Taking Notes in the Job Interview

Taking Notes in the Job InterviewTaking Notes in the Job InterviewNotes have a place in the job interview, but cheat sheets are unacceptable.Job interviews are all about exchanging information - information about the job, information about yurself, information about your past and your industry expertise. At times, a job interview can feel like an examination. Better study.Theres also a lot to take in during a job interview. More to study.Since our school days weve been trained to take notes, to study them and refer to them in our discourse. Its the best way to acquire and retain critical information. You might be inclined to take notes during a job interview. You might be inclined to refer to your previous notes when answering questions.But is it appropriate? How does it look when a job seeker sits down for an interview and opens a notebook or sheets of data?The answer, according to interview experts, is clear taking notes is acceptable, even encouraged referring to your notes when a nswering questions is unacceptable.If youre jotting down peoples names and positions, then absolutely its OK, said Nancy L. Newell, a senior professional in human resources and the principal of Nth Degree Consulting, a human resource management and executive coaching company. She advises job seekers to bring a padfolio to an interview and stock it full of copies of your resume and work samples that can be shown or given out to everyone you meet during the interview. I dont think people show up to an interview empty-handed.The padfolio can also be used to jot down notes to capture key nuggets of information during the interview the ones you really dont want to forget or get embarrassingly mixed up in the future. You dont want to find yourself a week later at the second interview referring to the wrong competitor in a strategic campaign or calling the president of the company by the wrong name. But dont be overzealous, Newell warned. Its still a conversation and you dont want to appe ar like a reporter conducting an interview.One trick Newell recommends is to collect business cards of all the key people you meet that day and categorize them within your padfolio. That way youll be well-organized after the interview and poised for an effective follow-up campaign.Cheat SheetsWith so much on your mind, its easy to forget something during an interview. There might be a bright idea you wanted to bring up or a key selling point you cant afford to skip. The temptation here is to rely on your notes after all, notes are OK if youre giving a speech, right? Wrong, said Newell. Even if its just a quick glance, thats a move thats very ill-advised because its all up to the perception of the interviewer.The interviews are all about exchanging information, and above all its absolutely crucial to convey a simple homilie I am an expert, I am good at this and Im the right person for the job.The point is to appear competent, and a great way to do that is to appear as if you know wh at youre doing. Relying on notes, however subtle, demonstrates the opposite message I have no idea what Im doing here and cant even remember what Im supposed to say. The possible downside consequences are so much greater than any possible upside.One concern of interviewers is that the notes and thus the statements arent your own, said Newell. Who prepared the notes? Is that his knowledge or somebody elses knowledge that theyre bringing in?The best course is to prepare, to study, to know the facts cold before you enter the interview. Take notes about the company during the course of the interview and while youre studying, figure out what you want to say to present yourself as the right person for the job, write it down and rehearse. Then if you forget something important, either roll with it or bring up the point during the follow-up correspondence.

How to Put Your Professional Past Behind You and Start Fresh

How to Put Your Professional Past Behind You and abflug FreshHow to Put Your Professional Past Behind You and Start FreshHow to Put Your Professional Past Behind You and Start FreshTheres no better time than now to start fresh. Think spring cleaning for your professional life.Spring is in the air and its the time for fresh starts With just a little professional spring-cleaning, you can put any past mistakes behind you and start fresh in your career.Here are a few professional spring-cleaning tips to help you move forward in your career and achieve increased success.Save the lessons and dump the negativityMistakes may cause self-doubt, which can lead to additional mistakes. One thing you need to do while professional spring-cleaning, is to separate the negative aspects of your past mistakes from the learning opportunities, and toss all the negativity in the dumpster.Mistakes arent all bad. The problem with them is that they often beat us down and end up defining our careers. A little professional spring-cleaning will allow you to eliminate the negative impact of mistakes and instead, hold onto the lessons youve learned, enabling you to avoid repeating them.Repair broken relationshipsOn occasion, the mistakes you make in your career can impact your relationships with co-workers, bosses and others. This can lead to broken relationships. Just like broken pieces of furniture, electronics and other items around the house, many relationships still hold value and can be repaired.Start by listing the root issues that caused breaks in each affected relationship. Then dig into the root cause of the problem. Once youve gathered these details, you can set to developing a repair plan.Sit down with each person and determine where you have common ground. You may not be able to fix each problem fully, but finding common ground gives you a base point to get started working toward a solution.Mending broken relationships can take time, so be patient, and dont go into the conversat ion holding a grudge. In the end, the efforts you make will return peace to your work environment, and youll be afforded the ability to walk down the office halls with a clean slate.Stop being a slobOne mistake that many of us make in our jobs is failing to organize our files, appointments, desks and other items effectively. This can lead to a cluttered mess, both on your desk and in your brain. A cluttered mess can lead to appointments being missed, inability to find files and information at critical times and other issues, which can lead to bad performance reviews and worse.The first step is to start with your files both physical papers and electronic files. If youve never been an organized person, find someone who is and ask for help. But dont let them do it all or youll end up not being able to find anything.Next, get your desk in order. A cluttered desk is bad for a number of reasons. It gives the impression to your boss that your brain might be cluttered as well, thus impactin g your work performance adversely.A cluttered desk also can increase your stress levels. Consider the Chinese concept of feng shui. According to the concept, organizing a particular space, in this case your desk, in a particular manner will allow your energy to flow, creating a positive environment.Patch Up Your ReputationBesides fixing up your desk area, another thing that can go a long way in creating a positive work environment is patching up tears in your reputation. Maybe its a presentation that flopped, a client you lost or something negative you said to your boss. Whatever the case may be, weve all done things around the workplace that caused a slight (or huge) tear in our reputation. Spring-cleaning is the perfect time to patch up and mend those tears.Lets say you botched a sales presentation and lost a client. The last thing you want to do is to withdraw and let the reputation build that you cant close a deal or you scare off clients. The best way to patch this up is to exp ress to your boss that you really want another opportunity and assure them you wont let them down.Come prepared with an outline that details your new plan to approach a similar situation with greater levels of success. Then, if given the chance, make sure you put everything youve got into it and youll have that tear all patched up. Patching up your reputation will put you in a position to more easily achieve your career goals.Each of these spring-cleaning tips for your career will help you start fresh and burst forth anew like the sunflowers in your garden. Take the opportunity each year to clean up your mistakes and put them behind you. Learn from them and seek to improve. Try this refreshing exercise each spring, and youll notice significant improvements in your professional position year-after-year.Ready to write the next chapter of your career? Hire a TopResume writer today

4 Earth-Friendly Contributions You Can Make at Work

4 Earth-Friendly Contributions You Can Make at Work4 Earth-Friendly Contributions You Can Make at Work4 Earth-Friendly Contributions You Can Make at WorkWhen Im at home, I take much more care about turning off lights, recycling, consuming less water, etc., than when Im at work. Why? I dont really knowmaybe because Im not paying for the energy and water usage at work (just being honest). But my attitude is changing I came to the conclusion that since I ask my kids to recycle when theyre at school, I better be fulfilling my end of the bargain at work And you can bring some more green habitsto work with you, too. Here are a few ways.Do Your Actions Speak Louder Than Words?Recycle, recycle, blah, blah, blah. I know youve heard it a thousand times. But do you do it? It is probably one of the easiest earth-friendly contributions you can make right from your workplace. If your company does not recycle, simply ask them to. Most dont do it because of the hassle of disposing it, but there are special recycling dumpsters you can have placed right in your parking lot, with monthly pick ups for as little as $30 a month. (For a companys budget, thats pennies) Its a small investment that offers a big benefit. If your workplace lacks recycling bins and refuses to add them, put anything you can recycle back in your lunch box and bring it home to your own recycle bin. Its the least you can do and its so easy.A Drop in the BucketDitch the bottled water and get a Brita filter. They attach directly to the faucet and the water tastes great I mean, for goodness sake, didnt most of us grow up on tap water? This will surely help reduce the amount of recycling you have to deal with at work. Americans throw out over 35 billion plastic water bottles every year Yowza That means if all 40 of us at had a bottle of water each day, we would contribute more than 10,000 of those billion water bottles in a year. How many would your company add?Go the Extra MileLiterallyOkay, enough with the recyc ling, right? I will admit openly here that I am by no means a bike rider, but just last week, one of my coworkers rode his bike to work. This is not only beneficial for the environment, but do you know how many calories you can burn on a 13.4 mile bike ride? Double that for a round trip ride. If you dont ride a bike, carpool with a coworker. Not only does this save on gas and tolls, but the conversation is far better than when youre aloneAre You Barking Up the Wrong Tree?This is another example of something I enforced at home, but wasnt doing at work. I denied my kids access to the printer. Give younger kids free reign to a printer and you have 20 pictures of SpongeBob picking his nose to now RECYCLE later that night. What a waste At work, if you can manage to read that 20 page document on your computer monitor instead of printing it out, do it. I know how tough this isI am a paper person, so I am adjusting slowly. So if you have to print it, make sure to recycle itthere I go againT here are companies like Paper Retriever that will work side-by-side with a school or organization and drop off a paper recycling dumpster in the parking lot of your workplacefor FREE. Once the bin is full with all that paper you were going to throw away, the company comes back to weigh it and haul it away. And you get paid for it The revenue earned from the paper can be spent on a specific project that the organization chooses.

This map shows where people hate their jobs according to Twitter

This map shows where people hate their jobs according to TwitterThis map shows where people hate their jobs according to TwitterTaken out your frustration (or elation) with your job on Twitter? Job site cultivatedculture.com might have been paying attention using trends software with direct access to geotagged Twitter data, they created a map based on over 30,000 mentions in the last month where users talked about either loving or hating their job.The news is mostly good 32 states have more tweets from users saying they love their work, while 18 states have more tweets that say they hate it.The hates comes primarily from the Northwest and Southeast region.Check out the map to see how your state feels.Cultivated CultureYou might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

The Basic Facts of 2018 Resume

The Basic Facts of 2018 Resume 2018 Resume Can Be Fun for Everyone Whichever format you select, it should make you become selected for the job youre applying for. The Simple resume formats can be employed by anyone who wants to put in an application for a job. It is possible to read more about the procedure for creating your value known inside my latest article. To begin with, perhaps its time to estimate your current resume to be sure youre not committing any cardinal sins. The very first thing you ought to do is make sure a possible employer knows whose resume theyre taking a look at One of the greatest approaches to tackle any daunting writing project resumes included is to begin with a little step. Just make sure, whichever format you select, which youre targeting it for the job that youre applying to. On the flip side, minor changes will need to get discussed. ur resume builder gives you tips and examples on the best way to compose your resume summary. If youre somebody who likes to delve right into the action, youre able to directly opt for a resume format on the online resume builder. In that case, then every facet of your game has to be razor sharpespecially your resume. There are a lot of approaches to compose a resume. Wiki states A functional resume format is widely employed by men and women with 1 to 3 decades of experience. You should understand, that resume format is crucial, since it can boost your odds to get invited for an interview. For the reason, resume formats keep changing every year to fulfill their expectations. Part of creating an effective resume is selecting the most suitable format to inform your private story. Using 2018 Resume Its cool that youre trying to find a job to have some money, but you need some difficulties with resume. Whenever you are asking for work, its mandatory that you submit a resume. You have earned a job that you love and nows the opportunity to make it occur Simply because youve got zero ex perience or its your very first job. Your resume needs to fix an issue for employers (which is the reason why theyre hiring). When you know that youre likely to be laid off soon, an ongoing resume will allow you to get started looking for a completely new job during the time that youre nonetheless employed. Not only are you going to look bad, but its going haunt you down the line with other future prospective employers. It is possible to also incorporate details about volunteering on your resume, especially when you have few or no preceding jobs to write about. Looking at the organization website is a superb beginning, but a lot of vacancies listed by recruiting agencies do not disclose the name of the business. Most resume templates may be used to apply for numerous forms of jobs. The resume format sample ought to be accomplished well. Well, luckily, theres a fairly straight forward way to identify which resume format would work the very best for you. Possessing a great r esume format is crucial to organizing your info in a way which will help you become noticed. The absolute most hard step here is to determine which resume format is best for you. Vital Pieces of 2018 Resume When you would like to land that ideal job then you should have a stellar curriculum vitae. Recruiters have a job to do and will need to do it quickly, which is the reason why it is essential that they be in a ort to rate your experience, education, and skills in merely a couple of seconds. Concentrate on the skills the recruiter is searching for. Details of 2018 Resume Regardless of the demand to advertise oneself uniquely, bear in mind that most major organizations utilize Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan submitted applications. Because of the expanding competition, you need to draft a highly effective application to grab the employers interest. You can also add your memberships or affiliations if you want. Broadly speaking, there are 3 distinct kinds of resu mes which are well accepted in the business.

The Little-Known Secrets to Resume Writing for Mba Application

The Little-Known Secrets to Resume Writing for master of business administration Application If you are searching for master of business administration Application Resume Template youve come to the correct place. Second, resumes for MBA applications must be written through an entirely different lens. MBA Application resumes are not the same as resumes written for job application even whenever the info contained is similar. Employing regular resume to submit an application for MBA jobs does not seem good. Resume Writing for Mba Application the Ultimate Convenience No matter your approach, your target is going to be to make a chronological collection of experience thats related to the jobs youre applying to. You have to find out methods to adapt your experience to the demands of the new job and set it in such a manner your strengths are displayed on top. Its possible to find information regarding the MBA job to permit you properly produce the career objective portion of the resume from the work description and requirements posted by the recruiter. The Meaning of Resume Writing for Mba Application Proof of current service is necessary. After their instructions should be sufficient to guarantee your application reaches the proper people and your qualifications shine through. Offers of admission arent binding until academic records are verified. College was supposed to teach you everything that you would have to know to be a well-paid professional. The New Angle On Resume Writing for Mba Application Just Released Resume Writing Lab is your very best supporter in regards to admission resume writing. Dont expect the admission officer to open up google and discover out what youre attempting to convey. 1 page will be sufficient for an MBA resume. Students often opt to find an MBA degree. Its a good idea to prepare for all pieces of the exam, but spend a few additional hours on the regions where you could improve. Further, its a superb concept to scout the location of the test before the exam date as a way to guarantee timely arrival the day of the exam. In 7 minutes, you are going to learn all you have to know to compose an equally great MBA resume yourself. Characteristics of Resume Writing for Mba Application Be certain to allow plenty of time for each individual to compose the letter. Whenever someone understands how each function of a company fits into the total picture, they understand how decisions can impact other small business units and their capacity to think strategically is significantly increased. The simpler it is to read a document, the more opportunities you have to find a place in the industry school. Furthermore, theres a typical format which an academic resume follows which you ought to keep in mind. As many graduate admissions forms will request the exact forms of information, some will be significantly more detailed than others, and you ought to pay careful attention to the particular elements o f each application form. The structure of your resume is also quite important. The very first sort of document includes only biographical details. Certainly, you may content yourself with a fast revision of that document. In truth, it requires a good deal of writing skills, understanding of format and exclusive guidelines of admissions resume writing. Imagine writing No references readily available on request, and see in the event you ever get accepted. If youre interested in a number of the essential skills which you should highlight on your resume once youve completed your MBA consider the below. MBAs supply an exceptional networking opportunity.