at this point in my life, it’s safe to say that i am in a period of transition. with that, one of the things i’m expecting to see a shift in is my job. as many of you know from experience, jobs require interviews..interviews require preparation. within the past six months or so, i’ve heard a wide array of explanations as to why i didn’t get a particular job. some employers claim i’m over-qualified while others may assert that i’m under-qualified..and then you have some employers who don’t even bother to give you an explanation. but even though it sometimes gets discouraging, i’ve learned to only focus on the things i can control and not worry about the things i have no control over. with that in mind, here are some of the questions i ask myself each time i complete an interview (just as an internal checks and balances sort of thing). but, i also sometimes ask myself these questions before the interview commences to remind myself of what i need to do. now i’m not saying that if you don’t do any or all of these things, then you won’t get the job nor am i saying if you do all of these things, you will get the job. fact of the matter is, you don’t know if the recruiter will “choose you” for the job. all you can do is focus your energy on aspects that indicate why you’re worth choosing. with any luck, these questions will help some of you out.

9). did my resume adequately reflect that i was qualified for the specific position i applied?

a resume is defined as a brief account of a person’s education, qualifications and previous job experience. most people say that your resume should generally be one page; i’m inclined to agree because lengthy resumes tend to be unattractive and it’s less likely the recruiter will read it. you have to remember that as a recruiter, they are looking through so many applicant resumes. you want to make sure that your resume is not only creative (within reason depending on your chosen field) but that is only contains information that is relevant to the position you are applying to. if you opt into including every job you ever had on your resume, you run the risk of your relevant experience being lost in translation within all of the information depicted…which doesn’t help the recruiter see how awesome you are for the job.

tip: make sure your resume is free of grammatical errors, depicts only relevant work experience and is concise as possible. 

8). did i research the company i was applying to prior to the interview?

you’d be surprised at how many people actually overlook this small detail. my thing is, if you took the time to apply to the job, why wouldn’t you take the time to research the company? sure, your only reason for applying might be because you need money quick, fast, and in a hurry. however, the recruiter does not want to hear that. they don’t care that you applied to seventeen jobs in fifteen minutes and their application was the sixteenth one you filled out. they are looking for someone who’s dependable and capable of going the extra mile in the workplace. if you can’t go the extra mile in the application/interview process, why would anyone be convinced to bring you on their team?

tip: use their company website to do some level of research before the interview. you never know…they may ask you basic questions regarding their company and you don’t wanna be the person trying to bs them on information they already know; it makes you look pretty bad. don’t feel compelled to learn all there is to know about them, either. just learn enough to hold a conversation about why you’d like to work for them and what have they done that stuck out to you and so forth; it shows initiative and that’s always a good thing. 

7). did i let my character and personality shine through?

ultimately, we’ve all gotta remember to trust our own dopeness. contrary to popular belief, interviews aren’t just about qualifications on paper. who you are is equally as important as what (or who) you know. companies aren’t just hiring based off of ability these days—they are also hiring based on your ability to mesh well with the rest of their existing team. if you don’t allow your character and personality to shine through during the interview, they have no real way of knowing whether or not you’ll mesh well with the culture of the company. and sometimes, you may not get another opportunity to show them your true self…so take advantage of this time during the interview.

tip: allow your personality to shine through while you are being interviewed. not so much like you’re talking to your best friend, but enough so that you aren’t perceived as a stiff who’s incapable of laughing or being yourself. you have to find a happy medium that is both appropriate, yet relatable during the interview process. nobody wants to hire a robot. really.

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