When Interviewing, Preparation is Key

Interviewing for an internship or job opening can be a daunting and nerve-racking task. Meeting someone who can decide your future is something everyone of us has gone through and interviewing is a key part of the process to landing a job or internship. How you perform in the interview is important but so is the preparation.

Most hiring managers want candidates that can be well-prepared and willing to go the extra mile even if it is just in the interview stages. Those who take the time to show the hiring manager that he or she can prepare can always use that to stand out from other candidates. It shows commitment, dedication and a willingness to learn, which are all traits most hiring managers desire in candidates.

When speaking with most hiring managers, it is surprising how many stories each one has about candidates who simply do not prepare much for the interview. During my time in the broadcast industry, I came across several managers who interviewed internship candidates who knew nothing about the radio or television station he or she worked at. When talking with these hiring managers, I usually garnered at least one or two stories about someone who didn't know who the morning show hosts were, who was on the air during the afternoon or would mention people who were no longer affiliated with the station as on-air personalities. In all of these cases, this showed a lack of effort on the part of the person being interviewed.

Before going into an interview, make sure to ask yourself this question:

"What do I need to know about this company to prove to the hiring manager I can grow his or her business?"

By asking yourself this question, you should be able to come up with several areas for research. With the help of the Internet, it is easy to find out information about the company and in most cases, most of the information you need will be through the company web-site. By taking the time to do your homework, you will have the information needed to prove to the hiring manager you can grow his or her business and be the candidate that person will need for the position.

The Importance of Saying Thank You

Whether you are a college student interviewing for an internship or a seasoned professional interviewing for a job, one of the most important aspects of interviewing is taking time to say thank you. The person you are interviewing with is taking time out of his or her day to learn about you, how you can help his or her business and possibly provide you with experience you will need in your career. Not saying thank you for this opportunity could be costly and can eliminate you from future opportunities.

When internships or job candidates do not say thank you for the interview, it often frowned upon and could eliminate you from contention. This person is taking time out of his or her day to sit down with you and not taking the time to say thank you can turn him or her off from wanting to hire you. The person interviewing you did not have to bring you in for an interview in the first place so not saying thank you can leave a bad impression.

After you interview, make it a habit to send a hand-written thank you note and an e-mail (if you have it) to thank the person for his or her time. Not many candidates take time to say thank you so sending a hand-written note (or typed) will set you apart from most other candidates. This will show the person you interviewed with that you do care, you are interested and you were grateful for the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation. This shows you are willing to take the extra effort to thank someone for his or her time and can put you in a positive light.

Even though it might seem tedious, taking the time to say thank you is important in the interview process. If someone is taking time out of his or her day to discuss a possible internship or position with you, it's important you show your gratitude and appreciation. Taking a few moments to write a note will show this person you care about the opportunity and can set you apart from other candidates. Take the time to say thank you and it can help land you in the right spot later on.

The Resume; The Key To Getting Your Foot in the Door

On a daily basis, hiring managers are often forced to sift through hundreds of resumes in a short amount of time. With little time to spare, hiring managers have to decide quickly who will get the phone calls for interviews and put the other resumes in the trash. Being able to keep your resume from hitting the trash can will mean the difference between getting your foot in the door and possibly getting a job.

In order to have a resume that stands out, you don't have to resort to goofy tactics or gimmicks to catch the attention of the hiring manager. Some people have resorted to sending balloons, wild animals (no joke), and even printing their resumes on different colored paper to get them to stand out (anyone remember the resume Reese Witherspoon had in the movie Legally Blonde?). Having the right content is what will get your resume noticed and help get your foot in the door for the interview.

With great content, your resume has a better chance of catching the attention of the hiring manager when he or she is going through lots of resumes in a short amount of time. Below are some tips on how you can tailor the content of your resume to make sure the hiring manager considers you to be a candidate for a position:

1) Keep your content concise and to the point- having lots of experience is helpful but keep in the mind the person looking at your resume will only have about 10-15 seconds to read each resume in the pile. Having content that is long, lengthy and hard to follow will make it difficult for the hiring manager to grasp and could make it easy to pass you up. Keep your content concise, to the point and easy to read for the hiring manager

2) Don't Be Afraid to Use Bullet Points- using bullet points can make it easier for a hiring manager to look at your accomplishments (more on that later) and follow the content in your resume. It also helps the hiring manager determine whether or not your experience is relevant to the position he or she is interviewing for and makes your resume an easier read.

3) Add Sizzle By Adding Accomplishments to Your Resume- prove to the hiring manager that you can get the job done by listing your accomplishments for each position. If you increased sales at one job, give a percentage of how much you increased sales. If you increased participation or membership, explain and give a number by how much. Make sure your accomplishments show the hiring manager you can make and meet goals and prove you can make a positive difference in the workplace.

4) Tailor Your Resume to the Job You Are Applying For- read the job description and ask how you can tailor you resume so that the qualifications the hiring manager is looking for can be shown in your resume. It's not unusual for someone to recreate the same resume 10-15 times for each specific position. Make sure the content of your resume reflects what the open job is looking for and prove your skills and background match the qualifications.

5) Have Another Set of Eyes Look at Your Resume- you never know what someone else will point out, good or bad, when looking at your resume. While you might not catch it, someone else might catch something that doesn't make sense, spelling errors or anything else that might get your resume thrown in the trash.

Prove to the hiring manager you are right for the job by having content that is concise, to the point and matches what the hiring manager is looking for. By doing that, you will have a better chance ending up with your foot in the door and getting a new opportunity.

When Interviewing and If Needed, Have a Portfolio

Interviewing is an opportunity to prove to a hiring manager you are the best fit for a job and one of the best ways to show you can help this person make more money is to prove what you are capable of. In some industries, having a portfolio of work samples to show a hiring manager can help make you more marketable and appealing in a job interview and prove to the hiring manager what you are capable of doing. If needed, bring a portfolio or samples of your work to the interview to prove to the hiring manager how you can add value to his or her company and prove you are the right fit for the job.

Having a portfolio of material does take time but can set you apart from other candidates in the end. Taking time to look through documents you've written, proposals you've drawn up, pieces you've written, etc. can help you find the proof you will need to show a hiring manager your desire to earn the position. These materials also show a hiring manager your ability to use your skill sets to earn more revenue and money for the company.

Over time, it is difficult to save everything you've created for various jobs so have success stories from inside and outside the business world ready in hand as well. These stories may not be hard copy documents of writing samples, proposals or other materials you have put together at different jobs but can prove to a hiring manager what you are capable of. If you are apart of a non-profit, business, or social group, have a couple of success stories ready to go before that interview. These success stories will prove to the hiring manager you can use different skill sets for a wide range of applications and will set you apart from other candidates. The goal of the interview is to help prove you are a right fit for the company and with success stories, you can sell the hiring manager on how you can make him or her more revenue.

Having a portfolio can help set you apart from other candidates and prove to the hiring manager your talents and capabilities. Make sure you have one ready to go in order to prove you can help the hiring manager make more revenue for the company nd want you to be on his or her team.

Don't Be Afraid To Try Several Different Networking Groups

Networking can be a time consuming process but if you are looking for a job, it can benefit you in the end. There are different networking groups out there that are large sized or small get-togethers but going to these events can help you succeed in your networking.

The number of networking groups have increased over the years and finding particular ones to go to can be challenging. My advice: don't be afraid to try more then one group. Going to a large group meeting may work out for some while utilizing a small-group approach may work better for others. You won't know what works unless you try.

Some may consider other networking groups to be better then others, however, taking time to visit several different networking groups will give you an opportunity to meet a more diverse group of people. Taking time to visit different groups will put you in contact with different people from different backgrounds and you never know who you might run into unless you attend.

When networking, take time to visit the different networking groups out there and take advantage of the opportunities to meet new people.