My Tips For Job Interviews

        Welcome back Everyone, Thanks for taking some time out of your busy day to come check out the latest from my blog. Today I wanted to share some of my go to tips for job interviews. Now I am by no means an expert, in fact far from it. But I have had a job since I was 12 and have even had a hand in running a few companies including being involved in the hiring process. These are just a few things that have helped me over the years as well as some tips I have received from family and past employers. I know that to a lot of you most of these will seem like common sense but you may be surprised how many people haven't heard of a few of them. 

        Tip #1. Always carry more than one copy of your Resume with you, and make sure the cover letter pertains to the specific job you and or company that you are applying to. One major thing that goes along with this is to always remember to keep your resume up to date. I know it is easy to forget when we move or change phone numbers because it's just not a document we look at every day. The reason I always suggest to make your cover letter pertain to the specific job you are applying for is simple it shows the employer that you are truly interested in that position with their company. More times than not they will go with the candidate that shows the most vested interests even if they may not have the all the requirements. The last thing I want to share for this and its very important to remember NEVER fold your resume or cover letter! I cannot stress this enough, it does not look professional and comes off like you are not truly invested. 

        

        Tip #2. Always show up early. Now I have always lived by the saying if you are on time you are late. I was told this as a child by my grandfather and it has been something I have lived my life by. Now I am by no means saying that you should show up an hour early, But my rule of thumb is at least 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled time. This also signals to the employer that you are punctual and you are a reliable candidate who will respect the company's time. Now I know most of you are probably saying Matt this is common sense, and you would be right but you would be surprised how many have shown up only a few minutes before the start time on some of the interviews I have conducted. You are looking to make the best impression possible to prove you are the right person for the job. 

        Tips #3. Come prepared as if you already have the job. Now what I mean by this is bring a folder with a copy of everything you would need such as your drivers licence, necessary diplomas and in most cases your social security card. Not all employers will need these on the spot, they might say just bring them on your first day, but again we circle back to preparedness.  One other thing I also do its bring a pen and paper to write down any job specifics or just in case I think of some questions for the employer so I do not have to interrupt them and save my question till the end. Remember to get as much information as you can to be sure this position or company is the right fit for you. 

        Tip #4. This one I think is a very important one and that is to do your research! What I am saying is don't go into an interview blind, You always want to know who you are really working for. I always ask plenty of questions about the company, open positions because you want to stand out from other candidates. Avoid generic questions that you can easily look up such as how long have you been operating, pay scale etc. Now don't get me wrong those are important questions but 9 times out of ten they are listed in the posting for the position or the company website. 

        I hope that some of y'all have found these tips helpful or insightful in some way, I did not want to ramble on so I kept it to just four tips. I want to pose this question to all of you wonderful readers, at what age did you get your first job and what was it? My first was delivering newspapers in my small town. I hope all of you have an amazing day and thanks for stopping by. 

- Matt