How to Use a Mock Interview to Boost Your Job Search

How to Use a Mock Interview to Boost Your Job SearchHow to Use a Mock Interview to Boost Your Job Search2Looking for ways to make a great impression on potential employers? Hone your presentation skills through a mock einstellungsgesprch. You have plenty to gain through these practice sessions.Frankly, most of us are not used to talking about ourselves, and it is especially challenging to talk about our goals and background, and how our experience relates to specific opportunities, says Dale Austin, director of the Career Development Center at Hope College. Through practicing, candidates gain confidence in expressing key ideas and perspectives. They learn through mock interviews how to communicate specific examples that can demonstrate how their background can meet effectively the needs of an employer.Whether youre trying to land your first job or your tenth, consider the following when making a mock interview part of your job-seeking strategyChoosing an InterviewerObviously, working with a career coach or other trained professional can be a major plus. They know what types of questions employers likely will ask and have a knowledgeable eye for spotting potential weaknesses in your answers and delivery. They can give you focused attention and may have strategies for immediate improvement.For instance, Ryan Brechbill, director of the Center for Career and Professional Development at Otterbein University, notes that when conducting mock interviews with students preparing to go on the market, his staff emphasizes the learning aspect. Before we begin the practice interview, we let them know that they can call a timeout at any time to discuss/process the question and their response, and we, as the interviewers, may also do to the same, with the goal that concerns and constructive feedback can be shared at the moment the student begins to struggle or is uncertain how to respond to a question.College career offices also often provide free or low-cost services to alumn i. Industry organizations and job support networks at your local library or community center may likewise be an alternative to hiring a private career counselor. Colleagues, friends, and family members also can stand in as interviewers. Ask them to pepper you with perennial favorites (Tell me about yourself), as well as not-so-standard questions that encourage thinking on your feet.Making the Most of the ProcessRegardless of who conducts the mock interview, record or (preferably) film it. Reviewing is essential to improving. As Austin notes, Many times candidates will be quite surprised to hear the number of verbalisms like um, ah, and well that they express unknowingly in the interview. They also pick up on unfavorable non-verbal cues, like rocking in their chair, fidgeting, and poor eye contact that can impact the outcome of an interview and result in not receiving a job offer.As you would for an actual interview, spend some time beforehand thinking about what makes you a good fit for specific jobs. Brechbill encourages interviewees to come in to mock interviews having identified the top three things they must share during their interview conversation- the most important and distinct examples the interviewer should walk away knowing. Having this information top of mind enables a candidate to practice weaving the responses.Dont get discouraged if at first you feel somewhat ill at ease during mock interviews. The great thing about them is that they can be repeated until a candidate gains competence and confidence. Consider mock interviews a no-pressure zone where you can experiment with ways to present your best self. Soon you might find talking about yourself becoming second nature, making actual interviews much less nerve-wrackingFine tune your interview skills even more with these job interview tipsReaders, have you used a mock interview to help you hone your interviewing skills? Share your experience with us below

When to Use a Plain Text Resume

When to Use a Plain Text ResumeWhen to Use a Plain Text ResumeWhen to Use a Plain Text ResumeOne thing about resumes that seems to get swept under the rug is the idea of creating a plain text version. We all know how daunting it is to write your resume in the first place, and recreating it in plain text can be just as intimidating.So after all that time and effort you put into making your resume perfect and visually appealing, why would you need to make a second, bare-bones version?Mostly, plain text resumes are used for job boards. Even though job board sites are getting more advanced and allowing you to upload resume as a Word doc, you risk it being garbled by the resume formatting bot (as I like to call it), which leaves your resume looking completely different when it finally makes its way to the employers screen.What do I mean? Lets say your perfectly designed resume is constructed with the sections in this orderContact InfoProfessional SummaryExperienceEducationTechnical Skills But when it gets dissected and thrown back together by the job board bot, the employer could end up seeing thisEducationExperienceTechnical SkillsProfessional SummaryContact InfoNeedless to say, its frustrating to fine-tune the look and feel of your resume, only to have it botched by the bot.To avoid this, take the time to create a plain text version that you can upload to the job board. It might not be as attractive, but the job board wont mess it up. Plus, despite the dullness of plain text, there are ways you can organize the elements of the resume in an easier-on-the-eyes format. (Pongos Resume Builder does this for you automatically with multiple file formatting options.)And if youre emailing your resume and cover letter directly to employers, dont forget to send PDF or Word .doc formats unless they state otherwise in their job postings

Millennial Unemployment Rate Nearly 4 Points Above National Average

Millennial Unemployment Rate Nearly 4 Points Above National Average Millennial Unemployment Rate Nearly 4 Points Above National Average Expected seasonal hiring is likely keeping youth unemployment artificially low, and young people know all too well that a temporary job over the holidays is not a long-term solution, Matthew Faraci, senior vice president for communications at Generation Opportunity, said. The fact is that 2012 marked yet another year in which Millennials were unable to find real opportunities in the vocations for which they trained and are qualified.This meant another year just scraping by, falling further behind on student loan payments, living at home with mom and dad, sending out hundreds of resumes, and filling out numerous job applications, all with little or no result. This was another year without hope for a generation eager to apply their skills and get in the game. As Washington argues over short-term fixes, Millennials are wondering why their elected lead ers continue to ignore critical issues such as unprecedented youth unemployment as well as the larger challenge of addressing the nations underlying fiscal challenges.

The Keys to Scoring The Best Restaurant Gig In The Biz

The Keys to Scoring The Best Restaurant Gig In The BizThe Keys to Scoring The Best Restaurant Gig In The Biz The Cheesecake Factory built its brand on celebratory fun a place for guests to enjoy an anniversary or birthday over one of 300 menu items, starting with that famous brown oat bread. Internally at Cheesecake its all about celebrations for staffers too, says Dina Barmasse, Cheesecakes SVP of Human Resources.Its a culture that Barmasse and team work hard to cultivate. She explains why even new menu items are an excuse for a party, why the company trains its staffers even for a post-Cheesecake career, and what makes a partie so Cheesecake.Glassdoor The Cheesecake Factory has an obvious public-facing aspect with the restaurants. How do you and your team build a culture that permeates through all functions, from a cashier at a restaurant to a staffer in corporate operations? Dina Barmasse The cultural aspect of The Cheesecake Factory is absolutely paramount for attraction, retention, etc., so HR is very deliberate in working with operations about how we build that. First, our talent selection team works really hard to find and retain the right talent. We call them So Cheesecake people. Its become shorthand When interviewees would leave the room, if they nailed the interview you would say Oh, theyre just so Cheesecake. We started exploring, what do we mean when we say theyre so Cheesecake?Really, what it boils down to is that they ooze warmth and hospitality that comes from within. They radiate positivity. Theyhave extremely high personal standards of excellence, and they love to celebrate and have fun. Of course, theres different factors and competencies that youll look for in different roles, but that is a cultural touchstone for us how we find the So Cheesecake people. Once we find and hire them, we have appreciation recognition programs that thank our people for their hard work and extra effort that they put in. Working at The Cheesec ake Factory is leid the easiest job. We are one of the busiest restaurant concepts around. You have to want to work hard here. But we also want to make sure they know how appreciated they are, so we go above and beyond in our appreciation and recognition programs.We have lots of celebrations. If you think of The Cheesecake Factory you probably think of having fun. Its no different for the people internally. We use every opportunity we can to build camaraderie and celebrate. For example, when we roll out new menu items twice a year it could be fairly perfunctory. But we turn it into a cultural touchstone where were able to bring everybody together. We spend a few hours playing games and quizzes, and there are opportunities for the winning team to give money to charities.Our training programs are the best in the industry. When you have 300 menu items, its a lot for people to be able to remember. We want to make sure that were doing everything we can both on the food, service and hosp itality side to set them up for success.Glassdoor Cheesecake employees often rave in their Glassdoor reviews about the training theyve received that it doesnt just make them exceptional at their current job, but it really tees them up for overall career success.Dina Barmasse You just made me very happy when you said that, because that is one of the things that we think about intentionally. We know training is critically important for some people. Lets say in our kitchen theres someone for whom this is their career, and they want to learn as much as they can and be able to achieve their career goals with us. But even if theyre not going to stay with us forever, we want people to feel that if you come to work at The Cheesecake Factory, no one is going to teach you more. If you come to The Cheesecake Factory, youre not making three items. Youre making every item under the sun - were going to invest in you and no matter if you stay with us or if you go somewhere else, youre going to g et the best training around. That hopefully attracts people to come to work for us and it hopefully also retains them. But were also very happy when it helps people externally to be able to move on to other dreams and aspirations. Certainly, with our kitchen and long menu here, there are a lot of other places people can go and where there may be less challenge. At The Cheesecake Factory, there is definitely that challenge - but thats also one of the elements of pride that I think is why a lot of people come to us. Setting them up for success is critically important.Glassdoor The Glassdoor reviews also talk about Cheesecake as a place where employees can give critical feedback.Dina Barmasse One of the challenges in having more than 200 restaurants is making sure that we have a direct line to hear the best ideas and suggestions from people who know it best, which is our staff. We set up a crowdsourcing site called Cake Talk. Every staff member has the opportunity to submit their idea s and suggestions directly to us and our senior leaders, unfiltered. We read every single Cake Talk submission. We take the feedback very seriously, and many times they lead to awesome hallway conversations.Cake Talk lets people vote on the suggestions, so the fruchtwein popular rise to the top. That gives us a sense of the energy behind that suggestion. Weve made some wonderful menu changes. Weve changed the servers attire. Theres suggestion after suggestion that has made a real impact.Glassdoor You mentioned that Cheesecake is a fun but demanding job. How do you retain talent that could go elsewhere for a job with, say, a smaller menu?Dina Barmasse Restaurants are facing a lot of challenges right now, and it can be a tough environment to retain staff. So were really focused on retention. It starts from when they first come in the door. We have revamped our orientation and what we call our First 60 Days Program. We know the biggest turnover in a restaurant takes place in the first 60 days. So what can we do from the time that they first come in? How can we deeply understand what is important to them?We have a process in place for our managers to be able to do just that, and to be able to share that information with the other management. Maybe its that this person really wants to work, but cant work nights. He loves the Dodgers and he has three kids. If I understand that, I can meet his needs. Because our restaurants have a very large staff, we basically will do anything to meet peoples expectations around shifts. If they want to work only two days a week, or five days, well try to make that happen. We have enough flexibility because of the number of people, but also because we really try hard to staff our restaurants to meet that. Its a big selling point for the front-of-house in particular, who may be going to school or doing different things. They want that flexibility so we do it in a way that its welcomed. In other words, its not a burden. Its something that we want them to have. That is a different approach to just saying, Yes, you can have that time off - but begrudgingly giving it. It only takes that one sigh or hesitation or frown to send a subtle message. We dont want that. We want the message to be were going to do everything we can. We know how hard our staff works, and we want to be able to do this for them.Glassdoor What keeps you personally at Cheesecake?Dina Barmasse My answer is probably fruchtwein people will tell you When you say you work at The Cheesecake Factory, we all get a pretty universal response. The persons face lights up. Theyll rave about the wheat bread, tell you about how they go every year on their anniversary. Theres some energy that is there that you can feel - the cultural difference. From an HR standpoint, that is golden. We want to do everything we can so each person is truly personally inspired to live that culture.

Dirty Facts About Resume Objective Examples Uncovered

Dirty Facts About Resume Objective Examples Uncovered You may also read more on the ideal approach to use our resume samples here. Each guide consists of step-by-step explanations and examples, and that means you know precisely how to create a winning one. Various kinds of formats are available but simple and very clear format is a good idea. Ultimately, examples will be supplied, illustrating how to start writing an objective ansicht. Utilizing an online resume builder is a powerful tool that will help you compose a winning resume. Creating an IT resume objective gives you a means to demonstrate a hiring manager what you wish to do and how youll benefit the business. The peak of your resume is prime real estate, and that means you dont squander it by utilizing vague filler material. You are able to also Simple Resume Template. You can also check at any of the samples of several sorts of resumes for various kinds of careers. Dont forget to customize each sample resume object ive for every single position youre applying for. For instance, an individual might be responding to an advertisement found on a site or within a newspaper. Resume Objective Examples - Overview In most instances, a resume objective is merely a couple of sentences long. There are primarily two types of resume objectives. Resume objectives can be somewhat controversial. As a result, while your resume objective should incorporate information on the career that you would like, you also need to spell out why you are the perfect candidate for the job. An objective is a brief statement that clarifies your goals about the sort of employment desired and the way in which your skills make you a nice fit. If you make the excess effort anyway, it will signify that much more. When youre asking for work, your very first purpose is to let employers know your abilities and talents align with the needs of their open position. With your resume before them, employers can visualize how youll op erate within the framework of their corporation, and the way in which your abilities and abilities will be used in the upcoming evolution of the business. Hence, youve got to concentrate on your key skills to grab the eye of the employers. In your open-ended objective, describe how youll use your abilities and experience. Everyone has desirable abilities and experiences to provide employers including you How to Get Started with Resume Objective Examples? By having read the work description and doing research on the business, youll already receive a great idea of who their perfect employee is. You have to customize your objective statement based on the job youre applying for and the industry youre applying in. You must find out methods to alter your experience to the demands of the new job and place it in such a manner your strengths are displayed on top. If youre asking for a new job and changing careers, discuss briefly the work experience and techniques that could be usefu l in the business even if theyre not directly relevant. Whether youre experienced at work, you have to explain to a possible employer just what qualifications youve got. Finally, make certain to compose a new statement for each job you apply for, so the employer sees what makes you a great fit for that particular job. Its not vital that you include it on your resume, but a lot of employers say that its particularly useful when reading resumes written by university graduates and company professionals that are searching for a change in their careers. When an employer is searching for someone with five decades of experience, be certain to mention you have a minimum of five decades of experience.

Danger Signs on Awards on Resume You Need to Know About

Danger Signs on Awards on Resume You Need to Know About The Battle Over Awards on Resume and How to Win It Especially in case you have a great deal of experience, it can take time to sort through your recognitions and select the most relevant awards. Finding out how to compose a legal resume honors and awards section is able to help you make a decision as to what information is suitable to use. If youve got many awards, honors or certificates, you can want to restrict the info you provide on your resume. If you just have a couple of professional awards to add it is preferable to include them in your professional experience. Life After Awards on Resume Resumes usually get only a fast review, or so the committee may not take the opportunity to review a long resume. After all, not everybody receives an award, particularly if you were competing in a massive organization with dozens of workers. Dont hold back in case you have various awards in a specific area or youve achieved s omething special in a previously-held position like the vacancy. Youre not vying for just one coveted award theres loads of opportunity The Basic Principles of Awards on Resume That You Can Learn From Beginning Right Away Luckily, there are tons of hints you can reference to understand how to master the art of displaying your awards. When you have produced an overall collection of your personal and academic accomplishments, now is the time to receive them organized. When you produce your resume, the awards section is a crucial portion of demonstrating your abilities and abilities. Your awards section ought to be short yet packed with juicy details to create the best impression. Utilizing an online resume builder is a straightforward and effective method of writing a winning resume which will get you through the interview stage. Therefore understanding how to compose a resume is vital. For instance, if the scholarship emphasizes community support, list your volunteer hours and dates on top of your Extracurricular Activities section. Your scholarship resume, once properly assembled, will provide you with all of the info you will have to have in one tidy and simple to access document.