It’s one thing to spend hours, weeks, even months applying for jobs in manufacturing, but then when the call comes for an interview it gets nerve-wracking in short order. Take heart that many job seekers get a temporary case of the “jitters” when it comes to interviewing. Despite being qualified and ready for the job, getting too nervous can cause you to forget all about being confident and instead make you forget everything you ever learned about job interviewing. You don’t want this to happen while you are in front of a hiring manager.

So, in case you are facing a big interview right now, here is a “job interview survival pack” that can help you prepare and rock your next interview.

What’s in the job interview survival pack?

1. Personal contact cards/business cards – When you are looking for a job and have an interview, this is the perfect time to bring along your professionalism by giving everyone you meet a business or personal contact card. Get some free ones printed out and clip them to your resume as well. This will help you to stand out and it’s a nice way to break the ice.
2. Fresh copies of your resume – Recruiters and hiring managers are busy people. Save them the trouble of looking for a copy of your resume from amid the stacks they have on their desk. Bring a few freshly printed out copies with you.
3. Copy of the job advertisement or description – Walk into the interview prepared with a copy of the job advertisement or the full description. This will help you have talking points as you meet with the recruiter.
4. Personal data sheet with previous employment – Expect that you may have to fill out additional career information when you go to the interview. This happens often with recruitment firms and corporate interviews. Bring a detailed information sheet about your past employment, including the addresses and phone numbers of previous employers, supervisor names, and dates of employment.
5. Letters of recommendation – As a smart job seeker you are going to get a few reference letters from former employers and clients (if you have any). Bring copies of these with you (on company letterhead) and attach them to your resume. Encourage the person interviewing you to read them.
6. List of questions for interviewer – A recruiter will want to see that you’ve done your homework concerning the job and the company. Bring a list of at least 5 questions to ask about the job, the duties, the corporate culture, and the company objectives.
7. Thank you card with stamped envelope – Immediately following the interview, stop to jot down a thank you note to the person who interviewed you and drop this in the nearest post office or mailbox on your way out the door. This way you will not forget this crucial step.
8. An extra pen and note pad – You will want to have an extra pen with you because it never fails that your pen will dry out in the middle of the application form. Bring along a note pad to jot down important points and the name of the person you meet with.
9. Map to the interview location – Don’t make the mistake of being late for your interview because you got lost. Prevent this by either using a printed map from an Internet map or a GPS unit to help you find the way efficiently.
10. Emergency cash – If you have an interview during the week, you may have to skip a lunch break to meet with a recruiter (if you are currently working) so you may need to stop at a drive through for a quick snack. Or you may need to make a call from a payphone if you have car trouble. Bring along a few dollars just in case.
11. Hairbrush and hand wipes – You want to look your very best, so bring these items along to tidy up before you walk into a job interview. Looking good can help boost your self-confidence.

Remember, a job interview is your chance to shine. Take a deep breath and know that you have your interview survival kit to support your career objective. If you are in the Chicago Southland and Northwest Indiana areas looking for a great new career, consider how Davis Staffing can support your career dreams. Be sure to follow us on Facebook too!

You’ve been on the prowl for a new assignment with a list of preferred organizations, sending out hundreds of resumes and trying to network your way to a job. Yet, you are still not getting invited for an interview. This is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the job search process itself that has many job seekers wondering what the secret to getting an interview is?

Getting the Interview – Keys to an Open Door

The truth is, there is no one way that recruiters are compelled to ask candidates in for job interviews. Sometimes, it’s just left up to chance, the demands of the business to hire someone, and the compatible skills that candidates have. However, there are some keys to getting a step closer to an interview and a decent job offer.

Key #1 – Professional Presentation

Recruiters and hiring managers immediately get an impression from candidate from the way they present themselves initially. This means, you must take the time to create a professional cover letter and resume, and if at all possible apply in person looking your very best. If you ever hope to make a good impression that will stand out in the mind of the recruiter, then making this extra effort can and will pay off.

Key #2 – Tactful Follow-up

Once you have taken the time to respond to job advertisements, or submitted online job applications, you are free to follow up within a reasonable amount of time. In fact, just taking the time to follow up in a professional manner can put you in front of other applicants. But have respect for the hiring person’s time and limit your follow up to one email, one handwritten thank you card, and one email per week. Anything more than that and you are likely to be viewed as desperate.

Key #3 – Networking for Referrals

Your personal and professional networks can be great sources for finding jobs, but they can also be opportunities to ask for referrals which can help you get an interview sooner. Chances are,  because of the industry you work in, you know several people who either know someone working in the kinds of companies you want to work for. Ask for referrals and give a reason why you would be a good match for their corporate culture.

Ready to take your job search to the next level? Davis Staffing can put you in touch with a wide array of job opportunities, including the ability to interview with top hiring companies.

The actual job offer is the one thing that’s on the mind of every job seeker in today’s competitive workplace. Before the big moment arrives, you have all manner of hopes, expectations, and even fears about what the offer will be and whether or not that will be enough to meet your needs.

Before you dive right in and accept the job offer, first ask a few serious questions of the business that’s offering you the position. Here are some questions to ask after the job offer is on the table.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your supervisor(s)?

Some people need to be micromanaged while others feel stifled with that type of management system. But there are other thing about a potential supervisor you should know such as whether or not the supervisor is supportive to staff, if the supervisor offers constructive feedback to staff members, and how approachable the supervisor is.

You might even want to go further up the chain of command than your specific supervisor to see how the corporate structure, and it strengths and weaknesses, is likely to impact you in the position you would be taking on. Different people work best with different management styles.

These are all important indicators of how comfortable you’ll be in your role within the company and how well you’ll interact with your new supervisor.

What kind of turnover has this position had and why?

It’s not enough to simply find out how many people who have worked this position in the last few years. You also have a vested interest in finding out what happened to the people who left. Did they leave for greener pastures? Were they promoted from within? It’s also a wise idea to find out, if at all possible, what the average duration of employment was for the position by the previous employees too.

If there has been a high amount of employee turnover with few people lasting more than a few weeks or months, there’s a sign that something is terribly amiss in the company and that working there might not be in your best interest. However, if you see signs that there is a great deal of promotion from within with employees staying with the company, even if they’re moving to different positions within the organization, then this is a sure sign that something is being done right by the company too.

Job offers are great. They make your search feel vindicated. However, the wrong job offer can lead to a very frustrating and costly experience in your professional adventure. Asking the right questions can help you avoid some of the more serious mistakes.

Before you accept any job offer, you may want to consider working with a staffing agency like Davis Staffing to see if it’s the best one for your skill set and value. Or you can explore other excellent career opportunities by visiting our career page.

One of the most commonly asked questions at a job interview is the dreaded, “tell me about yourself” question. It seems harmless enough until you start to read into it. What does the interviewer really want you to say to answer it? The fact is, interviewers will use virtually every part of what you say to make a decision about you. Know the answer long before you arrive for the interview.

Focus Your Answer

The first thing you can do to ensure you answer this question properly is to focus your answer. Develop a list of five strengths you have that relate to the job you are interviewing for to use as a starter. What skills, traits, and experiences do you have that contributes to your desirability to be hired for this position?

Have a Script

Since this question is asked so often, have a script of what you are going to say. It should include any information you wish to convey in a short, relaxed way. Talk about experiences and your proven successes first. Then, talk about the strengths and abilities you have. Close off this short statement with information about your current situation, such as what you are looking for in your next position.

Practice It

Do not walk into an interview like this without some skills and focus. You want to be confident without being arrogant. You want to be realistic. Practice what you will say without actually memorizing it down to the letter. You do not want to come off as being coached in the interview but rather genuine and authentic.

When an interviewer asks you this question, you need to know what the answer is. That means you need to have thought about it prior to arriving at the interview itself. By doing this, you will reduce the risk that you could answer in a way that could provide the wrong impression to the hiring manager. After all, they are looking at what you are really saying when you answer these questions. Make sure whatever you do say, shows your abilities and willingness to commit to the position.

Hiring managers face many challenges when interviewing candidates. From finding the right skills and qualifications to actually do the necessary tasks to discovering a talent that will also be a good fit within the company “culture.” With so many businesses struggling today, there is more pressure than ever to find the right person for the job as quickly as possible. That leaves a lot riding on the interview.

It’s worth taking a little time before the interview comes around to think about the type of person you’re looking for to fill the position and then come up with questions that will help you find that person best. In this economy, it’s a good idea to focus your effort on finding talented people who aren’t afraid to think outside the box to get the job done.

These are ten of the best interview questions to ask in order to help you cut through the standard, rehearsed answers and find the right person to get the job done for your business.

1)   What will make you love coming to work every day?

2)   What are the top three things you need to be successful in this position and what could really prevent your success in here?

3)   When is a time in your professional life that you’ve had to overcome a major obstacle in order to succeed?

4)   If you could go back and start over in your career, what would you do differently this time around?

5)   What do you see as the biggest challenge someone coming into this position for our company will have face?

6)   What would you consider a successful first year if you were working in this position?

7)   Describe one time when you took a risk and failed and one time where your big risk was successful. How were they different?

8)   When working with other people, what changes have you made in order to be more effective at doing your job?

9)   What’s one thing you wish you did better, and what plans do you have to improve that?

10) What are the top five attributes of successful people and what kind of role do they play in your life? In other words, how do you measure up?

Asking the right question will not only force the candidate to think outside the scope of typical interview questions, but it will also force the job-seeker to provide candid glimpses into the way he or she deals with real-world problems rather than theoretical problems. It’s a revealing way to go through the interview process, and it places a great deal of pressure on the candidate. This is a great way to see how he or she responds to that pressure and who among the candidates sinks like a stone or rises to the top.

Sources:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/CornerOffice/story?id=86287&page=1#.UChXNZ2PX0k

http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/08/03/the-best-interview-questions-you-never-ask/

http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/interviewing-candidates/best-interview-questions.aspx

It’s a fact – job interviews are stressful. Even the most qualified candidates who graduated top of their classes in school experience some degree of sweaty palms and nervous tremors at the prospect of going to a job interview. One way to quell those nerves and dry your palms is to rehearse for your next interview. The problem is that this is advice you’ve heard before. You simply don’t know how to go about doing it. Here’s what you need to do to get started.

1)   Wear the clothes you plan to wear for the interview. It will help you feel more comfortable and confident in those clothes and, oddly enough, help you feel more relaxed in them when the real interview comes along. It will also give you an indication ahead of time if there’s something about the suit that makes you uncomfortable or could become a point of embarrassment during the interview.

2)   Use the Internet to write up a likely list of interview questions and have a friend ask the questions while video recording the mock interview. This will give you a valuable resource to go over later and find weak points to concentrate on and strong points to maximize in the interview process. The video can be an incredibly useful tool in helping you perfect your interview questions, answers, and body language “tells.”

3)   Rehearse on your own in front of a mirror. This differs from the mock video camera rehearsal in that it’s just you and the mirror answering the questions. Make eye contact with the person in the mirror. Does he seem sincere and earnest when answering the questions? More importantly, does he come across as personable and someone you’d like to work with? Pay attention to your smile and how nervous you appear. Also listen to the words you’re saying and hear them coming from the face in the mirror. Do you believe that person could be a true asset to the business or organization in question?

4)   Let your personality shine. People don’t want to work with robots that can memorize and recite facts and figures. They want to work with real people who are capable of doing the job with gusto. If you get the job, you’re going to spend a lot of time each and every day in your place of employment. Practice moments when you can let your personality shine a bit in the interview. Work your personality and perspective into the answers you provide. Give the interviewer a glimpse into who you are and not just what you can offer.

You’ve worked so hard just to get to the interview stage. Rehearsing ahead of time won’t eliminate all the nerves you’re going to have, but it can definitely help you get them under control.

For more support with your job search, including access to full time and temporary assignments, consider the advantages of contracting with a quality employment resource like Davis Staffing.

Having a winning employment history will help you to land your next job. Your employment history, you may be thinking, is anything but winning. It may be sorted, hectic and lack enthusiasm. You may even call it a lackluster description of the past few years. If you want to land that big job, though, you’ll need to ensure your employment history has something amazing to offer. It should tell the company what you’ve done and why you are worth hiring based on what you’ve accomplished thus far.

Tips for Making Your Employment History Stand Out

What will make your next employer read through your employment history and think you are a winner? It often depends more on how you write it than on what you include. In other words, the way you word your employment history on a job application or resume will have a direct impact on your future employability with any company. These tips will help you through the process.

• Don’t write a job description. Most hiring managers don’t read the job description anyway. They don’t want to hear what you did on a day to day basis. It is not enough to really draw them in.

• Allow your employment history to show your value. What did you have to offer the business? The value you present should be in things like the type of worker you are or the way you can consistently provide results. You will want to put more attention on your accomplishments here. Show what your potential value is to the company that hires you.

• Be specific and use numbers. Just saying you grew the company’s customer base is not enough. Show numbers. Show specific data that can easily transfer into worth. Show how you helped your previous employer improve using measurable results whenever it is possible to do so.

• Focus on the outcomes you brought to the table. In other words, talk about the result before you mention the problem. Allow the most important, most valuable or the most compelling aspect of your accomplishments on the job to be the leading factor when writing your employment history.

In addition to these tips, ensure your employment history uses action words and delivers information in a clear, easy to read manner. You want your employer to immediately see the value in what you are writing without having to read long, drawn out paragraphs of content. They just will not do so.

Even if your employment history doesn’t seem as stellar as you think it should be, by using these tools, you’ll be able to showcase your value and what you can offer to the company. At the end of the day, employers want to know what you can offer them and what they can expect from you.

Resume gaps happen. Stuff happens in life. That’s all there is to it. You must deal with it in order to move forward. How you deal with it, however, can make all the difference in the world when you’re trying to land the job you want in this economy.

While you may have been taught to believe that resume gaps are always bad news with potential employers, it’s no reason to give up completely. One thing is certain. Not dealing with it will make it the elephant in the room.

Keep these things in mind as you work on your resume and go through the interview process.

Be Proactive

If you have a gap in your resume you know the question is coming. Plan ahead and come up with an answer to give potential employers. It isn’t going to go away. You know it’s there. They know it’s there. The question is going to be asked. If not in this interview then it will be in the next. It’s better for you to have an answer planned than to stutter and stammer your way through the answer as you “wing it”.

Tell the Truth

You don’t have to give all the details or tell a long and sordid story. However, if you tell a lie and are caught, that is grounds for dismissal down the road. It’s better to be as honest as possible without over-sharing the details or leaving something off your resume. Most employers understand that life, and even layoffs happen. Tackling the topic head-on shows potential employers that you have nothing to hide.

Don’t Embellish

While it may be tempting to embellish events to make you look as good as possible, resist that urge. Take a “Just the facts ma’am (or sir as the case may be)” approach to the interview and don’t volunteer details or information that doesn’t directly related to your bid for employment. There’s no need to try to make the other person or company involved look bad. It will only reflect poorly on you instead.

Present Your Time off in a Positive Light

Make note of things you did during that time that will make you a better employee. It can be classes you took, events that occurred, and/or life lessons you learned during that period of time.

It’s the little things that will make the most profound differences in your job search. Most potential employers want to like you. It is your job to give them a reason to do so without misrepresenting who you are and the path you took to get there. You want the job but honesty and integrity about resume gaps will get you the job much faster and help you keep it much longer than trying to spin a story that really isn’t yours.

A social candidate is a professional who is able to interact within many social networks properly. A person who can work well with others is often times more valuable than the individual who has all of the technical skills, but lacks the ability to communicate his thoughts, needs and ideas with others. From the overpowering individual who does not realize working as a team is better to the shy person unable to communicate with the group, this lack of social skill can affect any work environment. You should be hiring a candidate who is stellar and that often means that his or her skills off the paper need to be just as good if not better than what their resume has to say.

How to Choose a Social Candidate

If you do not select a social candidate, you could be missing the best person for the job. Some equate hiring a candidate with all of the technical knowledge and no social skills like designing a racecar with all of the power possible but not putting in an effective steering and braking system. Rather, choose a candidate with the right skills – skills that can help the candidate to perform his or her job better. You will need a candidate with the skills to work with others.

What does a social candidate really offer? How can you tell he or she is the right person for the job?

• He or she is self-aware. The candidate understands how the actions taken by the candidate affect others around them.
• This person has a social intelligence. He or she understands the various methods for influencing other people’s perceptions and behaviors.
• He or she has self-control. Even under a significant amount of stress, the candidate does not lose his cool. Rather, emotions and actions remain under control.
• The candidate is sensitive to others. This indicates that the candidate can show sensitivity to others.

To find a social candidate for the job, you will need to ask questions and determine how the person reacted in the situations he or she was in. Is the candidate sensitive to others? You can often tell by discussing the influences on his or her career. Those that answer by including others around them during their career development are more sensitive to others.

You can often see the differences in the social skills of a candidate, too. Set up a luncheon for a group of candidates. Note how each individual interacts with others. Are they engaging or standoffish? Another option is to use personality tests or role-play to get a better ideal of the individual’s social skills.

When hiring a candidate for a job in which the candidate will represent the company, it is critical to choose an individual with social skills. One that is lacking could in fact hurt the company’s image or at the least reduce the productivity of the staff. Choose someone that can better the company through his or her ability to work with and through other people.

You’ve probably heard about all the off-the-wall things that using Twitter has accomplished in the last couple of years. It’s helped free a kid from jail in Egypt, told stories about places where cameras couldn’t go, and been instrumental in keeping everyone apprised on the hot acts to see on American Idol for the past several seasons. But, did you know that Twitter can also assist you in your job search? Here are just a few of the ways that Twitter can help you find the job you’re looking for.

Join the Conversation

This is by far the best advice you can get when it comes to using Twitter for your job search. Don’t go in asking people to help you find your job. Join the conversation. Get to know people. Make friends and connect with people in your community, in your industry, and in your field.

Just remember that you are looking for a job. Make sure that all the posts and “Tweets” you make are professional. Avoid hot button topics such as politics and religion and don’t talk about the latest party experience you’ve enjoyed. You should also try to keep your conversations on Twitter pleasant and upbeat whenever possible. It makes an impression and lets people know that you’re not letting the pressure get you down. Also try to keep the focus on the positive things you have to offer: experience, knowledge, skills, and training are great traits to keep at the front of everyone’s minds.

Search for Jobs

Most people aren’t even aware that Twitter has a function that allows you to search for jobs. You can type #jobs into the search feature or TwitterJobSearch. Twitter moves fast and there is a steady stream of jobs being posted on this social networking giant at all hours of the day and night.

It’s best to get in on the job search quickly when you do find them because they usually aren’t open very long. You can even check back several times during the day to broaden your job search options.

Connect with People in your Industry

It’s a good idea to follow the Tweets of people who are in your industry. In fact, you want to follow the feed of all the industry leaders you know about. From their feeds you’ll be able to stay on top of the latest technological advances in your field, you’ll receive updates on training, and you’ll sometimes come across a job opening that’s perfect for you.

More importantly though, you’ll start to rub elbows with some of the elite names in your industry and there are a lot of reasons you want your name associated with their names. It’s also easy to build relationships based on common interests, passions, and experiences.

If you’re not using Twitter in your job search then you’re missing out on a wide range of potential jobs and careers. Make sure you sign up now and see what it can do for your job search today.