Archive for December 2017

Get advice from a hiring pro If you have a friend or family member who is responsible for hiring new employees, ask them to look over your resume. They’ll be able to tell you what questions they would ask you during an interview and highlight any concerning spots or missing information. Even if they aren’t in your field, they’ll be able to offer advice from the perspective of a hiring manager and help you see yourself from the position of your potential employer. Ask if they’d be willing to do a practice interview to help you prepare answers to any potentially tricky questions. Send them the thank you note that you’d typically send after an interview and they can critique that too!

Don’t jeopardize your current role Interviewing for a new job can involve a lot of interviews, phone calls and distractions. If you’re already in a position, you could be asking for trouble if you’re current employer finds out you’re looking for a change. To avoid any red flags, tell your potential new employer about your situation. Ask them if email will work for communication, instead of phone calls. If you need to meet face-to-face, ask if they could set up a time before work, or after hours. This will draw less suspicion than long-lunch breaks or suddenly frequent “doctors appointments.” If you need to do multiple interviews, ask if they can all be scheduled in a single day and take the day off your current job to take care of them. You don’t want to hurt your position at a current job hoping for a new one. Luckily, most potential employers will do their best to understand and accommodate.

Ask about next steps Whether your interview is over the phone or in person, make sure to ask about the next steps in the process. This will give you peace of mind and show the interviewer you are forward thinking and serious about the opportunity. Over the phone, ask if an in-person interview will be the next step and who you’ll be meeting with at that time. If your interview is in person, ask what their process looks like moving forward and if you should expect another interview before a decision is made. Send a short thank you note after any in person interview, but avoid the temptation to call or email. You want to wait for them to contact you, so as not to seem desperate.

Put in prep for a phone interview A lot of employers use phone interviews to speak with candidates initially. You want to put just as much preparation into a phone interview as you would a face-to-face meeting. Do research on the company ahead of time, have a list of your accomplishments and your resume in front of you, and make sure there’s a pen and paper handy for notes. Try to use a land line if possible to avoid dropped calls, but if you are calling in on a cell phone, make sure to turn your volume off and Do Not Disturb on. You don’t want to be competing with notifications during your interview.