Landing a great job – Tips for Success

A colleague of mine, Alan Weatherbee, Director of Recruitment at the Constituency Management Group, sent me these tips on how to successfully navigate through the interview process and land a great job. He allowed me to share these with you. Alan is responsible for hiring for the West Coast offices of three public relations agencies: GolinHarris, Rogers & Cowan and Weber Shandwick.

• Narrow job search down by company, not necessarily by jobs posted. Make a list of top 10-15 companies you’d like to work for and attack!
• Call in to find out the Recruiter or HR representative’s name and direct contact information
• Research the company. Not just looking at the website but use your network to get the low down on the particular agency, its clients, and the major players
• Present yourself well by proof reading your submission, have another set of eyes review your resume, and always write an enthusiastic, flattering cover letter.
• In your cover letter, make sure to reference specific accomplishments the company has had and how they relate to you and your desire/experience. This shows you have done your research.
• Be prompt and flexible.
• Email address should not be ridiculous, resume doc should be saved as your name.doc, voice mails should be extremely professional and succinct – no ringtones and no casual message.

Resume tips: if entry level, highlight relevant coursework. Make your resume chronological, except if entry level, make a “relevant experience” section and section for “additional work experience”. Create a tailored “Objective” for every submission. Refresh your resume so it is up to the minute—many candidates have told me about small changes to their resume in the interview and that is frustrating. Keep the format simple and easy to ready with no more than 2 fonts. Bulleted resumes are easier to read than paragraphs. Include job title and dates (specific dates are preferred- if you put 2004-2005 we know you didn’t work there a full year). List clients and programs you worked on- this can be relevant.

• Have a reference sheet ready to go. Make your reference list strategically.
• Have a presentation of work samples.
• Make great eye contact and answer any question thoughtfully, no matter how mundane. Speaking of questions, always have at least one question to ask at the end of the interview.
• In the interview, try to make a personal connection or leave the interviewer with one or two commonalities- a person you both know, a mutual interest, if you went to the same school, are from the same state, etc. That way, you will not be forgotten and you have good fodder for feedback/follow-up emails.
• Write thank you notes- emails are acceptable.
• Don’t be afraid to follow up but careful not to stalk or harass. If you interview and don’t hear anything back from a company, politely follow up and ask for feedback. Don’t go over the edge if you didn’t get the job, the contact you made will be invaluable for your future employment so be courteous and professional- leave a great impression (Recruiters sometime switch to different firms or represent more than one firm and many of us know each other).
• Be willing and ready to discuss current salary and salary expectation openly and honestly. Don’t say “but I am flexible” unless you really mean it. Do some research prior to the interview to find out what that type of position is currently paying in the market.
• Be careful not to over negotiate on the main points of an offer. Be upfront about what you desire out of title and salary.
• Ask benefits questions so that you are able to make a completely informed decision when contemplating an offer.
• Don’t ask for too much time to decide. Typically 48 hours should be plenty of time to make a firm decision.
• Ask about protocol after accepting an offer and whether you need to reach out to anyone within the firm.
• Ask if there is any preparation you can do before starting.
• Keep the contact in mind to refer other talented people you know. The way to a recruiter’s heart is by referring people to him/her.
• Throughout the process, either way, be positive and be honest.

And here are some additional tips for a succesful job interview from Mitch Schneider at Marketwire: Ten Tips for a Successful Job Interview. My favorite is number 10: And do not, I repeat, do not give me a hug after our interview (though I can understand why it’s tempting… I’m quite warm and fuzzy). I know Mitch, happens to me all the time too! )