Eight signs your interview went well

Eight signs your interview went well by Amber Rolfe Figuring out whether your interview went well isn’t always easy…Although there can be obvious signs that you impressed the interviewer, others can be hard to gauge. But whether it’s a sure-fire signal or a more subtle hint, there are many ways to tell whether an employer is seriously considering you.Weve already covered what to do when your interview goes badly and six reasons you didnt get the job, but here are eight signs your interview probably went well:You have an actual conversation If your interview felt more like a casual chat than a formal interrogation, your skills and experience probably aren’t the only thing that clicked with the interviewer.Not only does it show that you’d fit in with their company culture, it also proves you’d have a good working dynamic if you got the job.So if you notice that your interview starts to focus less on the formalities, and more on what kind of films you like (see also: laughs at all your jokes) â€" you’ re probably doing well.  They give you positive affirmation This may seem obvious â€" but if you’re focusing on getting your answers right, you might not be paying full attention to the interviewer’s reactions. And trust us, they mean a lot.Because whether it’s through their body language or how they respond to your answers â€" you can often gauge how an interviewer feels about you just by looking at them. And if they’re fully engaged and giving positive feedback â€" you can be sure you’re on the right track.Just beware of the tell-tale ‘I’m only here because I have to be’ signs (e.g. uninterested silences, slouching, lack of eye contact, continuous clock watching).  They’re making an effort to sell you the jobAlthough every interviewer will talk about what the role is about â€" not everyone will make a real effort to spark your interest.So if you notice the interviewer is giving you a detailed explanation of what the job entails (including exactly what ‘you’dâ €™ be doing) â€" whilst listing the perks and benefits of working for them, you’ve probably made a good impression.It’s an even better sign if they actively link back to how that matches your skills and interests. It means they want to make the position work for you â€" not just any candidate.  They include you in their future How can you tell if your (working) relationship has a future? They’ll actually tell you where it’s going.If your interviewer talks about how they’d use your expertise into their future projects, plans, and developments (and/or brings in other members of the team to discuss) â€" it’s likely that you’re a top contender for the role.Not only does it show that they can see you adding value by working there, it also means you’ve made a good enough impression to actually last.  They introduce you to the rest of the team An invitation to meet the team is essentially a colleague trial run.You’ve impressed in the interview, and the recruiter wants to know if you’ll interact well with the team before they make their final decision. So all you have to do is keep impressing, by being polite and friendly with everyone you meet.This is also the perfect opportunity for you to get a feel of the working environment. Something as simple as a tour of the office or a chat with your potential colleagues can often be enough to figure out if a workplace is really right for you.Eight signs an employer is not the one  It runs over the scheduled time Let’s face it â€" interviewers are busy people.Amongst interviews, appointments, meetings, and general tasks â€" their free time is probably rare. This means that they have to stick to their schedules and allocated timeframes…that is, unless it’s worth it.So if your interview runs over the scheduled running time, it’s almost always a positive sign. Not only do they want to learn more about you, they also don’t mind sacrificing their time for it.  They ask when you can start The key to fi guring out whether this question indicates your interview is going well is to focus on how it’s delivered.For example, if your interviewer quickly asks this in addition to a number of other generic questions â€" they’re probably just going through the motions.However, if they ask it alone, and follow up with other questions and comments about your availability â€" it could be a sign that they’re considering employing you (and are willing to work around your schedule if necessary).  You get invited to a second interview Good news, they want to see you again.If you’re invited to a second interview there and then, you can be sure you did a good job â€" especially if they ask you before the interview’s even over.And although it might seem daunting to go through this process again, don’t let nerves make you forget the positive. They already like you â€" so just keep doing what you’re doing, and you’re bound to continue to impress.Second interview tips: What you need to kn ow  Second interview questions and answersLooking to improve your interview technique? Read our list on what to do after a job interview, and find out how to follow up after an interview now.  Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Following up after an interview Interview Techniques Job interview tips

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese 5 Ways to Shine at a Job Fair

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese 5 Ways to Shine at a Job Fair During the height of the Great Recession, job fairs were a mob scene. People with 30 years of experience were standing next to recent college graduates, all clamoring for work. But as things have improved, many people don't think that job fairs are worth their time. They're wrong. Job fairs are a great chance to practice your networking skills and develop your personal brand pitch. They're the perfect opportunity for you to hone your professional persona and to learn to handle meeting new people with ease. But before you put on the business suit, here are a few things to remember before attending a job fair: Do your homework.Once you decide on the job fair, research the employers who will be attending. What does the company do? How many employees do they have? What is the mission statement? How could your skills fit into that environment? Use the Internet or call the company for an information packet before the event so that youre prepared to ask questions of the recruiter. The candidate who can move beyond, What does your company do? will be noticed. Be organized.Once youve researched the employers, keep your information in files to be reviewed before each conversation. Dont be worried if the recruiter sees your notes it will show that you cared enough to do the research and are approaching the fair professionally. Dont juggle a coat, papers, umbrella, coffee cup, etc. Carry your things in a professional tote or briefcase, and keep your coat hung up or neatly folded over your arm. Eat or drink away from the recruiter tables keep at least one hand free to shake hands and accept business cards. If there is free merchandise, dont try to keep track of that as well. If you dont have a bag to store it, leave it. Its much more important that you look professional, not like a kid at the carnival. Hone your message.You wont have much time to meet with recruiters, and they will want to hear your qualifications clearly and concisely so they can move on to other candidates. Practice your promotional message that outlines your strengths and how you could be of value to the company. Look for specific strengths. Saying youre a people person doesnt say much, but saying that you are detail-oriented and thrive on helping solve problems tells the recruiter more, especially if you can concisely cite an example. Look and sound the part.Dress professionally and neatly and make sure your breath is fresh and hair neatly combed. (Dont chew gum.) Make eye contact and always offer a firm handshake. When you speak, make sure you keep your head up and pointed toward the interviewer. Job fairs can get noisy dont shout, but project your voice clearly. Take notes and get names.Have a pad and pen ready so that you can take notes from your interview. Keep the recruiters business card with your notes, and make sure you get an address so that you can send a thank-you note after the job fair. Your notes should keep track of particular interests of the employer, the qualifications being sought and where and when you can do further interviewing.

Interview with Kristi Hedges Unlock Your Potential to Influence Others

Interview with Kristi Hedges Unlock Your Potential to Influence Others Recently, I had the opportunity to interview the author of  The Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others, Kristi Hedges. Everyone recognizes leaders with presence. They stand out for their seemingly innate ability to command attention and inspire commitment. But what is this secret quality they exude, exactly? Executive and CEO Coach Kristi Hedges will demystify this elusive trait, revealing the importance of leadership presence. Kristi  is a communications expert, author, speaker and sought-after leadership coach. In her 20-year career working with leaders to help them communicate more effectively she’s encountered every personality type imaginable, yet remains more than a little passionate that anyone can learn presence. Her workshops and leadership coaching programs have been utilized by CEOs and teams of all sizes in companies spanning the Fortune 500, government, non-profit and privately held businesses. She runs her own coaching practice, The Hedges Company, and is a founding partner in the leadership development firm, Element North. Here are some highlights from the interview with Kristi Hedges: What is presence,  and why is it so important for leaders to have? When I asked people, “What is a quality someone has if they have presence?” I got answers such as assertiveness, confidence, ability to own the room and great charisma.  And then I ask the question, Name someone who influences you? I very rarely got those same characteristics. Those qualities that we assume create presence actually don’t create presence. We have to have presence to influence. We want to be able to get our message heard, to get an idea across or to get people to follow us and to build followership.  Presence is the ability to connect with and inspire others. When you think about presence on those terms, and who influences you personally in your career, that’s much more attainable and easier to reach than just being charismatic. Another way to think about presence is our values when displayed on the outside. [Related Post: The 15 Best Leadership Quotes to Inspire You  ] How can we learn to influence and engage others? It starts with clarity and getting very intentional. If we are not clear about how we want to show up then we’re not going to be influential and it’s very difficult to engage others. Thinking about it before the meeting even starts of how you want the message to be and how you want to embody and carry the message. We can’t get people to feel excited if we don’t display excitement ourselves. We can’t get people to take something seriously if we don’t take it seriously ourselves. Make sure that your intention is conveyed through your voice language, your body language, and how you communicate in general. How can perfectionism and limiting beliefs get in the way of our influence? A lot of us want to be really perfect when we show up. What happens to the leadership standpoint with presence is that when you look at how people connect leaders, perfectionism is actually very alienating. With presence, it is important to also show some vulnerability. For letting people in a bit to see the things you’ve struggled with. Being able to manage and balance this is core to presence. The limiting beliefs fuel the perfectionism. You need to be able to understand what those limiting beliefs are and how to defeat them. You need to be aware of these beliefs and replace them with a positive belief which can be really life changing in terms of how we show up. Thanks,  Kristi!

How to Make the Most of Your Stock Investments in 2016

How to Make the Most of Your Stock Investments in 2016 We’ve talked before about the cost of financial freedom. In this post we’re going to talk about how investing figures into that, and how to make sure that your investmentsparticularly those that involve the stock marketstay safe in 2016. Why are we dedicating an entire post to stock investing in the upcoming year? It’s partially because investing is an important part of financial success. It is also partially because this year looks like it might be a shaky one for the market. Why 2016 Looks Shaky The year began with the market plummeting hundreds of points. This, naturally, made investors of every sort nervous. Nervous and panicky investors can cause even more chaos in an already unstable market. Even if the market had remained stable in January, 2016 is a federal election year and that can cause companies and investors to act unpredictably, particularly since Citizens United. When you add these factors to an economy that has been trying to grow and is greatly affected by the international economy’s behavior, you can see why this is not a year to take big risks. How to Weather the Storm First, you might be tempted to simply sell your stocks and take up stock investment again once the market has evened out. This is the wrong way to go. The market will eventually even itself out and your dumping everything now is more likely to cost you more than you could ever hope to save by leaving your portfolio mostly alone. In terms of new investments, however, here are a few tips you will want to heed. Satisfy your gambler’s spirit. When utilizing  binary options  in trading, instead of investing directly into a company’s stock portfolio, you (for lack of a better term) bet on how a company’s stock will perform. If you’re right, you earn money. If you’re wrong, you lose your investment (and potentially more, so be careful here). Remember, as a responsible gambler: never bet more than you can afford to lose. Slow and steady wins the race. Instead of investing in individual companies, invest in commodities. Commodities’ prices are determined based on the supply and demand side of the market and are less likely to behave erratically than corporate shares. It is important to note here, that oil prices play a large role in the commodities market so if you want to invest in the steadiest commodities available, look for alternative and renewable energies. Go for the gold. Whatever your feelings about the gold standard, investing in gold and other precious metals is a good way to keep your investment safe. The price of gold rarely fluctuates and even when it gains or loses value, it rarely drops or soars the way other market shares might. How much is a dollar really worth? Right now the USD is at 90 (out of a possible 100). This isn’t the greatest news for people who are interested in currency (aka Forex) trading. Currency traders should also take note that many of the world’s currencies have plummeted in worth as many economies (like China and Greece) have gone into tailspins. This will likely not be a great year for profiteering on the Forex market. Read the news. Read your local and the international business news. Keep track of what is going on within the companies in which you have invested. Pay attention to mergers and takeovers as these tend to have a huge effect on a company’s stock prices. Pay attention to quarterly profits and losses as well as their product development and customer satisfaction data. All of these factors contribute to the behavior of a stock and can give you clues about whether to buy or sell.  Don’t just take your broker’s word for it. Finally remember that the market eventually stabilizes. You won’t keep your stock investments safe if you panic and dump them every time there is a blip. Talk to your financial advisor. Learn how to read the signs and play it safe this year. Next year, who knows? Maybe the market will be more of a bear than a bull. Image Source; Image Source; Image Source

How to Create a Federal Resume

How to Create a Federal ResumeFederal resumes are often the most intriguing and appealing resume format for employers. Federal workers who are considering going back to school will find that they are far less likely to get hired on with fewer applications and a more conservative resume than someone who is looking for a job as a private sector worker.Private sector employers, which have a much bigger pool of qualified applicants than their public sector counterparts, often prefer to hire federal employees who are returning from training and the reserve army. However, some federal jobs will still require more work experience and qualifications, but these can be filled with relative ease with the right federal resume template.A federal resume template is essentially a master resume that should be in a format that a recruiter can easily compile. The main benefit is that these can be printed out, saving you a lot of time.You also need to keep your job responsibilities and experience in mi nd when creating your federal resume. Many resumes will provide you with basic information about the job, but that is not necessarily a good idea. Your specific job duties and education may vary, so ensure that your resume addresses those areas and includes the information your prospective employer will need.If you choose to use an online service for resume assistance, you should be aware that they often only list certain job responsibilities in a format that is specific to the position. You want to tailor your resume to what you will actually be doing, rather than going with a template that will provide you with what is outlined.Another thing to consider when creating a federal resume template is the size of the agency. Even if you may know all of the details and specifics of a position at a small federal agency, your resume must show that you are able to perform tasks that are different from what others will be performing.For example, a federal job in the Environmental Protection Agency will be very different from a federal job in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In order to be considered for an EPA job, for example, you will need to have more experience in environmental enforcement and protection, which will take you away from what other federal positions require.Remember that creating a federal resume template can save you a lot of time but do not forget to add your own job responsibilities and your education. It can be a little frustrating to go through a complex form with no more information than a standard 'job responsibilities' box, but it can make up for it with experience.

Post-Military Employment How to Stand Out - CareerAlley

Post-Military Employment How to Stand Out - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Transitioning from a military career to a civilian career can, at times, be a challenge. While veterans and military personnel have valuable skills to offer in the workplace, translating military service and accomplishments into civilian language is easier said than done. Here are some tips for writing a resume that helps you stand out in the civilian job market. Dont Militarize Your Resume The most crucial thing to remember is that many civilians are unfamiliar with military jargon. Your resume should not include terms that are difficult to understand. You should also avoid using acronyms because hiring managers are likely not to be familiar with what they stand for. As with other resumes, dont include experience thats not relevant to the job youre trying to get. Avoid sending resumes that are longer than two pages. One-page resumes are usually better. Because employers are inundated by hundreds of applicants in this tough job market, only a small amount of time can be dedicated to reviewing resumes. Many are looked over in a matter of seconds. Make sure yours can be quickly scanned with the most valuable experience and achievements listed in one or two pages. Highlight Your Skills and Accomplishments You may have heard that you shouldnt list your rank or awards on military resumes geared towards civilian jobs. This isnt the case at all. These are notable achievements that you should be proud of. The key to making awards or rank significant to the job youre applying for is to detail the skills or specific accomplishments that helped you earn that status. Highly valuable skills include leadership and interpersonal skills, attention to detail and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Did you regularly work under tight deadlines? Emphasize that; its an essential and highly sought after skill in many work environments. Did you manage projects, lead teams or direct communications? Those are excellent skills to list on a resume. The key is to rephrase what youve learned and accomplished in the military into language that everyone can understand. Make it easy for hiring managers to see why they should hire you. Putting it Together Military resumes (see: http://www.militaryresumewriters.com/) are often highly regarded by employers, especially those who have served in the military themselves. However, for your resume to have the broadest appeal, you need to make it easy for all kinds of human resources personnel and hiring staff to see why you should get the job. Your resume should make it easy to see how all aspects of your education, previous roles and extracurricular activities apply to the position youre seeking. Keep that in mind and youll soon see which elements of your service should be explained and emphasized. Michelle is an aspiring writer with a passion for blogging. She enjoys writing about a vast variety of topics and loves that blogging gives her the opportunity to publicly voice her thoughts and share advice with an unlimited audience. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines.

Executive Cover Letters Its Personal - Hire Imaging

Executive Cover Letters It’s Personal - Hire Imaging If you are an executive, your cover letter could be your ticket to that next six-figure opportunity. In my work with clients for more than 20 years, it’s been my observation that the cover letter is where 90% of applicants make lethal blunders. Here is a format that will prevent that and impress the decision-makers. Executive Cover Letters: Make it personal and about solutions Why do I say that your cover letter could be your ticket to the next great opportunity? It is your first “Hello,” your “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” which translates to connection. Why do so many executive cover letters fall short? The executive candidates talk about themselves and a problem. Wrong! It’s about the reader (employer) and a solution (help ease their pain). My executive client, Jim, learned to write cover letters that focused on solutions he could offer to solve his readers’ problems. Here’s an example of one of Jim’s letters (altered for confidentiality): Typed letterhead name, address, with city, state, zip, phone, email, blog or LinkedIn addresses (varies) Date Dear Greg, (handwritten) If you can use a qualified and respected Trainer, Talent Officer, Marketer or Strategic Planner, I may be able to help. I’ve served as: Chief consultant, award-winning trainer, over 17 years (Small and medium companies). Management and marketing strategist (Large and small companies). Blogger @jimsullivanmarketplacematters site on Marketing and Business issues. Key exec for three Fortune 500 companies (Vice President at two). How could I serve you? Working either as an employee or private contractor, I could contribute value to your current division startup and any of Zentac Corporation’s marketing, staffing, coaching, training, motivation, or talent development initiatives. My reputation has been built on working hard and smart. My career path has left a trail (that I’m glad to share) of top-rated performance reviews and impacts that drove profitability while keeping all key playersâ€"boards to clientsâ€"happy. I am flexible on hours, weekends, locations, travel and income. Recent compensation package was around $239,500. I have many ready to testify on my behalf if asked. I look forward to the next step. Perhaps we could have a cup of coffee nearby? Respectfully, (handwritten) Jim Jones (handwritten) [Handwritten note] P.S. I would be flattered to contribute to Zentac’s continued success. I’ve been impressed by your press for some time. And Perry Brown sings your praises! Another client, Sophia, a senior finance executive, sought a position as a Vice President with a major Minneapolis bank. Armed with a great one-page executive brief and a stand-alone case studies document, she sent the package to the bank president. It got her an interview but she was not chosen for the job. Then three weeks later, she got a call saying that the chairman of the board had seen her package and wanted to talk to her. They met over lunch and she was offered the job on the spot for a branch president opening. She said “yes” and is happily there now. Decision-makers do read cover letters, especially if they are tuned in to the jobâ€"and personalized. The icing on the cake is the handwritten postscript. It’s personal; and it’s always about what you can do for them! Photo:   Paul Simpson