Dressing for an Interview

It sure is a spectacular view.

When I was younger I worked across the street from the Short Hills Mall, an exclusive mall in New Jersey.  On countless lunch breaks my co-workers and I would run over there and pretend that we could afford the high priced goods at these very high end stores. Since there was no such thing as a “business casual” dress code back then, we were dressed in our suits, heels and pearls. We looked like we fit in and the sales help would flock to us with dollar signs in their eyes.  I remember going over to the same mall on a Saturday when I was dressed in jeans and sneakers. No sales person attacked me; no one even bothered to come over. It opened my eyes to how people make snap decisions based upon our looks and clothing.

Let’s flash forward to February 16, 2013.  My husband and I took a trip to a local IKEA to look at some kitchen displays and storage cabinets for our destroyed Hurricane Sandy home.  Dressed in a sweatshirt, leggings and sneakers I was ready to haul heavy boxes if need be.  While we were there I suggested that we take a look at a wedding reception venue that was in the same area.  Our daughter was recently engaged and was interested in the pricing of some of the local, northern NJ venues. I realize that we should have called first but when we asked for a brochure in one of the exclusive restaurants, we were shown to the door with a yellow sticky note containing an email address. Again, first impressions are lasting and this restaurant host must have thought that we were two homeless souls looking to get out of the cold.

What does this have to do with the job search? Since first impressions continue to be what people remember, you must dress properly for your interview. Too many hiring managers have automatically discounted someone who doesn’t make an effort to dress in a clean, pressed manner.  It helps to find out what the dress code is in an organization and dress above it.  By dressing professionally, you have crossed the first hurdle and will be remembered for the contributions that you might make to the company rather than the joker who showed up in the wrinkled, stained or inappropriate clothing. 

Valentine's Day and the Job Search

Maybe it is because our daughter got engaged this past week-end.  Maybe it's because it is Valentine’s Day.  Either way, let’s take a look at the top five reasons to love yourself during your job search.

1. Identify your strengths. Write down the job tasks that you enjoy and rank them as high, medium and low.  The areas that received high marks are your strengths. Any areas that you ranked as low or medium may be your weaknesses.
2. Write out examples of your strengths. Now that you have identified your strengths, explore them by defining specific examples (what, when, where, why).
3. Correct the weaknesses.  Look for free or low cost classes or other ways to improve your weaknesses.
4. Write an Elevator Speech and practice it. When you create an Elevator Speech you note an area where you excel. Look in the mirror and say your speech out loud. Not only are you validating your strength(s), you are preparing yourself for using your speech flawlessly.
5. Count Your Blessings. Contact your networking contacts and thank them for their help with your job search. It may remind them to keep you in mind if they learn of an opening.

Sure, all this may sound corny but liking yourself is contagious and it allows you to be more optimistic, affirmative and upbeat and those are skills that are necessary in any job search.

Resume Planning Worksheet

In my last blog post I was telling you about some of the questions that you can ask yourself when planning to write your resume.  It's really hard to pull out your past accomplishments and I'm pretty sure that any help to gather that information would be welcomed.  

Here is a worksheet that I put together for an upcoming resume writing workshop.  Feel free to use it for your own resume prep work.   Is there a special tool that you use to help you write your resume?

Questions to Ask Yourself When Planning Your Resume

Project or Task Name:                  

Company that this Project or Task Occurred and Approximate Dates it Occurred:

What was the purpose for completing this task or project?

Did you complete this ahead of schedule, budget or any other measurements? Explain.

Who benefitted from this project or task for (internal or external clients, your manager, your team, etc) and why?

What makes this project or task so special or remarkable?

Other Considerations:

Who was involved?

What were the steps you followed?

When did this occur?

How did you complete this task or project?

How did you know you were successful?

Copyright 2013 Blackbird Learning Associates

Once you answer any of the questions, you might remember other details.  Remember, a company wants to see your accomplishments and then relate those to their own organization.  Your resume will demonstrate what you can do for them and should not read like a job description.