NCWorks Online - Job Seeking Skills

Job Seeking Skills

Job Seeking Skills

This section contains the following resources:

Steps to structuring your job search

How people find jobs

Interviewing Process

Dressing for Success

Steps to structuring your job search

Job searching can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. Many job seekers, for example, complete applications for a number of companies and then just wait anxiously for someone to call.

To ease the frustrations related to job searching, we suggest becoming more structured with your job search. The more structured your job search, the less frustrated you will be and the less time you will have on your hands.

To structure or restructure your job search:

Visit a N.C. Workforce Center. Professional staff can assist you with the job search process and notify you as job openings occur.

Prepare a resume that works for you. A resume is a marketing tool which summarizes your education and work experience and informs potential employers of job skills you have developed from previous work experience.

Keep track of companies you have submitted a resume to or completed an application for with a monthly calendar. Tracking makes it easier to follow up with companies a few days after your initial contact.
Be certain your answering machine or voice mail has a professional greeting to record messages from hiring officials when you are away from home.
Understand the local labor market and research companies to determine the types of jobs available. Your local Employment Security Commission can provide you with labor market information.
Networking is crucial in uncovering the hidden job market by letting people know what type of work you are interested in. It is easier to spot the perfect job when you have more than one set of eyes looking.
Acknowledgements are important to the job seeker. Give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while. Job searching is a full-time job and you should periodically reward yourself for the work you have accomplished.
Send a thank-you note or letter to the employer after you have interviewed with the company. This shows your appreciation and gives you an opportunity to reemphasize key points that were previously discussed during your interview.

How people find jobs?

NC Workforce Centers
Talking with previous co-workers/employers
Newspapers
Talking with friends
Temporary employment agencies
Talking with relatives
Job Fairs or Career Days
Talking with neighbors
Internet
Talking with members from community organizations
Direct job listings/advertisements
Talking with members of social, hobby or sports groups
Indirect job listings or making cold calls to employers
Talking with classmates

Interviewing Process

Employers select job candidates whose education and work experience would be a perfect match for the organization. During the interview, it is your responsibility to verbally communicate how your job skills would be beneficial to the organization.

Understanding the styles or types of interviews can ease the stress of interviewing.

Types of Interviews

Structured or Formal - This interview style is most commonly used by local, state or federal government. The interviewer follows a specific outline in which he/she asks the same questions of all interviewees.
Unstructured or Informal - Interviewer does not follow a specific format and questions are generated from the interviewee's resume or developed during the interview. Employers within the private employment sector commonly use this interview style.
Casual - Employer conducts an interview during lunch/dinner or while playing a round of golf. This demonstrates to the employer how well someone will act in a casual environment. Avoid getting too comfortable! Remember that an interview is taking place and never order alcoholic beverages or smoke.
Stress - Interviewer initiates stress during the interview to see how the interviewee will respond. The interviewer may ask the same question over and over, or ask the interviewee to perform a complicated task within a short period of time. Stress interviews are common in both private and public employment sectors.
Panel - This interview style is designed to measure how well the interviewee acts within a group setting. There is more than one interviewer and the interviewee should acknowledge each interviewer with good eye contact when answering questions. Both private and public employers use this style interview.
Group - Employer interviews several interviewees at the same time. This creates competition among the interviewees. It is important to remain professional and refrain from competing with the other interviewees.

Get to Know Yourself

Employers are interested in "matching" the best job candidate(s) to their available position(s). Knowing the likes and dislikes of current or previous work experiences will help better prepare you for future interviews.

The vehicle for perfecting your interview lies within self-assessment. Be prepared to discuss in an interview the reasons why you liked or disliked performing the job duties from current or previous work experiences.

To do this, determine your likes and dislikes in relation to previous work or volunteer experiences. Start off by making a list of your job duties/skills and rank them according to their importance.

Next, write down two or more reasons why you liked or disliked performing those job duties. After you have compiled your thoughts and made a list, it should look something like this:

Job Skill Performed	Reasons
Supervised office in absence of management.	Enjoyed having responsibilities Liked being in control
Provided customer service and handled complaints.	Enjoyed meeting different people Liked resolving problems
Operated computerized cash register and stocked merchandise.	Liked handling money Disliked placing products on shelves

General Interviewing Tips

Always arrive for an interview 5 to 10 minutes earlier than scheduled, but you should never exceed 15 minutes. Arriving late will not leave a good impression. If for some reason you find that you will be late for an interview, call the employer to let him or her know. Conversely, arriving too early can distract employees of the organization.

Be prepared. Bring extra copies of your resume, references, pen, and paper. You can distribute your extra copies if there are more interviewers present during the interview.

Use the pen to write down important follow-up information such as a number to call to find out if you have made it to the final interview stage. It is embarrassing having to ask the interviewer for either a pen or piece of paper.

Do not smoke for at least one hour before and never smoke during a job interview. Avoid alcoholic beverages even if interviewing in a casual environment and the employer offers you one.

Introduce yourself to the interviewer and extend your hand for a handshake. Whether you are interviewing with a male or a female, always give a firm handshake.

Never slouch; sit straight with your feet flat on the ground or legs crossed. Avoid frequent movement of your legs such as your feet bouncing off the ground. Do not sit on your hands or cover your mouth when talking. Keep your hands flat on the arms of the chair or in your lap.
Remember that you are interviewing the employer as well. From the moment you walk into the organization, you should observe the work environment.

Do the employees appear happy and friendly or are they frowning and sad? Does the work environment appear to be neat and clean or is it dirty?

Focusing on interviewing the interviewer and assessing the work environment will help ease your nerves.

Right after the job interview, write down the types of questions you were asked and your responses to those questions. This will be a helpful tool that can be used in preparing for future interviews.

Send a thank-you note immediately after you have interviewed. Thank the employer for his/her time and reemphasize job skills that were discussed during the interview.

Dressing for Success

The interviewer's first impression of you can either make or break you in a job interview. That is why it is important to dress appropriately when interviewing for a job.

If you are uncomfortable wearing business attire, try dressing in a suit and go to a mall or some other public place until you are comfortable with dressing that way.

You should dress according to the industry for which you are interviewing. A residential carpenter, for example, should wear attire appropriate to that field since most interviews will take place on the job site.

You also should adhere to proper grooming such as bathing, clipping and filing fingernails, combing hair, teeth brushing, and removal of excessive jewelry to include nose or tongue piercing.

Wear very little or no perfume/cologne and do not smoke, at least one hour before an interview. Many interviewers find cologne and cigarette smoke offensive, or may even be allergic to it!

Professional Attire
Professional business attire is strongly encouraged when interviewing for a professional job.

Men should wear:

A conservative, color-coordinated suit (navy, neutral or black)

Long sleeve shirt

Tie, belt and watch

Well-polished shoes (preferably, black or brown).

Women should wear:

A conservative, color-coordinated jacket and skirt or pants (navy, neutral or black) with length of the skirt falling just below the knees

Low (1" to 2") conservative color pumps

Make-up applied conservatively and no excessive jewelry

Avoid bangle bracelets. The noise of the bracelets may distract from the interview.

Business Casual

Some interviews may be conducted over a sporting event, restaurant meal or some other casual environment. The attire will normally depend upon the environment for which the interview takes place.

Men should always avoid wearing shorts or women, mini-skirts. Men can wear navy or neutral color slacks with either a golf shirt or button-down shirt, tie and jacket. Women should wear a skirt, navy or neutral colored, or slacks.

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