Dress for Success

Dress for Success and to Impress

A few weeks ago I mentioned a candidate who came in for an interview wearing no shoes. It’s true. He rollerbladed to my office, took his skates off in the waiting area and walked into the interview room in his jeans and t-shirt with just socks on his feet. Needless to say the interview took about 5 seconds and he was not offered a position.

Choosing what to wear for an interview is perhaps one of the easiest parts of the job seeking process yet sadly one very often overlooked.  I suggested before that we tend to formulate opinions about people within the first few seconds of meeting them. Nowhere is this truer than in the job interview.

A lot of people tend to think that because they are applying for an entry level position or a more physical, manual type job that they do not really need to dress to impress. Although the work attire for the job a manager is recruiting for may include coveralls, jeans or sweatshirts we shouldn’t make the mistake in believing that attending an interview dressed in this manner conveys we are right for the job. It may be true but unfortunately gives the idea that we don’t really care about making a good impression and just threw anything on before showing up.

I’m not advocating a three piece suit for every interview but we can never go wrong with business – casual in the absence of knowing what is acceptable in whatever company you are interviewing at – even if the position is entry-level. Of course, an interview for a senior position might require more formal business attire. Jeans, t-shirts and sneakers however, should always be avoided.

Many interviews take place in small meeting rooms behind closed doors. It’s best to keep perfumes and colognes to a minimum if worn at all (some workplaces even ask employees to refrain from wearing them). Smokers should pay attention to the lingering smell of cigarette smoke on the breath and on clothing. It is best maybe to avoid smoking completely before an interview as mints or chewing gum really do not mask the smell that well!

How you dress for an interview is an unspoken signal about how important the interview is to you and how you want to be perceived. It tells the interviewer whether or not you really want the job. If you are unsure about what to wear, as mentioned above, you can always rely on business-casual at a bare minimum and take it up a notch or two depending on the seniority of the position. If you are interviewing for a corporate, office position you can always visit a day or so ahead and look at what current employees are wearing. This will tell you something about the organization’s culture and specifically its dress code.

You’re building on the success of your application, resume and phone interview. You’ve done well getting to the in-person interview. Dress to impress and show them you want and deserve the job!

Success at the Job Fair

The Job Fair

I’ll get back to discussing résumés next week. While it’s fresh in my memory I want to talk about Job Fairs. Earlier this week I attended perhaps the best and most professionally organized and run job fair I have been invited to as an employer; from both a hiring organization’s perspective and from the viewpoint of a job seeker due to the quality and number of companies and agencies in attendance.

On Monday, the Akwesasne Employment Resource Center held its second annual International Job Fair aimed at job seekers in Ontario and New York State. Invited was a wide range of employers from both sides of the border, representing a large number of industries. From the Correctional Service of Canada and Foreign Affairs to the Mohawk Akwesasne Casino and the Bank of Montreal there was something for everyone. There were even resources onsite to help job seekers with interview tips and résumé printing.  Each attendee was provided with a welcome package that included a job seeker handbook that listed the companies in attendance as well as a Résumé and Interview Preparation guide. All in all it was a fantastic event and I look forward to being invited back next year.

Looking at what the Resource Center organized and how the event was marketed I realized that each job seeking attendee was given a wealth of information and resources to help them. Taking from this event, here are a few things you might want to consider when next attending a Job Fair.

The Resource Center created a web page detailing the event and the companies that would be participating. A lot of events do. This is a fabulous tool for research and preparation. If an event does not have a listing of which companies will be in attendance; call the organizer and ask. Knowing in advance who you want to target will let you more efficiently organize your preparation and how you want to spend the day of the event. You’ll be able to come up with some great questions, fine tune your résumé for companies you are specifically interested in and plan your day so you can spend sufficient time at the booths of the employers you really want to talk to.

Call or email ahead. If the event’s web page gives the names of who will be representing each company and their contact details, drop them an email saying you are looking forward to seeing them and ask if they would mind spending a few minutes with you. This will definitely show you are interested.

As mentioned above knowing who will be there will allow you to target your résumé. You might even want to have a couple of versions of your résumé aimed at specific employers highlighting the skill sets and experience you have relevant to their particular fields.

The job seekers that stood at out the most on Monday were those that clearly came prepared and gave the impression they were serious about finding a job. They came armed with copies of résumés and in some cases reference letters. Many were indeed dressed to impress. Definitely dress for the job you want. At the very least business casual (with more of a lean towards business) will serve you well. Be prepared for an on the spot interview. This will be the first time prospective employers are meeting you and they will make up their minds very quickly whether or not you will be a good ‘fit’ for their organization.

In short, be prepared. Do your research, learn about the organizations in attendance and determine who you want to talk to. If you want to go a little further, send thank you emails afterwards to the company representatives you met (be sure to get their business cards) and attach another copy of your résumé. Stay fresh in their minds.

Job Fairs offer great experience. If you don’t land the job you are looking for (or even if you are currently employed) you will gain valuable interview experience and you’ll stay current on what employers are looking for. Sign up for as many as you can. Be sure to attend next year’s Akwesasne International Job Fair. If this year’s event is anything to go by, 2013’s will be one you don’t want to miss.

The Follow-Up

The Follow Up

A number of people have contacted me over the last little while about whether or not they should follow up with an employer once they have submitted a resume in response to a job advertisement. In short – Yes!

There are a couple of tips that might help with your follow up and tell the hiring manager you are indeed serious about the job. There are also a couple of things you want to watch out for. Most definitely there is a ‘way’ to follow up.

A lot of job advertisements today state that only those being considered will be contacted for an interview. This is great for those who receive a call but what about those who don’t?  In some cases it is difficult to get back to every single applicant; especially when the advertisement results in dozens if not hundreds of applicants. Getting back to candidates is something I strive to improve upon. Well presented and well thought applications do receive a call-back even if it is to say ‘thank you – we will consider you for the next opening’. As I have mentioned before; hiring managers can recognize a targeted application and many will try to call the candidate either way.

If you are serious about a job and feel that you have submitted a ‘competitive’ application then you will want to follow up. Again; this will show you are serious about getting the job and you may just prompt the hiring manager to take a look at your resume again. If you haven’t been successful this will afford you the opportunity to ask why you didn’t get the job. If it’s a field you really want to get into you might want to ask what you are missing and what skill sets you can improve upon or what courses they recommend you take in order to be more successful next time. I know that the ultimate aim of an application is to get a job but not getting one can turn into a useful learning experience. Spending a few minutes on the phone with someone who regularly hires for that type of position is like speaking to a job coach or consultant for free. Take advantage of the time you get.

Give it a little time before following up. You can do this either by phone call or by email. I wouldn’t recommend just showing up. The people you want to see might be occupied or attending to other matters and will not be able to give you the time needed to discuss your particular application. Email works fine and most hiring managers will respond to a question about your application. Waiting at least a week before following up is acceptable. If doing so by email, a simple Dear Sir / Madam; followed by a couple of lines stating who you are and that you are curious about the status of your application is fine.

I received an email recently that went something along the lines of:  “Are you people still hiring? I applied a couple of days ago and I didn’t get a phone call.” Perhaps not the best way to approach a company as it might come across as a little unprofessional. How you apply for a job and how you follow up is an indication in the mind of the hiring manager how you might be as an employee.

Always follow up. Think of yourself as a salesperson selling product You! Good salespeople always follow up with prospects once they have submitted a bid or proposal. It shows the potential customer that they want their business.  Show you are interested and serious about getting the job. Be sure to allow the company a little time to review your application. Whether or not your application was successful, try to view the entire process as a learning experience and should you get to speak to the hiring manager, be sure to pick their brains clean! You’ll never know what valuable insight you will get.

Social Media and the Job Hunt

Social Media and the Job Hunt

When it comes to Social Media we immediately think of more entertainment focused sites like Facebook and Pinterest. What a lot of job hunters don’t know is how relevant various Social Media platforms can be in the employment hunting process. Indeed, a well rounded job search needs to incorporate a concerted and dedicated social media strategy.

LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com) is fast becoming not only a necessary job search tool but it is the perfect online networking platform. Think Facebook for business. Perhaps the easiest way to describe LinkedIn is as an online résumé with a built in capability allowing users to join industry and interest specific groups. Members can then post messages to other group followers and receive regular summaries of recent posts. Where hard or soft copy résumés are suggested to be no longer than 2 to 3 pages, you can fill your LinkedIn profile with a plethora of added details about past experience and education, interests and even books you are reading. Colleagues, business associates or clients can even add recommendations to your profile.

Recruiters have long seen the value of LinkedIn as a search tool and I doubt that many candidate searches begin without looking at LinkedIn as a primary step. Joining LinkedIn is free and while there is an option to pay a monthly fee for expanded access to various services, the basic membership can serve you well. Once you have joined and created your profile, be sure to add your LinkedIn address to the contact details section of your hard and soft copy résumé.

This morning I received my weekly update from ‘Ex Canadian Forces,’ one of the LinkedIn groups I’m a member of. Another member posted a message yesterday indicating that he just retired from the Forces as a Logistics Officer and is seeking civilian employment in the same field in or near the Ottawa region. I immediately contacted him, asked for his résumé and told him a colleague in Ottawa is frequently looking for Logistics and Distribution professionals for clients she works for. Within minutes we were communicating via email and shortly thereafter I forwarded his résumé on for him. We’ll have to see what happens but very quickly, through the networking capabilities of LinkedIn, his résumé was in the hands of a recruitment specialist working within the industry and city he is interested in.

It’s hard to watch television today and not see a presenter’s caption include a Twitter handle. Normally it is their name preceded by the @ sign. Most people tend to think, and with good reason, that Twitter.com is an online micro-blog allowing users to promote themselves in 140 characters or less or to tell the world where they are eating lunch! In many instances this is true. Recent experience however is showing that Twitter is fast becoming a popular job and candidate search resource. From a job seeker’s perspective what is interesting is both the Profile users create and the use of hashtags (#) placed before certain key words in Twitter updates. Recruiters are becoming increasingly proficient in searching for candidates within Twitter and will sift through Profiles and launch searches for various keywords relevant to the position they are hiring for. If you hashtag #Engineer in a tweet for example there is a possibility it will show up in the results of a recruiter’s search for an #Engineer. Like LinkedIn, Twitter is completely free and affords you not only the opportunity to promote yourself but it gives you the ability to follow a number of other users including corporate and agency recruiters posting openings they have.

Clearly job hunting today poses unique challenges and is not what it used to be. There is still a lot to be said for pounding the pavement and dropping résumés off but there is most definitely a shift occurring. Becoming familiar with how Social Media can enhance our job seeking efforts does take a little time but it is time well spent. Recruiters are spending more and more time in this ‘space’ and meeting them here can save a lot of pavement time.

View my LinkedIn profile at http://ca.LinkedIn.com/pub/john-parsons-ma/11/a00/760 and be sure to follow my Twitter account at @johnaparsons to get an idea of what these two platforms are all about. I look forward to connecting with you there.

Job Jumping and Other Questions

Job Jumping; Your Last Job and Other Questions

You’re sitting in the interview room feeling pretty good that you’ve made it this far in the hiring process for a job you really want. You look good; you’ve arrived with extra copies of your résumé and you’re feeling comfortable and confident. You’re then hit with a question that leaves you stumbling for the right answer and all of a sudden your confidence goes out the window.

Interviews can seem like interrogations especially when the interviewer starts drilling down into specifics about past employment. This is a purpose of the interview. In addition to wanting to meet you to see if there is a good fit between you and the organization, a hiring manager is looking for answers to questions that jump out from your résumé.

When reviewing résumés, recruiters will look at how long you’ve held previous jobs. How would you address the comment; “You’ve had a lot of jobs over the last couple of years.”? Far from being a casual observation, the recruiter is asking you to explain why you have jumped from job to job. There may be a legitimate reason for this but in the mind of a recruiter this could be a potential red flag. Is the candidate unable to hold a job for more than a few months? Are they looking at this opportunity as merely a stepping stone to get somewhere else? Are there underlying issues we don’t know about that might cause problems later on? If you feel that you have included a lot of jobs over a short time frame in your résumé, be ready to explain why.

A de rigueur question during interviews is why did you leave your last job or why are you considering leaving your current position? This is a tricky one. In many cases it’s because we are looking for better remuneration. But does applying for another job for more money make us appear as if we have no loyalty beyond a pay cheque? We might be leaving because we truly cannot stand our boss or co-workers. Does stating this indicate we might not be a team player? Let’s be honest. If we all had amazingly fantastic and well paid jobs, would we be looking to leave or would we have quit in the first place? Perhaps not. Think carefully how you answer this question. Not only will the recruiter want to hear something that ties into the company’s values and business objectives but they will want to see if there is a consistency between your answer and the answer of the person at your previous company they speak to when they call them for a reference. A standard question on most recruiter’s reference call templates is “Why did your name here leave your company?”

Whatever answers you provide to the above, be sure to never talk negatively about a previous employer or company. Hiring managers and recruiters will want to know that they are talking to a potential employee who will be able to exhibit a certain degree of professionalism, tact and discretion. I have heard candidates use profanity and drag previous employers’ names through the mud. This does not go down too well in an interview.

Interviews are used to validate who you are as an applicant and your past experience. Be ready to ‘defend’ and explain your résumé and answer with conviction and certainty.

The Résumé 101 Continued......

The Résumé 101. Cont…..

Late last year I was at Heathrow Airport just outside of London following a quick trip to visit family. As always I spent a fair amount of time shopping for items you can’t find in Canada – mostly food items (love the Fish and Chip Shop Curry Sauce). The ticket agent asked me to place my bag on the scale. Most airlines now are fairly strict when it comes to luggage weight, citing fuel costs (read cash grab!)

I thought I would be okay but the excess bottles of curry sauce clearly tipped me over the 20kg maximum allowed. I had a choice to remove certain items and give them to my aunt who was dropping me off but I knew that in a few weeks I’d be looking for something to dip my fries into. Out came the wallet and I paid the additional charge for excess baggage.

What does this have to do with résumé writing? Curry sauce – applying for a job?? A résumé is like your luggage. You have to carefully think about what you are including in it. Is it all necessary or are you wasting valuable space with unnecessary information?

The jury is out as to how long a résumé should be. Some believe it should be no more than one page in length while others feel 2 – 3 pages is acceptable. I believe that a two pages résumé is adequate.

Last week I suggested that a résumé is your first and only opportunity to make a significant and lasting impression. Your résumé will be what gets you (hopefully) to the interview stage. What is put in it needs to grab the attention of the reader and make them want to get to know you a little better. Thinking of your résumé like your luggage will help you trim down unnecessary and often irrelevant information leaving only space for what you really want the reader to know about you. Remember too that a hiring manager may have to review dozens of résumés for just one vacant position so you want to make sure you are detailing just the relevant and pertinent details about your experience.

Many résumés today contain an opening section entitled ‘Objective.’ This is far too frequently followed by 3-4 lines saying something along the lines of “Getting a job in your company where I can develop my skills.” Clearly sending your résumé to the company is an indication you are putting yourself forward as a candidate and the usual ‘Objective’ statement can perhaps be better served by a few bullet points highlighting significant or noteworthy accomplishments.

The work history you want to include in your résumé will depend on how much experience you have and how many jobs you have held. If you have been in the workforce for a number of years, a part-time job 15 or 20 years ago many not grab the reader’s attention as much as specific accomplishments from your previous or current employment. Focus on what will make the biggest impact.

Including volunteer experience shows that you are a well rounded person with a belief that it is important to give back to the community in some way. Including the 40 hours of required High School volunteer community service hours from 20 years ago might be considered a bit of a stretch. Unless there is recent and ongoing volunteer efforts to include you may again be better served focussing on current accomplishments.

Hiring managers will invariably always ask you for references to provide testimonials relating to your experience and ability to perform the job you are applying for. Most résumés today end with the line, ‘References provided upon request.’ If you do include this line be sure to have the references (either letters of full contact details) ready to provide immediately upon request. You’d be surprised by the number of applicants who after stating this do not in fact have the names of previous employers for the hiring manager to contact. Assuming that you will be asked for the names of past employers as a standard step in the hiring process perhaps replace this line with another detail about yourself instead such as a Linkedin address. What is Linkedin? We will be covering this shortly and why you might want to subscribe to this relatively new social networking community.

There is a lot more to cover in what makes a good résumé and over the next few weeks we will be drilling down into this subject a little more. In the meantime remember that a résumé is like your luggage. Space counts. It is valuable real estate and you want to ensure that every inch of it provides return on your résumé writing investment. Consider the job you are applying for and repeatedly ask if it speaks to the skill-sets the hiring manager is looking for.

The Phone Interview

The Phone Interview

Phone interviews are common today as a second step following résumé screening. They are used by the hiring manager to get to know you a little better and to dive deeper into your résumé and experience. More importantly however, the phone interview will make or break your chances of getting to the in-person interview.

Unlike the in-person interview however; the phone interview immediately puts you at a disadvantage. You never know when the call is going to come. You might be rushing around the house or just returning home carrying an armful of groceries when the HR manager from your dream company calls to ask you a few questions.

Always expect a phone interview. As much as you can, be prepared for it. This is the hiring manager’s chance to get clarification on aspects of your experience or to ask you questions relating to your education and qualifications. They will, therefore, ask you questions relating directly to what is on your résumé. Be sure to keep a copy of it near the phone so you are both ‘reading off the same page.’

A question asked to further stream candidates is salary expectation. Don’t be shocked if you are asked this over the phone. Try to do a little research into how much the company pays. If you are comfortable with the level of financial compensation, give a number in line with what you know they are offering. Asking for an amount far in excess of what they generally offer will potentially exclude you as a candidate.

If you’ve submitted résumés to various companies, expect that each time your phone rings for a hiring manager to be on the other end of the line. Answer the phone accordingly. Sound professional in your greeting and ensure there are no distractions such as a blaring stereo or television.

While we cannot see the face of who is at the other end of the line (unless they have asked to do the interview via Skype or Facetime!) we can definitely pick up on the other person’s enthusiasm. Sound as if you want the job and be convincing when answering questions. You will be asked why you left your last position; what type of position you are interested in; why you are applying to work at that particular company. Try to avoid answers such as “I’ll take whatever,” or “I’m desperate for a job right now to pay bills.” I hear this frequently. While such answers might point to the underlying truth of why you are applying for a position they are most definitely interview killers. Rehearse a few answers to the above questions that can be conveyed in one or two sentences.

To sound engaged, interested and confident try standing instead of sitting when on a phone interview. Smile when you talk and imagine that the person you are talking to is actually in front of you. That you have received a follow-up call is a great sign. Your résumé made it through the initial and perhaps second reading. The call shows that the company is interested in talking to you and now considers you a serious candidate.

Keeping you Résumé Current

Keep it Current

There is a truism in the world of academia that one needs to publish or perish. Graduate and specifically post-graduate students are expected to get their name out there and not only tell the world that they are subject matter experts but add to the general body of knowledge they are concerned with. This is accomplished through contributing to journals and periodicals and either teaching or speaking engagements.

What does this have to do with job hunting? Are there any lessons we can take from this? Most definitely. It’s all about keeping ourselves current and our skill sets and experience relevant to the job market today. A lot of us have been in the same position for the same employer for a number of years. We may have taken a lot of in-house; job-specific courses, but how much of that training is transferable to other employers? We all know people who were laid off or down sized after a lengthy career with one employer (various local examples we can point to) and suddenly forced into a position where they had to write resumes and start a job search after being out of the ‘game’ for a number of years.

Hiring managers will look at resumes and in the back of their mind keep asking themselves if there is anything in them that is relevant to the job they are hiring for even if they offer full training to learn the basics of the position. Relevancy does not necessarily mean related skills and experience but can point to an ability to learn and take on new challenges. It is easy to become somewhat complacent in a secure job that offers a steady and reliable pay cheque. We are all guilty of this. The worst position to then find oneself in is having to scramble and upgrade and become ready for change when change suddenly hits us one Monday morning.

How can we keep it current and show we can take on new challenges? Stay involved and keep up-grading skills. Be honest about skills and experiences you have and whether or not they would be transferable to another field or employer? Technology and business processes are changing with increasing rapidity. Our five, ten and or 20 year old resumes are expected to compete in this landscape.

There is an abundance of courses and training programs, available both on-line and in person we can look at taking. Many of these are free and a large number of them are offered within our own community at various government funded agencies. There are a number of associations we can look at joining. I mentioned Linkedin recently. Linkedin offers dozens of associations and groups you can join and participate in. Such involvement can definitely be included in a resume.

Keeping current by taking training. Joining groups and associations allows us to constantly refresh our resumes and ourselves as candidates. If we look at our resume as a weapon in the fight for a job we really want, we need to be better armed than our opponents; i.e. other candidates.

Stay current. Think of your resume as a work in progress; something you are constantly polishing and upgrading. Don’t let it gather dust. Not only are you investing in yourself but you are nurturing the one thing that will get your foot in the door.

The Résumé 101

The Résumé. 101

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We’ve all heard this and never has it been truer than when it comes to your résumé. Psychologists suggest that we form conclusions about someone within seconds of meeting them for the first time. Recruiters or hiring managers will also come to similarly quick conclusions about you from your résumé: how it is presented, the format, and content. Over the next few columns we’ll be looking at the résumé and offering tips and suggestions to help it get onto the “For Consideration” pile.

So what exactly is a résumé? Wikipedia’s definition suggests; “…The résumé is usually one of the first items... that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants…”

Two things jump out here. It is usually the first item an employer encounters and it is used to screen applicants. Rather than just a laundry list then of what we have done in the past and what qualifications we have; a résumé has a significant purpose and value. It is our first chance to impress and something that makes a hiring manager decide whether or not they want to meet that applicant. It should be a teaser showing off what a great candidate you are. In other words, it is an opportunity not to be wasted.

So how should we present our résumé? How should it look? If you are delivering or mailing a résumé (not so many are mailed today but a significant amount are hand delivered) ensure it is on a fresh, clean piece of paper. You would be surprised by the number I receive that are crumpled, dirty or torn. One received last week even came with a large stain across the list of previous employers! We do not need to stand out and deliver a résumé on neon yellow paper or paper with a flowery border (see a lot of these too). A fresh, clean piece of white 8.5 by 11 crisply folded in a suitable envelope will do nicely. The job that the stained résumé was sent in for requires significant attention to detail. What does that résumé tell me about that person? What kind of attention or seriousness will that candidate apply to the job if the résumé was considered acceptable in that condition?

Résumés should be updated as often as needed to include new details about ourselves or recent accomplishments. This is true for address and contact information. If you have moved since writing your résumé, ensure the new address is typed and not scratched out and updated in pen or pencil. I see this frequently. Again, when hiring for a position that requires attention to detail and presentation how would an applicant be considered if they scratched out old information and quickly wrote updates across the page? A candidate may be perfectly qualified for the position but there is a very good chance he or she will be overlooked. Many of us have personal computers and for those that don’t there are a number of local resources that provide computer and printing facilities.

When preparing a résumé, aside from the content of it, be sure to ask yourself whether the overall condition and presentation of it conveys to the hiring manager the person you want to be seen as. Does the presentation of your résumé show that you have thoughtfully considered the position you are applying for and are a serious candidate? There is no difference between applying for an entry-level position or one that requires years of experience and training. The objective is to get the résumé onto the “For Consideration” pile. Don’t let stains or scribbled updates obscure your suitability for the position and condemn your application to the “Other” pile.

Perhaps an old analogy will help here. A carpenter was looking for an apprentice and called three potential applicants to his workshop. He didn’t say anything to any of them but gave each a handful of nails. He then began to explain what kind of job he was offering and showed them around his shop. At the end of the tour he asked them to hold out their hand holding the nails. The first two opened their fists and presented him with the jumbled pile of nails he had just given them. The third held his arm out and sticking out from his hand were the nails, neatly bundled with the heads all sticking up in the same direction. Guess who he hired to train?

Next week we’ll start looking at the content of the résumé – specifically what to include to really get the point across that we want the job and are qualified for it.