Dr LeCrone
05-31-2006, 12:14 PM
If you have been looking for a job for several months and have not found one, instead of wondering why, you may want to examine the impression you made during your interview or initial contact with that potential employer.
First of all, you want to be sure you didn't leave a negative effect. Some examples of negative impressions are:
• Leaving a poorly constructed resume with misspelled words, a sloppy appearance and irrelevant content.
• Opening the interview with "I may not qualify for this job, but I would like to apply anyway." Or, "I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm a very hard worker." (Believe it or not I once heard an individual remark, "I'm not a great team member, but I'm a heck of a coach.")
• Bad mouthing a former employer. You can shoot yourself in the foot on this one as any potential employer is quick to realize that he too would probably join your list of "black balled" employers.
• Neglecting to take into consideration your appearance and personal hygiene. A heavy "after hours" user of alcohol may under-estimate the morning-after effect of alcohol on the breath and this offense is a very negative impression.
Then there are non-verbal cues which can leave negative thoughts in the mind of the interviewer. If the interviewee displays lack of eye contact, gives a "dead fish" handshake or has tense, uptight mannerisms, the interviewer may have less than a good first impression. Here are some other flaws to be aware of:
Making excuses or being evasive
Lacking interest or enthusiasm
Being overbearing, overaggressive, or just plain "know it all"
Being unwilling to start at the bottom and expecting too much too soon
Having little sense of humor
Being on time and composed for an interview, dressed appropriately, being neat, clean and well groomed all weigh heavily and most favorably in interviews. In addition to that, here are some questions you might be asked and should be prepared to answer:
What are your strongest abilities?
What are your weaknesses?
Why are you interested in working for this organization?
Why did you leave your last job?
Tell me five words that describe you.
How have your past positions prepared you for this one?
Do you have references?
What did you like least about your last job?
After the interview, a good practice to follow is to make some notes about what transpired, the salary offered, benefits, opportunities for advancement, etc. It may be several days or weeks before you are contacted and if you are interviewing in several different places, you may tend to forget the details. At the same time, write a follow-up letter to each prospective employer thanking them for the interview and expressing your continued interest.
Landing a job in today's marketplace is often very competitive and requires more than simply showing up for the interview.
Copyright c 1993 Harold H. Lecrone, Jr., Ph.D.
First of all, you want to be sure you didn't leave a negative effect. Some examples of negative impressions are:
• Leaving a poorly constructed resume with misspelled words, a sloppy appearance and irrelevant content.
• Opening the interview with "I may not qualify for this job, but I would like to apply anyway." Or, "I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm a very hard worker." (Believe it or not I once heard an individual remark, "I'm not a great team member, but I'm a heck of a coach.")
• Bad mouthing a former employer. You can shoot yourself in the foot on this one as any potential employer is quick to realize that he too would probably join your list of "black balled" employers.
• Neglecting to take into consideration your appearance and personal hygiene. A heavy "after hours" user of alcohol may under-estimate the morning-after effect of alcohol on the breath and this offense is a very negative impression.
Then there are non-verbal cues which can leave negative thoughts in the mind of the interviewer. If the interviewee displays lack of eye contact, gives a "dead fish" handshake or has tense, uptight mannerisms, the interviewer may have less than a good first impression. Here are some other flaws to be aware of:
Making excuses or being evasive
Lacking interest or enthusiasm
Being overbearing, overaggressive, or just plain "know it all"
Being unwilling to start at the bottom and expecting too much too soon
Having little sense of humor
Being on time and composed for an interview, dressed appropriately, being neat, clean and well groomed all weigh heavily and most favorably in interviews. In addition to that, here are some questions you might be asked and should be prepared to answer:
What are your strongest abilities?
What are your weaknesses?
Why are you interested in working for this organization?
Why did you leave your last job?
Tell me five words that describe you.
How have your past positions prepared you for this one?
Do you have references?
What did you like least about your last job?
After the interview, a good practice to follow is to make some notes about what transpired, the salary offered, benefits, opportunities for advancement, etc. It may be several days or weeks before you are contacted and if you are interviewing in several different places, you may tend to forget the details. At the same time, write a follow-up letter to each prospective employer thanking them for the interview and expressing your continued interest.
Landing a job in today's marketplace is often very competitive and requires more than simply showing up for the interview.
Copyright c 1993 Harold H. Lecrone, Jr., Ph.D.