Prepare for interviews
o Research the company
o Ask them questions
o Be will groomed
o Do a mock interview
o Have specific job-related examples prepared
o Have a ‘sales pitch’ or ‘elevator pitch’ for yourself prepared
o Make sure you are taking the time to be well groomed
§ Are your nails painted but looked chipped? Fix them.
§ Mend your clothes if they need it
§ Freshly laundered clothes
§ Have your hair look nice
§ Be clean shaven
· Research the company – just to make sure that it is a place that you want to be working for
· Ask them questions – try to use key words and phrases that are related to the company specifically. Ask as many questions that you can that are related to the company as it shows interest in working there.
· Be will groomed
· Do a mock interview
o Do a mock interview with someone you know and don’t know and get their opinions
o Maybe try and get a business owner or a human resources person to help with the mock interview. (Someone who has hiring/firing experience)
§ Do you need to dress differently?
§ Be groomed differently?
§ Become more prepared?
§ Do you need to have more specific answers?
§ Where your questions not adequate for the job or company?
§ Arrive earlier?
· Have specific job-related examples prepared
· Always have questions prepared for the interview
· Have a ‘sales pitch’ for yourself prepared
· If there is someone you can do a mock interview with, take the time to do that
o Give them a job description or advertisement of the type of positions that you are wanting
o Give them some interview questions that you think you might be asked or you have trouble answering
o Have them critique you on:
§ Your dress
§ Mannerisms
§ General over all appearance
§ Generally, how you represented yourself
§ Good answers to questions? Need more job specific answers?
· Network and Market yourself
o Have business cards
o Create a professional online presence
o Go to events (marketing, social gatherings)
o Talk with family and friends
o Work on your own personal ‘sales pitch’ or ‘brand’
Network and Market yourself
· Have business card
· Create a professional online presence
· Go to events
o Find the events that are out there and schedule that ones that most speak to you and plan to attend them, schedule it in your calendar with an alarm to help remind you. Ask a friend or family member to go with you
o Set a reminder for yourself to follow up on your contacts regularly
· Talk with family and friends
· Work on your own personal ‘sales pitch’ or ‘brand’ (some call it an elevator speech)
· Set up appointments with placement agencies
· Sign up and attend some networking events
· If there are workshops that you can attend, then do so
· If it suits what you are wanting to do, get something printed to go/handed out like a mailer, flyer, brochure, post card ad or a business card
· Attend all networking events that there are in your area
Placement Agencies
· Have the agencies work for you:
o Message them either by phone or email to remind them that you are still looking for work
§ Put an alarm in your calendar to remind yourself to do this every week
o Each time you apply to a position that they are advertising:
§ Apply the way that they ask on the advertisement, then email or call your contact saying that you have applied to this specific position quoting the advertisement saying that you would like to be considered for that position
Agencies may vary depending on your location. These are just some examples.
· Express Employment Agency
· Liberty Staffing
· Adecco
· The People Store
· Lucas Works
· SRG
· Talnetcor
· Calibre Recruitment Inc.
· SRG – Stevenson Resource Group
· Kelly Services
· Agilus
· Express Employment Professionals
· Liberty Staffing
· Aerotek
· Randstad Canada
· AllStaff
· Leads Employment Services
· ABL Employment
· Drake International
· WIL Employment Connections
· Community Living London