We recently asked the team at KellyMitchell what kind of advice they would give to candidates during the application, interview, and hiring process. We narrowed it down to these four pieces of advice.
1. Close the gaps on your resume
If you have any gaps in the past 10 years of your employment history, please include the reasons why. Hiring managers will be left wondering what you were up during your hiatus between jobs.
If you were a stay at home mom for two years, include that on your resume. Maybe you went back to school to finish a degree or you were caring for a sick family member. Whatever the reason, include it on your resume and fill those time gaps!
2. Be Available at a Moment’s Notice
Your resume got through to the hiring manager and they want to speak with you. Making yourself readily available for an interview shows that you’re serious about landing the job. When recruiters ask for your hours of availability, include every hour that doesn’t have already have an important commitment attached to it. Important commitments include your normal working hours or family commitments that you just can’t walk away from.
Commitments that you can forgo are brunch plans with friends, happy hour after work, and even your lunch break.
And as far as receiving calls? Try making yourself available during regular business hours, and even during the evenings. When a recruiter calls you, it’s never just to chit chat. It usually means they have a lead, or maybe an employer would like to interview you the next day.
Long story short, if you’re serious about the landing the job, you need to show that it’s one of your top priorities.
3. Show Gratitude
Whew, you made it through the interview. Unfortunately, you’re not done yet. Don’t head to happy hour before writing a quick thank you letter. A thank you letter after the interview is the perfect way to get back in front of the hiring manager while reminding him/her of your strengths that specifically pertain to the position.
And those perfect answers for the tricky questions that come to you AFTER the interview on the drive home? Address them in your letter! Also remember, it’s not a thank you letter if you don’t show your gratitude for the opportunity to interview with them.
Rule of thumb: Letters should be mailed 24 hours after the interview. Emails should be sent within 12 hours. And here’s a cool trick: schedule your thank you email to send early in the morning (5 or 6am). When your interviewers check their email in the morning, yours will be at the top of their inbox. Not only that, but it makes you look like a productive morning person (even if you’re not).
4. Be Prompt
You got the job! Now, they need you to fill out some paperwork. Remember, nothing shows more initiative to getting your paperwork filled out and turned in as soon as possible. And most of the time, the sooner you submit your paperwork, the sooner you’re working and getting paid!
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