Month: September 2009

Okay, so you have submitted your resume for a employment position, and someone from human resources has actually called you back.   This can be surprising in this particular economy.   Those who have been laid off during this recession know too well how difficult it is to find work.    The first challenge is to find where employers are hiring, and then the second is to be considered for the available opinion.  But now, at last, here you are.

Perhaps it is not the first interview, but by now they have talked to you once or twice, ran your background checks as part of their preemployment screening procedure, and have checked references for your skill sets and reliability.  So now here is the interview.  As I said, it could be the initial interview, or it could be the deciding interview as to whether or not they offer you the job.   Understandably you are nervous.   Things are rough out there in this economy.  You may have been laid off and out of work for awhile.  You could use the money, and you could use the psychological boost that employment can provide you.   You like to feel productive.

Bu, again, you are nervous.  You want to impress.   You want to secure this position once and for all.  So…don’t screw it up at the interview.   To assist you in making a good impression, Karl Rozemeyer has written a very helpful list of tips that will help you make the right impression at your job interview.  The article is entitled,  Body Language Speaks Volumes on a Job Interview.   That pretty much tells the story.

Rozemeyer lists twelve bits of advice.  Some are things you should do, and the rest are practices  you should avoid.   Some are among the more obvious, but others are not so obvious.  In any event, having the twelve tips in front of you helps you galvanize the concept and focus on your behavior.   Rozemeyer explains each tip so you can best understand how to behave accordingly.

The one bit of advice that I was most taken with is Number 2, Hold onto a Talisman.    He writes that a piece of jewelry, a scarf, anything with special meaning to you will ground you.  Haivng it near you, even touching it discretely, can make you less nervous.

I would suggest anyone applying for a job should read Rozemeyer’s article.  It may be the difference between success and failure.

From time to time we receive requests to monitor social networks as part of a preemployment screening program.   There are employers who consider the monitoring of the social networks an essential background check. So far, we have not taken this upon ourselves.  For one thing, it is difficult to define the criterion that would nullify an employment candidate based on his social networking postings.

Let’s face it, there are some eccentric and dynamic personalities out there, all right, even wise-ass kids, who may act out more than we would like.   However, many will do this on their own time and not let it interfere with what can be a model performance in the workplace.   But then there are the others who have not yet come to take their employment responsibilities seriously.  This fact is in evidence on their social network sites.   In all, it’s a tough call.

The fact remains that according to the a positing on emarketer.com the Harris Poll claims that at lest 45% of the nation”s employers scan their candidate’s social networking sites, at least occasionally.   According to the article, their findings are more likely to cause the job candidate to be rejected than hired.   Some of the issues that can cause such rejections are negative postings about former employers,  discriminatory remarks, and other postings that may give an employer pause.    The wrong types of photographs are an issue, anymore than postings about heavy drinking or drug use.  I must admit, I see plenty of these.

Now and then, a job candidate his hired because of his profile.  The HR Manager finds that there are positive aspects to the candidate’s profile, things that project professionalism and the type of character that makes them attractive.  From what I have seen on Facebook and the other social networks, the more appealing postings, at least on a career or professional level, are much fewer and standout largely due to their rarity.

For younger people, especially, they should keep in mind that there are others who look at their postings.   These others are neither their friends or family, but employers who can help them with their careers.

Check them out before you hire.