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How did the interview go?

This is a question you may ask yourself after a job interview and/or it may be a question you get from a significant other or friend.  So - how do you know how the interview went?  There are some obvious and not so obvious ways to evaluate how you did - here's a few:

  • The interviewer's body language - when you were answering, did the hiring person take notes on your responses? Did they nod as if they were acknowledging what you were saying? Were they sitting forward in their chair showing their engagement with your conversation? These are all good signs that you were making a positive connection with them.
  • The interviewer's questions - did the person ask follow up questions to clarify or get more details about your answers? How did the questions progress during the interview - did they start more general and then become more specific in relation to your ability to do the position? If the questions end up targeting your experience and how it will fit the opportunity, it's possible that the manager is identifying you as a credible candidate.
  • Your questions for the hiring manager - the best way to evaluate how well you do in an interview is to ask key questions at the end that make the interviewer consider their judgement of your abilities to do the job. Questions like ‘Based on our conversation today, is there any reason that you would not recommend me to move forward in the process?" or "Is there any additional information I can provide you at this point regarding my qualifications for this position?" will make the hiring person think about what you have or haven't told them.

It will also allow them to tell you where you may or may not have answered with enough impact to convince them that you are a valuable candidate who they should continue to pursue.  Even if the interviewer responds that you didn't give enough information on a certain aspect of your background, you then have a chance to provide a different example.   If you don't ask a final question like this, you won't have any way to determine ultimately how you did in answering the questions.

10:37 am          Comments

Ten criteria to determine if you need a resume update

Updating your resume can be a daunting project which people try and avoid until they absolutely need to.  But, waiting until your next great career opportunity comes along to make changes will just cause you more stress.  Find your last updated resume version and run through this list to see if you need to schedule updating time this weekend:

  • Education is at the top of your resume - if you complete the education/training more than one year ago, move it to the bottom.
  • Certifications and/or licenses are out of date - if you are currently re-certifying, update the date even if it's in the future. If not re-certifying, take it off. If it's a certification for something that never goes out of date, take the date off.
  • Professional affiliations are on there that you aren't a member of anymore.
  • You changed positions within your company - even if your title changed, but your main responsibilities didn't, you need to update it.
  • Main job responsibilities have changed - you manage some/more people, you manage new projects, you train people, you work cross-functionally...
  • You won an award(s) in your job or in professional or volunteering organizations
  • There is new volunteering experience to add or new experiences in your existing volunteering experience
  • You learned new technical and/or computer skills relevant to your job and your industry
  • You have increased or learned new language skills to use in the workplace
  • You haven't updated your overall resume in the past year - at a minimum, review your resume every 6 months and make changes and updates!
4:24 pm          Comments


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