1.Be on time
Give yourself enough time to research your destination, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area. You will have enough stress with respect to the actual interview. Don’t add to it by complicating your travel. Consider trying to find the company prior to interview day. Plan to arrive 10 to 20 minutes before your scheduled time.

2.Occupy yourself while waiting
Do bring work with you, so you can do it. There is always another e-mail or memo to write or a chance to review your to-do list.

3.Research the company
Google the company to find out more information.

4.Dress the part
Females and males need to dress to impress.
Proper Attire for Men
•Choose a conservative suite in navy, black or gray either pinstripe or solid.
•A solid white dress shirt.
•Ties should be made of a silk like fabric. Avoid ties with cartoon characters.
•Shoe should be clean and well polished. No tennis shoes or flip flops should be worn.
•Keep jewelry to a minimum and don’t wear any earrings.
•Personal hygiene is the key to success. Don’t over due your fragrance.

Proper attire for Women
•Start with a skirted suit or pants for the most conservative look. How ever skirted suits look more professional.
•Skirts should be knee-length or slightly above or below.
•Blouses and sweaters provide color and variety to woman’s clothing, but should be appealing and not revealing.
•Makeup shouldn’t be put on heavy.
•Avoid excessive amounts of jewelry. Keep it simple one ring per hand, and one set of earrings in each ear.
•Personal hygiene is the key to success. Don’t over due your fragrance.
•Wear dress shoes with a medium heel. Avoid flip flops and tennis shoes.

5.Tie your answers to the company/interviewer
Once you have background information on the company, try to tie that information to the work you have done. You will show initiative in doing research and have demonstrated the value you can bring to the company.

6.Be courteous to the staff
It’s easy to be courteous and respectful to the interviewer and the interviewer’s boss. How ever, make sure you are treating all the employees within the company the same way. The courtesy speaks well of you and could be something the company is observing.
7.Be energetic but not desperate
There is a fine line between being energetic and being desperate. Show that you are interested in the job, but don’t be so interested that the interviewer thinks that this interview is you only one, even if it is. The best approach is to have restrained enthusiasm.

8.Don’t badmouth current/former employer
Speaking unprofessionally about a former employer, could come back to haunt you. Even if the interviewer asks you what you disliked about your former boss, refuse to take the bait. You can speak about things you learned, even if the context is different from what the interviewer might be thinking.

9.Be clear on the next steps
Before you leave, get a sense of what will happen next. Will they make a decision? If so, when? Who should call whom? Will there be a second interview? By knowing this information, you can get an idea of what to expect and can prepare accordingly.

10.Send a thank-you note afterward
After the interview, take the time and send a “real” (non electronic) note to your interviewer. I know it means more time and expense, but sending a note can make you stand out from any competition you might have. Be sure to re-emphasize the points you made, plus any others that might have occurred since that time.

The economy has changed and so has the landscape for finding new job opportunities. Building your network, growing skill sets and portfolios and looking for jobs in not all the right places, but in all the available places has come to full fruition as we prepare to enter the summer months here in Tampa.

The Tampa Employment Guide is very excited to play a role in a nationwide campaign to put 10,000 Americans back to work through our job fair series. At a job fair across I-4 a few weeks back in Orlando, they were able to put a dent into that 10,000 mark. Employers from the event were confident that over 500 attendees would be hired from the day alone. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist also stopped in to say some encouraging words. The video below show some highlights from his talk and how you can gain the confidence needed to gain employment in these rough economic times.

Now that the dust has settled across the highway, it is now our turn to bring the Tampa Bay community and the employers together and help put our community back to work. We are committed to bringing you jobs that will help you provide for your family and put some money aside to prepare for the future. The job fair will be held at the Museum of Science and Industry off Fowler Ave in Tampa. A map has been provided below:

Job seekers are encouraged to pre-register for the event by clicking below. This will help us determine the need of the community and also allow you early access to the event. As always there is no charge for job seekers and we have a few spots left for employers. Please email me if you are interested in participating as a vendor at greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.

We wish you success Tampa and in the time leading up to the event we will be providing key tips and tactics to having a successful job fair.

Happy hunting Tampa.

-Greg

When following up with an employer your mission is to do a few things:

• Gain information in regards to your application or resume
• Educate the recruiter or hiring manager about yourself and spark their interest in YOU for the open position
• Be courteous and thankful to the recruiter
• Ask any questions that can help them make a decision on you

Now that you know what you need to accomplish, what are the proper techniques to contacting the recruiter to follow up?

When to Follow Up

While there is no golden rule, you should allow the recruiter or hiring manager time to review the applications and resumes and also note where you saw the position advertised. From experience I can say that more popular jobs on the EmploymentGuide.com can see up to 300 responses in 1 week! That’s a lot of resumes to go through.

Typically I tell job seekers that if they apply on a Monday and have not heard back to follow up with a call the following Monday. If you apply on a Friday, I would wait 10 days till the recurring Monday to email, call or visit their office.

How to Follow Up

This one is extremely important. When information is made available, follow instructions. However, in many cases there is no clear way for a job seeker to follow up or contact the hiring manager after applying online. Your next step should be to find a phone number and a name. First steps are to “Google” the company and look for their main website. On their site look for an about us and contact page. If there is no information here, turn to the Yellow Pages or other online phone book or directory.

If you are still having trouble finding a number or contact name, turn to advanced strategies such as LinkedIn. Search for the company and see who pops up. Later in the week we will have a video on how to use LinkedIn for research.

The goal in this section is to talk to a live person and get as much information as you can. See if there is anyway to go above and beyond without looking like a brownnoser or a stalker. Are there any resources you can supply or questions you can answer to help the recruiter solve a problem or simply make them remember you when they make a decision.

Questions to Ask

• When are you looking to make a decision on this position?
• What qualities are you looking for in an optimal candidate?
• Can you tell me how this position impacts the organization?
• When is the best time that I can follow up with you again?
• Is there anyone else involved in looking at the applications and resumes?

As you follow up with employers remember to respect their time and their decision. If one door closes, look to open another. If the position has already been filled, ask about other opportunities at the company or ways to get involved or be notified of upcoming vacancies or hiring spurts.

Good luck Orlando and happy hunting!

-Greg Rollett

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10. The Wanderer:

Some office workers just aimlessly walk in your cabin without any agenda, plan or chat/talk 3 to 4 times a day. They just wander in your cabin and when you ask them what’s up. They reply in a very pleasant way that he or she is just watching what you are doing, and after that they just leave the cabin.

9.  9 to 5 Eaters:

These are the colleague who eats in all office hours and also produce constant sound of crushing is coming from their mouth, fruits, candies, cakes, snakes and what not. Try to avoid passing by near their desk. If the bin under their desk is not properly washed, these workers can also sometimes be recognized by the odor which often comes from the rotten food items present in their bin.

8. The Toy Collector:

Some office workers don’t want to come out of their childhood. You can see different kinds of toys on their desk which give the impression of daycare center. They are also very possessive of these items and often mark their desks with the sign board of “don’t touch me”.

7. The Singers:

Some colleges sing complete songs of all singers whether the song or singer is their favorite or not. They will sing it to let you know the complete lyrics of the song. I think they do this to improve their voice quality.

6. The Cheater:

Some coworkers work as parasite on your abilities. They copy your ideas pose it as their own just to keep their salary statement higher than you. They even copy your style and even the design of your clothes.

5. The Touch Addict:

There are some coworkers that don’t rely on the information provided unless they touch the informer or give him a slight push with their arm or shoulder. Most of the time they whisper with sweet voice in your ear which cause slight tremor in your body shiver.

4. Thunderous Telephone Talker (T3):

The T3 colleagues will share their each chat with you while talking to someone else on the phone. You ought to know about their baby talk with their wife or girlfriend, their weekend plans. You have to hear all about their bank statements and about their bonuses which they announce especially on speaker phones.

3. The Smelly Guy:

Some guys in the office can be identified by their unique and offensive smell. You must be tired of gifting them with perfumes and colognes but they stay with it.

2. Chitchat colleagues: 

They just take care about the affairs in the office whether true or not. They are always filled with news about their coworkers to share with. These talks are just rumors and if true yet don’t try to get involved in this.

1. Big Boss:

By default, Bosses are always right. Sometime they pose to be right and sometimes they induce you to believe they are right. In combine projects, one has to present the project in front of the boss but who will dare to ring the bell. Better is this that you should say the right thing at right time to pose the right impact. Never try to be too smart or too idle in front of your Boss.

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