Put your best foot forward when applying for a position

As someone who has reviewed countless resumes and conducted many interviews, I am often the go-to for friends and acquaintances looking for help in applying for a promotion or job.

There are so many important things to know about the job search process before even submitting an application.

One of the most important tips I give is to women and it comes from a Hewlett Packard report finding — men apply for a job when they meet 60% of the qualifications while women apply only if they meet 100%. This is one of the reasons men dominate at the top of nearly every career field. (It’s certainly not the only reason). They aren’t hesitating if they only have eight years of managerial experience compared to the 10 the posting requires.

In fact, when I applied for the Senior Editor position here in 2022, I didn’t meet all the requirements. One was having three years experience in journalism. I had just over two but that small gap wasn’t even a consideration when I was hired.

It’s important to note this doesn’t mean people who aren’t registered nurses should apply for positions requiring an RN license. This is more to do with the experience and/or niche education requirements. For example, if it requires a degree in the organizational field and I have a degree in communications and journalism, I’m not going to let that stop me from applying.

The recruiter will be able to view my degree and experience information on my resume, and if they choose to schedule an interview from there, that’s up to their discretion.

The second step is all about the resume. My number one tip is to keep it short. Unless you have decades of related experience, your resume should not be more than a single page. If your last three jobs were all professional and/or relevant to the position you’re applying for, you should not have your part-time job from high school on your resume.

Another way to level up your resume is to export the file as a PDF rather than a Word document. This way when a recruiter clicks to open the file, it’s a seamless page rather than an editable document. If bringing the resume in person, consider printing on a heavier paper. We can do that for you here at the office if you need assistance.

The next step is all about interview prep. If you aren’t thoroughly preparing for your interview, you will be caught off guard. In my years of interviewing, I’ve never asked the stereotypical, “tell me your three greatest strengths and weaknesses.” Not to say it won’t be asked, but you’ll need to be much more prepared than that.

One of my biggest recommendations is looking up example questions and thinking of actual scenarios you’ve experienced that you can pull out. It’s always going to be better to say, “When I was faced with X, I did Y and the result was Z,” rather than, “Well if I was in X situation, I would do Y.”

Each position will have some questions tailored to the field. For example, a law enforcement interview will likely ask you to describe a time you were in a high stress situation and how you handled it. A job in sales may ask you about a time you had to convince someone to do something and how you did it.

Many of the questions will be the same from job to job as they are basic traits many employers are looking for. Examples of this would be questions about your experience handling change, coworker disagreements, escalated customers/clients, multitasking, making a mistake and learning new tasks.

For each of these, a personal story with the “When I was faced with X, I did Y and the result was Z,” format is typically the best way to answer. When choosing your examples, think about what the question is helping the interviewer understand.

For example, the question, “Tell me about a time you and a coworker disagreed. How did you handle it?” sounds like the best answer would be an example where you were right and the coworker was wrong. But if you actually think of what the employer is looking for, it’s teamwork. The best answer in this scenario would be an example of the time you and a coworker found a middle ground that worked well for everyone.

The last tip I give is to consider the average interview as three parts. The first part is more small talk. You may talk about your resume, your recent work experience and why you’re applying for the position. Always have an answer for why you want this specific job. If you’re applying for a teaching job at East Union, don’t just explain why you want to be a teacher. Explain why you want to be a teacher at East Union. Do your research and call out things about the organization that excite you.

The second part is the more formal questions we just discussed. The final part, one-third of your interview, is you asking your interviewer questions.

This is your chance to shine. In my experience, a vast majority of candidates do not come to the interview prepared to ask quality questions. Approximately half don’t ask any at all. Questions about pay, hours and dress code may be important but don’t count as quality questions. If you want to ask those, ensure you ask additional questions as well.

I always recommend giving open-ended questions to the interviewers, giving them the chance to speak freely. Some of my favorite questions -

“How long have you been with ABC organization and what is it about this company that keeps you here?”

“What is a trait you’re looking for in the ideal candidate for this position?”

“If I were to get this position, what would be the most important thing for me to focus on in my first 90 days?”

“What would a typical day look like in this position?”

These questions show that not only are you looking to earn the position, you’re looking to excel. It also shows that you are looking for a good fit for yourself rather than just being desperate for the first thing that comes along.

Finally, I shouldn’t have to say it, but dress nice. Always err on the side of formal when it comes to clothing choices. Some interviews may be fine if you wear jeans or open-toed shoes, but some may be more staunchly opposed to this presentation. Don’t do all the work leading up to the interview only to blow it the day of.