Do not ask about salary first

This is a major mistake often seen among the youngsters and fresh candidates at the interview desk. Many youngsters join jobs, especially easy to get through kind of jobs just because of salary attraction. What they fail to see is that the company is hiring them for some good reasons of its profit, not to do charity. All that interest them is salary package. Often such candidates turn really impatient and just cannot wait till the interviewer asks him or her about expected salary package. Such candidate looks for an opportunity and whenever the interviewer is found little quiet, soon shoots questions like ‘How much are you planning to pay for this job?’ or ‘What will be my salary package if I am chosen for it?’ Well, such questions may not only irritate the interviewer, you may also lose chance to impress him forever. Ask about salary package only when the interviewer gives you come hint or asks you directly about your expected salary figure. Too much proactive effort from your side will invariably send wrong messages across.

Do not ask about the company’s background first

Do not forget, it is you who is being interviewed; not the person sitting across the table. Maintain interview decorum. Too much of interest and questions may make you appear too bossy, picky and irritating. It is good if you have queries in store for the interviewer, it is always appreciated. But shooting such questions at the wrong time may spoil your entire effort. Shoot all questions you have regarding the company background or places of operation or anything specific about the job profile – only when you are asked. The interviewer may specifically ask you ‘Do you have any questions to ask?’ and that time you can shoot your questions. If you are not asked, towards end of the interview process you may proactively ask some questions. But keep it short. Make sure questions are sensible, smart, logical and not personal.

Do not ask personal questions

Often the interviewer makes the candidate feel relaxed, at ease and comfortable. Interviewer may crack some jokes, share light moments to see how you are exactly behind the shield of formal attire. But such atmosphere doesn’t permit you to forget all interview decorum and get personal. Even if the situation is light hearted do not suddenly get personal and shoot questions like ‘Sir, what does your name mean?’ or ‘Madam how many years you have been working in this company?’ Such abrupt questions may instantly make the interviewer feel uncomfortable

Follow these tips and do not make a mistake being proactive at the interview desk.

Anonymity

Best part of online counseling is that you need not unearth your identity, you can remain anonymous and keep your identity hidden. You need not convey your true identity, you may choose not to share personal details. You may take help of career counselor with different identities every time. You may find out different guidances, different views when you approach the counselor with different identities. Anonymousness may help you to get genuine help from the counselor.

You can choose anyone, anywhere

If you choose a career counselor for guidance, you may end up with limited numbers of choices in your city, locality or country at the best. As a result, you may deprive yourself from the guidance of best counselor. But when you are opting for online career counselors, you have lots of options open. You may choose a counselor from anywhere in this world. You need not worry about geographical boundaries. You will have access to best quality counselor from all across the world.

You may choose multiple ways

f you are opting for online counseling you may have multiple options. You may interact with the online counselor via voice chat, talking on the microphone and even choosing webcam for viewing. On the other hand if you wish not to talk, you may simply choose text chat. So you have multiple options before you.

Less distractions, shoot listed questions

Online counseling is equipped with less distracting elements. There are no physical distracting elements around to confuse the student. In online counseling the student can remain focused and shoot all questions to the counselor while referring to the questions already listed beforehand.

Online counseling is picking up fast. Make the best use of it.

Don’t forget it’s LIVE

At times people forget that they are giving interview through video conferencing and that is mainly because of the ease in which they give interview right from home, sitting in front of their PC while the pet dog is sitting at a corner. But don’t forget video conferencing is no different from the face-to-face interviews. In video conferencing you are not only seen but also heard just like any face-to-face interviews. You are observed carefully, your actions and reactions are noticed and you are very much LIVE. It’s just that your half of the body is seen and the interviewer doesn’t come to know if you are formally dressed at the bottom or not. They won’t even realize if you stink or if you are wearing a dirty pair of socks, as they can’t touch, smell and feel you. But since entire attention is on the part that’s visible, it’s even harder to convey the best possible message.

You don’t have a second chance to get back

Always remember, in case of interview through video conferencing you may not get another chance to get back to the interviewer and explain your point. Videoconferences are generally scheduled with a limited time frame in mind. Once you have been asked a question you need to answer immediately. In case of physical face to face interview you may still afford to buy some time under the disguise of arranging presentation or taking out resume from the folder; but in case of video conferencing you need to be prompt and you can’t escape their eyes on you, since they are unable to see the surrounding distractions and every eye is just on you. In physical form of interview if you forget to present some assignments and projects or convey a message you can again knock at the door and come back for a minute. But in case of video interviewing the call may end abruptly and your chance of re-appearance will go off forever. Similarly your every expression will count and will be observed since your face is in center of their attention. Try to sound genuine, look genuine and always answer with firm voice yet humble approach and a smile.

Now, go for it. The world is all yours.

Don’t rush towards the negotiation process

Undoubtedly salary is one of the main pulling factors behind job switching. Being tempted by better salary we often change jobs. And that’s a common interest for both you and the interviewer; since the interviewer has to pay you. That’s an obvious question which may crop up at any part of the interview process. But don’t rush towards the salary discussion. When asked you may quote your expected salary or say it can be worked out later.

Know your value first

To ask for a reasonable salary, first you need to find your own market value. Judge your value in terms of logical perception of your knowledge, experience, skills and expertise, achievements, training, brand association and educational qualification.

Organization’s pay structure

Some organizations may have their own pay structure as per the candidates’ educational levels. Defined salary structures are at times made flexible, depending on candidate’s exclusive skills or extra-ordinary caliber.  Know these pay structures before negotiating salary.

Exclusive position

In case your job position is quite unique and exclusive or you are the only one who could get through the interview process you can call for a premium amount of salary. As for example, if the concerned company keeps only one brand manager and you have been selected as the one, you can ask for a good salary package.

Industry rate
Know the industry rate first. Know how much other companies in the same industry are paying to its employees, at similar level like you. Knowing the industry rate will help you in the negotiation process to put forth a logical demand of salary.

Put your greed aside

Don’t get too greedy about money. A good company can’t be missed out for a few extra bucks. If everything is fine and you decide to join, don’t let the greed come in between. If you are getting a decent package, join it. Later on with time as you build good rapport and prove your skills salary hike won’t be a problem for you. Consider the entire package, not just winning negotiation. Too tall demand of yours may make the interviewer find you unreasonable or money minded. So be fair, gentle and not too pushy.

Fix your goal

First of all, know what you want to do. What’s your goal? Does your goal match with your skills? Often youngsters remain confused about jobs, designations, skills required and get convinced by what others are doing or what is highly paying. Never do this mistake. Know what you wish to do and if it suits your skills or not. If you wish to be a school teacher, stay determined. Whatever may come your way, you have to be firm with your decision. Don’t get lured by other job profiles.

Register at job portals

From where will you come to know about the job opportunities? You may not know each job recruiter personally. So start registering yourself in different job portals. Pick up the popular ones and also niche job portals which specialize in an area of job like academics and media jobs etc. Submit your resume there, write a nice cover letter and finish your personal and professional profile. Mark all the areas of work, from which you wish to receive job alerts in your mail inbox. Make sure you complete all details, more explicit your profile is higher are the chances of getting interview calls. Apart from regular job alerts, make an effort to visit the job portals regularly and do a manual search for new job opportunities.

Check local dailies

Look out for the job opportunities in your local dailies. You may refer to the job category of your interest like ‘academics’, ‘media’ etc. Browse these job advertisements regularly. They may ask you to send resume by email or post. Do the needful.

Proactive application may work

At times forced CVs do wonder. If you are eyeing at a company in particular, but in recent times they haven’t advertised for upcoming vacancy you may give an extra effort towards the same and send your resume. In such case, if they like your resume they may call when a vacancy crops up in future.

These are the few ways of job look out. It will ease the process of job hunt.

Flawless CV

Always remember if you are not confident about your CV, it will reflect in your attitude, personality, body language in front of the interviewer. So work on your CV first, make it crispy yet all inclusive. Don’t put false information in your CV. A good CV will silently talk about you. Follow formal CV format.

Know your subject

Don’t forget at the end of the day its knowledge of your subject that matters the most. Study your subject, know what all can be asked in interview. Know about the current industry practice. If you score well in questions asked you have higher chance of getting through the job.

Obvious questions

There are some stereotyped obvious questions frequently asked in interview like – ‘Tell us something about yourself’, ‘what are your strengths and weaknesses?’, ‘Where do you see yourself after five years from now?’ etc. Prepare answers of these probable questions in advance. You may practice answering these questions in front of a mirror. It will not only help you to answer, but also answer with perfect attitude, body language and confidence. This practice will boost your confidence and also help in lowering fear of speaking in front of the interviewer.

Read about the company

Before going for an interview read about the company. Go to its website, read about the company, its achievements, work done, clients, history. Interviewer may ask you if you know enough about them. So knowledge is important.

Wear the perfect attire

Wearing perfect attire to interview is very important. Wear formal clothes of pastel shades. Too bright colors are to be avoided. Don’t wear distracting earrings, necklaces and other accessories. Shoes should be formal, neat. Wearing formal clothes will not only make you appear like a professional, it will also boost your confidence.

Start preparing today for your dream job.

Loud make up

Females are frequently tempted to put on heavy mask of makeup, coats of loud make up base, dark eye makeup and lip color. Trust me, world is not a dance floor all the time. You should not wear any loud or dark or too much of make up to the interview, instead of enhancing your personality it may make you appear bad. Keep it bare minimum, soft and subtle. Don’t wear dark colors, unconventional shining make up, or the color which doesn’t suit you.

Unkempt hair

Women are generally seen more careful about their hair, but men are not. They often reach the interview with messy hair. While your recruiter is talking to you and looking straight into your eyes, your hair is not missed either. Keep your hair tidy, nicely combed or brushed and preferably tied if long. Men should keep it short. Women should tie it up neatly or keep open while making sure hair doesn’t fall on face or cover it partially.

Glossy jewelries

Not only women, but men are also often seen flaunting heavy shiny metallic bracelets, ear rings, finger rings, neck pieces. They are absolute distracters. Women can wear light and simplistic ear rings or neck pieces to the interview. But keep it bare minimum. Avoid shiny jewelries, they are highly distracting. Don’t let your jewelries draw attention of recruiter more than yourself.

Informal clothes

Interview demands formal attire, neat shirt, trouser, and neck tie or business suit. Girls may opt for formal trouser or skirt, with neat shirt. Don’t forget to combine your dress with neat pair of socks and shoes.

You need to appear sober in your interview, and instead of attracting attention to your looks, you will like your interviewer to see your talent, as this is what will get you a job.

Grabbing seat

Often interviewee is extremely nervous while seeing the interviewer for the first time and forgets basic manners by grabbing a seat without recruiter’s permission. You may not notice it, but your interviewer will and find it extremely ill-mannered. Wait for the interviewer to sit and then take your seat with his or her permission. Sit only after you greet the interviewer.

Wandering eyes

Wandering eyes right from interviewer’s tie to shoes, from ceiling to the window is extremely disturbing for the interviewer. It not only reflects candidate’s lack of attention, but also lack of confidence. Look straight into interviewer’s eyes and don’t let your eyes wander here and there. It’s extremely annoying. Look straight into interviewer’s eyes and don’t let your eyes wander here and there. The interviewer may try to find out what are you observing here and there. Make maximum eye contact, but don’t gaze at the interviewer either.

Too much personal talks

No interviewer appreciates personal talk. So avoid it. Even when asked to describe yourself, don’t include too much of personal details like where you were born, where you went for last holiday, what you do in your free time, your relationship status and the like. Even you can avoid too much of personal queries, simply by saying you don’t feel your personal life has anything to do with your professional field. Honesty will impress the right interviewer and he or she won’t intervene into your personal life either.

Fidgeting

Often in nervousness we start fidgeting objects and unknowingly it draws attention of the recruiter. Avoid this habit.

Dumb queries

Just for the sake of asking questions don’t shoot your questions to the interviewer. Ask only smart, interesting and valid questions. Don’t ask stupid questions like ‘Will I get this job?’ or ‘What’s your budget?’ It shows immaturity.

Here are some tips for you to understand how to grab a dream job.

Good resume

Your chance of grabbing interviewer’s attention depends on how well you craft your resume. Check out authentic format of resume, follow it and craft accordingly. Always attach a cover letter with your resume. It should sell you and reflect you in brief. Don’t use contemporary abbreviations or sms language. Stay formal. Talk about your objective, strengths, experience, skills, and education.

Looks matters

Who says looks doesn’t matter? Unless you look impressive enough people may not even want to know the person within you. So wear your best look. Dress formally, yet attractive and dignified. Wear formal colors and avoid flashy designs. Too much warm color may put off the interviewer. Not only clothes, be careful about your shoes, appearance and your accessories. Make sure you look clean, decent, and presentable. Don’t carry too colorful and flashy bags, files etc.

Appealing you

If not to impress your partner, an appealing personality definitely helps to impress interviewer and grab the dream job. Let your charismatic self impress the interviewer across the table. Magnetic personality always draws eyeballs of many and inspires the rest to follow. Develop a powerful personality, sound interpersonal communication skill, and persuasion power. Let the body language speak.

Confidence speaks on its own

Confidence is an integral part of winning. Let the confidence show on your face and in your body language. Control your body language. A shaky hand, limp handshake may send lot of negative thought to the interviewer. Stay firm, confident, yet pleasant. Make proper eye contact, but don’t gaze. Talk with a firm yet pleasing voice.

Communicate properly

Communicate properly, whether in terms of choice of words or body language or tone of voice. Everything counts. Diction has to be right. Don’t use words which you are skeptical about. Good articulation skill will popularize you. Start listening to standard speeches, audio tutorials, news to sharpen your vocabulary skill.

Here are some tips about overcoming such undesired fear.

Don’t think too much

Never let the stress get on you. Be at ease. Don’t think too much about the interview. Live your day as any other normal day. If you stay at ease, you will remember things, appear confident and at your best.

Be truthful

Don’t put any information in your curriculum vitae which is not true, half-true, misleading. Remember what you have put in your CV. Be truthful. False information not only has a scope of landing you into problem but you may also forget what you have lied about. Put valid information. It will make you confident and appear credible. Don’t forget interviewer may verify all information.

Talk to your mirror reflection

If you are scared of facing interviewer and speaking in public, start practicing. Stand in front of mirror. Talk to yourself. Shoot questions. Answer it back. See how you look while you speak. Make your body language apt for interview purpose. Check your words, vocabulary, style of talking, pronunciation and pitch. Modify accordingly. It will not only help you to overcome your shortcomings but also boost your confidence immensely.

Know about the company and job profile

Do your thorough research about the company you are going to visit for the interview purpose. Know about the company’s history, span of presence, clients, owner group, achievements, failures, tie ups, marketing policies etc. Know the role of the profile you have applied for, skills required for it and other requirements. Prepare yourself about probable questions and answers. It will keep you confident and prepared.

Keep things ready

In well advance of the interview date keep all documents, testimonials, dress ready. Last moment hurry and tension of misplacement may delay your arrival at interview and the entire process. It will de-stress you too.

Go for it. Give your best. Success will follow.

Do not schedule any important meeting on the interview day

This is to be done to stop you from messing up either of the two, and to keep your mind uncluttered on the very day. An important meeting scheduled on the day of interview will engross a significant part of your thinking brain, which will distract you during the interview as well. You should, therefore, avoid scheduling anything important on the interview day.

Do not use office mail for communication

I know you follow this, but still I felt like telling you that never ever use the e-mail ID given by your company to schedule or fix a meeting. This could spell bad luck for your existing job, which I presume you do not want to lose, unless you get something solid on hand.

Negotiate as much as you can

The best part of searching for a new job when you already have one is the fact that you can bargain with the prospective employer from a position of strength. Unlike a fresher who needs a job then and there, you do not have that urgency as you already have a job. You should, therefore, try to get the job on your terms. This is very much possible.

Being already employed, you already know the tricks of an interview meeting, so I left them out of this article, and instead mentioned those that are relevant for you alone, and not for a fresher. You must put these tips in use.

In the following paragraphs, I am going to talk about 3 indicators that tell you that it is you who is stopping you from getting hired, and when I said you, I meant your habit.

3 reasons you are not getting hired

Too high an expectation

Nothing is perfect in this world; neither you nor any job. If you are waiting for a perfect job to fly from the land of fairy and set down in your lap then I am afraid to say the wait is going to be rather long. Meanwhile, I would recommend bagging a not-so-perfect job that matches your skill set, and which can provide sufficient money for you to survive on.

Be realistic. Weigh every aspect of the dream job you want, and see what all you can let go. You will soon be employed.

Too small a net

Are you relying on just one technique to search for the job? Do you feel uncomfortable trying out different job-search tools and techniques?

To catch a lot many fish, a fisherman needs to have a net that is wide enough and strong enough. Similarly, a job hunter needs to widen his net using all the possible tools and techniques to land up in a good job, which sadly enough, very few people are doing, for they are slave of their habit of using one tool.

Too Egocentric (I, me, and myself) cover letter

This is stupendous mistake committed by a job hunter. No one wants someone who has an ego as big as the size of the Milky Way. I know your ego is comparatively smaller in magnitude, but why does not it reflect in the cover letter you send out? Why your cover letter is talking too much about “I”?

Writing I, I, and I will not land you up in a job, forget about a good job, as no one cares how smart, talented, Einstein-esque you are. Your interviewer cares only about his needs, and about an employee who can meet that need. I know what big a dork he is, but at the end of the day, he is the one who will sign your paying slip, month after month.

Wouldn’t it be smart then to satisfy his needs by talking about his company and how you will add solve the problem he has in a cover letter? From where I am standing, it would be smarter, far smarter to this than to talk about I, me, and myself.

If you, unknowingly, committed any of these mistakes then it is time to undo them, should you want to get hired. After all, we call it habit because we do it unknowingly, as a habit.

Why?

Because an interviewer has only so much time and attention for one candidate, and even that time and attention shrinks down to bare minimum, for the candidates are too many. As a result, what an interviewer gets is a nearly suitable candidate for the job, and an average interviewee, who is street-smart, gets the job.

A street smart person knows the art of survival. He knows that not the best but the swiftest wins the everyday battle. He also knows what to say in which situation because he can intuitively tell what others want to hear. The tips I am going to share are the ones a street smart job searches usage to convey the interviewer how qualified he or she is.

The goal of this article is to do the same, to help you become and street smart and succeed in an interview, even if you are not the sharpest.

Experience

Your interviewer is interested in knowing about your experience in doing the job you have applied for, so instead to beating around the bush come directly to the experience part during your interview. And tell them some details of the work using jargons.

Expertise

You need to show you expertise in your domain while talking about the experience. Talk of the details tells your interviewer that you know nuisances of the job, which only the experts of the field can hope to know. And use of jargon suggests the depth of your understanding of your field. Use acronyms for “3 or more words” jargons.

Exceeding Expectation

Cracking an interview is an art of understanding the requirement and over delivering on it. There is no way that an interviewer can know about you, in any detail, in the limited time he has for you. You should, therefore, serve them what they want the most. Blow them away by showing them what they need, and more.

Follow these three advices, and you will end up getting every job you will ever apply for.

This is where this blog post figures in. The 3Cs (creative, commitment, and confidence) that we are going to discuss in this article will help you convey the message an interviewer wants to hear from an interviewee.

3 Cs of job interview

Be creative

You should be creative in your approach. Do not just give a rotten answer to each of the question asked. It sounds boring, it looks mechanical, and no one wants a non-creative, mechanical person because they already have more powerful machines to do the job.

Do not deliver a premeditated answer. Take a chance, offer something innovative. This will impress your interviewer.

Commitment

The second C of job interview is commitment. Convey your interviewer your desire to stay with his company as long as things does not fall apart. Tell him that you are not the “job hopper” kind and believe in staying with a company and delivering result. Your interviewer needs to know whether you will go out of your way to solve a customer’s problem or not. Tell them you will do it. This will put the interviewer at ease, and he will lower his guard, which will provide you entry into his organization.

Confidence

You do not have anything, if you do not have confidence to move ahead, despite all the odds. No product is perfect. Your interviewer, who is also your prospective employer, knows this, and you should also know this. And if you have the guts to sell the product, despite its several short coming then are in the team.

Show your employer your level of confidence and belief in what you do. Do not shy away from this.

This brings us to the end of 3Cs of a job interview. In the next article will see what the 3 Es of a job interview are, and how each one of them will help you crack a job interview.

If you are not confident enough about your body language take help of the following tips.

Before entering the room, take a look of yourself. Make sure your hands are dry, warm. Shake hands firmly, yet don’t overpower. Sit straight, yet comfortable. Erect posture reflects energy, enthusiasm, and self control. Don’t move quite often. Make yourself feel comfortable. Slouching posture doesn’t reflect a positive attitude. Sitting on edge of the chair is to be avoided, as it reflects nervousness and lack of self-confidence.

Make good eye contact, but avoid staring. Do not let your eyes wander. While answering questions look into the interviewer’s eyes. Even while listening to the interviewer maintain direct eye contact. It makes you appear confident, attentive and pleasant. Avoid aggressive stares, blinking often, wandering eye movements, staring below. Over eye contact can again make you appear bossy, challenging and seductive.

Control your hands by being aware of what you are doing with them. Set them free, loosely clasped in your lap or on the table. Keep hands off your face. Avoid folding hands near chest, it shows defensive attitude and mind blocks. Too much hands movement is distracting. Less of movement makes you look in control, confident and disciplined. Avoid putting hands in pocket.

Place your feet firmly on the ground and avoid fidgeting. Crossing legs are okay, but shouldn’t invite too frequent crossing and re-crossings. Crossing legs at ankles appear smart and professional. Leg movements are distracting. Point knees towards the interviewer.

Speak in a clear, controlled, well-modulated voice. Avoid monotone and same pitch. Breathe properly in-between. Tone should be professional and confident. Don’t let your personal emotions reflect in your voice or words. Smile and nod, but not too loud or often.

This is what every jobseeker feels, and you believe it or not, you already know the answer. You know what an interviewer wants to know about you. You just seem to overlook them under the pressure of backbreaking labor that you put in to straighten everything up, so that you get selected for the job. You would not have worried too much for the job, if you knew that your interviewer wants to know only three things from you. But, what are those 3 things that an interviewer wants to know? Read this article through the end to find the answer to this question.

3 things an interviewer wants to know

Can you do this job?

This is the first concern of an interviewer. He asks you so many questions related to your education, experience, and past companies only to know if you can do the job he is offering or now. He is least interested in what all you did with your life, so do not tell him all. Just talk about things that will add value to his company should you are hired. This also shows how focused are you.

Will you be a pain in you know where?

Will you go along with the team easily or not is another thing that your interviewer wants to know. No one wants to hire anyone who cannot work in a team, or who cannot learn to adapt to situations that are not of their choosing. That is why questions related to curricular activities, volunteer organization, and roles played and responsibilities taken in previous companies are asked.

Are you asking for too much?

No one wants to pay an employee more than what he or she is worth. Charging a little extra is ok, but asking for way more than what one deserves raises the red flag. You need to be careful when telling him your expected salary. And when you quote your salary, do not forget to add what all you will do for the company, and how do you think hiring you on that salary will be a good deal for the company. Tell the interviewer you are worth every penny you are asking for, as you can earn 10 folds return of the salary you are getting from the company.

These are the only things your interviewer is interested in knowing. All the questions asked during an interview are done with a hidden motive of finding these things.

Question 1: How performance is measured

You need to ask your interviewer about the criteria on which you will be judged when taken for the job. It will give you a target to match in order to get promoted or rewarded. A good company will have a set practice for employee evaluation, and HR people will not shy away from telling you that.

Question 2: Why previous employee left the job

This is a tricky question, but you need to know why the place became vacant. There could be a genuine reason for the previous employee to leave, and office politics or unfair boos could also be a reason, which you can only find by asking about it. The answer to this question will give you good idea about the existence and complicacy if office politics.

Question 3: Remuneration

You need to know about your salary, perks, performance bonus, etc. After all, it is the money that you are working for. You also need to ask about the salary date, deductions, etc. You will not want surprises here, so do not hesitate in talking about your remuneration. If you find the package offered below your expectation then tell the interviewer what you were expecting. Interview is the best place to talk about your salary and other benefits.

Answers to these questions will help you understand whether your personal goals will be met in the company or not. This will help you weigh the job opportunity properly.

I had only this to say, what else do you think should one ask during an interview?

Question 1: Role and responsibility

This seems obvious, but it is not. The exact role of a sales engineer in one company can be slightly or completely different from the roles and responsibilities of the person on similar job in other company. This applies for all kinds of jobs. Therefore, it is imperative to ask about the role you are expected to play and responsibilities you have to take should you get the job. This will remove the blind spot and help you decide.

Question 2: Whom you will report to

Another seemingly obvious question that cease to sound obvious the moment you step through the giant door of your office on the first day. Save the horror of confusion and sounding horribly stupid by asking this question during your interview. This knowledge will also save you from workplace bullies who like to corner every unprepared newcomer.

Question 3: Work hours

Ask your interviewer what is a typical work hour for a person in your position in the company. Ask for a realistic answer. Do not believe when they say is 9 to 5 or 9 to 6 because it is never so. Work may starts from 9 or 10 or whatever, but never gets over at 5 or 6 or whatever is told to you. The world out there is very competitive, so to keep pace people work for long hours. Hence, you need to ask about work hours in real sense.

Could there be any question more important than these? Let me know your view on this subject.

You should absolutely use your hobbies to illustrate skills that you have that can come in handy on the job.  So only use hobbies that apply to your career, so to speak.  If you play videogames a lot, you’re going to have trouble making that one come through, so an employer gains more interest in you.  So stay away from hobbies like that, and stick to outgoing proactive hobbies.  Anything that gets you out, as a positive force, and that likely showcases your leadership or problem solving abilities.

Remember to keep your hobbies job related, otherwise you’re just wasting space and an employer’s time, with content that doesn’t matter to them.  The idea of this section is to help them learn about you, and why you would be a fantastic employee.   So limit your hobbies to 2-3, so that you have a short but informative section.  This is just a little place to sell yourself, don’t drone on for too long.

That can’t be stressed enough, you absolutely don’t want a large hobby section.  Otherwise the rest of your resume will look worse off because of your hobbies.  Also, never let your hobbies section be the reason your resume spills over to a second page.  You want to keep your resume at page length, and if you can’t do that with a hobbies section, it’s better to go without.

Make sure your resume is properly up to date.  The last thing anybody wants to see is an old resume that you’ve been using for a few years.  That shows no initiative, a lack of effort, and will reflect poorly on your work ethic.  You definitely don’t want a potential boss counting strikes against you before you even have a chance to interview.

Keep your resume professional.  While I always stress making your resume unique and tailored to each job that you apply for, don’t step out of the professional mold.  Keep your font generic and readable, and stick to the standard resume format.  Just tailor the information to each job that you apply for.  That’s the best way to make a great impression.

Don’t send your resume without a cover letter.  The cover letter is the standard starting point of any application, and a resume sent without one is incomplete.  The resume only serves as a list of professional accomplishments and goals, the cover letter is where you put these into perspective with your personality.  The cover letter sells you, and shows that you are the best employee for the job.  Take advantage of the opportunity.

Finally, make your objective statement absolutely clear.  You have to have a clear cut idea of what you intend to give, and get from the job you are applying to get.  This is extremely important to a potential employer, so you want the statement to be as clear and understandable as possible.  You wouldn’t want someone tripping over the first, and most vital part of your resume.