Archive for May 2018

Round out your skillset. There are hundreds of online courses available from Oxford, Harvard ManageMentor and others through iTunes or their own subscription service. Most of these take just a few hours to complete and can help round out any knowledge gaps on your resume before an interview. Look at keywords in the job posting and search for online courses that address them. Then complete the courses and talk about the training if the topic comes up. This will show that you are willing to go the extra mile, educate yourself on topics important to your position, and open to continuing education once you’re on the job.

Read. Then read more. Of course you’ll do research on the company before your interview, but it shouldn’t stop there. Come prepared with what the company says about itself, what the industry says about them, what their competition is doing, and industry news and advances. The company you’re interviewing with is full of people that know what they do. That information alone will make you seem prepared, but not an asset. When you come to the interview looking and sounding like an expert in your field, it will take you much farther than just knowing a mission statement.

Plan for no. ‘’The first thing to decide before walking into any negotiation is what to do if the other fellow says no.” This is a famous quote by British statesman Ernest Bevin and it’s just as applicable to job interviews as it is for negotiations. Plan what your next move would be if you don’t get the job. Don’t expect a no, but plan for one. This will make you more confident and comfortable in the interview. Of course you want the position, but acting like you need it can make you seem like a less desirable candidate and put you in a poor position when negotiating salary and benefits.