You’ve conquered the job application, resume, and cover letter at this point. Now comes the time of interviews where you need to seal the deal to obtain the job offer! How will you be prepared? With the use of these great preparation tactics, you’ll be able to nail any interview coming your way.

1. Do your research on the company, hiring manager, and the job position.
Thoroughly analyze the organization’s website so you can relate details you’ve learned about the company in your answers to interview questions. Learn about the company’s culture to be able to make the impression you’d be a great fit. Make sure you know the hiring manager’s name and a bit about him/her so you can make a personal connection during your interview to up your chances. You should also be aware of the exact job requirements to know how to market yourself.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Practice makes perfect, right? Practice answering typical interview questions that most employers ask to refrain from freezing up on the spot. Think of examples and stories you can tell about yourself to highlight your achievements. Giving proof of your resume skills is important! Also, come up with a list of your own questions to ask the employer. They want to know you’re interested in them too!

3. Plan ahead of time and dress for success.
Have extra copies of your resume printed, have a notepad and pen on hand, and have your outfit picked out the night before! You want to appear organized and professional. Make sure your outfit choice is appropriate for the interview–it’s important to make a good first impression.

4. Be early for the interview.
Showing up on time just isn’t good enough in this situation. Give yourself extra time to get to the right place, find parking, check your outfit, and going over key points you want to say in the interview. Being time pressed is a stressful experience no one wants to have right before going into an interview.

5. Body language and eye contact is key!
During the interview, RELAX. Include body language with your interview answers to show your personable qualities. It’s important to appear confident in what you’re saying. Actively listen to the employer’s question so you answer to your fullest ability. Lastly, maintain eye contact the entire time!

For more interview tips and tricks, visit our website!

You’ve just nailed your job interview! As soon as you walked out the door of that hiring manager’s office, you stopped to take a big, deep breath of relief. All of that stressful preparation may be over with, but now comes the anxiety of waiting for an answer. Instead of solely waiting by the phone, there are important steps you must take to increase your chance of landing the job.

After the interview, it’s important that you follow-up with the company without crossing any boundaries. So how do you make the right impression? Below you will learn the steps on how you can follow-up with an employer post-interview!

First, Write a Thank You Note.
Following up with a thank you email, or a handwritten letter, is essential to show your continued interest in the job opportunity. You should do this within the first 24 hours after the interview with every person that you spoke with. This note should be friendly and conversational–but keep it short! Restate your interest in the job and include any additional reasons as to why you’re qualified. This will help you to stay in their minds as they’re making a decision.

Second, Check In After a Couple Weeks.
Sending a thank you note to initially follow up was easy, right? Now comes the harder part: checking back in with the employer when the date you were suppose to hear back has past. You don’t want to sound annoying, of course, but you want to make it known that you’re still eager about the job. Keep the message brief–ask them where they are in the decision-making process and if there’s anything you can provide to further help.

So What’s Next?
A few different outcomes could happen now. Best case scenario, you get the job! However, you could hear back that they are still in the process of making a decision… Or, worst case scenario, you hear back that you didn’t get the job.

If you hear back that they are still in the hiring process, it’s time to stay on top of it and continue to reach out. Tell them you’re still extremely interested, and kindly ask for an update on the process at their earliest convenience.

If you received the news you didn’t get the job, move on! The right job is out there for you–so stay positive, and keep looking and visit our website for more opportunities.

It’s a tough job market out there today– but luckily, professional networking sites like LinkedIn allow candidates to brand and present themselves to employers exactly the way they want. Check out our tips on how to maximize your LinkedIn portfolio to its fullest potential.

1. Look Professional

The bio section of your profile is the first thing any employer is going to see when they view your profile. This means it’s imperative you sell yourself right off the bat. Employers almost never view a profile that’s lacking a photo, so make sure you have a professional and recent image that’s cropped to show your face clearly. Next, ensure that your headline is catchy and uses specific keywords that employers can search to find you by. And lastly, customize your LinkedIn URL– it’s a quick and simple way to look more professional.

2. Specify Your Summary

The summary section can either make or break your profile. You could have great experience and the necessary skills for a position, but if your summary section is too broad or generalized, employers might feel as though you lack interest or drive. This is the opportunity to showcase who you are and where your career is going!

3. Build Up Connections

Everything is about networking nowadays. Without connections, you will be listed lowly on the results an employer receives when they’re searching LinkedIn for candidates. If possible, shoot for at least 100 connections. Connect with friends, family, old classmates, professors, or anyone else whom may be appropriate in order to build up your online network.

4. Show Your Work

Anyone can simply state their skills and say what that they’re capable of doing, but it’s much more impressive if you can back it up. Visuals are a great way to catch an employer’s eye and make yourself stand out. Upload any and all examples that show off work you’re proud of.

5. List Recommendations

Recommendations are a quick way to build up credibility with employers, so if you’ve got them, show them! Recommendations are a testament to your character and allow insight into your real world experiences and connections. Plus, the majority of LinkedIn profiles that employers view don’t list any recommendations, so this will really set you apart from all the other candidates.

For more career tips and tricks, check out some of our other blogs, or visit our website to view the most recent job opportunities!

How many chances do you get to make a first impression on employers? You know the answer… one. Generally, the first thing hiring managers get their hands on about you is your resume. So, if you’re hoping to get your foot in the door with an interview, it’s crucial that yours is impressive enough to not get thrown in the trash with the other hundreds of applicants’ resumes. Not only do you want to make the best first impression, but you want to make the right one. Here are a few helpful tips and tricks to notch up your resume this year.

1. Boost your contact info.

Hiring managers don’t have much time to waste. Make their job as easy as possible by using hyperlinks so that it’s just one-click away. This includes your email address and your LinkedIn profile, or any other social media accounts you want the recruiter to see.

2. Use good structure that makes things “pop.”

If you think recruiters are slowly reading your resume from start to finish, think again. Instead, they are constantly skimming the page for certain check-offs they’re looking for. Therefore, use bolded text to make certain your achievements don’t get grazed over.

3. Don’t speak in first person.

Your resume shouldn’t include words like “I” or any other pronouns. Instead, take off the “I” and just begin with the verb to describe your experiences.

4. Forget the “skills” section, and weave your talents into your work experience.

Instead of having a long list of skills at the bottom of your resume, employers would rather see how you have applied them by including them into your work experience section.

5. Prioritize your resume content.

To make the best impression, you want the utmost relevant and important experience to be listed first. Make sure the categories on your resume are organized for recruiters to easily stay focused.

6. Keep it short and simple.

The average hiring manager spends about 10-20 seconds looking at your resume. You don’t want to blow this short amount of time. The highlight here is to cut down your professional story to one page, unless you have over 5 years of experience.   

For more tips about your resume from The Wilson Group, check out our blog and for job opportunities view our website.

Culture has become a buzzword in the business world. What does it really mean? Culture is a complicated term as it encompasses several aspects of a company. A Forbes article, written by Josh Bersin, defines culture as the set of behaviors, values, artifacts, reward systems and rituals that make up your organization. A company’s culture is evident in people’s behavior, enthusiasm and the space itself. All of these things can be felt or experienced when you walk into a company, meet with people and watch them interact.

Why is this important to know/consider?
Research shows that culture, engagement and employee retention are the top challenges facing business leaders today. Companies are trying to understand what helps keep employees engaged at work as well as what helps with employee retention. The company culture plays a large part in this equation. As more websites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor post information to the public regarding a company’s employment brand, job-seekers are able to receive insights into what working for a certain company is like. They are able to peek into the culture of a company. Companies want a good reputation in this area because it demonstrates their commitment to employee satisfaction.

How is this “culture”created?
Culture-driven companies require the right leadership. What leaders say, what they value and what they give importance to all play into the culture. The leaders of the company are the ones who create and facilitate a certain culture. It is crucial that the right people are put in place to help foster this culture. Another way to improve culture is to look to the role models of company culture. These include companies like Southwest and Apple Inc. Let them serve as an example.

If you’re a business, you might want to take a moment to consider your company culture as well as your current leadership. If you’re an individual seeking out a job, be sure to look into the company culture of the organizations you apply to work for. This information can be accessed before you even go in for an interview. Get online and do your research!

For more company culture tips visit our website!