The Ultimate Guide: What to Do After the Job Interview
You just left the interview and feel eager, excited, and nervous. You think it went great. Now what?
Now is not the time to let up. Everything you’ve done up to this point is moving you forward in your job search. Keep the momentum going.
When NOT to Include a Job on Your Resume
Imagine you changed jobs, and you’re just not a fit. You’re miserable and plan to say adios as soon as possible. Is excluding that role from your resume okay, or is that dishonest?
Elevator Pitch Secrets
Some industries require a different approach than the general elevator pitch. For example, if you’re in a service industry — therapist, coach, consultant, etc. — one of the easiest ways to answer the question “What do you do?” is to take the spotlight off you and put it onto your clients. This focuses the conversation on what you do for your clients and what they get from working with you.
Elevator Pitch - Get Noticed
Whether you’re interviewing or networking, someone inevitably says, “Tell me about yourself.” “So, what do you do?” asks the person you met at a networking get-together. In another likely scenario, you find yourself in an elevator with someone you’ve wanted to meet. What do you say?
Applicant Tracking Systems – Friend or Foe?
Understanding the application tracking system (ATS) world can raise more questions than answers. Here are the questions Life Working® Resume experts hear most often.
Job Interviews: Best & Worst Times
When is the best time to schedule your interview? The easy answer is whenever it works for the interviewer! After all, that’s the goal — to get the interview and the job offer.
But what if you are offered a choice of dates and times for the interview? Is it better to be the first person interviewed? Or to be one of the final candidates considered? Should you schedule your interview for the morning? Or the afternoon? And, if you’re offered the option of a virtual interview or meeting in person, which should you choose?
Here are the pros and cons of being towards the front of the pack, one of the last, or somewhere in the middle.
Your Resume: Refresh or Start Fresh?
If you have a resume, at some point, you’re faced with a dilemma: Should I update my existing resume, or is it time to start over?
When you have a great resume — especially one created by a professional resume writer — it can be difficult to imagine starting over again. But even the best formats become outdated as technology changes. And if you are dreaming about making a career pivot, what worked in one profession may not be appropriate in another. But how do you know when you should refresh — or start fresh?
Can You Explain Why You Left Your Last Job?
Hiring new employees is expensive. There’s the time and effort in attracting candidates, screening them, and conducting interviews. It takes time to set the person up in the human resources and benefits system, and it costs money to onboard and train the new hire. These expenses can add up to hundreds — or even thousands — of dollars. As a result, hiring managers want to ensure that the candidate will be a good fit. Questions asked during the interview will help determine if a prospective employee is a good match for the company and role.
One question you’re likely to be asked in an interview is why you left your last job (or why you want to leave your current position).
Change Jobs or Careers: What to Consider
The basic question remains—do you want to change the company you work for or change your career path entirely? Ask yourself if changing to a new company would fix the issue or issues you identified. Or are they issues embedded within the industry itself and would only be fixed if you changed industries entirely?
Also, think about how you feel about the actual work you’re doing. Do you still have a passion for your work, but maybe not in this work environment? If that’s the case, changing jobs could improve your situation. You might not need to change careers.
Is It Time to Change Jobs or Careers?
There’s a saying in the career industry that you’ll know it’s time to make a job or career change when you ask yourself if it’s time to make a change.
While there is truth to that, there’s more to making your decision. This guide will help you identify why you may want to make a job or career change and give you practical strategies and tips to help you with your decision.
Are You Making these Job Search Mistakes?
Are you unknowingly making some of these mistakes in your job search? Chances are, you’re making several — if not more! Go through this checklist, mark which mistakes you’re making — and then learn how to get back on track.
Help Your References Help You
Great news! Someone has agreed to be a reference for you! Now, what’s the next step?
Life Working® career coaches suggest preparing a reference page that you can give to a prospective employer. It should match your resume's format, font style, and font size with the same contact information.
Use this format for each reference:
Myths About Employment References
Do companies need your permission before contacting your references? Yes, they should. But keep in mind that providing contact information for references may be construed as permission to contact in many cases. Some companies will require you to sign a release form. Read it carefully, as it may authorize the company to contact unnamed references as well (people not on your “preferred” reference list — sometimes called “back door” references).
Selecting Your References
Generally, a potential employer will want at least two of your references to be former employers. The advantage of preparing your references in advance is that you can take the upper hand, identify the “best” references, and control whom you offer the employer as your references. You will want to select three to seven individuals to be your “preferred” references.
Reference checks are necessary for both job seekers and employers. References allow employers to confirm the information they learned from your resume and the interview and decide whether to hire you or not to extend a job offer…
Great References Seal the Deal
“Resumes win interviews, but references win job offers,” says Martin Yate, author of the “Knock ‘Em Dead” series of career books.
Reference checks are necessary for both job seekers and employers. References allow employers to confirm the information they learned from your resume and the interview and decide whether to hire you or not to extend a job offer…