How To Put Your Best Foot Forward In A Job Interview

Posted on by November 24, 2015

Image found on serverlogic. com

Going on a job interview is nerve-wracking, especially going in unprepared. The key to a confident, successful interview? You can start by preparing yourself for your interview by using my tips below, listed in order of succession.

  1. You have submitted your resume to different companies through your local job board or through a recruiter and one of the hiring managers is calling to schedule an interview. When that call comes, (or email), take care to respond promptly and professionally. Before you end the call or send the email, now is the time to ask for the company’s name and web-site. You should also ask for the names of the people that you will be meeting with so you go into the interview knowing who you will be talking to. Speak confidently and be flexible to the hiring manager’s needs on when the interview is to be set.
  2. Your interview is scheduled, it is time to do your homework. Put the company’s name into your local search engine to get some background on who you could potentially be working for. In good standing with the Better Business Bureau? Secretary of State? Any online bad reviews? You should then go to the company’s web-site and fully educate yourself on the vision and the product of the company you will be working for. The quickest way for an interview to go badly is to not know anything of the company that is thinking of hiring you. You also need to see how you can enhance the company’s vision and what skills that you have to offer.
  3. Now that you have done your homework on the company and you are prepared for the hiring manager’s questions on your thoughts on the company, now it is time to think of some of the top questions that you could get asked. The top one is “tell me a little about yourself”; make sure your answer is humble but strong, you are selling yourself with this answer. Another one is “how did you hear about this position”; you need to know this answer so they know you are in control of your career and that you are not posting your resume everywhere for anyone to give you a chance. “Why should we hire you”; this is another question where you should be humble yet strong. “Tell me about a mistake you have made in the past”; you’ve had one, we’ve all had one and to not admit it shows that you don’t see your flaws. Be honest but make sure you have an answer on how you corrected it. “Why did you leave your last position, (or why are you leaving your current position)”; be honest in what you are looking for and why the last company could not lead you there.
  4. On the day of the interview, you have fully prepared so you should easily be able to walk in confident and ready. Be well groomed, well dressed, and walk in with a smile. Make sure your handshake is firm and that you make eye contact with everyone you meet, even the receptionist. These could be your future co-workers so you want to greet all that you meet with a smile and a hello!

With these tips, I hope you feel comfortable and confident in garnering a job offer. I wish you the best in your future endeavors!  You can also follow our interview tips and opt into our email course for advice and guidance. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written By: Carrie Thomas

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

How To Get The Job Of Your Dreams In 4 Weekends

Posted on by September 30, 2015

Weekends are for relaxing but also for setting your career goals. Wouldn’t you like to start a new career path, one that is financially and emotionally rewarding, and do so in only 4 weekends?

While your To Do list may be a mile long, this exercise will not take long and has the potential to enhance and improve your career. Just follow these steps and only invest about an hour or less per weekend. See my tips below.

  1. Weekend One. This weekend will ease you into getting motivated to make a career change. The only thing you have to do is daydream. That’s right, let your mind wander. This is not a time for planning so just concentrate on what you really want and not how to get there. Daydream about where you want to be in your career in five years. This important step is planting the seeds so your subconscious will do a big chunk of the work for you over the next week. Go ahead and jot down some notes on where your mind took you; this is the only exercise for Weekend One so you are free to go and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
  2. Weekend Two. Pull out your notes from last weekend and review. Then jot down some additional notes that your brain has formulated over the past week. Determine from these notes what job title that you are interested in pursuing. Is it Sales? Clinical Research Associate? Accountant? Write this title down then perform Internet research on what you can expect from your title. Glassdoor.com is a great resource as this will give you an idea of the salary you can expect to receive in this position, based off your location. Once you put in your title and location, you can view jobs, companies and their reviews, as well as salaries, under the tabs at the top. You will want to view job postings online as well as this will give you an idea of the skills and education that this title will require. Once you have obtained the information of the salary that you can expect and the skills and education that you will need to have, write down this information and you are complete for Weekend Two.
  3. Weekend Three. It is now the 3rd weekend, you are almost complete in paving your way to your dream job! Pull out all of your notes and get organized. On a clean page, outline your plan, (this is your Action Plan). At the top center of the 1st page, write down the title that you are looking to have. List the skills next, starting on the left margin and the salary that you hope to achieve. Then list the education that you need to have. You now have a plan in place, with a clear view on how to reach your goal. Weekend Three is now complete.
  4. Weekend Four. Now that you are at the final weekend, now it is time to execute your plan! Pull out your notebook and review the education section of your Action Plan. Go online and start looking at local colleges or online courses to review the courses needed to get to your education goals. Write these down and sign up for your first courses today; why stop now?

Although at Weekend One, I referenced a five year plan, I guarantee that you will have your dream job much sooner, depending on how quickly you can finish your education requirements. You can also look into entry level jobs that will pave the foundation of the title you are seeking to have. Staying organized is the key when growing into a new career so make sure you do not abandon your Action Plan. Review and add to your Action Plan once a month. I use an Excel document to keep my goals aligned but there are multiple organizational programs that you can use; you will be amazed at how it will keep you on the right track.

You are well on your way to obtaining your dream job, great work! I wish you the very best in career success!

You can also follow our job search tips and opt into our email course for advice and guidance. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and “Like” us on Facebook!

Written by: Carrie Thomas

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Aaaah! Halloween Candy is Everywhere. My Diet is Doomed!

Posted on by August 19, 2015

Halloween can be so much fun, but if you’re trying to eat and stay healthy, resisting the candy can be a beast, especially if you’re hosting (or going to) a Halloween party.

Check out 64 Non-Candy Halloween Snack Ideas. Some are healthier than others, so just in case you don’t want to be that healthy, there are some here you can enjoy as well.

www.listotic.com

www.listotic.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you give in to the temptation of Halloween candy that’s insidiously everywhere anyway? Life is all about balance. Head out and exercise a bit to work it off.

Trying to find balance in other areas of your life as well? Is there too much work and not enough time for the rest of life? Read our article The Pros and Cons of Being An Independent Consultant to see if becoming an Independent Consultant is the answer to your dilemma.

Check out our interview tips and  job search tips, and be sure to opt into our email marketing campaign for additional information. You can also follow us on Pinterest, and Like us on Facebook!

Wishing you health, happiness, and a fantastic Halloween season!

Written by: Malaika Pickell

Investing in a Lifetime of Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you considering a career change? We are niche clinical research associate recruiters! Sign up for our Job Seeker email course which provides valuable insight into how to become more competitive in the marketplace.

Tips To Pre-Qualify Applicants Before The Interview

Posted on by September 30, 2015

In this day and age, every minute is valuable and in the role of a hiring manager, there is never enough time in the day. When an applicant applies to an opportunity, the hiring manager has many other applicants to review; how is one going to find the time to review each applicant’s information? Here are some suggestions before scheduling interviews that will help you in finding a great fit to your team.

  1. Review the grammar via the communication method they reached out. When an applicant applies via an online portal or email, reviewing the grammar is the first step. If you have an individual that has bad grammar, that is your first sign that the applicant is not qualified for the job opportunity. Having proper grammar is important in any industry and if the applicant did not check their grammar or spelling then how focused or attention to detail oriented will they be in the job they are applying for?
  2. Review their resume and pay attentions to the tasks on the resume. The second steps that you want to take if the candidate passed Step One is to review the resume and the tasks on the resume. You want to check job tenure as if the candidate is a job hopper, why waste valuable time training someone when they won’t be with you for a long period of time, or worse, take your training to a competitor? Also, there are many times when applicants will change or tweak one’s title to get the chance for an interview but will not have the experience of the job requirements. Reviewing the tasks is such an important part of prequalifying any applicant as it will provide the hiring manager not only basic skill set information on the applicant but their resume will also outline if they meet the job requirements or possess the skills from their past experience that can be parallel to the job opportunity.
  3. Create a prequalification questionnaire to screen the applicant. The third step is to finish the prequalification process is by creating a questionnaire or screening questions to determine if the applicant meets not only the job requirements but also fall within the logistics of the job opportunity. One will send the questionnaire to the applicant with specific questions that align with the opportunity. By creating the questionnaire, the information given by the applicant will provide the hiring manager the data that will help them make the decision whether or not to schedule an interview with the applicant. The questionnaire can have questions regarding certain logistics such as salary / hourly requirements, experience in the industry, along with any restrictions that the applicant may have. This data will allow the hiring manager to eliminate applicants that are not qualified for the position or do not meet the requirements of the job. An example of this scenario could be that if it is a high travel job; ask the question on your form what the candidate’s travel restrictions are. This will save time and money for the hiring manager and only focus on the applicants that meet the prequalification of the opportunity before scheduling an interview.

With these time-saving tips, you will get the right candidate in the door. After all, who has the time to interview hundreds of different candidates?  Be sure to check out our hiring manager tips for advice to guide you and help keep you on track. Also, you can opt into our email course for additional advice.  You can also follow us on Pinterest and Like us on Facebook!

Written by: Natalie Prigge

Dedicated to Every Client’s Success,

Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
Facebook

Are you ever involved with the hiring process? If so, sign up for our Hiring Manager email course which focuses on how to attract and hire the highest quality candidates.