Mac’s 10 Rules for Successful Interviewing

Mac’s 10 Rules for Successful Interviewing

•      Be on time- this means between 5-15 minutes early.

•      Be confident-  Tell yourself “I’ve Got This!”

•      Dress for success- You don’t have to wear a Tux, but dress one level above your target.

•      Take the Initiative- Know the job specifications and how you fit that role.

•      Don’t oversell yourself-  Answer the questions but don’t talk yourself out of the job.

•      Always have your own questions (written down)- You are interviewing the company too.

•      Carry a portfolio- It gives you something to do with your hands.  Take notes.

•      Don’t let them see you sweat-  Don’t scratch, wipe, scooch or squirm.

•      Ask for the job- You don’t get if you don’t ask.

•      Follow up Today- to paraphrase Elton John- Don’t let the sun go down on your interview.

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David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

How do you spell Potatoe?

How do you spell Potatoe?

We all know that the resume doesn’t get you a job, it gets you an interview.  It can also stop you dead in your tracks if you have spelling and grammar mistakes.  The quickest way to put yourself out of the hiring funnel is having misspelled words on your resume.

While the interview will land you the job, the resume gets you in the door. Your resume is your first chance to make a good impression, so don’t screw it up with easy-to-correct errors. Proofread, proofread, proofread and for goodness’ sake, proofread!

Before you hit the send button, have someone else look over your resume to catch any errors you might have missed. (Remember: Computer spell-check functions don’t catch everything).

For college students, utilize the career services center, as its staff members are there to help you.

Mistakes are a direct reflection of you and your personal brand. Don’t let your first impression also be your last.

One more thing; Are you still putting “References available upon request” or actually listing your references and their information on your resume?  We are all aware that you’ll provide references when they are needed.  Don’t waste valuable space on your resume be stating the obvious.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

You’re not still using an Objective statement to start your Resume, are you?

You might be old if your resume looks like this;

Objective

A confident, detail-oriented, resourceful professional with excellent organizational skills and ability to function at a highly efficient level in a fast-paced environment.  Ability to liaison adeptly between executive, management and support levels.  Professional relationship builder with the capability to establish and maintain relationships in a wide variety of aspects.  Proven leadership skills, ability to work within a team and exceed goals. Excellent interpersonal skills, presentation skills, sales and project coordination experience.

Since no one really reads your resume, you need catch the reader's attention.  A job summary does that, an objective statement doesn't.  The Summary should be built from the job description, pulling the key words out and using them to describe how you can fill the role.

Summary

Your job description calls for a confident, detail-oriented, resourceful professional with excellent organizational skills and ability to function at a highly efficient level in a fast-paced environment.  As you can see from my qualifications below, I have these attributes and I’m looking for a fast-paced environment such as yours.  I have the ability to liaison adeptly between executive, management and support levels.  Over the years, I have developed my professional relationship building skills with the capability to establish and maintain relationships in a wide variety of aspects.  As you can see, I have proven leadership skills, ability to work within a team and exceed goals. My excellent interpersonal skills, presentation skills, sales and project coordination experience are leading indicators my ability to not only hit the ground running with your company but to quickly become you star team member.

Now, here’s the hard part.  You have to write this summary for every job you apply to because every job has its own key words and hot buttons.  Catch the Hiring Manager with a quick, to the point statement about how you can fill their role.

See our job board at; http://www.grnhuntsville.com/candidate/jobs.aspx

David McElhaney

Global Recruiters of Huntsville

256.533.1444

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

www.grnhuntsville.com

It’s not what you’ve done; it’s what you have accomplished that matters- Part II

Just so we’re clear, people don’t read your resume, they scan it.  In an eye-tracking study, we found that the average recruiter spends about six seconds on a resume before deciding if it’s worth their time for a closer inspection.  If you don’t grab our attention in that window, you may be overlooked.

So how to you get my attention? Be Brief, Be Brilliant.  It’s those accomplishments that we talked about last week that will make a difference.   Stay focused on the very best accomplishments that will tell the Hiring Manager what you can do for them.

Remember that a accomplishments, for the most part, comes down to three things; How much money did you make the company; How much money did you save the company; What process improvements did you develop and implement in the company.

Please let us know how we can assist you or your company.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

www.grnhuntsville.com