You have spent significant time preparing an impactful resume and you have gotten an interview!  You dress appropriately for the interview and arrive 7-10 minutes beforehand.  Thanks to your preparation, you have great answers to the commonly-asked interview questions.  But you don’t get the job.  What happened?  Perhaps you forgot about the other 90% of the interview.

If it is true that 90% of communication is non-verbal, it makes sense that it is worth an applicant’s attention in preparing for an interview.  Here are some tips on basic body language to be aware of while interviewing.

Handshake – Accept the interviewer’s greeting by standing, smiling, and shaking hands.  Offer a firm handshake that displays confidence but is not overly enthusiastic.  Your handshake will go a long way toward your first impression.

Posture – Sit upright and lean forward slightly.  This conveys an attitude of interest and indicates that you are comfortable and confident.  Tilt your head slightly to one side to show that you are paying attention.  Keep your feet flat on the floor or cross your legs at your ankles.  This shows that you are comfortable without being too relaxed or disinterested.

Hand Position – Rest your hands loosley on your lap or on the table.  Take care not to fidget, wring your hands, or twiddle your thumbs, or cross your arms as it makes you look nervous, distracted, and distant.  Avoid touching your mouth or covering any part of your face since this can be perceived as dishonesty.

Eye Contact – Maintain steady eye contact with the interviewer.  Be sure to blink regularly so that you do not appear aggressive. Refrain from looking at the floor, staring blankley, or letting your eyes wander.  Pay close attention the interviewer’s questions and nod occasionally.  Not only will this help you appear interested, but it will ensure you hear and understand the questions being asked.  

Delivery – Speak in a clearly, varying your tone and pitch; do not speak in a monotone voice.  If there are multiple interviewers, speak directly to the person who asked the question.  Glance briefly at each person, but return to the questioner before ending your response.  Pause before answering each question to give yourself time to think as well as to ensure the interviewer has finished the question.

Last Impression – End the interview on the same note as you started, with a firm handshake and a smile.

It is always a good rule of thumb to take your cues from the interviewer, so when in doubt mimic what he or she does.  This will make the interviewer feel at ease and will show an attitude of agreement on your part.

 References: www.forbes.com; www.best-job-interview.com; www.careerbuilder.com

1.

2. Format:  

• 1 page, unless extensive education and/or experience (10+ years)  warrants more
• Bullets with short sentences help reader scan quickly without missing the important points 
• Font should be a standard easy-to-read font (serif or sans serif) and no smaller than 10 point
• Underline and bold face add emphasis to credentials

3. Scannable:
Chances are good that your resume will be searched using scan technology.  The computer is looking for a match of keywords related to the position.  Be as specific as possible in job, skill, and accomplishment descriptions. *Another reason tailored resumes are better than generic.*

4. Personal Impact:

• Show both completion of tasks and contribution of work.  Use dollar totals, numbers, and percentages to stand out.

General: Operations manager for oil and gas firm
Better: Managed 100 field personnel for projects grossing $15MM annually 

• Use PAR: Problem-Action-Results 

General: Responsible for implementing and maintaining organization of warehouse
Better: Transformed disorganized, inefficient warehouse into a smooth-running operation by completely redesigning the layout, saving the company $250,000 in recovered inventory

5. References:
Have at least 3 professional references listed separately to be provided if/when requested.  Employers assume that “references are available upon request,” and this phrase may be omitted from your resume.

References: http://www.mit.edu/~career/guide/resumes.html; http://www.resume-help.org/resume_writing_tips.htm; http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/yana24.php

Given where our culture is, people are desperate to make human connections. To get even five minutes of someone’s complete, undivided attention is a real treat. So be the person who gives that kind of attention. When someone seeks you out, block out all the distractions, let the phone ring, don’t check your email. Give that person all of your attention and you will be giving them an important gift, one that doesn’t cost you anything. Yet, I guarantee they will remember that moment. They may reward you with something that is as rare as effective communication – loyalty.”

Excerpts taken from The Financial Review: Time to Connect, by Tom Bengtson

Here are few items that employers are NOT allow to ask a potential candidate.

1.  How old are you?

2.  Are you pregnant?

3.  Do you take drugs, smoke or drink?

4.  Are you a US citizen?

5.  Do you have any disabilities?

6.  Are you married?

7.  What religion do you practice?

8.  What is your race?

These questions, to many of us, are common sense, but people forget.  Not only are these questions poorly chosen, but they are illegal under federal, state and many local laws.  These types of questions can be used to discriminate against applicants and as a potential candidate it is in your right not to answer them.

1. Never arrive late, always be on time even if it means that you have to sit in the parking lot until its time to go in.
2. Never bring or use a cell phone or PDA during an interview.  You must be focused on the interview and by bringing devices that cause distraction, you only jeopardize your position as a candidate.  Nothing is so important that it can not wait until later.
3. Never bring your pets. Sounds like common sense, but we have heard of a woman that brought her parrot to an interview; the hiring manager had to find a place to put it and its squawking caused a major ruckus around the office.  Work is NO place for an animal unless its there for legitimate assistance.
4. Never wear jeans, shorts, cutoffs, tank tops, halter tops, flip-flops etc. An interviewee needs to look and dress like a professional.  This is a first impression, regardless of what the position is, you must dress nicely and in a manner that shows you are competent.
5. Never show up to an interview without assessing your personal hygiene. Make sure hair is in place, deodorant has been used and teeth have been brushed.  Another thing to consider is the over use of cologne or perfume; although it smells good to you, it may be offensive to others.
6. Never use profanity.
7. Never bring a friend or spouse to an interview. If you need a ride, that’s OK, but have them wait in the parking lot or coffee shop until you are finished.
8. Never fail to call your recruiter after the interview. If a recruiter was involved in putting you in front of a prospective employer, make sure that you follow up with them to let them know how things went.  Many times the recruiter has valuable information that can be shared to give you insights to your chances.
9. Never talk more than you listen. Listening is the key element to communication.  If you are a talker by nature, let the interviewer talk; do not cut them off or talk over them.  Not only is this disturbing, but it will ruin your chances almost immediately.
10. Never go into an interview without prior knowledge of the company. You should always have an idea of what the company does and some history of them.  Being knowledgeable, not only about the position, but also the company, shows that you are interested in them and you have done your homework.

3 Nominations to the customer service Hall of Shame

” We are currently experiencing higher than normal call volume…”

What they are really saying is, “We are understaffed and have put our focus on other more important areas than being readily available to answer your questions and continue to earn and deserve your business.  Just hang on while we find someone, somewhere that is willing to take your call.”

Or, “We want to blast a two minute commercial at you because we have you captive.”

“Please listen carefully as our options have changed.”

What they are really saying is “Pay attention stupid, stop  being lazy and listen to the instructions we are giving you.  We really did change our options four years ago after attending this cool phone productivity seminar, but no one remembers how to change the message.”

“This call is being recorded for training purposes.”

What they are really saying is “We are recording this call because you might not like our answers, or lack thereof, and might resort to bad language or yelling at us, demanding we get our supervisor on the phone.  We need to record this so that we can cover our rear-ends if your frustration is high enough to mention my lack of knowledge or empowerment to assist you with your request to an executive with our company.”