First Impressions – Before the Interview

February 23, 2018

Your interview starts before you shake hands with the hiring manager. First impressions are forming as soon as someone begins to browse your resume. Make sure you get from resume-review to sit down interview.

Email address – if the email address on your resume is obnoxious, consider a new account with a professional address just for jobs. Not sure? If you were ordering business cards, would you want your current email address on it? If the answer is no, set up a new email account.

Social Media – clean it up and glam it up. First, make sure nothing out there represents you in an embarrassing or negative way. It is best to remove it, but if you insist on keeping it, at least make sure it is private. Refresh your LinkedIn page with your most recent resume, follow organizations that are relevant to your career path, and “Like” some current content. Give anyone that is looking at your profile something amazing to learn about you.

Research – while you are on LinkedIn, learn everything you can about the company you are interviewing with and their competitors. Browse the profiles of the hiring manager and the rest of the team. If the job is not publicly posted, don’t snoop the profile of anyone who is not interviewing you.

Be on your “A” Game – from here on out, consider every conversation you have with a recruiter, an HR rep, the receptionist, the parking lot attendant, or anyone else at that company to be part of your interview. The hiring manager may ask anyone else who talked to you what you were like when you were not sitting at the table.

Being well prepared improves your chances and helps to lower stress levels. Check out these other articles for great ideas on getting the interview, prepping for the interview, and landing the job: Answer Those Awkward Interview Questions Like a Pro, 3 Tips to Shine During an Interview, and 4 Interview Tips to Stand Out.

NEXTAFF is a temporary staffing agency devoted to our clients and candidates throughout the United States. For more interview tips and ideas, contact us. We are always hiring, so if you or someone you know is looking for work, check out our job board below and apply today! We are able to service all your staffing agency needs with local staffing offices in Raleigh-NC, Overland Park-KS, Topeka-KS, Kansas City-MO, Houston-TX, Gulf Coast-MS, Phoenix-AZ, Orlando-FL, Harrisburg-PA and Miami-FL.