Sunday 21 April 2013

How to Prepare for a Job Interview

Yesterday afternoon, I was invited to conduct a workshop on How to Prepare for a Job Interview to a group of secondary and university students at the TCCC. I promised that I would put my power point notes on my blog for the participants. Here they are:

A successful  career involves a number of ingredients such as hard working, working smart, setting goals  for 1 yr, 2 yr, 5 to ten years ( if you are planning to build a career) so you can track the progress whether you are achieving your goals or not.  Setting achievable short term goals helps you to move along and eventually enable you to reach your long term goals. You will also need a plan of actions to achieve your goals.
Nowadays, some of the important qualities companies are looking for in their potential employees are:
          Communication skills  -Very important!
          Good command of written/ oral skills
           Speak with confidence

Equally as important, when  fresh graduates are looking for their first professional job upon graduation, they will also need:

          Mentors and support network
          Relevant experiences
          References
          Understanding of work cultures and values

In my career as a school administrator and recently as a Human Resources Manager, I have discovered that many young people do not have much work experience upon graduation. Many have spent their university summer months either traveling back to their home country or studying summer school; few actually got summer employment relevant to their field of studies.

Experience is important!!

  Please try you best to accumulate relevant job experience by:

          Volunteering
          researching government programs that help young people to summer jobs
          Personal Network
          Part time work
          Co-op program

Steps for Finding a Job

          Learn what kinds of jobs you want
          Research your companies
          Be Prepared with the following:
          Covering Letter
          Resume
          Interview

Interview Blunders -  3 biggest mistakes people do during interviews:

          Dress  inappropriately
          Talk badly about previous job or boss
          Appears disinterested

After you sent out numerous application letters and resume, finally you got an interview! Congratulations, if you've got an interview,  some experts says:

You have  50% chance of getting the job!
Therefore do everything in your power to prepare yourself for the interview as if you are preparing for your most important final exam.
Learn about the company 

          Research the company
          Know the products
          Know the organization structure
          Knowledge is power

Dress appropriately

          Jeans are not for all occasions!
          Dress according to position applied
          At least 2 Days before the interview date:
          Pick out your interview outfit
          Shoes, socks – ready
          Make sure you have good grooming – good hair cut / neat and clean trimmed nails
          Check out location of interview and make a test run

Job  Interview – Creating a Positive Impression

          Don’t be late1!!!
          Arrive 15 -20 minutes earlier
          Check  hair, teeth, finger nails – cut  & clean
          Use Deodorant Moisturizer/ lip palm
          Avoid bad breath; use mouth wash or breath mints

Interview – Manners are important!

          Good manners = consideration
          Remember to shake hands, firm hand shake!!!
          Smile!!
          Say good morning, afternoon, thank you, please etc.
          Sit  only when asked

Maintain Eye contact During the interview

          Listen to questions carefully
          Not afraid to ask for clarification
          Positive attitude
          Demonstrate confidence

Job Interview – Some Frequently Asked Questions

          Tell me about yourself.
          Tell me about your experience and qualifications.
          Why are you applying for this job?
          Why are you the best person for this job?
          What are your strengths?
          Describe your weakness.
          What are the things that motivate you?
          What do you do in your spare time?
          What are your hobbies?
          What do you like the most/ least in your school?
          What were some of the most difficult problems you have had in your school or volunteer work?
          How did you solve them?

Interview - Situational Questions

          You are helping a customer who is getting verbally abusive with you. What would you do?
          You are working on a team and you are having a problem with another worker? What would you do to solve this problem?
 
Where to find jobs?

          School / University
          Guidance offices, bulletins around campus
          Community / local newspapers
          Local supermarkets, McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, YMCA
          Parks and Recreation 
          Canada Services Centre – local offices and websites
          Student Summer Employment Program

Networking is important when you are looking for jobs. You could expand your contacts by volunteering in your: 
 
          School / Church/  Workplace / Community
          Talk to everyone you meet
          Make connections
          Learn how to do Small talk with your supervisors/  teachers/ professors ( Watch for my blog on this topic soon)
          Make friends with your colleagues/ secretary
          Attend workshops / Job fairs
          Be careful of internet advertisement and interview location

After the interview
          Make notes of the interview and especially the questions you did not answer well.  Have a notebook to write them down so that you could learn from your mistakes to improve your future interviews.
          Follow up with:
          Phone call, Email or  thank you note

Be faithful to God
          Ask God to help you
          pray  and ask God to give you wisdom to show you the way and open doors
          Be faithful in your service
          Put God first and Don’t forget to Tithe

Government Programs that help young people to find their first jopbs:
          Mitacs-Enterprise Internship
          Canada Summer Job
          Employment Agencies

I will post more entries later as there were a number of questions asked by the workshop participants on Telephone interviews, finding internships and getting volunteering experience. If you have any questions, please don`t hesitant to send them to me via the comment box and I will try my best to answer them.
All the best in you job hunting! 

R.T.
Director - TECA 
Toronto Education &
Communications Associates
Toronto, Ontario
* The above post was first posted in my blog last year. This is a revised post

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