How to Dress for an Interview if You Want the Job

What to wear to your job interview
Do you know that most people develop a lasting impression of you and what you’re like based on the first few seconds of meeting you?  That’s way before you’ve said anything important…you’ve barely said “hello.”  Some of that impression is based off your body language and handshake, true, but the rest is based off how you look—what you’re wearing.

how to dress for a job interview
Your interviewer is even more focused on you than most people.  They’re really looking for clues to base their hiring decision on.  So, when you really want that job, it’s important to keep ‘professional’ at the top of your mind when dressing for the interview. A good rule of thumb is to dress one step above what you would be expected to wear on the job. In other words, dress for success.
Suit
For men, this means wearing a full suit rather than coordinates. A full suit shows respect and attention to detail. The suit should be dark in color over a white shirt. The tie should be conservative.  At the first meeting, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Besides color, women need to also consider whether a skirt suit or a pants suit is more appropriate. While most hiring managers prefer women in a skirt suit, they tend not to penalize women for wearing a pants suit. It’s important for both men and women to remember that the suit should be professional and comfortable.
Comfortable, in this case, is not synonymous with “comfy” which implies sloppy. Since what you wear reflects your attitude, “comfy” clothing will reflect a relaxed attitude that could hurt your chance of getting the job. What comfortable should mean:  clothes that fit; that allow you to move easily and not feel restricted. You do not want to adjust your clothing during an interview.
Accessories
Your interview outfit doesn’t end with the suit. Coordinating shoes are also important. Women should wear low heels with closed toes and sensible hose and men should wear clean, black leather shoes with black socks. Never wear tennis, or sports shoes. Hiring managers also notice if your shoes are clean and well-cared for.
As for accessories, you want to keep your look conservative: men- a muted tie is a ‘must’ and a watch is appropriate, but remove earrings and facial piercings. If you are emotionally attached to your beard, keep it closely trimmed and neat. If, however, you have had several interviews but haven’t been offered a job, you might want to consider a clean-shaven look and see if that makes a difference.
Women, be sure your jewelry is not too flashy: earring posts or simple hoop earrings are fine, but be careful of other facial piercings that could be distracting and get in the way of landing the job.   Speaking of distractions…absolutely NEVER show any cleavage.
When deciding on what to wear to your interview, remember to leave off wearing cologne or perfume. “Clean” is the only smell that should emanate from you during an interview.
Being ultra-prepared (good resume, 30-60-90-day plan and brag book) and appropriately dressed for the interview means the hiring manager can concentrate on your skills and abilities, and you’ll have an excellent chance of landing that DREAM position. Your appearance says it all.

Power Cover Letter

Simple and quick.  Make them want to read your resume and call you for an interview.
Trying to sell myself to the hiring manager. Personality, skills , communication skills
Most common mistake in making them too generic and too long and too hard to read.
Targeted to the job and the hiring manager.  Be direct, get to the point quickly, easy to skim while still getting the most important information out of it.

1. Keep your cover letter SHORT and to the POINT.

Just the other day, I downloaded a popular Job Search Guide from a very-well known website which recommended a cover letter that was about 400 words long.

Never, ever write a cover letter that long.

Always keep in mind the busy person you're sending it to.

Keep it succinct and easy to read.

Bullet points help.



2. Never ever send it as an attachment to your email, along with your resume.

I know...it looks so perfect in your Word Doc. It doesn't matter.

If you send it as an attachment, they won't even open it.

Too many steps.

Just write the email as your cover letter. They will read it, and all your work will count for something.

Remember...the job search is a sales process.

Sell yourself with your cover letter.
Makes sure that it is addressed TO someone.  Never marketing manager  or whom it may concern.
Which job am I talking about?
Think of who I am writing to.  What are they going through.  How could hiring me help them.  What’s in it for them.
If recommended by someone, say first.
If I have the job description, use the requirements there. You want, I have.
Provide measurable results. Objective mention of my achievement.  This is what matters to them. Grab their attention.
Show them what they need and how I can help them.
Don’t copy the resume in the letter.
Answer the question.  Why should they contact me about this job?
Use bullet points.
Closing. Let them know when I intend on following up. Sum up why they should see me.  I am very excited. My skill in XYZ can assist you in your issues in XYZ.  I look forward to speaking with you.  I will call within a few days to set up a time for us to meet.
Direct and aggressive and let your personality shine through.
Be unique don’t use a template.
Sincerely. Use easy to read font.
PROOFREAD by someone else
Not much mailing being done these days.
Never send the cover letter as an attachment.  Put it in the body of the email.
Don’t be afraid to resend.
Don’t be a stalker.
Think of this as a sales process.
Use social media sites and youtube in job search.

Brag Book Essentials for Every Job Hunter

Brag books (aka professional portfolios) deliver great benefits for your job search:  they boost your attitude, they help with your interview talking points, and they even act as a kind of a reference that will nudge that hiring manager along the road to offering you the job.
What goes in a brag book?
A brag book can include just about anything you want:
letters of recommendation (phone references are best, but written letters won't hurt)
“attaboy” notes (or any notes that compliment you on what a great job you did)
annual reviews (if you include some, include them all)
awards / rewards letters
types of equipment you’ve used or marketed
certificates from career-relevant educational courses you've completed
financial or PowerPoint presentations
copies of articles you’ve written
brochures you’ve helped develop
a college transcript (though ONLY if you’re just getting out).
Usually, these are put into page protectors and gathered into a binder for easy reference.
A brag book is a positive-attitude resource
All that evidence of your success is a great mood booster anytime the job search gets you down.
Brag books are great job interview tools
When you bring the brag book into the interview, it acts as evidence for what you say you can do.  You can show specific pages as examples to illustrate an answer to an interview question, or you can show it as a general example of the quality of your work.   Either way, it sets you apart as someone who pays attention to details, who is achievement-oriented, and who cares about giving your best.  It's definitely provides an impressive "wow" factor.
Brag books help "sell" you for the job
To the hiring manager, offering you a job often feels like a risk.  Many people believe that past performance predicts future behavior, and brag books are another way to make them feel more comfortable about hiring you.

Power Words that sell!!

In the  30.60.90 day sales plan I like to start each sentence with an action verb. Below we have added a list of words that sell in documents like these. 

Top words that sell:

comprehensive

extensive

completely integrated

significant

influential

straightforward

accomplishment

professional

skilled

trained

capable

integrity

expanded

enriched

remodeled

restored

revived

reorganized

restructured

transformed

invaluable

important

dynamic

unrelenting

practical

functional

highest ranking

competitive

exclusive

first class

first ranked

top-of-the-line

the best in the business

unmatched

unrivaled

unparalleled

top-notch

unique

remarkable

exceptional

flexible

educated

intelligent

successful

accelerated

accessed

achieved

acted

administered

advised

affected

appointed

arranged

assigned

assisted

attended

broadened

collaborated

competed

completed

conducted

constructed

consulted

contributed

controlled

coordinated

counseled

created

delegated

demonstrated

designed

determined

developed

directed

doubled

edited

eliminated

established

evaluated

executed

expanded

explored

formulated

founded

generated

guided

hired

identified

implemented

improved

increased

initiated

instructed

interacted

introduced

investigated

launched

led

maintained

managed

marketed

motivated

negotiated

operated

organized

participated

performed

pinpointed

planned

prepared

presented

prevented

produced

promoted

proposed

provided

recruited

reduced

reorganized

reported

represented

resolved

restructured

revised

saved

scheduled

secured

selected

set priorities

set up

solved

structured

trained

utilize

Best Interview Technique You Never Use

The more questions you ask, the more you learn about a job candidate, right? Wrong. Here's a better strategy.
Eventually, almost every interview turns into a question-and-answer session. You ask a question. The candidate answers as you check a mental tick-box (good answer? bad answer?).
You quickly go to the next question and the next question and the next question, because you only have so much time and there's a lot of ground to cover because you want to evaluate the candidate thoroughly. The more questions you ask, the more you will learn about the candidate.
Or not.
Sometimes, instead of asking questions, the best interviewing technique is to listen slowly.
In Change-Friendly Leadership, management coach Rodger Dean Duncan describes how he learned about listening slowly from PBS NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer:
Duncan: He urged me to ask a good question, listen attentively to the answer, and then count silently to five before asking another question. At first that suggestion seemed silly. I argued that five seconds would seem like an eternity to wait after someone responds to a question. Then it occurred to me: Of course it would seem like an eternity, because our natural tendency is to fill a void with sound, usually that of our own voice.
Lehrer: If you resist the temptation to respond too quickly to the answer, you'll discover something almost magical. The other person will either expand on what he's already said or he'll go in a different direction. Either way, he's expanding his response, and you get a clear view into his head and heart.
Duncan: Giving other people sufficient psychological breathing room seemed to work wonders. When I bridled my natural impatience to get on with it, they seemed more willing to disclose, explore, and even be a bit vulnerable. When I treated the interview more as a conversation with a purpose than as a sterile interrogation, the tone of the exchange softened. It was now just two people talking...
Listening slowly can turn a Q&A session into more of a conversation. Try listening slowly in your next interviews. (Not after every question, of course: Pausing for five seconds after a strictly factual answer will leave you both feeling really awkward.)
Just pick a few questions that give candidates room for self-analysis or introspection, and after the initial answer, pause. They'll fill the space: with an additional example, a more detailed explanation, a completely different perspective on the question.
Once you give candidates a silent hole to fill, they'll fill it, often in unexpected and surprising ways. A shy candidate may fill the silence by sharing positive information she wouldn't have otherwise shared. A candidate who came prepared with "perfect" answers to typical interview questions may fill the silence with not-so-positive information he never intended to disclose.
And all candidates will open up and speak more freely when they realize you're not just asking questions--you're listening.

10 Proven Tips for Job Search Success

Your job search is one of the most significant tasks you'll ever have. What job you end up with determines how you'll spend the majority of hours in your day, how much money you'll have, and how satisfied you are with your life. It's worth making the effort to end up where you'll be happy. Whether you're currently employed or not, here's how to put everything you've got into your job search--and it will bring you great results:
1. Create a great elevator pitch.
Summarize what you are bringing to the table. Make it short and sweet, but compelling enough to capture the attention of your listener/reader. Not only can you use it at networking events or casual meetings, you can use it in place of a traditional objective statement, and you can use it in your LinkedIn profile.
2. Write a killer resume.
Tailor your resume for what's relevant to the jobs you're applying for. You shouldn't have to rewrite the whole thing...just tweak it according to the job description. Organize it so that it's clear and easy-to-read--bullet points and white space are fantastic things. Keep it down to 1-2 pages, and fill it with keywords that will get it noticed by computerized tracking systems as well as numbers and other performance statistics that show you've been able to make (or save) money for the company.
3. Create a professional LinkedIn profile.
You MUST utilize social media in your job search. There's just no other way around it. Facebook and Twitter are also useful, but LinkedIn is the most important place to be for business networking. A great profile includes your job history, a business professional picture, and a summary of who you are and what you do. See this LinkedIn profile tutorial for expert guidance.
4. Use your LinkedIn membership.
Don't just create the profile. Participate. One of the things that makes LinkedIn so powerful is the connections you can make and the recommendations you can acquire. You make connections by joining groups, participating in discussions, and getting introductions to people you need to know. Your recommendations say that other people think you're great, too, and give another perspective on your talents. But remember to give good recommendations to others as well. LinkedIn is also an amazing resource for information on companies, hiring managers, and industry trends--and you can contact hiring managers directly for jobs.
5. Develop your online brand.
Your online reputation is the sum total of what an employer will find out about you when they Google your name. It's the comments you make on LinkedIn, Facebook, and blog articles. It's your Tweets. If you're really serious, seek out opportunities to guest post on blogs or write articles for online newsletters. Make sure that every time you say something online, that it's professional and relevant.



6. Network the old-fashioned way, too.
Get out there and meet people. Attend networking events and tradeshows. Keep up with your contacts with the occasional email (it's more personalized than a Tweet) and give them something: a bit of information, a job lead, a great website, or an article you found. You can absolutely let them know what's going on with you, and ask them to keep an eye out for job leads you'd be interested in. Most people are happy to help.
7. Spend a lot of time and effort prepping for your interview.
I don't think it's possible to over-prepare for a job interview. Research the company. Know what their issues and challenges are in the marketplace. Make an effort to dress properly and project friendliness and enthusiasm with your body language. Have stories ready that demonstrate how you've handled difficult situations or met a challenge. Practice your answers to interview questions, and seriously consider role-playing interview questions with a coach. If pro athletes use coaches to gain a few extra seconds that make the difference between first and second place, you should, too.
8. Bring a 30/60/90-Day Plan.
There's no better way to show how you'll be able to hit the ground running and contribute to the company than by creating a 30/60/90-day plan. A well-written plan is divided into 3 parts: the first 30 days, you'll focus on training and settling in (the more specific you can be, the better); the 60-day part expands your duties (say, by getting to know all your accounts and orienting yourself); and the last 30 days (the 90-day part) is your plan for bringing in new business (which you'll know because you've researched and analyzed the company's position in the marketplace). This plan is impressive because it shows the hiring manager your drive, commitment, enthusiasm, and knowledge of what it takes to be successful.
9. Ask questions during the interview.
Here's another sure-fire method to impress your interviewer. Be interested in the job. Asking questions in the interview shows that you can think strategically and it also gets you quite a bit of information you can use while answering questions and in your follow-up. It turns the interview into a conversation and highlights your confidence and appeal.
10. Follow up.
A great follow up plan can cover everything from providing great references to writing a substantial, timely thank you note. The best references are past managers or other high-level people, but they should all be willing to speak to the interviewer. Make sure you prep them for the call by giving them the information they need to speak intelligently about you. Thank you notes should be sent as quickly as possible (within 24 hours, so send it by email) and should refer back to what you discussed in the interview if you have something great to say, or it should add something new to the discussion. It's also a great opportunity to revise your 30/60/90-day plan based on what you talked about, and you can attach it to your thank you note.

5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask

Many of the questions potential new hires ask are throwaways. But not these.

 Be honest. Raise your hand if you feel the part of the job interview where you ask the candidate, "Do you have any questions for me?" is almost always a waste of time.
Thought so.

The problem is most candidates don't actually care about your answers; they just hope to make themselves look good by asking "smart" questions. To them, what they ask is more important than how you answer.
Great candidates ask questions they want answered because they're evaluating you, your company--and whether they really want to work for you.
Here are five questions great candidates ask:
What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?
Great candidates want to hit the ground running. They don't want to spend weeks or months "getting to know the organization."
They want to make a difference--right away.
What are the common attributes of your top performers?
Great candidates also want to be great long-term employees. Every organization is different, and so are the key qualities of top performers in those organizations.
Maybe your top performers work longer hours. Maybe creativity is more important than methodology. Maybe constantly landing new customers in new markets is more important than building long-term customer relationships. Maybe it's a willingness to spend the same amount of time educating an entry-level customer as helping an enthusiast who wants high-end equipment.
Great candidates want to know, because 1) they want to know if they fit, and 2) if they do fit, they want to be a top performer.
What are a few things that really drive results for the company?
Employees are investments, and every employee should generate a positive return on his or her salary. (Otherwise why are they on the payroll?)
In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR folks to fill job openings... but what you really want is for HR to find the right candidates because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.
You need your service techs to perform effective repairs... but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits--in short, to generate additional sales.
Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference. They know helping the company succeed means they succeed as well.
What do employees do in their spare time?
Happy employees 1) like what they do and 2) like the people they work with.
Granted this is a tough question to answer. Unless the company is really small, all any interviewer can do is speak in generalities.
What's important is that the candidate wants to make sure they have a reasonable chance of fitting in--because great job candidates usually have options.
How do you plan to deal with...?
Every business faces a major challenge: technological changes, competitors entering the market, shifting economic trends... there's rarely a Warren Buffett moat protecting a small business.
So while a candidate may see your company as a stepping-stone, they still hope for growth and advancement... and if they do eventually leave, they want it to be on their terms and not because you were forced out of business.
Say I'm interviewing for a position at your bike shop. Another shop is opening less than a mile away: How do you plan to deal with the new competitor? Or you run a poultry farm (a huge industry in my area): What will you do to deal with rising feed costs?
A great candidate doesn't just want to know what you think; they want to know what you plan to do--and how they will fit into those plans.