This is my first blog for Biocareers.com in over a year, and it is good to be back.
I wanted to cover the topic of interview preparedness today. In March I am conducting a webinar on how to interview well, and I will expand on what I write here, but I wanted this to serve as an introduction to the topic.
Interviewing is one of those things that we typically don’t practice, so we don’t get a lot of experience doing it. The default behavior of job seekers is to “wing it”, which is actually doing more damage to your prospects in landing the position.
Winging it is another way of saying you are clueless, disinterested, or lazy to the hiring authority. Honestly, nobody cares if you’re shy, introverted, or nervous around people. What they do care about is the fact you showed up unprepared and wasted their time. If you want to hear “don’t call us, we’ll call you”, then by all means, that’s how you do it.
TRUE STORY: I have been put in charge of interviewing and pre-screening of candidates for many companies. I have seen everything from candidates having NO clue what my clients did, to them not bringing a pen and legal pad to a SECOND interview. I have seen both behaviors exhibited by the same person (pause while I bang my head on my desk).
I don’t know what job seekers expect to happen when they do this, but it’s never good. Hear me on this, there will always be more people chasing opportunities than there are opportunities to be had, so you have to be better.
Of course I want you to dress well and present well, but I have to stress the basics – always bring some copies of your CV, and always do research on the company and have questions before you walk in, that’s easy.
But how about doing something better – instead of handing them your CV right away, how about waiting until the end of the interview, and hand it over with notes and annotations, highlighting something specific in your background that meets a need they brought up during the interview?
Instead of just researching their company, how about studying the industry as a whole, and have a take on where everything is going? This way you look like an asset. Employers value people who know what is going on, and that is one way to show it.
We’ll talk more during the webinar. Thanks so much for the support and having me back.
Until next time, I wish you all the best.
Coach Tom
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Thomas Patrick Chuna is a certified Five O’Clock Club job search coach. NEW! Special Offer for Biocareers.com members! – Check out the Five O’clock Club ad on the “Career Tools” page.
The Five O’Clock Club is a nationally recognized outplacement firm with a proven job search methodology that helps job seekers get better jobs faster.
The Five O’Clock Club also provides affordable, humane outplacement services to companies who care about the well being of their employees.
Learn more: http://www.fiveoclockclub.com linkedin.com/in/patrickinternational
