Interview Tips For Your Next Employment Position

Interview Tips: Confidence

Everyone knows that confidence is the key to successful interviews, but that is can easily leave you when you need it. This is because job interviews are notoriously self-effacing. When you walk into a room full of people who are wondering whether or not you can do a job, you start to second guess your abilities, and that shows in your body language and your facial expressions.

The keys to appearing confident when you really don’t feel confident are posture and eye contact. Stand up straight; walk confidently as if you were walking into a room full of your friends. Remember that these people are only looking for the right candidate and are not trying to be harsh; they are just doing their jobs. Now, shake hands with everyone and make eye contact when you do so. When you are asked a question, look the person in the eye when you answer. Finally, smile; friendliness goes a long way in any job.

Interview Tips: “Do you have any questions?”

At the end of most interviews, the interviewer will often ask the interviewee if he or she has any questions to ask about the position or about the company. Many people become afraid to ask a question, fearing that they will either not like the answer or that the interviewer will not like the question.

The thing to remember is that most interviewers like it when interviewees ask questions. This shows them that the interviewee was listening and is genuinely interested in the position. Feel free to ask the hard questions about health insurance benefits like when they begin for a new-hire; ask about the salary; ask about vacation time and sick leave. All of these things should be considered as part of the job package you are being offered. Also, ask about the company and its history. This will prove to the interviewer that you are interested in the company and not just the job.

Sex or Gender Discrimination -Inside and Outside the Office

It is unfortunate that there are so many preconceived notions about gender roles. But these beliefs are established and the only thing that can be done is to prevent them from permeating the workplace.

Some of the gender roles that are common are the belief that women should not work outside the home when they have children.

A good example of this type of gender role-based workplace discrimination involves both of these gender role stereotypes. There was a time when many employers were men; as men, they harbored incorrect thoughts that women with young children should not work outside the home; therefore, these employers would not hire women with children who were under school-age.

Of course, there are still people who believe this, and some of them are women; but these beliefs need to be kept outside the office.

Your Resume as a Reflection of You

Before you hand your resume in to a company do one very important thing. Check it! Your resume is a reflection of you . Look it over for any problems and update it. This usually involves adding your current job and inserting any skills, experiences, and responsibilities gained by that job. You also may need to update your list of references as well. But this is something that almost every job seeker does.

Unfortunately, a lot of people in the job market forget to do the one thing that should be done by rote by everyone who uses a word processing program on their computer: they don’t use spell check.

Spell check and grammar check are in computer programs for a reason – and that reason is not to let you look like a fool in front of your potential employer. So remember to check your spelling and grammar before you turn in your resume.

Applying For a New Job

Work History

Job applications always have a space for your job history. If you are applying for a job where you will also be turning in your resume, make sure that your work history matches what is listed on your resume. If you are not submitting a resume, then bring a detailed list of your past jobs with you so you do not have to guess at phone numbers and dates of employments.

If you have a checkered work history, have been fired from a job, or have quit several jobs, you need to have reasons for these things. If you left a job to go back to school, this is seen as a good reason for leaving a job. If you were fired, however, it may be harder to explain. Never speak badly about your former employer; instead, state that is was not a positive working environment or that your department was downsizing.

Applying For a New Job: Salary Requirements

There is a question on all job application forms (and in most interviews) that makes even the most confident person groan in dismay: “What are your salary requirements?” Answering this question is tricky: if you ask for too little, the company will hire you because you are a bargain and have under-bid their normal salary for the position. If you ask for too much, you may not be considered as a candidate.

The best thing to do is to look at your current position in relation to your potential position. If you are applying for a job with similar responsibilities, ask for approximately the same amount or slightly higher. If you will be taking on a lot more work, ask for a substantially raised salary. Also, research what the job normally pays in same-sized companies, and ask for that approximate pay range.

Age Discrimination, Disparate Impact, and The Law

In the state of California, it was recently found that police officers who had been working for a short amount of time and had little experience on the job were given higher pay raises that those officers who had significant seniority, much more experience, but were over the age of forty.

According the Federal Law Title VII, this is age discrimination. But it was not considered disparate treatment; rather, it was considered disparate impact because the discrimination was the result of police department policy rather than direct, intentional discrimination.

This is important for all employers. Disparate impact, since it is not done with malice, is not as harmful as disparate treatment, but it is still very serious. When an employer is thinking of changing company policies, it is imperative that they check that the policies follow both state and federal employment law.