Interviewing and your resume - prepare or dare!

While interviewing is very important you need to ask yourself three questions.

1. Can you sell yourself with confidence and enthusiasm?
2. Have you done your homework and identified the company strengths and how you will fit into the organization?
3. Are you qualified or just want a job?

Let's explain each question:

1.  Do you understand the mission of the company? If you are confident in yourself, and enthusiastic about ethical work requirements, do you drive that message home? You cannot fake what you don't know and if you try you will be relegated to the bottom of the pile.
2. Inquire from within and outside the company just who you will be working with and for what. Get all the information you can about the company before the interview as you most certainly will  be asked what you know about the company. Ask pertinent questions when appropriate as this is not time to be uninformed. Listen and direct your questions and answers after you have enough information to intelligently join the conversation.
3. Qualifications play a major part of the interview. You may believe you are qualified, but what gives you the notion that you can do the job. Interviewers have little time for small talk. Be prepared to sell yourself to a team or interviewer who is attempting to fill the job with a qualified person and one who will fit in with co-workers and colleagues.

Personality, integrity, honesty, capabilities, abilities are some of what you will be questioned about and you must be on your best behavior. Stress related and crisis issues are often on the agenda and you will be asked how you would handle these.

Be honest in your responses as interviewers will most definitely identify your weaknesses in those areas. If you are nervous, let the interviewer know you as a humble soul and real. Now is the time to let your anxiety show. You can only be seen as someone who is direct and honest.

One very strong indicator of your preparedness for the job is a recent resume, one that talks about your work life with enthusiasm. Long tirades about how wonderful you are will draw a yawn and a polite thank you, but you are not the one. Interviewers are looking for a resume that identifies you as a person who needs little coaching and training. Scrutinize your resume and think of it as a sleeper or an active piece of information about you. Remember that most of the time you are among many who applied for this job. The best marketing tool is YOU. Don't wait for interviewers to offer you the job, compete for it.

First impressions are sometimes one of the check marks that interviewers see, so do not show up late or in your latest designer clothing. If you are comfortable and not pretentious, you will score higher than if you pretend to be someone you are not.

Do not dare your interviewers to find the qualities you possess by being unprepared.

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Gloria M. Reiske is an MSW, LCSW with more than thirty years experience in education, Administration, social work, and coaching. She has authored many articles and is published in local media, having written a men and grief manual for training purposes throughout Virginia and an article for children and grief.

Gloriareiskelcswblogspot.com
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