5 Essential Tips for Interview Success

5 Essential Tips for Interview Success Whether youre applying for your first job and are new to the interview process  or  are just a bit out of the swing of things, a job interview can be a daunting experience. Thorough preparation and the way that you present  yourself on the day can be crucial to your success, so there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure that everything runs smoothly. To guarantee  that you stand out from the crowd and identify yourself as the ideal person for the job, follow these simple tips: 1) Do your research: Ahead of your interview, make sure that you have thoroughly researched the company, including what they do, what their company culture and values are, what the team structure is like and even who their competitors are. Make yourself familiar with who your  interviewer is, so that you have an understanding of what their role is at the company and what kind of professional relationship you would have with them if you were to land the role. It will reflect well on you if you are knowledgeable about some of the companys  past and ongoing projects and can share some relevant and innovative  ideas about how you could be of assistance to them in real life scenarios. 2) Understand why there is a vacancy: Is this job opening  a newly created role? Or are you replacing a previous employee and will be taking on their existing responsibilities? Try to find out ahead of your interview, as a different approach and skills  may be required to succeed. Identify your relevant skills that will be of benefit in this role and explain how they would suit the requirements of the role. 3) Know the path that you would like your career to follow: Have a clear idea of where you would like your career to go and what you would like to achieve. Build a story, so that you can explain the journey that has lead you to your interview with their organisation. You want them to feel like the role you are interviewing for is exactly the right step for you to take in your career and that it is something you really want and wish to progress in. Explain how your past experiences will be valuable in  this role and how they will benefit you and the team. Dont be afraid to tell your interviewer about what you have learnt from past failures if you can illustrate what you have learnt from it and how it will benefit you in the future. 4) Body language can speak volumes: Body language can tell you a lot about what somebody is thinking or feeling. Pay attention to how your interviewer is behaving to gage how your interview is going. If theyre fiddling or losing eye contact, they may be losing interest in what you are saying, so best to wrap it up. Also, if  they cross their arms, its possible theyre feeling a little bit uncomfortable. Be aware of  your own body language, as nerves and your general interest in the role can  be interpreted  by the way you compose  yourself. Eye contact is also essential for establishing a connection with you interviewer and will make you appear confident in what you are saying. Try not to maintain direct eye contact for too long though, as it can appear like you are challenging the interviewer. 5) Thank your interviewer: Its needless to say that you should thank your interviewer for their time at the end of your job interview, but its also good practice to send  them a follow up message promptly after your appointment  to show your appreciation for the opportunity, whether it’s in the form of  a handwritten note or a personalised email. It will leave a good lasting impression and  demonstrates your commitment and genuine interest in joining the company.

7 Steps to interview success

7 Steps to interview success We are all familiar with the expression “make friends and influence people”. Very few employers will consider employing someone who has failed to forge any kind of connection with them during an interview or at an assessment centre. So, how do you make friends and get the job offer? 1.  Get the “form” right This is about finding the right level of formality for the particular interview situation. Some occupations will demand the utmost formality, both in terms of dress and behaviour, others will look for a more relaxed informality. If you’re going for the City banking job, it’s formal all the way. The creative design employers might run a mile if you turn up in a suit and super shiny shoes! It’s up to you to work out where you need to be on the formality continuum. You might want to ask people you know who already work in the area, try looking at how they dress and behave when they appear in the media, what does their LinkedIn profile picture look like? 2. Be courteous to everyone you meet Really everyone! From the moment you announce your arrival at reception, smile and be polite. Make sure that you are friendly and supportive to other candidates you meet. If you are applying for a graduate scheme, you will not be in direct competition with those at your interview or assessment centre, it may be that all of you .  or none get offers. If you are applying for a single vacancy, perhaps in a smaller organization, then there may just be one job, but this isn’t an excuse to be discourteous or overtly competitive. 3.  Don’t take over If youre an extrovert and enjoy meeting new people you might need to curb an urge to be too chatty and gregarious. You need not to overwhelm others, or the interviewers. We all tend to back away if we feel that someone else is taking over, its not the way to make those friends! Quite apart from this, the employer wants to know, that if he  or she employs you, then  you are going to be working and not chatting yourself and disrupting others as you do so. 4 Answer the questions put to you It’s important to listen during the interview and answer the questions put to you. Employers want to know that you are going to be able to take instructions and act on what they ask you to do. If you don’t pay close attention and answer the actual question you’ve been asked in the interview then you might raise a suspicion that you can’t pay attention. It also means that you and the employer are not having a proper dialogue and that you are not building that all important rapport. 5.  Make eye contact An important part of forging relationships is making appropriate eye contact. Some find this difficult and it can be particularly challenging if you’re nervous or if you’re asked a tough question. Don’t let yourself gaze into the middle distance, or at a point just above the interviewer’s head. If you have an interview panel then you need to look  at all  the interviewers and not just at the one person who has asked a particular question. Include everyone in the answer through your eye contract. At the end of the interview the panel will discuss which person (or persons) to appoint. You will need to have convinced all of them. 6.  Be honest It is always important to tell the truth! If you start to “embellish” a story you risk being found out, if not at the interview then perhaps later. If you’re dishonest then you will not engage with the employer, there will be a barrier and you won’t be successful in persuading the employer that you are the sort of person he or she wants on the team. 7.  Be yourself This is an extension on being honest but it’s important. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. You want to get a job where you are the person recruited not someone you pretended to be! If there is no match between the employer and you as you are, then you might be better off working elsewhere. And finally, try to enjoy yourself!

Personal Branding Interview Heidi Grant Halvorson - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Heidi Grant Halvorson - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Heidi Grant Halvorson, who is a motivational psychologist, and author of the new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals. In this interview, Heidi goes over how to define and commit to a goal, why its important to have short-term and long-term goals, why people fail at their goals, and more. What is the process of defining and committing to a goal? There are a few key steps you can take when setting a goal that will significantly increase your chances of reaching it. By far the most important step is being specific. Too often we set goals for ourselves like lose weight or be more assertive at work, but when our goals are vague we leave ourselves way too much wiggle room. We tend to settle for small changes in the right direction, rather than the big changes we really need to make. When our goals are more specific, like lose 15 pounds, or ask my boss for a pay raise, we know exactly what success looks like, and we don’t stop working toward it until we reach it. Should you have short-term and long-term goals? Whats the best way of keeping track of them and making sure they get accomplished? Breaking your long-term goals down into shorter-term goals is a really effective strategy. Usually, longer-term goals are more abstract or vague, like wanting to have a successful career, or to adopt and maintain a healthier lifestyle. By thinking more about the shorter-term goals we need to reach to make those long term goals happen (like wanting to get promoted this year, or to lose pounds and exercise three times a week), we are able to focus on the immediate, concrete steps we need to take, and that is far more motivating. Also, long-term goals can sometimes seem so far off that if we dwell on them too much, we lose confidence in our ability to reach them. I remember years ago a fellow graduate student lamenting that the number of papers he had published was pathetic compared to our advisor, who had been working in the field for 35 years. I tried pointing out to him that he was making an insane comparison, since he had only been doing research for three years. But he ignored me, and remained totally focused on his long-term goal of becoming a “big shot,” and depressed by how far he had to go. It was completely de-motivating. His story did not end well. How you keep track of your goals is intensely personal â€" some of us are list-makers, some of us live and die by our leather-bound planners, and some of us keep journals. Whatever method appeals to you, you need to make sure you are using it to regularly monitor your progress â€" daily, weekly, monthly, or whatever makes sense depending on the goal. Without a clear sense of where you are today with respect to your goal, it’s hard to stay motivated, or to know when a change of strategy is needed. Why do people fail at their goals? Can you give an example? There are several reasons â€" and for the record, “not having what it takes” is never one of them. It’s about what you do, not who you are. More often than not, we fail to reach our goals simply because we miss opportunities to act on them. Throughout the day, we are constantly making choices about what to do with our time (often unconsciously). Which goal should I work on in this situation? Is this a good situation for that goal? Which action should I take? What do I feel like doing? Having to decide when, where, and how to act on your goal is hard to do swiftly, and opportunities may pass by while you’re trying to figure it all out. I think exercising regularly is a great example, because I constantly hear people saying they want to exercise but “don’t have time,” which is almost never literally true. I speak from experience here, because exercising more has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember, and for most of my life I never actually managed to do it. I made excuses for my failure, and my favorite one to trot out was “I’m too busy. I didn’t have time today.” It felt like it was honest, but looking back, it clearly wasn’t. It wasn’t really true that I didn’t have any opportunities to exercise. What is true is that every time one arose, I chose to do something else, like sleep in, take a long lunch, stay late at work, or unwind with a drink in the evening with friends. Every time I could have acted on my goal, I decided to act on another goal. These decisions weren’t usually conscious â€" I just (conveniently) forgot about exercising until it was too late. The other, less important but far more pleasurable goal pursuits got all of my energy and attention. (Yes, I would much rather work late than exercise. That’s how much I hate it.) The good news is that there are very effective solutions for this problem, and I spend a lot of time describing how and why they work in the book. There are, for example, simple plans you can make that spell out when and where you will act on your goal (e.g., I’ll work out Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for 30 minute before work) that increase your likelihood of reaching your goal by about 300%. How can we avoid the kind of positive thinking that makes us fail? There is a big difference between believing you will succeed, and believing you will succeed easily. Having confidence that you will reach your goal is essential â€" and incredibly motivating. But any goal truly worth achieving requires effort, persistence, and the right strategies. When we assume that getting there will be a breeze, we don’t adequately prepare â€" we don’t plan, we don’t put in enough effort, and we give up as soon as things become too difficult. Just to give you one example: in one study of overweight women enrolled in a weight loss program, researchers found that the women who were confident they could lose the weight lost 24 pounds more on average than those who didn’t believe in themselves. No surprises there. But women who believed that it would be easy to lose the weight â€" that they would have no trouble resisting high calorie foods and sticking to their exercise program â€" lost 26 pounds less than those who embraced the fact that weight loss is hard work. If you want to succeed, it’s important to be optimistic about your chances of success, while being realistic about what it takes to get there. What got you into social psychology in the first place? Actually, I started out studying chemistry. I switched to psychology when I realized that a science about people was much more interesting to me than a science about molecules. Then I started studying achievement and motivation, because I was intrigued to learn how surprisingly bad people are when it comes to understanding why we succeed or fail. Recently, I’ve shifted gears again, and gone from someone who spends most of her time conducting research to one who spends all her time talking and writing about it, and trying to help people understand how they can use the science of motivation in their own lives. Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist, and author of the new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is also an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for Fast Company and Psychology Today. Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at www.heidigranthalvorson.com. Follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson.

Starting Your Cover Letter With A Bang

Starting Your Cover Letter With A Bang Starting Your Cover Letter With A Bang It is easy to think of the cover letter as just a generic document that you pop in front of your all-important resume.   That it tells people what role you are applying for and that’s about it.But imagine you are the hiring manager or HR department sorting through hundreds of cover letters that are all pretty much the same â€" if one is different, would that grab your attention?That’s why considering how to start a cover letter and what to include in it should be a big part of the resume creation process.   The cover letter is the very first impression you make on someone and while generic will be okay, it can be a chance to stand out from the competition.   And that start of the cover letter is the most key element.How to start a cover letterThere are loads of different ways to start a cover letter and the key is to find one that suits your style and your personality while also being suitable for the role.When you read cover letter examples, many of them will keep it fairly b asic and to the point, but this is the chance to add a little something different to show your personality and grab their attention.Humor or creativityIf the company you are applying to come across as having a cool, quirky and modern vibe then there’s no reason why you can’t use a bit of humor in your opening.You could start with a joke about how you found the role or even a joke about the application that would make the hiring manager smile.   That creates an instant positive impression that will continue as they read your resume.Share a surprising factShow you have done your research and open with a surprising fact or interesting statistic relevant to the job.You can also use a surprising fact about yourself or a quality you have that makes you particularly perfect for the role.Quantify this with numbers where you can because who doesn’t love to see some proof to back up a claim.Begin with an accomplishmentBy stating at the outset an accomplishment you are proud of that is r elevant to the job, you have a better chance of hooking the attention of the hiring manager.You are immediately giving them a reason to read on because you have told them about something you have done that will attract their attention.Add some relevant newsLets say that you are applying for a position at a tech company. You could share some fresh information sourced from news sources within the industry.No doubt they may have already heard the information, but it shows them that you are involved in the industry, understand it and are already checking out things that could be useful to your new employer. Plus quoting relevant news shows you have done your research on the company and really understand what they about.More traditional cover letter openingsIn other situations, the company may be more traditional or formal and you feel that some of the quirkier, cheekier and more modern approaches to cover letter writing might not work.In that case, putting a spin on some of the more traditional openings can still work.1. Show enthusiasm for the companyEvery company wants you to want to work for them â€" that enthusiasm helps with productivity and staff happiness. So you can show this in the cover letter without gushing or false flattery.Simply mentioning you were excited to see a role for their company can be a great way to start in the industry and also drop any positive interactions or experiences you have had with the company.Even following their Facebook and other social media pages and mentioning a recent post can help.2. Highlight any connectionsIf you were referred to the role by someone within the company or a former employee who still has good standing, then definitely name drop at the start of the cover letter.   This will stand out for the hiring manager and may increase your chances of them reading on.3. Be passionate about the roleJust like being too enthusiastic, you don’t want to overdo it and come across as being false. However, being passiona te about the role, the industry or the work you do will make a positive mark with hiring managers.Being motivated and passionate because you believe in what you will be doing is definitely a quality they will be looking for.4. Start with a belief statementA belief statement is a short, impactful statement that aligns your own beliefs and aims with the values and goals of the company â€" assuming they do match up.If you can write something like this genuinely, it can have a good impact on a hiring manager.   But only if you are wholeheartedly convinced â€" don’t just do a copy and paste job from the website.How to address a cover letter with no nameOne of the trickier situations when writing a cover letter is if you are writing it to someone and have no idea who they are, no name to refer to at the start of the letter.You can always do some research to see if you can find the name of the hiring manager or the person that you need to address the letter to â€" LinkedIn can be a good resource for this.But if you definitely can’t find who to address the letter to, there are a few tips on what to do.Whatever approach you choose to use, always have your own information in the top left corner of the letter then add the date.You can use a general title based on what you know or the email address of the person you are sending the resume to.Always use ‘dear’ before the title and address it the same way.   Examples of these include:The hiring managerHuman resources departmentVice president of salesRecruitment representativeIf you are completely blind as to who you are writing to in terms of position and gender, the ‘To Whom It May Concern’ greeting is the best option.   This is better than writing ‘dear sir’ or ‘dear madam’ as odds are you will luck out and choose the wrong one.General cover writing tipsThe start of the cover letter is one of the most important parts of sending a resume because of that first impression factor.   But let’s not ignore the rest of the letter because a great intro is just that â€" the start of the letter.1. Always send oneFor starters, always send a cover letter, even if you are sending an email â€" that email body is your cover letter and you then attach the resume.It is a socially acceptable way to introduce yourself but also contains practical information about which role you are applying for and offers a quick and easy means to gather your contact information.2. Keep it on pointWhile you might want to use an opening paragraph to tell them a little about yourself or use one of the tips above, keep the cover letter short and on point â€" don’t be tempted to tell them half of the content of your resume in it.The aim of the letter is a polite introduction; the resume will do the bulk of the work.3. Include a call to actionA call to action or CTA is a marketing term that means you prompt someone to take action.With a cover letter this should be polite and something like:‘I look forward to hearin g from you’ ‘please let me know if you need further information’ Either of the above two examples could work.Use a CTA that suits the next step of the process such as waiting for a phone call for a phone interview, arranging to meet or have a video interview or anything else stipulated in the job advertisement.4. Allow your personality into itUnless the job is extremely formal, it is often good to have a little of your personality in the cover letter.You need to judge this by the situation, the language in the advert and other materials.   But if the company seems casual, relaxed and friendly, don’t be afraid to make your cover letter similar.5. Spell check and proofreadThere’s nothing worse than a cover letter with a typo because this makes it seem as if you didn’t care enough to spell check and proofread.So make sure you go through these vital last steps â€" even get someone else to read it for you to see if they spot anything you might have missed.Remember, computer s pell checks aren’t always infallible, and the human eye is the best checker.Formatting tipsOnce you know what you want to say, the final step is to do a little formatting.Use a clear, easy to read font, don’t add loads of embellishments or other fancy elements to make it look pretty.   A simple, modern sans serif font is a safe bet.Also, formatting means paragraphs.   Make sure you have them, that they are a good length but not too long.The ideal length for a cover letter is around one half of a sheet of A4 paper, a page at the most if you need to include extra information. previous article Weightlessness Free Resume Template next article A Detailed Resume Example For an Administrative Assistant + Tips For Writing Your Resume you might also likeTen Quick Tips to Nail The Cover Letter Format

Latest Trends in Resume Writing

Latest Trends in Resume WritingThe newest trends in resume writing are finding their way into various industries. People who have been in the job for a while now may have a hard time looking for new job openings. If you are in this category, you can put your skills to good use and discover the best ways of how to find new employment.Most companies want to hire new people for the position and they are interested in learning more about them before they decide if they want to hire them or not. It is also important that the job seeker can provide useful information to them in order to be considered. One way of doing this is by using resumes with latest trends in resume writing.First of all, make sure that your resume is concise and to the point. You should make sure that your resume is short but not too short. The length is usually on a page and this will help you catch the attention of the hiring manager. The hiring manager likes to read a short resume first and then decide whether he o r she wants to read the rest of the resume.Secondly, make sure that the resumes contain your information well. Using a resume is only a way of starting a conversation so make sure that your resume is up to date and able to answer all the questions asked of you. If the hiring manager reads your resume and feels that it is accurate, he or she will ask you to give him or her an interview. So if you can provide some updates on yourself, you may be able to get a better interview.Thirdly, if you are still looking for a job, it is always a good idea to show your skills and knowledge about the job that you are after. To do this, you can give a great example of how you can help the company out. Your sample job description will help the hiring manager understand what the position requires.Finally, in order to impress the hiring manager, you need to provide a written sample of your resume. This can include your writing style, examples of your work and how it fits into the company. This is what makes the difference between a job and a resume that the hiring manager never has to look at again.If you think that your job is one that is in demand, you can use resume writing tips to gain the attention of the hiring manager. A resume is a great way of making a first impression. The resume is the first thing the hiring manager sees so making it right can get you a job.Remember that having a good resume is not enough; you also need to know how to write a quality resume. New trends in resume writing are showing up in different industries so you should keep up with the times. This is the only way that you can be sure that you are getting the jobs that you deserve.

The Economist cramps my style - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

The Economist cramps my style - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Heres the author photo I had taken for my book about happiness at work: It was taken by Rune Heickendorf who takes some amazingly great pictures. And now my friend Lars alerts me to the cover of the new issue of The Economist: How much do you think I should sue them for? Seriously: Its great to see how happiness is becoming a central theme in economics. Theres a growing realization that once your basic needs are covered, more money does not make you any happier. Therefore it makes sense for societies, politicians and economists to focus more on maximizing a nations happiness instead of its GDP. For a great book on that, read Richard Layards excellent book Happines lessons from a new science. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Roosevelt on making mistakes - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Roosevelt on making mistakes - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt Ive been writing recently about?making mistakes. One irrefutable fact about doing awesome things is that sometimes youll get it wrong and some people may criticize you for that. And thats where the above quote comes in :) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related