3/26/14 Before the job interview: What you need to know

  • By Nick Sabo
  • March 27, 2014
  • 388
                        
SUMMARY: A clean resume, good interview skills can increase your chances of landing a job With the second lowest unemployment rate in the state, Holmes County is a good place to start a job search. Don’t let a sloppy resume or poor interview skills be the biggest hurdle to getting a job. Betty Patterson, owner of Patterson Personnel, an independent recruiting firm located in Millersburg, said the preparations you make going into an interview are just as important as the interview itself. Dress for the occasion. Employers expect their workers to keep up their appearance in a manner consistent with the job. When going in to an interview, don’t let casual clothes sink your chances. “Leave the t-shirts and sweaters with the funny stuff on them at home,” Patterson said. “You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy new clothes. Just dress in something that is conservative and neat, something that the company would not be embarrassed for an employee to wear when they come in for work.” Do a little research on the company. Before going in for an interview, find out everything you can about the company - what they do, what products they offer. If the company has recently been recognized in their industry or has received an award, bring it up during the interview, Patterson said. It shows you are interested in becoming part of the team. “You should know a little about what they do,” Patterson said. “If you are interested, tell them. If you’re interested in the product, tell them that’s why you’d like to work there.” Don’t lie. If you have a felonious past, it’s best to bring it up right away and deal with it up front. “If there is a problem issue in your background, it is better for the employer to hear it from you with a good explanation - for example, I had a conviction for drug possession in 2010, but I’ve been clean ever since - than to hear it from someone else,” Patterson said. “Almost all companies do background checks now, and a problem is better explained up front then justifying it later.” Make eye contact. A roaming gaze may send the wrong message, Patterson said. “Look the interviewer in the eye,” Patterson said. “If you’re looking all around the room, even if it’s just because you’re nervous, it looks like you have something to hide.” Make sure you are right for the job. If you see a posting for a plant manager job and you have no related education or experience, but would like to work for that company, it is okay to send a resume. However, communicate that while you don’t have the experience, express interest in the company and state that you would like to be considered for any position that fits your qualifications.
“A big turnoff for me is people who ran a pizza shop applying for a plant manager position that requires heat treating experience,” Patterson said. “I don’t want to downgrade anyone, but it hurts the candidate if they apply for something for which they are obviously not qualified for.” Patterson recommends the following tips when preparing a resume: Show current name/contact information at top, preferably in bold print. Many companies will respond only to email or online resumes – so give email info if available. Use white or ivory paper. Avoid wild colors. Borders only detract from the real information. Any personal comments should be kept to minimum.   It’s OK to include something like  “Leadership role with Boy Scouts, or, Participated in church mission trip to Harlem”, but keep it simple and confined to something that would show leadership or social responsibility. If you have been out of high school for 10 years, don’t list that you were a cheerleader.  Who cares? You can either list references, or have a separate listing of references. List names, contact info, and relationship – i.e, former employer, co worker, etc.  DON’T give relatives as references and provide phone numbers. Up until recently, the suggested format was always to show an objective at the top.     More recently it is suggested that your show skill set at top. Either is acceptable, Patterson said. Showing objective can narrow the possibilities; i.e., writing “To  obtain a position in a CNC Machining operation”. Skill set should be something such as :  Experienced (or proficient) in Microsoft products, Word, Excel, Access. Other good examples would include such statements as: Good mechanical skills….Trained in Lean Mfg, Six Sigma; five years experience in customer service. Basically, it should be a few sentences about what you would bring to the table. If you are a recent graduate, things such as “Perfect attendance last year of high school, National Honor Society”, could be helpful. If education is within last seven years, it should follow next.  Don’t exaggerate - if you didn’t graduate from high school, don’t say so. Write, attended West Holmes High School, for example. Of course, any post high school education or specialized training should be listed. If education was longer ago than that, list it near end of resume. List previous employment starting with more recent and working backward. This is important. If your first job was in 2012, and you list it first, the employer may think you have been unemployed since then. It is helpful to show the reason for leaving, such as the company downsized, that you’ve returned to school, or the company moved production. A brief description of what you did is also good. There was a one page resume fad a few years ago.  This is fine for a kid right out of high school, but if you have worked for 10 years, it is difficult to get it on one page and give ample information. However, a two page resume is usually sufficient. Don’t ramble, and leave off very personal information such as marital status, number of kids, and pets. Employers are interested in what you can do for them, and want to see information relating to that.


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