Riffing on Resumes, Part 21: Stay Hot

I close this series on resumes with this post on maintenance. Once you are in the resume-submission phase of the job application process, you need to maintain two aspects.

Maintain a system. Keep a folder of every email and letter you send, every document you submit to an online system, and every phone, online, and onsite meeting you have with prospective employers. You can create an Excel file with columns indicating the action, date, recipient, contact points, and one-sentence description.  

Read as much material, watch as many videos, and attend as many meetings as you can to stay on top of your field. Learn about breaking developments in your targeted company's business. 

Update your resume regularly with new accomplishments, courses taken, and professional certifications received. 

Maintain your faith. Yes, maintain your faith in yourself and in others. Remember your job is getting a job, so believe in yourself, make things happen by getting out your name using online professional platforms. Enjoy the process by learning from rejections as well as acceptances. Determine reasons for employer decisions. But keep your eye on the prize of getting the job you want. 

Riffing on Resumes, Part 20: Post-Interview Messages

With a job interview over, you are wise to start planning for your next job interview. As I mentioned in a previous post in this series, your job right now is to get a job. The interview is one of several steps of connecting you to a prospective employer, and it is arguably the most critical step. But it is not the last step. 

You have opportunities to write one or more of five post-interview messages. They are not mandatory, but they keep you focused on the job application process. They can all be emails, so they won't take too much of your time. And they need not exceed three or four sentences, so they require minimal effort. 

1. Appreciation – Write this message within 24 hours of the interview as a thank-you note to the interviewers for taking the time they spent with you. Saying you are interested in the position can't hurt, but say it only if you are. Your word means a lot.

2. Inquiry – Write this message if the interviewers have not informed you of their decision within the promised time. While you do not want to sound pushy, you can ask if they have decided on the candidate, tell them you remain interested in the position, and again thank them for their time.

3. Interest – Write this message if you receive the bad news that you did not get the job and wish you had. You can still act gracefully for thanking them for letting you know and letting them know you still would like to be a part of their organization—again, only if you mean it. 

4. Acceptance – Write this message in the happy event that you do get the job and want it. Tell them you are grateful and look forward to contributing to the organization. Of course, you do not have to overdo it, but expressing appreciation and anticipation tells the interviewers they made the right choice. 

5. Declination – Write this message if you get the job and decide against taking it. You do not need to say specifically why you have turned down their offer, but be gracious. Thank them for the offer, tell them you enjoyed the interview experience as a valuable next step in your career, and wish them well.

Riffing on Resumes, Part 19: Post-Interview

Your job does not end after the interview. You still have business to take care of. As you get up to leave, remember it ain't over until it's over. Here are some resume-based tips to maintain job-seeking a productive, positive experience. 

End on a positive note. As you leave, bring everything back home to your two or three greatest assets so that the interviewers will remember you. Express appreciation for the time you were given. Let them know of your interest in the outcome, if appropriate, while remaining confident and optimistic. 

Make the interview a learning experience. Rate the organization's culture (philosophy, work environment, staff attitude), work (responsibilities, authority, horizontal/vertical interaction), support (training, compensation, benefits), and commitment (work time, commute time). Consider whether the organization will help your career, refine your skills, and support your personal needs and wants.

Write follow-up messages. Throughout the process, you might write five such messages: appreciation, essentially a thank-you note; inquiry, if the employer exceeded the time of a promised communication;  interest, if you do not get the job but remain interested in the working for the organization; acceptance, if you get the job; and declination, if you're offered the job and decide you don't want it. 

I'll look at these follow-up messages one at a time in the next five posts.

Riffing on Resumes, Part 18: During Interview

 As important and nerve-wracking as the job interview is, it is also nothing more than a business transaction. Interviewers are trying to get the best candidate for the job and organization, and interviewees are trying to get the best job and organization for themselves. So this is the best advice I can give to job candidates after they prepared a resume, crafted an application message, and secured recommendations: Treat the interview like a business meeting. Here is how.

Conduct yourself professionally. Greet the interviewer with a smile, show a professional range of emotion, and use tactful, positive language. Listen intently to the interviewer. Show interest by taking notes. Maintain culturally acceptable eye contact.

Answer for yourself. Turn the interview toward where you shine the brightest. Let the interviewer know your strengths and turn your weaknesses into strengths. Maybe you are a good writer and a weak presenter. Let them know through examples you are a good writer, and tell them you see the job as an opportunity to cultivate both your writing and presentation skills.

Get them to answer for themselves. The interview might be taking place in an ideal location unrelated to where you will work, and the actual work area might not look as nice. Do not be shy about asking to see where you will be  working. These days, depending on the job, ask if a work-from-home option is available, if that matters to you.

Know the range of questions. The questions are too varied to consider in a brief blog post, but understand they can be related to your persona (What was your best/worst boss like?), work (Have you delivered presentations/prepared analyses/led teams before?), education (Do you have any further education you wish to pursue?), employment objective (Why do you want to work for this firm?), or career (Where do you want to be in five years?).

Ask questions yourself. You are interviewing them too. You should know what questions you want answered. They too will be related to the company’s persona (What does the company/department value most in an employee?), work (What is the first thing that needs the attention of the person you hire?), education (Will the organization support my pursuit of a degree/advanced degree through time or money?) employment objective (How is the management’s philosophy reflected daily?), or career (Do I have an opportunity to grow professionally?).

Beware of leading or loaded questions. Try responding to a leading question (What is the right way to handle that situation?) or a loaded question (Don’t you think that’s unfair?) by asking the interviewer politely to rephrase it or placing it in a proper context yourself. Of course, avoid asking leading or loaded questions of your own!