Back in the day when I first went into recruiting, I saw hundreds, if not thousands of resumes that made my manager roll his eyes up to heaven and call on the Lord!
The resumes came in and we mtched the applicants to the jobs that they were applying for according to the prior work experience they had. Most resumes were very good, but there were always a few that needed real work before we could send them to a client's office. I always brought in some of the people whose resumes needed special attention so that I could help them create a resume that would help them make the right impression.
At our office we played a game amongst ourselves called "Guess Who Called Them To Interview" we would look at the applicants in the waiting room and try to figure out who they came to see. Scores of job applicants came to see us everyday, but as I worked with my group who needed a little nudge, my officemates shook their heads more and more furiously in dismay - my applicants seemed to be the ones that stood out in a crowd because their resumes reflected their general state of preparedness - they had a long way to go before they could go on an interview. I was discouraged, but I wasn't bowed. After all, everyone has to start out somewhere, and if you never help anyone, who's going to be around to help you????
You can't imagine the change that was made with just a little coaching and a stiff nudge in the right direction. I was able to turn some pumpkins into real princes. They got placed, and my manager had to reassess what I was trying to accomplish. I know that most people can find the job of their dreams, they just need to stop thinking of the interview process in terms of judgement and think of it in terms of being prepared. If you only have one chance to make a good impression, use the time to show everyone what you bring to the table. You're fabulous! Make it easy for them to see your cream rise to the top:
Please answer the phone yourself - don't let a relative answer, you need to be right by that phone when it rings - sound cheerful -even if you are down to your last quarter - in fact especially then
If you must use a cell phone, and it's pretty clear they are taking over - use a reliable service. You need to clearly understand every single thing the recruiter is telling you so that your notes are accurate. Before cell phones, I used to call people at phone booths (yes, that was quite a while ago) if they didn't have a home phone. Once I had an applicant who was so distracted that she went to an interview at Midway for a job at O'Hare. It was a disaster - the client filled the job without ever meeting my person. My applicant walked all over the place, and was so frsutrated she went home in tears. Clarify the location in all cases!
Make sure you know where the location is. It's easy to take down an address and drive out to the place th next day, but it's smarter to make a dry run to make sure there isn't any construction and that you really know where you are going. we give applicants directions, but invariably they don't have them when they leave for the interview. Don't be afraid to ask for directions - Bus drivers have great info on the best way to get around, and State Police officers fill the bill nicely if you're going outside the city. I've had people call the police on my applicants because they thought they were casing the area. You don't have to be humiliated - just don't be too proud to ask for help.
In a tough job market we all need all the help we can get - hopefully this will help you on your journey.
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