Chances you have to impress a potential employer

By Bruce Allen,
Jobaloo.com Publisher

In your job search you will have up to nine chances to make a favorable impression on the potential employer. Here is a guide through the process and some things to keep in mind as you aim to land that job of your dreams...

1. Opening Email/Phone call

This is prior to actually applying for the position. You may read an ad with a phone number to call, or see an email address where you can send your cover letter and resume to. In either case, you have a chance to make a good impression. If via phone, your tone and professionalism can help your cause. Conversely, if you stumble around or ramble, you could be hurting your chances before you’re even a candidate. In an email, make sure that you use your spell check, and state clearly the purpose of the correspondence.

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2. Cover Letter

Make sure that you always tailor your cover letter to the job and employer that you are sending it. Use the company name. Refer to the position title. If you spoke to someone in point one above, make mention of them. State your eagerness to learn more about the position and how you feel that you could be an asset to the employer.

3. Resume

Again, always tailor your resume to the job. You don’t need to use fancy paper, but don’t use the el cheapo toilet paper thin stuff either. A nice quality paper can only help you. Make your points succinctly. Don’t have a resume of 5 pages. Many times it won’t get a second glance. There could be hundreds of candidates. You want to stand out. Make sure your experience and qualifications leap off the first page they see.

4. Screening (phone) Interview

This is basically the step where they are trying to find out if you are worth bringing into their building, or if you’re some sort of scary freak that shouldn’t be allowed within a mile of their premises. Be prepared for this interview, have your resume and cover letter in front of you, and practice ahead of time your answers to common questions. Speak clearly, and friendly. Don’t breathe heavy into the phone.

5. 1st Interview

If you’ve gotten this far…then you’ve already impressed them to some degree. As this is likely their first time seeing you in person, make sure that you’re suitably attired and prepared. Have extra copies of your resume. Be friendly to everyone you encounter in the building. At one job interview I went to, I found out later that the person I had interviewed with had asked the receptionist and his assistant for their impressions of me as I dealt with them, and that those impressions were a factor in his final decision. (Which was to hire me.)

6. Follow-up/Thank you

It seems that fewer and fewer people are doing this these days. At the same interview that I mentioned above, I also made sure I sent prompt “Thank you” emails to both individuals that I had interviewed with. The man who ended up being my boss later said that I was the only one in the process who had done such a thing, and that it made a big impression upon him.

7. 2nd Interview

Again, if you make it to this step, you’re doing something right. Try not to wear the same outfit you wore to the first interview. You’re likely going to be dealing with someone who will be well above you on the company ladder, so be extra respectful.

8. Follow-up/Thank you

See number 6 above. But this is even more critical here, as you’re likely dealing with an even higher management figure, whose time is extremely valuable. Make sure you thank them for taking the time to meet with you.

9. Handling Outcome of Process

So the final decision is made. You are informed, and are either being offered the position, or being told that it is being offered to someone else. If it is the later case, be sure that you are gracious and still enthusiastic about the position and let them know you appreciate their consideration. You don’t know what the future holds. Perhaps their first candidate declines the offer. Perhaps they have another opening in the near future and remember you. (This has happened to me.) Perhaps they know someone else in the industry that you may end up interviewing with in the future. People in these positions often know each other, and if you get a good (or bad) reputation during this process, it can follow you to future interviews.