Saturday, June 9, 2007

Job Interviewing Tips

There seem to be too many people in the world that are interested in giving tips and advice that you do not want, or even care to waste the time hearing them. Why? Because opinions are like bad breath – everybody gets it from time to time, and everyone else seems to love to point out when yours stinks! There are plenty of decent tips for you to successfully complete a proper job interview (and land that one perfect job you have been searching for your whole life!). There is going to be one big stipulation – YOU need to decide what works for you!

There is one big tip that is overlooked. That is – being prepared for the future! Say you DO get the job. What next? Usually the "what next" becomes several references from previous co-workers or friends. It may behoove you to do this before you get the position applying for. Usually, three references are required, and none can be from relatives. Granted, relatives may know you better than most, but employers have found that relatives may also exaggerate and blatantly LIE about the applicant – just to "help" the applicant get the job.

An excellent example of a reference, is one I received from a previous co-worker. She wrote: "(My name) is quite possibly one of the best teachers I have had the pleasure of working with. When most teachers would ignore the troubled child, (my name) would roll up her sleeves, and do what she could to figure out the best way to communicate with that child. She never allowed any of the children under her care to go a day without feeling they were special to her in some way. She is truly an asset to any company she works for, and I will miss her greatly." Even I did not realize that my co-workers recognized the work I put into my job, and it was truly a boon for a co-worker to put it on paper for others to see!

Do not worry if you have never had a job before, and therefore, do not have any co-workers to give references for you. I am sure you have at least one friend whose parent would write one for you, as well as a teacher or two. It does not have to be about your work skills – it simply has to be someone who can vouch that you will be a great asset to the company you have applied for a job with.

There are a ton of job interviewing tips that you can ask around for. It seems that some of the best tips come from word-of-mouth, as well as utilizing available information (like what you find on the Internet) to make your interview a success. As I stated at the beginning of this article, it is up to you just what and how you want to utilize the tips that you find!

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