While professional resume services can provide you with a great resume that helps you score an interview, what you do during that interview is up to you. This is your chance to make a big impact on a potential boss, so when you are heading out for interviews, be sure to avoid the following all-too-common mistakes.
1. Walking In Unprepared
While you might look great and be perfectly suitable for a job opening, our team of professional resume services providers know that being unprepared for an interview definitely sets the wrong tone. Not only do you need to rehearse your answers to commonly asked interview questions, you also need to research the company and, if possible, members of the hiring team. Understanding what a company is all about and being able to convey how your skills will benefit the company is extremely important. In fact, hiring managers often will ask you what you know about the company and why you want to work there. Having a knowledgeable answer to these types of questions sets you apart from others who did not do their due diligence.
2. Focusing On Your Needs
Too often people focus on what they want to get out of a job experience, rather than presenting to the hiring team what they can bring to the company. It’s obvious that everyone wants to enjoy their work and be successful, but a hiring manager or hiring team is focused on choosing candidates that will benefit the company. Certainly, they want employees to be content and enthusiastic about their work experience, but no one wants to hire someone who spends their interview time only discussing their personal goals without addressing the company’s needs. As professional resume services experts, we recommend that you practice describing your goals succinctly and learn how to explain how your goals and skills are a good match for the company goals.
3. Lacking Personality
While you certainly don’t want to head into an interview room with a loud booming voice and laugh, you also don’t want to come off as bland and unenthusiastic. Be polite, be friendly, make eye contact and show some enthusiasm for the company and the job position. You should be excited about this job prospect and excited about meeting potential co-workers and managers. Our team of professional resume services experts have found that candidates that fail to smile and fail to make eye contact are making huge mistakes. Likewise, we recommend that you sit up straight, avoid fidgeting and walk in and out the room with confidence, a smile and a firm handshake.
4. Carrying Excess Baggage
If you’ve recently lost a job or perhaps left a job under unpleasant circumstances, hiring teams do understand that this can happen. You are likely to be asked why you were let go, why you quit or perhaps why (if you are currently employed) you are seeking a new job. Be prepared to answer these questions succinctly without dwelling on the bitterness you might feel toward a former boss or co-worker. When you speak negatively about former bosses and co-workers not only does this not or spend too much time explaining why you lost a job, this takes up valuable interview time where you could be discussing your many skills and qualifications. As professional resume services specialists we encourage you to spin your bad experiences and use instead viewing them as learning experiences.
If you are a bit nervous about your upcoming interviews, that is perfectly understandable, but we can help. Among our professional resume services, we provide career coaching services that can boost your confidence and make it easy to present your best self during interviews. Of course, we also can provide you with a great resume, a cover letter, thank you notes and much more. All of these professional resume services can make it much easier to find the job of your dreams.
