Your Interview Toolkit.

You've gotten the call you've been waiting for: your employer of choice wants an in-person interview. You've thoroughly studied the company and its people, the competition and the overall industry. You have answers to those tough interview questions at the ready. You know your resume like it's second nature. You've even memorized the questions (or types of questions) you intend to ask the interviewer. You are all set. 

Now, don't forget to remember the little things.

• Plan your travel so that you arrive for the interview 10 to 15 minutes in advance.
• Get enough sleep the night before. Turn off the television, turn off the computer, turn off your iPhone/Android/Blackberry (or at least, turn it on mute), turn off the lights, turn off your brain and get some rest.
• Select and lay out your clothes and shoes the day before your interview. Believe it or not, this little task will relieve a lot of stress as you get ready on the day of your interview.
• Make sure you take at least 2 copies of your resume and your references sheet. Also, remember to have a copy of the job description.
• Take some business cards. (On old cards, be sure to cross out and replace your contact information.)
• Have 2 pens (just in case), some cash (you never know what may come up in your travels), a small umbrella (even if there's not cloud in the sky), mints (fresh breath counts), tissues, and a comb or brush (last minute grooming is a plus).
• Remember to turn your mobile phone off before you go into the interview.

Finally, take energy, confidence, peace of mind and a smile into the room, and have a great interview.

Go get your job.

What's New With You?

What's new with you? That's really a question to ask yourself. If you're a seasoned worker looking for that next position, have you taken stock of who you are today that's probably quite different from who you were ten years ago, even five years ago? 

The professional you are today is likely so much better than the one you knew back then. You're more patient when you need to be. You listen more and talk less. You see the big picture faster and can identify the problematic details with more precision. You don't fear rejection; you're unfazed by conflict. The beauty of work experience is that it makes you more experienced at working. Circuitous statement, for sure, but give it some thought. 

Even those fresh out of undergrad with a brand new degree and a new interview suit to go with it, need to ask themselves about who they are. Have you outgrown class clown? Is your party animal ready for more regular hours? If you were smart, you did a little growing while racking up student loan bills.

When you think about you now, get excited about all you know and have learned and have accomplished and will accomplish for years to come. Your enthusiasm about you will become contagious and will shine through in your resume and cover letters, in your interviews, and even your casual conversations. Get to know what's new with you so that others--especially hiring managers--can know, too. 

Most people write their resumes to demonstrate what they've done in the past. Write yours to reflect who you are now. When asked about your experiences, make sure you include a statement like, "I've combined the sum total of all my work in the past to create a better, more competent me today."

Every new day is an opportunity for you to be your newest, best you. So take what's new with you and go get your job.

Employment Numbers Up, Spring Is In the Air, Go Get Your Job.

There's a feeling of optimism these days: both ADP and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that employment is picking up. Spring, a time of renewal and growth is here (or very near, depending on where you live). And, here at Go Get Your Job, we're putting finishing touches on the book.

Soon, Spring fever will hit and many of us likely won't feel like doing much other than play. Now's the time then, before the seasonal malaise sets in, to make the push--to research those job prospects, send out resumes, make new connections or renew old ones, practice interview skills, use the lighter mood that Spring has brought us, along with a more positive employment picture, to get that job you want. 

Every week we throw our two-cents worth into the very large pool of job hunting advice websites, blogs, columns, books, etc., because we believe that one's mindset is at the core of every successful job search (and for that matter, any successful endeavor). There are innumerable ideas about the details of how to get a job. Without belief in yourself, however, your search for employment, even with all the details in place, is so much more difficult. We say Go Get Your Job! because we want you to believe, deeply, truly believe, that you can and will find the job that is for you. In our view, your job is out there. Many will think it simplistic, but we say, just go get it. You'll figure out the details.



 

Go Get Your Job is Back!

We took a short hiatus (OK, maybe a pretty long one) to work on a book and to re-group, re-charge and re-energize. 

Well, we finished the book, and what a relief! We're in the final editing stages now and expect to have an e-book version ready by the end of February. We've gotten great feedback, thus far, so we're very excited about making the book available to the public. 

We think this is a great start to a promising year for Go Get Your Job! We're going to take the opportunity to capitalize on the improving unemployment picture (the January 2012 rate was down to 8.3%) by getting our book out there and continuing to bring you helpful job-hunting news, information, tips, etc.

We believe everyone is entitled to meaningful, paid employment. In keeping with our ever-positive outlook, we say, once again, Go Get Your Job!

Steve Jobs on Work.

We all know the big business news last week was the resignation of Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. He said he stepped down because he no longer felt able to do the job. His leaving Apple reverberated throughout the business world and likely will continue to do so for years since his tenacious creativity will not be there to continue to lead technological innovation. And, although his letter of resignation did not explicitly state illness was the reason for his leaving, we all need to keep Steve Jobs in our thoughts in hopes that he will recover from recent known health problems.

Here at Go Get Your Job!, we were reminded by a recent WSJ online article of Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University where he talked about, among other things, loving the work you do. (See a video of the entire speech at Ted.com (http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html.) Here's an excerpt from that speech that resonates with us and that we hope will inspire you:

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle." (You can also read the transcript at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903596904576520690515394766.html#ixzz1Wc2OMIXA.)

ADP's private-sector employment report came out this morning, and the numbers are not impressive. (Find report at http://www.adpemploymentreport.com/.) The Labor Department will release its montlhly nonfarm jobs figures on Friday. Whatever these statistics, let us learn from Steve Jobs and strive to do what we love. If the major companies don't want to hire and the bailed-out banks don't want to lend, let's become individual and collective visionaries like Jobs, and find or create our own jobs.

We want you to go get YOUR job, not just a job. Heed the words of the former Apple CEO: Don't settle.

Sorry for the rant, but...

It's getting harder these days to accentuate the positive, like we like to do here at Go Get Your Job! Private sector employment increased by 114,000 jobs last month, according to ADP's monthly jobs report. That's down from the month before (which was revised down from 157,000 to 145,000 jobs added). Washington's debt ceiling drama which just ended in a last-minute deal, has the left the U.S. economy wounded, and probably has damaged the nation's global financial reputation for the near future. Sixty-six thousand-plus job cuts were announced by some very large companies (among them, Cisco, Lockheed Martin and HSBC) and government in the month of July, says the consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. All of this comes ahead of U.S. Labor Department's non-farm payroll numbers to be announced this Friday That initially irksome term, "jobless recovery" is just too real and is now more chilling than annoying. Recession talk is back.

But, CNN Money says 3 million jobs remain unfilled in the United States. How can that be? Well, U.S. companies claim workers don't have the right skills. Is that why the Wall Street Journal reported that business leaders are pressing the U.S. Senate to change immigration laws allowing companies to hire more highly skilled workers? What about training the unemployed and underemployed that are already here to fill those vacant positions?

We, the working people, must insist that the politicians, the financial pundits, the flush corporate CEOs and all those forecasting economists implement a plan to put money into the hands of people who will spend it with businesses who will hire more people who will then have more money to spend and get this economy running again. It doesn't make much sense to implore people to go get a job unless there are real opportunities for individuals to actually gain employment. 14.1 million unemployed Americans is a lot of people--in fact, it's a significant political and economic bloc. What if there were some way to mobilize that people-power towards opening up the job market? Food for thought. 

Today's blog is a rambling rant borne out of frustration this week with trying to find relevant information that will help you go get your job. So, let's try to close with a bit of positive news. If you haven't already done so, check out CareerBuilder's recently released list of hot areas where workers are in demand. Titles like, Cloud Developer, SEO Strategist, Truck Driver and Healthcare Administrator are among the top areas. (See the full news release at PRNewswire.com.) "While the U.S. still has a very competitive job market, there are areas within technology, healthcare and other fields that have a growing deficit in talent," says CareerBuiler's CEO Matt Ferguson.

If you already have the skills, read that article and go get your job. Figure out how the skills you possess qualify you to get one of those jobs. If you need to get your skills first, do that. Then, go get your job.