You have done a great job in preparing your resume, cover letter and applying for the right positions, and now you have landed the interview! The interview is where you and the employer ask questions to determine if the job and employer will be a fit for you. Most questions in an interview pertain to your past job performance, skills, values and competencies. However, you quite likely will also be asked about your previous job (or jobs) and employers, and why you left past positions. This can be an easy question for those who left positions after longer service for advancement opportunities. However, this can be a trickier question for those who left previous employers due to lay-off, termination, bad feelings, etc. So, what is the best way to address these questions of past employers?
What you say about previous employment speaks volumes about you, not the boss, which is why interviewers pose the questions. Interviewers are looking for a few things when they ask about your previous job, such as:
So, you’re on the hunt for a new job or you are a new graduate looking for your first start! Navigating job postings, career fairs and social media can be time consuming. When targeting your job search, how do you spot a great company to work for? It isn’t just the job description you should focus on, it’s also the company. Outside of your family, work is said to be the biggest thing to influence happiness and most of us spend most of our time at work. Also, the more comfortable you are in your workplace, the better you will likely be at your job. Here are some tips for honing in on that company with the culture for you and how to spot a great employer:
1. Internet research. Research the company. Look on their website and read about what they say about themselves and their employees. There are also a variety of websites and forums where current and previous employees can post about their own employment experiences with the company. Social media is also a great tool for researching companies and look to see what brand the company is showing through their social media channels. Does their messaging appeal to you?
We all spend most of our time at work, so it is only natural that friendships are established in the workplace. Usually these relationships develop with co-workers, but when it happens between a boss and subordinate, things can get tricky! Being friends with your boss comes with a unique set of boundaries that should be observed.
The number 1 thing to remember is – He/She is your boss first, and your friend second!
If you keep this number 1 rule in mind, the rest of the below suggestions should be relatively easy to follow:
Interviewing is one of the most stressful parts of the job search process. A candidate is put under scrutiny to answer questions about their past job experiences and performance in addition to questions about their skills and abilities. There can be a lot riding on this one conversation and so how to calm the nerves and come across as the confident, capable candidate that you are? Music can motivate and inspire during the job search process, so here are some classic rock suggestions for some pre-interview listening and zeroing in on rocking your interview!
“I won’t back down, hey baby there ain’t no easy way out, I won’t back down” (Tom Petty, “I Won’t Back Down”). The job search process is not easy and takes a lot of work. This is a reminder that persistence is key to success.
When applying for any jobs, the number one thing to keep in mind is selling to the employer’s need. This is also the case when applying for a job when overqualified. There are many reasons why a person may be applying for jobs when they are overqualified, including:
– Changing careers
– After a lay-off
– After completing a contract position
– Relocation
In these situations, jobseekers may be fearful that they are taking a step down in their career path, earning less money, and could be bored with reduced responsibilities. While these are genuine concerns, there are some positive aspects to applying for positions when overqualified:
Career success is a subjective term and means different things to different people. However, there are some commonalities that the majority of people agree is important when it comes to discussing “career success”. A successful career is usually one where the person feels happy to go to work every day, doing something of interest to the individual. Many people also measure career success by income, employer, prestige, etc. However when it comes to these criteria, they are not the same for everyone. So, why should someone define what career success means for them? Without defining career success, it is difficult to define career goals and without goals, it is difficult to plan and achieve.
If you don’t define career success, you will never know when you achieve it.
Here are points to consider when defining career success for you:
What exactly is “career inaction” and why should anyone be worried about it? Career Inaction is a term coined by Belgian careers researcher Marijke Verbruggen in 2013 to describe situations where people decide to not do something or failing to act on one’s decisions. Importantly, both meanings of inaction refer to situations where people make a decision which is followed by the absence of action or change.
Inaction seems to be more prevalent in the working world than action when it comes to careers. For example, there are many people who complain about their jobs on a daily basis without ever looking for employment elsewhere. Careers result from many constructs including social structure, family influence, socio-economic status and of course, deliberate action taken by the person concerned.
Research has shown that career inaction spurs further inaction and causes “inaction inertia.” People who have bypassed an initial career opportunity are less likely to act on further opportunities even if they appear more attractive. This may explain why people get stuck in careers they dislike or why they end up in long-term unemployment even after being presented with multiple job offers.
