Gen Z Job Search: The Years Of Experience Myth

Gen Z Job Search: The Years Of Experience Myth

I’ve heard many of my Gen Z members and followers talk about how difficult it is to apply for jobs when every company seems to require two or more years of experience for entry-level positions, the types of jobs Gen Z, the youngest demographic in the workforce, shouldn’t have any problems getting.

The idea that you can’t apply for a job that requires “years of experience” because you’re a new grad is a myth, and I’m going to tell you exactly what to do instead.

You Don’t Necessarily Need Years Of Experience, But You Do Need A Connection Story. 

@j.t.odonnell Replying to @millers0620 Gen Z Job Search Episode 1: The Years Of Experience MYTH #genzjobsearch ##genzjobs #genz #jobsearchtips #jobs #job #jobsearch ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

First, I want you to understand the reason they say a job requires “two years of experience” is that they want to make sure you’ve worked at some point in your life. Hopefully, you’ve had an internship, maybe in college or while you were in grad school, but you do have some sort of work experience.

The second thing you need to know is that you have a secret weapon, and it’s called your connection story. What you lack in experience you can make up for with enthusiasm and by sharing how you feel motivated to work for a company.

So, how do you write a connection story?

Step 1: Ask yourself, “Why do I respect and admire this company?” and “What taught me that they were worthy of this respect and admiration?”

Step 2: Think about your own life. What’s making you feel connected to them as an employer?

Step 3: Put your connection story together in a disruptive cover letter. Unlike a traditional cover letter, a disruptive cover letter is a storytelling cover letter.

Step 4: Once you’ve written your disruptive cover letter, reach out to the recruiter, hiring manager, and/or people who work at the company and say…

“Hey, enclosed is the story of why I feel so connected to your company. I’d love to learn what it might take to earn the opportunity to interview or be considered for the XYZ position.”

When you say there’s a story, that piques their interest. And when you say you want to earn the opportunity, you don’t have to point out that you don’t have the exact experience. What you’re trying to do is to get them to see that you have the intrinsic motivation to do the job.

They can teach you the experience. What they need is somebody who understands why they want to work there. That’s what they’re looking for, and that’s what you need to share with them.

I see this every single day. In fact, I’ll tell you a story.

I worked with a young man named Seth. He was a senior in college. He wanted to get a job in recruiting. It required five years of experience. But with this technique, he shared his connection story with the recruiters that were recruiting for the position. And he got the job. He beat out people who had 10 years of experience. And the reason he won the job is because of that connection story. They clearly understood that he wanted to be a recruiter and he was able to say, “Look, I have no bad habits. You can mold me, you can train me, and I’m passionate about this.”

You can do the same thing. But it starts with understanding what your connection story is and then sharing it with those employers.

If you want more information or if you want to be coached on this, we can help you.

Check out our free daily newsletter or become a member and get access to affordable, on-demand career coaching.

Good luck, and go get ’em.

4 Things To Do: Getting A New Job While Working

4 Things To Do: Getting A New Job While Working

Do you want to leave your job but don’t want to give your two weeks’ notice until you find a new one? With the right job search strategy, you can easily find a job while you’re still employed.

One of our Work It DAILY fans wrote in and said, “Hey, I want to quit my job and start a new one. What should be my to-do list today?”

I’m going to walk you through the four basic steps that you should take in order to make that happen.

Referrals Matter

Professional woman at work stands with a professional man who referred her for a job

Now, before I begin, I want to remind you of an important fact. Up to 80% of all jobs today are gotten via referral. So blindly applying online is not going to work for you. Only 3% of the people who apply online ever get called by recruiters or hiring managers.

The four steps that I’m going to outline for you are going to help you go around that ATS (applicant tracking system) and connect with recruiters and hiring managers so you stand out as a great job candidate.

So, let’s break it down…

Step 1: Inventory Your Skills

Young woman on laptop inventories her skills for her job search

You need to inventory your transferable skills. These are all the hard skills that will be helpful in your next job. You may perform some or all of these things in a future position.

Step 2: Get On LinkedIn

Young professional on laptop learning how to update his LinkedIn profile to help recruiters find him

You’re going to take those transferable skills you’ve identified and make sure they’re optimized on both your resume and your LinkedIn profile.

Recruiters are always searching for those key terms when looking for potential job candidates, so if you have your transferable skills listed on your LinkedIn profile (in your LinkedIn headline, for example) you’re going to improve your chances that they’ll connect with you and reach out to you about job opportunities you’re a fit for.

Step 3: Make A Bucket List

Professional woman on laptop makes an interview bucket list

Next, create what’s called an interview bucket list. This is a list of 10 to 20 companies that you would love to work for and that hire for your skill sets.

The best way to build an interview bucket list is to research companies you feel a connection to. Make sure you’d be able to either commute to or work remotely for these companies. If your skills also match the jobs they hire for, the company belongs on your interview bucket list!

Step 4: Identify People At Your Bucket List Companies

Man and woman use laptop together to make their interview bucket lists

Finally, you’re going to identify people who work at the companies on your interview bucket list and use your networking connections to get introduced to them.

You want to be able to have conversations with people who are currently employed at these companies. They can help you understand what it takes to stand out in the hiring process and potentially introduce you to hiring managers.

The Most Efficient Way To Find A New Job

This brings me back to my very first point about getting referred to companies. This is the best, fastest, most efficient way for you to find a new job while employed because you don’t have time all day to spend on your job search. Work smarter, not harder!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.



4 Things Recruiters Are Looking For When They Search You Online

4 Things Recruiters Are Looking For When They Search You Online

Recruiters are lurking in the depths of your social media profiles. Are they seeing what you want them to see?

It’s no secret that recruiters are looking up candidates online before they move them forward in the hiring process. It makes sense, though. Who doesn’t look people, places, or things up online before they commit to them? If you don’t, then welcome to the 21st century.

According to a recent survey, 94% of recruiters use social media to find high-quality candidates. And if that doesn’t get you hyper-aware of what’s out there about you online, this will: 54% of employers have rejected candidates based on the content found on their social networking profiles. Woof.

There are certain things recruiters are looking for when they search for you online. And if you want to make a great first impression on these recruiters, you need to do some recon work.

Is there anything out there you don’t want them to see? If so, take it down.

While you’re cleaning up your social media, you should take some time to give recruiters what they want too. During these online searches, recruiters are eager to learn certain things about you, and there are specific qualities/behaviors they are looking for when they’re checking out your online presence. So, it’s important you make those things easy for them to find.

Recruiters want to know that…

1. You Know Your Stuff

If you’ve been bragging that you’re an expert in whatever it is that you do, you better back it up. What proof do you have that what you’re claiming is true?

You know recruiters, employers, and clients are going to be looking for you online, so have something to show them. Brand yourself as an expert in your field by starting a blog or creating an online portfolio of your work.

2. You’re Not Bad-Mouthing Your Former Employer

Recruiter on laptop looking for good job candidates for an open position

If you’re trashing your old boss, colleagues, or company all over the Internet, you need to sit down because (surprise) recruiters are not impressed. In fact, they’re thinking something like this: “If we hire them and, for some reason, they don’t work out, what if they bash us all over the web? That’s not a good look for our brand…“

So, please don’t broadcast your woes all over the internet.

3. You Have A Personality

Manager on phone checks job candidates' social media during recruiting process

Now more than ever, companies are hiring people based on their “fit” instead of just their work experience. Employers are realizing that hiring the wrong person can completely throw off a team dynamic and cause workplace issues that can affect the business.

So, finding people who share the same values, passions, and goals is becoming more and more important.

4. You’re Not Posting About Inappropriate Stuff

Serious/thinking recruiter on laptop finding inappropriate posts on a job candidate's social media accounts

This is a huge red flag for employers and recruiters. According to a recent study, employers have little tolerance for bigoted comments and mentions of illegal drugs. Stay clean, my friends.

The good news? They don’t care so much about your beer pong photos anymore—as long as drinking isn’t the only thing you post about. So yay for that!

These are just a few things recruiters are looking for when they search for you online.

Of course, each recruiter has different things they want in a job candidate, so make sure you do your homework. That way, you can prove that you’re a great candidate to bring in for a job interview.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help Or Hurt Your Career?

Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help Or Hurt Your Career?

Have you ever been at a job for such a short period of time that you wondered if it was even worth it to list it on your resume or LinkedIn profile?

A job seeker recently asked us, “Should I list a job if I wasn’t there for a very long time, and state whether or not I was laid off or fired?”

That’s a great question that a lot of people have when writing their resumes. Here’s what you need to do if you’re in a similar situation:

Consider The Background Check

Man gives the hiring manager his resume that lists a short-term job

The first thing you have to ask yourself is what a short period of time is to you. Is it a week, month, or year?

This is going to vary from person to person. But it’s important to know that any company that does a reference check on you, or a background check, is going to see every employer that ever paid you.

You have to understand that when you leave employers off the list, and they do a reference check and suddenly see that you worked at this company or that company, it’s going to look like you’re lying.

Utilize An “Additional Experience” Section On Your Resume

I usually advise people to create a section in their resume called the “Additional Experience” section. This is where you’re going to list unrelated work experience. Maybe you’re working a retail job, or are in some kind of hobby career, or had some super-short assignments that you weren’t at long enough for them to make an impact on your career. This way, it’s on paper.

In a job interview, if a hiring manager asks you about the short-term job, you can say, “No, I listed it. I was there for such a short period of time that I didn’t put it in my main resume.”

That’s the best way to handle these situations. More importantly, you need to know how to answer the question, “Why are there gaps in your resume?” or “Why were you at this company for such a short period of time?”

These days, it’s hard enough to get an interview in the first place. You don’t want to blow it by hiding anything. So, make sure to include a short-term job in the “Additional Experience” section of your resume. It’s an easy and effective solution.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help Or Hurt Your Career?

3 Ways To Get Your Resume Past The ATS

If you’re submitting your resume through a job board or company website, there’s a good chance your resume is being run through an applicant tracking system (ATS), the software many of today’s employers use to read and rank resumes they receive in the hiring process.

The higher the ranking, the greater the chance your resume will be seen by a pair of human eyes. Those that don’t get a high rank fall into a black hole. So the question is, “How can I ensure my resume gets past the applicant tracking system?”

Here are some basic tips:

1. Make Sure The ATS Can Read Your Resume

Man on laptop formats his resume to get it past the ATS

Have your resume saved in the right format. Not every ATS can read documents in .doc or .docx format. So, to be on the safe side, always submit your resume as a PDF. Also, in the event your resume does get past the ATS, you want to make sure the formatting stays the same. The best way to do that is by utilizing the PDF option.

Another thing to remember is to not use tables and text boxes. The ATS can’t read them, so they will only hurt your chances of moving on in the hiring process.

2. Help The ATS Identify Sections And Information

Woman on laptop writes and formats her resume to get it past the ATS

The ATS looks for keywords to help identify sections of the resume, so make sure each section of your resume is clearly labeled and uses consistent formatting.

Those sections you should focus on include your headline, your experience summary, your work history, your education, and any additional experience.

3. List The Most Appropriate Keywords

The exact list of keywords an employer enters into the ATS varies, but you can figure out appropriate keywords by looking at the job description. You will notice certain keywords come up over and over again. There may also be certain terminology or lingo that defines the work of your profession. Utilize those keywords in context on your resume.

If you’re going to use the “/” between keywords, add a space before and after it. For example, the ATS may not see “Web Design/Graphic Design” as keyword matches, but it will when it reads “Web Design / Graphic Design.”

In this digital world, applicant tracking systems have made job seeking more difficult, so you need to make sure your resume gets through this important filter. We hope these three tips help you write and format your resume to get it past the ATS.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help Or Hurt Your Career?

3 Ways To Quantify Your Experience With Numbers

If you’ve been doing your homework on how to write an effective resume, you’ve seen a recurring theme: you have to quantify your work experience. Although most people understand the general idea of this, we find that job seekers often struggle with applying this idea to writing their resumes.

Here are three easy ways to quantify your work experience with numbers so your resume stands out!

1. Show How Many

Sometimes our responsibilities don’t sound that impressive until we start detailing how much work we’ve been doing. For instance, if one of your job responsibilities is tracking your company’s compliance with filing a set of forms every year, you could write that two different ways:

Ensured compliance with filing of annual forms.

—or—

Ensured compliance with the filing of 75 annual forms by 7 different company departments.

Doesn’t the second example sound much more impressive?

2. Show How Much

Woman on phone and laptop quantifies her experience on her resume

If you have a job in sales, marketing, or any other business where profitability is the ultimate goal of your position, citing exactly how much money you’ve either made or saved your company is the way to go.

For example, if you’re an internal auditor, your resume could say:

Saved company money by finding ways to cut costs.

—or—

Implemented new payroll and tax accounting systems that saved firm $1M in personnel costs over the next 10 years.

Estimates are fine when citing these types of numbers, as long as you can justify your claim if someone asks you in an interview.

3. Show How Often

Man on laptop writes down quantifiable accomplishments on his resume

We frequently talk with job seekers who have previously been successful in very high-volume environments. If you’ve worked in this type of setting, please give yourself credit!

Even an administrative assistant’s job sounds completely different when quantified and given some context:

Answered phones at the front desk.

—or—

Managed switchboard with 10 incoming lines, effectively receiving and routing an average of 500 calls per day.

My goodness, who wouldn’t hire the second candidate?

As you write your resume, ask yourself these three important questions:

  1. How many?
  2. How much?
  3. How often?

The key to landing an interview is to answer those questions as you describe your previous professional accomplishments. Once you learn how to quantify your results and work experience, nothing will hold you back!

Need more help with your job search?

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

The Best Question To Ask At The End Of A Job Interview

The Best Question To Ask At The End Of A Job Interview

As a job seeker, the questions you ask in a job interview are as important as your answers to the questions you get asked. Why is that? Well, the quality of the questions you ask shows how much research you’ve done, how interested you are in the opportunity, and how knowledgeable you are about the job.

But of all the questions you can ask, there’s one last question you should ask before you close out any job interview…

“Can You Please Tell Me The Next Steps In The Process?”

@j.t.odonnell 1 Question To Ask It The End Of EVERY Job Interview! 💪#interviewquestions #interviewtips #interviewtipsandtricks #interview #interviewprep #interviewskills ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

At the end of every job interview, ask the hiring manager what the next steps are in the interview process. This is the best question to ask at the end of a job interview (one you don’t want to forget to ask) because you don’t want to leave the interview wondering when you will hear from them.

Knowing the answer to this question will also help you figure out how many other people are being interviewed and when it is okay for you to follow up.

Here’s an example of what asking this question could look like…

You: “Can you tell me the next steps in the process?”

Hiring Manager: “You’re the first of five interviews and we are going to be doing this for the next three weeks.”

You: “Fabulous. Would it be okay then for me to proactively follow up with you in one business week to see where everything is?”

Hiring Manager: “I think it would be best to give us two weeks before following up.”

Now you have a better idea of where they are in the interview process and when you will be able to contact them.

Why is this important? Well, I work with a lot of job seekers who forget to ask this question at the end of a job interview and they’re left sitting in limbo, not knowing what to do. They’re in paralysis because they’re waiting to hear from the hiring manager, but they don’t know when that will be.

When you ask, “What are the next steps in the interview process?” at the end of a job interview, you know exactly when you’re going to hear from the employer and when you can follow up. And that means you can get back to looking for more jobs because you should never be job-crushing. You should never be waiting around on one job. You should be looking for plenty of other job opportunities just in case the current opportunity falls through.

So, don’t forget to ask this question at the end of your next job interview. You’ll not only impress the hiring manager but also help yourself out in the days following the interview.

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Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help Or Hurt Your Career?

11 Job Search Commandments For College Grads

I love working with recent grads in their job search. After 12 years in school, they are experts at learning—which makes teaching them easier. They’re like sponges. They learn and do. They have no bad job search habits, so teaching them is fun because I get to see their reaction when they get positive results for the first time.

The difficult part? Job search for college grads stinks right now.

I already knew things were bad. I deal with it on a regular basis when helping new grads find jobs. In fact, I can read their minds. That’s because, after graduation, there are four things that make graduates really, really mad. My job is to help them get past the anger and get hired.

If you know a recent college grad, please pass these 11 job search commandments on to them. If you are a recent college grad, take notes. These commandments are laws to live by in the next six months as you embark on your next big challenge: landing a job.

1. I Will Not Compare Myself To My Friends

Young professional at his first job out of college

No two graduates are the same. Each has different skills, abilities, needs, and wants. Just because your friend gets a new job doesn’t mean he or she is better than you. Keep the blinders on and focus on your job search, not theirs.

Jealousy is a useless emotion that derails a job search. Besides, your friend might be able to help you get a job. It’s in your best interest to be genuinely happy for them!

2. I Will Not Take The Summer Off

Young woman on phone conducts a job search in the summer after college

Don’t delay your job search. Employers see it as acting entitled and lazy. Get in gear—right now! Trust me, you aren’t going to find a job in the next two weeks. And job search isn’t a full-time gig.

Carve out time every day to work on your job search and you’ll still have plenty of time to enjoy the summer. Before the temperature cools down, turn your job search success up! It’s about working smarter, not harder.

3. I Will Not Spend Weeks Designing My Resume

College student / young professional on laptop stresses about writing his resume

Your resume isn’t going to get you the job. Networking is.

Don’t waste time trying to make your resume perfect. At this stage in your career, there just isn’t that much you can put on it to impress employers. The “wow” factor will come from you being smart, articulate, and engaging—which doesn’t come through on paper. You have to meet people to make that happen.

4. I Will Learn To Network…Fast!

Group of interns / young professionals networking/meeting at work

Networking is the most powerful way to get hired. Yet most recent grads assume because they’ve never worked they have no one to network with. Wrong!

People love helping recent grads. Learn to “informational interview” and set up as many as you can. The sooner you learn to network, the sooner you get hired.

5. I Will Not Expect Too Much Of My First Job

Recent college grad on her first day at a new job

Most recent college grads feel they’re overqualified for many of the entry-level jobs posted. However, most employers feel you’re not, and may even have unrealistic expectations for an entry-level position.

The hard reality is you don’t have the work experience for anything but entry-level jobs. The sooner you take an entry-level job and work at it for six months, the sooner you can start applying to the more exciting jobs that are currently out of your reach.

6. I Will Remember That EVERY Job Is Temporary

Young professional thinks about the job search after college

While the entry-level job you take will not be your dream job, that’s okay because you won’t be there very long. You’ll either excel in the job and get promoted or get experience and be able to apply for a better job.

“Every job is temporary,” is one of our mantras at Work It DAILY, which is why you always have to improve and work on your career every day. Whether you’re looking for your first job or a new one, you need to keep that mindset. It will pay off, we promise.

7. I Will Study Up On Workplace Professionalism As Much As I Can

Recent college grad goes in for a job interview and shakes hands with the hiring manager

The number one complaint corporate America has about recent grads is their perceived lack of professionalism. Read up on attire, attitude, verbal communication style, and so on. The more prepared you are, the better the first impression you’ll make.

8. I Will Be Very Careful In My Written Communication Style

Recent college grad applies for jobs online

The number two complaint corporate America has about recent grads is their poor written communication skills. Spelling, grammar, and so on.

Be very careful when writing cover letters, emails, and any other written communication related to your job search. One typo can get you disqualified!

9. I Will Expect Rejection (A Lot Of It)

Recent college grad gets a job rejection and is stressed about her job search

You’ll apply to dozens of jobs and have as many as 10 interviews before getting an offer. There is a learning curve to getting hired, and it happens with practice.

Expect to get passed over for jobs and learn to cope with the rejection. The sooner you can pick yourself up and get back to the job search, the sooner you’ll get another interview and eventually an offer.

10. I Will Become A “Professional” User Of Social Media

Group of college students on their phones looking at social media

For the last four years, social media has been used for your enjoyment. Now, it’s time to use it for the job search.

Clean up the Facebook page and Instagram account, get yourself set up on LinkedIn, and study how people are using Twitter and TikTok to meet hiring managers. Use social media to build an online presence that when searched by a recruiter (and trust us, they will look you up online), what they’ll find is a recent grad who’s clearly ready to enter the workforce.

A strong social media presence can literally land you a job interview. Engage in best practices for social media to advance your career.

11. I Will Not Brag About My New Job When I Finally Get It

Young professional on phone and laptop finds out she got a job after college

Getting your first job will be thrilling. I mean over-the-top incredible. That being said, refrain from posting the good news all over the internet and making it your first topic of conversation with friends. Why? Go back to commandment number one.

Remember: you’ll be surrounded by people who haven’t gotten their first job and will be jealous. Be the bigger person and keep a low profile on the new gig. Of course, if asked, you can share the good news, but do your best to redirect the conversation after that.

Show how humble you are. You just never know at some future date that person could remember your gracious attitude and be willing to help you get your next job because of it. The friends you make now will be the colleagues you network with in the future. Treat them kindly and it will pay off in the long run.

Follow the commandments above and your job search will be less painful and more effective. And keep this list handy as a reminder you will make it through. You can do this!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

How To Get Rid Of Interview Nerves

How To Get Rid Of Interview Nerves

It’s normal to feel nervous before a job interview. But when those nerves start to impact your interview performance, it’s time to learn how to get rid of interview nerves once and for all.

Here’s how to get rid of your interview nerves and crush your next job interview:

Honesty, Interview Prep, And Connection

@j.t.odonnell Replying to @erica__007 How to get rid of interview nerves. #interviewquestions #interview #interviewtips #jobsearchtips #jobinterviewtips #interviewhelp #interviewprep #careertok #careeradvice #jobsearch ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

1. Be honest about your interview nerves.

First of all, it is okay to let the hiring manager know you’re nervous. It’s okay to be honest with them. But when you let the hiring manager know you’re nervous, make sure you do it with a smile because that’s going to set the tone for the interview.

If your interview nerves have the potential to ruin the job interview, when you sit down with the hiring manager, smile at them, take a deep breath, and say, “I just want to let you know that I am nervous for this interview, so I may not answer every question as smoothly as I want to, but it’s because I’m excited about the job opportunity.”

2. Focus on interview prep.

Keep your facial expressions and body language in mind. People hear what they see, especially in an interview. So the next tip I recommend to get rid of your interview nerves is to work on your interview prep.

Mock interviews are a great way to not only practice your answers to interview questions but also work on your body language and facial expressions. Remember to sit up tall and lean in a little bit. Remember to smile. Remember to make appropriate eye contact.

I often tell clients who are struggling with interview nerves to wear a ring or watch or another piece of jewelry on a different finger or wrist so that every time they see it in the interview, it triggers them to remember the body language tips above.

Interview prep is one of the best ways to get rid of interview nerves because it helps to instill confidence in your interview abilities and qualifications for the job. Body language and facial expressions are just as important as your interview answers, and interview prep can help you practice both.

3. Realize the interview is all about making a connection.

Sometimes the easiest way to get rid of interview nerves is to change your mindset. Before your next job interview, tell yourself: “I’m excited. This is about making a connection today. This is about me starting the process of getting to know this employer.”

The interview isn’t an all-or-nothing situation. You’re learning. You’re growing. You’re doing your best. And you’re at the job interview to make a connection and share your answers. The person who’s interviewing you could be a potential colleague one day. How would you act if you were simply having coffee with them?

When you change your interview mindset to focus on connection and excitement instead of worst-case scenarios, your interview nerves will subside. A shift in your mindset will prevent you from psyching yourself out in the job interview, going in with that serious attitude, serious body language, and serious facial expressions. It’s also going to help you answer interview questions with more positivity and enthusiasm, the perfect combination for connection.

The next time you’re experiencing bad interview nerves, remember these three things: honesty, interview prep, and connection. And before you know it, your interview nerves will all but disappear!

Need more help with your job search?

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5 Things You MUST Do For An Effective Mock Interview

5 Things You MUST Do For An Effective Mock Interview

Before you walk into your real job interview, it’s important to practice. You want to make sure your answers, behavior, and attire are top-notch. After all, this is your shot to work for your dream company. Don’t let that opportunity slip because you failed to prepare!

In addition to researching the company, answering common interview questions, and finding the perfect interview outfit, you should consider conducting a mock interview. Mock interviews help you get comfortable and allow you to identify weak areas in your potential job interview.

Here are five things you MUST do in order to conduct an effective mock interview:

1. Find An Objective “Interviewer”

Professional woman goes on a mock interview

Trust me, you want to leave your family, friends, and significant other out of this. It won’t be pretty. You need someone, perhaps a colleague, mentor, or coach, to conduct a fair, uninterrupted mock interview experience.

Plus, if they know what they’re doing, they can help you prepare much better than someone who’s just winging it to help you out.

2. Treat Your Mock Interview As If It Were The Real Deal

Man answers a question during a mock interview

Again, the whole point of doing a mock interview is to practice for the real thing. That means you need to prepare and perform as if it were a real job interview.

Don’t goof off or get embarrassed. You need to get comfortable with your responses and body language so you can knock your real job interview out of the park.

3. Prep Your Mock Interviewer

Woman prepares for the interview process with a mock interview

Give your mock interviewer some background on both the job and the company so they have some context. This can help them ask you questions related to the industry, company, and role, which will help you prepare more effectively for the real thing.

Also, consider giving your mock interviewer a list of common interview questions they should ask you so you can practice.

4. Dress Like You’re Going In For The Real Interview

You might feel a little ridiculous going into your mock interview dressed to the nines, but it’s part of the prep work. You want to make sure everything looks good, fits right, and feels right before your formal interview.

The last thing you want is to wear a blouse or a dress shirt that’s see-through. Plus, your mock interviewer can help you figure out if your outfit is appropriate or not.

5. Get (Honest) Feedback From Your Mock Interviewer

Man asks for feedback after his mock interview

The most important part of doing a mock interview is getting honest feedback from your interviewer. You need to have a clear understanding of what you should improve before you go in for the real job interview.

Ask them for their overall opinion of the mock interview, then get their thoughts on your attire, body language, responses, and anything else you’d like to get feedback on.

Again, this isn’t a job for family, friends, or significant others. You love them, but when it comes to giving feedback, they will either be overly critical of your performance or not completely honest in an effort to spare your feelings and avoid destroying your confidence.

Remember: practice makes perfect! These five tips will ensure you walk away from your mock interview feeling prepared and ready to ace the real deal!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Why You Shouldn’t Look At Your Notes During A Job Interview

Why You Shouldn’t Look At Your Notes During A Job Interview

Should you look at your notes during a job interview? A lot of people have different opinions on this. Personally, as a career coach for 20+ years, I don’t recommend looking at your notes during a job interview. And this is the simple reason why…

It’s Distracting

@j.t.odonnell Replying to @torzamorris Can I look at my notes in a job interview? #interviewprep #interviewhelp #jobinterviewtips #jobsearchtips #interviewtips #interview #interviewquestions ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell

Looking at your notes during a job interview is extremely distracting. For example, if I were giving you advice in person or via video call, but I was either taking notes or looking at my notes while talking to you, how would you feel about our connection? Probably not very good.

I don’t think looking at your notes sends the right message when you’re trying to have a conversation during a job interview.

Now, you may think that your only other option is to memorize your interview answers. That’s not true. In fact, you shouldn’t be memorizing at all.

Instead of looking at notes or memorizing your answers, research the most common behavioral interview questions you’ll likely be asked in the interview. Write out your answers to them. Read them back to yourself, and do that every day for a little while until you haven’t memorized them, but the storyline of them has been committed to memory so that when you’re asked a question, your answer comes out naturally.

Now, in addition to that, there’s something that I teach at Work It DAILY called the “Experience + Learn = Grow” model. When you write the answers to these behavioral interview questions out, you want to follow a beginning, a middle, and an end. (Storytelling!)

  • What did you experience?
  • What did you learn from that experience?
  • How have you grown from that experience and how are you going to use that on the job?

This is what employers are looking for. You’re a service provider. You’re a business-of-one. They’re trying to understand how you are going to serve their needs, why they should pick you, and why you’re going to give them the best return on investment (ROI). This process—researching common behavioral interview questions, using the “Experience + Learn = Grow” model when writing out your answers in advance, and reading them until you know the stories you want to tell—will get you to a place of comfort where you’ll be able to just look at them and have a conversation.

The hiring manager is a person that you’re trying to connect with. This is a potential future co-worker. You are at that interview to make a friend, make a colleague, in a sense. So, you want to connect. And looking at your notes while you’re trying to answer their questions—this is not connecting.

If you have such bad interview nerves that you feel like you need notes, my advice to you is to learn how to do better interview prep. You not only want to do the prep to ease your interview nerves but to be able to sit there and connect with the person you’re talking to.

In the hiring process, it’s all about connection! That’s why looking at your notes during a job interview will do more harm than good.

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Listing A Short-Term Job: Will It Help Or Hurt Your Career?

4 Ways To Turn Resume Fluff Into Marketable Facts

Your resume is the most important document to advance your career. And given employers will only scan it for about 7-10 seconds, you need to make sure you scream, “Here’s what I can do for you!”

There’s a difference between a resume that only showcases your personality and characteristics and one that demonstrates specific achievements and accomplishments. Unfortunately, too many resumes are filled with fluff statements anyone can say and they don’t really distinguish you as a top candidate.

A resume filled with terms such as “visionary” (how many of these do you really know?), “motivated,” “team player,” “problem solver,” “results oriented,” “dynamic,” and many other phrases are examples of overused words.

To avoid creating a resume complete with fluff, try to turn to marketable facts and quantifiable accomplishments.

1. Don’t Rely On Terms That Describe Character (Soft Skills)

Replace the use of terms that describe character with specific content to demonstrate how you accomplished or achieved something. Shed some light on your method of execution. A resume should not include soft skills.

For instance, to show you were “results oriented,” indicate on your resume how you increased sales in your department by XY percent within a year or increased the number of attendees to an annual conference by XY percent compared to previous years.

If you don’t actually have numbers, you can approximate percentages: “Introduced new procedures that slashed cycle times approximately 20%.”

These are examples of quantifiable accomplishments. Don’t be afraid to quantify your results on the job and prove you’re the best fit for the position.

2. Use Numbers And Symbols

Man thinks about quantifying his accomplishments on his resume instead of adding fluff

Numbers and symbols quickly jump out at employers so use them whenever you can. Resumes have their own special rules and always show all numbers as digits as they catch the eye. Percentages are always best as they show the impact of your efforts.

For example, saying “increased sales $750,000 over prior year” is nice but to some companies that is petty cash and your company might not like your giving out their private information. It’s better to say, “Increased sales 43% over prior year.”

Simply avoid words that aren’t specific, such as “many,” “few,” and “several.”

3. Don’t List Responsibilities Of Your Previous Jobs; Demonstrate Outcomes

Professional woman on laptop writes about outcomes and accomplishments on her resume

The problem with writing responsibilities you held on the job is it doesn’t tell an employer how successful you were at executing your plans. An employer only cares about how good you did your job and how what you did can apply to the job they are offering.

Rather than list responsibilities, demonstrate your performance.

  • Are you the most senior member of your team?
  • Do people turn to you for the more challenging issues?
  • Is your productivity level higher than your peers?
  • Do you resolve issues on the first call versus others needing 2-3 calls?
  • Is your level of accuracy and the quality of your work at the highest level?
  • Have you demonstrated the ability to meet aggressive deadlines?

Statements like “consistently recognized for delivering quality results at less cost than budgeted” showcases your effectiveness, especially when you back that statement up with approximate numbers.

4. Only Detail Specialized Technical Skills

Professional man on laptop adds technical skills to his resume instead of fluff

Today’s employers expect candidates to know basic computer skills and programs, so only list specialized technical skills that are relevant to the job. An employer does not need to see you know programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Also, when you do list any technical skill, tell an employer how well you know the specific program by detailing what you may have created or done with it. Simply listing a specific program will not help an employer understand how well you know it or what your capabilities are.

Fill your resume with performance statements instead of fluff and you will see a dramatic improvement in your job search results.

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Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.