Well, its that time again. Time to prepare yourself for the journey that lies ahead. It can be a little scary, but with the proper preparation you will do much better. Below are some general tips to get your focus on track. With a few interviews you'll be on your way! Help your Résumé win the attention it deserves by (after Tweeting your Résumé ) by following these up-to-date tips from industry insiders.
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5 Job Fair Interview Tips To Remember
Do Your Homework. Do some research on the companies that will be attending so you have an idea of what they are looking for and how you can bring value to their organization.
Watch Your Nonverbal Communication. The way you carry yourself, use your eyes and use your body language will tell an employer a lot about your character. Remember to carry yourself with confidence and integrity.
Don't Exaggerate Or Lie. Remember that many cases of your work history are only a phone call or a Google search away. Be prepared to back up any statements you make to recruiters at the job fair.
Emphasize The Positive. No matter your previous work situation, or the current environment, be sure to steer your conversation into a positive light. What you CAN do, what you HAVE done and what is possible with your skill sets are a great place to start.
Wait For An Offer To Bring Up Salary. You will want to stay away from pay on the first conversation. While this is an important factor, keep the conversations on your value and getting the job offer, or the 2nd interview. Then come in and ask about pay.
The Interview After the Tweeted Résumé
You may have heard the horror stories--job hunters who take phone calls or text during an interview, or bring out a sandwich and start chomping, or brush their hair, or worse. You wouldn't do any of those things, would you? Of course not. But there are tons of other job interview no-no's you may not have thought of. Or that you've forgotten. The job hunting trail is long and arduous, and a little refresher course can't hurt. So for your edification and enjoyment, here are 50 (yes, 50!) of the worst and most common job interview mistakes:
1. Arriving late.
2. Arriving too early.
3. Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette.
4. Bad-mouthing your last boss.
5. Lying about your skills/experience/knowledge.
6. Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes.
7. Forgetting the name of the person you're interviewing with.
8. Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave.
9. Wearing sunglasses.
10. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece.
11. Failing to research the employer in advance.
12. Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm.
13. Inquiring about benefits too soon.
14. Talking about salary requirements too soon.
15. Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question.
16. Failing to make a strong case for why you are the best person for this job.
17. Forgetting to bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio.
18. Failing to remember what you wrote on your own resume.
19. Asking too many questions.
20. Asking no questions at all.
21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions.
22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying.
23. Talking more than half the time.
24. Interrupting your interviewer.
25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer.
26. Yawning.
27. Slouching.
28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother.
29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair.
30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lip-smacking.
31. Saying "you know," "like," "I guess," and "um."
32. Name-dropping or bragging or sounding like a know-it-all.
33. Asking to use the bathroom.
34. Being falsely or exaggeratedly modest.
35. Shaking hands too weakly, or too firmly.
36. Failing to make eye contact (or making continuous eye contact).
37. Taking a seat before your interviewer does.
38. Becoming angry or defensive.
39. Complaining that you were kept waiting.
40. Complaining about anything!
41. Speaking rudely to the receptionist.
42. Letting your nervousness show.
43. Overexplaining why you lost your last job.
44. Being too familiar and jokey.
45. Sounding desperate.
46. Checking the time.
47. Oversharing.
48. Sounding rehearsed.
49. Leaving your cell phone on.
50. Failing to ask for the job.
Twitter Users Top Of The Pile For Job Interviews - 1st July 2010
Jobseekers must improve their CVs by making them more interesting, getting their point across quicker and broadening their range of vocabulary according to a new survey which revealed Twitter users write better résumés and are more likely to be shortlisted for jobs.
MyJobGroup.co.uk (www.MyJobGroup.co.uk), which boasts over 300 regional jobsites across the UK, and is the largest network of regional job boards, analysed 500 CVs from UK-based jobseekers and found repetition abound.
One-third (37%) used exactly the same opening phrase; while the three most popular first-line words are 'experience' (27.1%), 'skills' (23.2%) and, ironically, 'individual' (22.6%).
The company believes jobseekers who use Twitter are more likely to be shortlisted because they write interesting, eye-catching and succinct CV summaries which appeals to recruiters.
It is a view Professor Cary Cooper CBE, Distinguished Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health, Lancaster University Management School, agrees with. He said: "When reviewing CVs for the first time, employers may only ever see candidates' short summaries, so a jobseeker with a standard, dull or uninteresting personal synopsis is less likely to be shortlisted.
"If you have an original and interesting personal summary, you are more likely to catch the eye of the person reviewing the CVs, so you are more likely to make the shortlist and hence stand a better chance of landing the job you've applied for.
"Candidates who are innovative and novel in their use of language and identify themselves in a non-formulaic way are more likely to be people who use Twitter, or have their own blog. If you use telegraphic forms of communication already then your CV - and certainly your CV summary - is more likely to be snappy, interesting and, ultimately, attention-grabbing.
"Twitter users more readily think about, and use, clever key words and they're probably more expressive in an abridged style - the art of 'getting to the point' is not lost on people who Tweet."
Lee Fayer, Managing Director at MyJobGroup.co.uk, said: "CV writing is an art and with so many jobseekers hunting fewer roles, employment chances are improved with a well-written résumés.
"Like any first impression, those first few lines are crucial, so an interesting and memorable professional summary is key - people used to Tweeting do this better than most as they are regularly summarising longer prose into sharp, interesting copy."
Professor Cooper concluded: "The important thing is to think about how many people are actively looking for jobs at the moment - demand is significantly outstripping supply so in a highly competitive environment jobseekers need to create immediate recognition. The ones who do it best are more likely to be shortlisted and hence stand a better overall chance of landing a job."
The research also shows the average British CV uses a total of 607 words (4,255 characters) and the typical length of a professional summary is 125 characters, or 19 words, so the company has launched a Twitter competition to find the best 140-character CVs.
An iPad is up for grabs for the person who Tweets the best 140-character CV, either their own professional summary, or a spoof celebrity one of their choosing - to enter, see www.MyJobGroup.co.uk/TwiCV
Research Findings
The top ten most popular first words on a CV are:
1. I am, I'm..." 37.9%
2. "A highly/highly..." 6.9%
3. "I have..." 5.6%
4. "Hard working..." 5.2%
5. "Experienced..." 4.9%
6. "Confident..." 2.9%
7. "I consider myself..." 2.6%
8. "Enthusiastic..." 2.6%
9. "Self-motivated..." 2.6%
10. "A motivated: 7 2.3%
11. Other 26.5%
Source: MyJobGroup.co.uk
Professor Cooper added: "The use of 'I' this and 'I am' that on a CV is not a smart move, most notably because it doesn't position the candidate as a team player."
The top ten* most popular words used on a CV summary are:
1. Experience 27.1%
2. Skills 23.2%
3. Individual 22.6%
4. Person 17.3%
5. Team 13.4%
6. Years 13.1%
7. Well 12.7%
8. Enthusiastic 12.4%
10. Communication 11.8%
11. Motivate 11.8%
*The words 'work', 'working' and 'worked' were removed from this sample
Source: MyJobGroup.co.uk
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