Written by: Matchless Image 3/31/2009 6:33 PM
This month’s blog will be a little different. We have decided to discuss a little less fashion and focus more on searching and interviewing for a job. Our professional background includes 17 years of recruiting and various positions in Human Resources. We decided with the job market the way it currently is, you may benefit from some tips to help you with either a current search or if you decide to change jobs, a future search. To begin with, a few places you may want to go to search for a job are: www.careerbuilder.com National Career Job site www.monster.com National Career Job Site www.hotjobs.com National Career Job Site www.jobvertise.com National Career Job Site You can also visit your local job service office. They have many resources to assist you with job searches. A somewhat new, but very important, even vital group of resources are social media websites, especially LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media site that focuses on professional connections. It’s a great place to introduce yourself to the world (not just your local job market). You set up a profile and start making connections by searching for people you know and asking them to join your professional network. Next you need to search for groups on LinkedIn to join that will introduce you to potential employers. Some examples are trade and various industry groups. You can also join your local city networking groups, such as Linked Up Milwaukee, which give you exposure to many different people who may be able to directly or indirectly introduce you to potential employers. Once you have made connections and have an interview scheduled, you need to immediately start preparing for it. First, research the company on the internet going to the company’s website to learn as much as you can about what they produce or offer, how they operate and what their financial statements and annual report say. This is crucial for the interview. The more you know about them, the better questions you can ask and the higher you will rank among other interviewees. Next (here comes the fashion part), you need to look the part of a professional who is the top one for the position you are interviewing for. If you are interviewing for a skilled trades position (one where you work with your hands such as a plumber, electrician, carpenter, machinist, etc.), you should wear a dress shirt and nice pants such as dress pants of khakis. If you are interviewing for a “professional” position such as an office position or other white collar position, you should wear a suit in a neutral color with a light colored shirt and appropriate shoes (for a woman, they should not be stilettos; keep them at a moderate height). You have less than 10 seconds to make a first impression. Make sure it is without fault. When you get to the interview, smile, look the interviewers in the eye, shake hands with intent and project confidence. Practice at home! You will be amazed how this will make you confident in yourself. Turn off your cell phone. Period. Bring resumes to give to all interviewers. Also bring your references in case they are asked for. Be prepared with 3 to 5 questions to ask at the end of the interview when asked to do so. The more intelligent and thoughtful the questions, the more it shows the employer that you have done your homework and you are someone who will put in the time necessary. There are many more tips and much more information we can provide you to give you the edge over other candidates. We can give you very specific assistance on how to dress and the image you need to project which will make you stand out from the crowd. For companies or other organizations and groups, we also conduct workshops on all aspects of the process of successfully finding a job. We include specific dressing requirements for different types of positions. Give us a call or email us. We are here to help! Kim Koch 262-370-0623; kkimage@wi.rr.com www.matchlessimagellc.com
This month’s blog will be a little different. We have decided to discuss a little less fashion and focus more on searching and interviewing for a job. Our professional background includes 17 years of recruiting and various positions in Human Resources. We decided with the job market the way it currently is, you may benefit from some tips to help you with either a current search or if you decide to change jobs, a future search.
To begin with, a few places you may want to go to search for a job are:
www.careerbuilder.com National Career Job site
www.monster.com National Career Job Site
www.hotjobs.com National Career Job Site
www.jobvertise.com National Career Job Site
You can also visit your local job service office. They have many resources to assist you with job searches.
A somewhat new, but very important, even vital group of resources are social media websites, especially LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media site that focuses on professional connections. It’s a great place to introduce yourself to the world (not just your local job market). You set up a profile and start making connections by searching for people you know and asking them to join your professional network.
Next you need to search for groups on LinkedIn to join that will introduce you to potential employers. Some examples are trade and various industry groups. You can also join your local city networking groups, such as Linked Up Milwaukee, which give you exposure to many different people who may be able to directly or indirectly introduce you to potential employers.
Once you have made connections and have an interview scheduled, you need to immediately start preparing for it. First, research the company on the internet going to the company’s website to learn as much as you can about what they produce or offer, how they operate and what their financial statements and annual report say. This is crucial for the interview. The more you know about them, the better questions you can ask and the higher you will rank among other interviewees.
Next (here comes the fashion part), you need to look the part of a professional who is the top one for the position you are interviewing for. If you are interviewing for a skilled trades position (one where you work with your hands such as a plumber, electrician, carpenter, machinist, etc.), you should wear a dress shirt and nice pants such as dress pants of khakis. If you are interviewing for a “professional” position such as an office position or other white collar position, you should wear a suit in a neutral color with a light colored shirt and appropriate shoes (for a woman, they should not be stilettos; keep them at a moderate height). You have less than 10 seconds to make a first impression. Make sure it is without fault.
When you get to the interview, smile, look the interviewers in the eye, shake hands with intent and project confidence. Practice at home! You will be amazed how this will make you confident in yourself. Turn off your cell phone. Period. Bring resumes to give to all interviewers. Also bring your references in case they are asked for. Be prepared with 3 to 5 questions to ask at the end of the interview when asked to do so. The more intelligent and thoughtful the questions, the more it shows the employer that you have done your homework and you are someone who will put in the time necessary.
There are many more tips and much more information we can provide you to give you the edge over other candidates. We can give you very specific assistance on how to dress and the image you need to project which will make you stand out from the crowd.
For companies or other organizations and groups, we also conduct workshops on all aspects of the process of successfully finding a job. We include specific dressing requirements for different types of positions.
Give us a call or email us. We are here to help!
Kim Koch 262-370-0623; kkimage@wi.rr.com
www.matchlessimagellc.com