help you. Job search engines are great, but a connection can really help get your resume on the top of a recruiter’s pile. As mentioned above, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for reconnecting with people who have worked with you in the past. However, rounding up your resources can also mean connecting on Facebook—or completely offline. Can any of your friends introduce you to someone who has connections related to your field? You may be surprised who is willing to help with your job hunt, and you’ll never know until you ask.
   
   

6. Consider a staffing agency Job search engines are great for some people, but you may find that you feel a bit lost looking at the vast options. This is especially true if you’re not sure exactly what your skills are and what your ideal job would be. You may also want to talk to someone about your resume and LinkedIn if you don’t know where to begin. A staffing agency can get to know you well and then help find a job that is perfectly suited for you.
   
   
7. Get ready to answer the phone You may be in the habit of ignoring calls from strange numbers, but when you’re submitting resumes, you’re going to get a lot of calls from strange numbers. You don’t want to miss any of them because you never know who might be calling you about a great opportunity. Be prepared to answer the phone promptly and sound professional and ready to talk.

If you utilize these tips, you may very well find your phone ringing with a great job offer. Now is your time to reap the benefits of the improving economy and land the job you’ve always wanted.

Demonstrating Your Value in an Interview

As most working adults realize, doing well in an interview is as much about showing value as it about making a good impression. However, with the modern job market being as competitive as it is, showing better value than other job candidates is often the true deciding factor in whether or not a job offer is extended. 

In order to ensure best results when interviewing, demonstrate all that you can offer to the position the company is trying to fill. The following are but a couple ways you can present value during an interview.

Customize Your Cover Letter and Resume for the Job

If you’re applying for a high profile job opening, then it is likely that the job recruiter is looking through multiple applications at once. As a result, you’ll want to make sure that your resume and cover letter stand out from those of your competitors. A survey conducted last year stated that most recruiters only look at a resume for six seconds on average. As such, it’s important to make sure those six seconds tell the recruiter everything he or she needs to know.

The best way to make your resume stand out is to personalize it towards the job you’re trying to get. Make sure that you mention in your cover letter the qualifications that make you a perfect candidate for the position, and structure your resume to include relevant past working experiences and other pertinent information. This will help show value far before the interviewing process is underway.

Answer Interview Questions with the Position in Mind

When answering questions in an interview, you will want to make sure that you respond to inquiries honestly while further displaying how you can be an asset to your potential employer. Always remember that the answers you give in an interview will help the interviewer determine whether or not you are a good fit for the position.

 

Don’t miss an opportunity to prove that you are skilled and experienced enough to do the job better than the other candidates. Make sure to reference past successes, obstacles you’ve overcome, and any other subjects that would be pertinent to the conversation. It’s fine to brag a little bit about yourself as it shows confidence, but try not to come across as arrogant.

 

By giving a little extra thought to your actions during the interview process, you’ll find that you’ll get much closer to receiving a job offer than before. Just make sure to always present yourself properly to your interviewer.

Getting the Most Out of Your 1-on-1 Meetings

For many managers, the classic 1 on 1 employee meeting can be an unpleasant experience. More often than not, these meetings occur as a result of issues or errors related to a particular employee that need to be addressed. While it is true that people make mistakes and they do need to be corrected, few managers want to deal with what can be an uncomfortable yet necessary meeting.

However, there are ways to get the most out of these meetings and ensure that they are productive, helpful interactions. The next time you need to conduct a 1-on-1 meeting, consider employing the following methods:

Schedule the Meeting Ahead of Time

Have you ever worked for a supervisor before that would call you into his office without warning for a meeting that would last almost an hour? If you have, then you know quite well how disruptive these impromptu meetings can be. 

When you need to meet with an employee, always schedule the meeting ahead of time if possible. While emergency situations will always require an immediate discussion, most meetings can wait at least a few hours until when both you and your employee are freely available to discuss things.

Encourage Bringing Questions or Other Topics to the Meeting

Although you may be meeting to discuss a certain topic, you should consider encouraging your employee to bring his or her own topics and talking points to the meeting. Doing this not only allows you and your employee to better leverage your time and get more accomplished, but it also helps keep the tone light and the meeting organized.

Try to have about 2 or 3 topics to discuss aside from the main matter at hand. If you find you need more time to discuss those topics, then schedule another meeting at a later date.

 

Have Follow-Up Meetings

Once you’ve wrapped up your meeting, you should hold follow-up meetings when you deem necessary. This can help you not only monitor projects your employee is working on, but also keep an eye on trouble employees and see if they are meeting personal goals and deadlines.

With these practices in mind, you can hold 1-on-1 meetings that are productive, upbeat, and allow you to set up for future success. All it takes is being conscious of how you approach your employee.

Should you find that your 1-on-1 meetings aren’t conveying the message to trouble employees, then it may be time to turn to a professional staffing agency. If so, then contact us at J & J Staffing Resources today. We can help you find the right employee for the job at hand.

Starting Off a New Job on the Right Foot

When starting a new job, many men and women understandably feel pressured to impress their superiors. With the current unknown job market, every American worker knows that there is no shortage of competition for most open job positions.  As a result, most people tend to feel that they are trying to meet lofty expectations to prove to their manager that he or she made the best hiring choice.

While everyone wants to impress his or her boss, not everyone manages to make that happen. Sure, effective use of time at the office is a great way to get noticed and being punctual is always a must, but these are behaviors expected of all dedicated workers. In order to set oneself apart from the competition, a person needs to have particular behaviors in place to be truly exceptional.

The next time you find yourself worried over whether or not you’re proving to be a great hire, try demonstrating the following behaviors.

Get Done Before the Deadline

 Deadlines for tasks are usually set to allow for a little more time than it takes to actually get the job done. You should always manage your time and prioritize your work so you can complete your assigned duties or projects well before they are due. Doing this will not only allow you to get started on other tasks more quickly, but it also shows your superiors you are a fast and efficient worker. Just be careful not to rush tasks and do a subpar performance in the process.

Ask “What Else Can I Do?”

We’ve all been in team meetings where brainstorming and crowdsourcing lead to the creation of a new project. If you find yourself in a sea of silence when it your manager asks who wants to take on the task, then you should seriously consider taking the assignment. Taking the initiative on new, exciting projects shows team leaders that you are forward-thinking and eager to try new things. This eagerness can be seen as a great asset for managerial positions and is always noticed come promotion time.

Offer to Help Others When Time Allows

 

A little bit of help goes a long way. If you find that your colleagues are bogged down in their assignments and need their workload lightened, try offering to take some of their tasks off their hands. Doing this helps you forge better workplace relationships and lets others know that you are dependable and helpful when they need assistance. 

Of course, there are other ways to impress your superiors and colleagues, but the methods listed above are good ways to start. Just remember that being eager to help and managing your time well goes a long way to proving you were worth hiring.

If you’re eager to prove yourself in a new position but are having a tough time finding the job you want, contact us at J & J Staffing Resources today. We can match your qualifications and experience with a career worth having.

Hitting the Ground Running: Adapting to a New Job

For as intimidating as the interviewing process may be for job seekers, starting a new job can be even more overwhelming. In the current challenging job market, many job candidates focus solely on getting into an interview and then getting hired. Once employed, however, these hardworking men and women often find themselves unable to meet their own expectations and instead begin stressing themselves out. 

Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. Being an effective and valuable employee means needing to make sure you are able to adapt to your new workplace environment and setting up the correct behaviors from the start. Everyone wants to work hard and eventually be recognized for their efforts, but without taking the correct approach you may end up exhausting yourself before you even begin. 

The following are just a few ways that new hires can start on the path to success:

 

Never Be Afraid to Get Questions Answered

Many new employees worry about being perceived as inexperienced or unknowledgeable, and because of this they try to ask as few questions as possible. However, while no manager wants to have to constantly respond to questions throughout their work day, employees should always try to find answers to any inquiries they may have. This could mean either asking someone directly or doing a little research on their own.

 

Get to Work a Little Early, Stay a Little Late

It always helps to show a little initiative at work and employers want (and expect) you to be on time all the time. You should always  leave for work just a little bit earlier in order to avoid traffic or weather delays, and you should always stay a bit later to take care of tasks you may have been assigned. This reflects well on you and will reassure employers they made a good hire.

 

Become a Proficient Planner and Know Your Pace

Time management is a crucial skill for any employee to have and it’s doubly important when beginning a new job. One of the greatest causes of stress for new hires comes from being unable to balance out a workload and feeling like you’re forever stuck in crunch time. In order to prevent this from happening, you should always have things scheduled out to accommodate and correctly prioritize your job duties.

It’s a simple fact of working that there will always be stress, but frustration and anxiety can be managed when using proper time management techniques. Just be certain to make sure your new job is something you want to do and that you work with the correct behaviors in place.

Remember, if all else fails and you realize your new job isn’t for you, J & J Staffing Resources can help. As a leading provider of professional staffing services, we can get you started to finding your new career. Contact us today!