Keys to Confidence in a Job Interview

Make a career change, and be successful in the process!

You apply for the job you want, you receive a call for an interview, and your excitement quickly turns to fear. What if I don’t get the job? What if I blow it? What if they don’t like me? For many people, interviews are stressful, nerve-racking, and even intimidating. However, confidence is key to nailing the interview… so how do you maintain confidence in the interview and show your tenacity?

The keys to Confidence in a Job InterviewKeys to Confidence in a Job Interview- Heartland resumes, Omaha, NE

Preparation is key! Practice, practice, practice! You can even hire one of our experienced Interview Coaches to help you practice. It’s well worth the investment when it makes the difference between landing the job you want or never getting a callback. Let us help you review common interview questions and critique your answers. You can also practice with a colleague or family member; no matter what you do, make sure you are prepared for plenty of “Tell me about a time when…” questions, “Why should we hire you,” and “Why do you want to work here?”

Remind yourself you are capable and qualified! Many people feel a little nervous because as they consider the new position they’re applying for, they are unsure of their own abilities. Keep in mind that many people held this position before you, and if they could do it, you can too! With the right training, determination, and hard work, you can and will excel in this new role (assuming you meet the basic qualifications for the position).

Fake it ’til you make it! If you still don’t feel confident after all of the above, that’s okay! You can fake it! In order to pretend you’re confident, make sure to smile, make eye contact, hold your shoulders high, hold still (no fidgeting), and speak clearly. You’d be surprised how often people are nervous on the inside and appear cool as a cucumber on the outside.

We are here to build your confidence in a job interview and throughout the hiring process. Call or contact Heartland Resumes to schedule Interview Coaching today 402-215-8238!

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Interviewing- How to Make a Great First Impression

Interviewing- How to Make a Great First Impression- Heartland resumes, Omaha, NE

You only have one chance at a first impression, make it great with these tips!

  1. Show up a little early – Don’t show up super early, but you want to show up early enough to find the office, and check in at the front desk at least 5 minutes before your interview begins. This shows punctuality and responsibility to others.
  2. Dress the part – Research the company culture to determine the level of professionalism you will want to match. Some companies have a laid-back culture that allows jeans, and others require a suit. I always recommend dressing up a level higher than normal. So, if most people wear jeans to work, wear slacks, but not a suit. This shows that you are taking interviewing seriously, but you are also a good fit for the laid-back culture.Interviewing- How to Make a Great First Impression- Heartland resumes, Omaha, NE
  3. Bring what you need – Make sure to bring extra copies of your resume, a portfolio, and a notebook to take notes. Do not put your cell phone on the table- leave it in the car and don’t bring your laptop unless necessary, and don’t bring coffee or a snack. You want to appear prepared; you should have already enjoyed your cup of coffee prior to showing up.
  4. Smile at everyone – Make sure you smile at the people you walk by on your way through the office. Smile at the receptionist, and of course smile during your interview. You want to appear as easy to get along with and as happy as possible!
  5. Make a connection – Try to find some kind of commonality or something to help the interviewer remember you. You want to form a personal connection, so you leave your interviewing experience with a great first impression.

Call or contact Heartland Resumes for the interview practice you need to make that good first impression!

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A Cover Letter- 3 Reasons You Need one

Should you submit a cover letter

3 Reasons You Need a Cover Letter

Many people participating in the job search process may skip this step of creating a professional cover letter for each application, but it’s so important to include it, and here’s why:

  1. Shows Effort – Anyone can upload a file with their work history, this takes very little effort to submit a ready resume. However, your cover letter should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. It shows you are very interested and willing to put in the effort.  Even if the recruiter glazes over it, which yes some do, it will show you’re committed to earning the position and going above and beyond even when not asked. Don’t take chances with your chances. This is one more thing you can do that will prove you want the position.
  2. Required for some Postings – This one is obvious, but if the job posting says it’s required, then you had better submit a cover letter if you want a chance. A cover letter shows effort, as discussed above, and it shows you follow directions. You’d be surprised how many people don’t submit all of the required or requested documents during the application process. Make sure you complete all requirements when applying for a position, however tedious it may seem.
  3. Showcases your Value – It is essentially a one-page elevator pitch. If the position requires certain experience, and your resume shows the same experience as another candidate, the cover letter is what shows your value. It shows that you write well, you know how to sell yourself, and gives you an opportunity to tout some of your unique skills.

Don’t miss out on a great opportunity just because you don’t know how to write one! Contact or call Heartland Resumes at 402-02-215-8238 to increase your chances of landing your dream career.

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Why You Need an Interview Coach

interview question

Why You Need an Interview Coach

When you are thinking about your upcoming interview, do you start to sweat and get butterflies in your stomach? Have you ever frozen up during a job interview? Interviewing is something that requires practice, just like anything else. Many people looking for careers don’t have a lot of experience interviewing. You are not alone. It’s time to consider an interview coach.

Without preparation, you are setting yourself up to fail. You should hire an experienced interview coach to help you prepare for your upcoming interviews. Our interview coaches will facilitate a series of mock interviews and will provide real-time feedback. If you have an area that you need to work on such as body language, explaining scenarios, or confidence, we are here to help!

Reasons you need an interview coach:

1. Phone screening

This is stage zero of the job interview process. If you can’t make it past the phone screen, you are not getting a real chance. Whether the call was scheduled or not, your coach can help you with building confidence and interview skills to keep moving forward to the next step. 

2. Your elevator pitch

If you are entering the workforce or a seasoned professional, crafting your elevator pitch is an intimidating task. How are you supposed to summarize all of your experiences, hopes, and dreams in 30 seconds? Your interview coach will help you to perfect your elevator pitch. You will not only be able to use this for interviews but for years to come at networking events, in your LinkedIn profile, and during phone screenings. 

3. “Tell me about a time.” 

Behavioral interviewing is one of the most common interview styles; many people show up unprepared with scenarios. It’s crucial that during the behavioral interview, you can think on your feet. You need to be ready to recall multiple specific experiences and be able to connect those experiences back to a question, all while sharing some of your most positive skills and attributes. 

4. Salary Negotiations

After you receive the job offer, you are so excited that you forget to or you’re too nervous to talk about salary. Your interview coach will help you practice your negotiating techniques. Negotiating salary is a delicate task because you do not want to insult the hiring manager, but you also want to be compensated according to your value.

Contact or call Heartland Resumes to hire an interview coach today! 402-215-8238

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Tips to Consider This April Fool’s Day at Work

Tips to Consider This April Fool’s Day at Work

Ah, the first of April means the beginning of Spring–and of course, a day where many people partake in office pranks. While having fun at work is important, it’s very important to consider a few things before you fool your co-workers into doing something embarrassing.

  1. Consider your company culture – What is the culture like in your office? While some office cultures can be silly and playful, some offices are more serious and practical. Be careful to consider your company culture before pulling a prank.
  2. Think about your audience – Not everyone shares the same kind of humor that you do, so be careful to consider your audience first. What one person finds hilarious might be way out of line for someone else. Be sure that you know what you’re getting into before you pull a prank on an unwitting victim.
  3. Keep it “G-rated” & work appropriate – It’s never okay to talk about things like race, religion, or sexual orientation. If you’re going to pull a prank, it should be very simple and professional. Don’t do anything that will get you in trouble, or will hurt someone’s feelings.

 

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Highlighting Accomplishments on a Resume

Salary Negotiator in Omaha

Highlighting Accomplishments on a Resume

When used correctly, accomplishments on your resume, cover letter, and interview conversations will help set you apart from the other applicants! It’s important to share your accomplishments on your resume and cover letter and speak to them during your interview. Hiring managers want to know that you are capable of successfully accomplishing goals. Highlighting accomplishments also help to show that you are results driven. Being able to acknowledge your accomplishments is a very important part of the application and interview process.highlighting accomplishments on a resume, Heartland Resumes, Omaha, NE

Consider the job description and position requirements when deciding what accomplishments to include in your professional profile. You should try to think outside of the box here if you are changing industries. For example, if you managed an event from start to finish, this is a form of project management so that you could include a successful event on a resume for a project manager position.  Select some of your accomplishments that are most relevant and would be most impressive to employers. If this is your first professional position, then you can include accomplishments such as your GPA, awards you received in school, or any accolades from teachers.

You should provide measurable results as a part of your accomplishments. For example, don’t just say, “I exceeded quota;” say, “I achieved 112% to quota.” Providing specific examples will make your accomplishments sound more impressive and show that you are results-oriented. Be careful not to exaggerate your accomplishments either.

Unless it’s directly related to the position, you should avoid political or religious accomplishments. Be careful to include relevant examples from your career first, and then include education, volunteer experience, or sports if the professional experience is insufficient. You should also be cautious not to share any sensitive data from your previous company, especially if you are applying with a competitor. Don’t share any confidential or private information.

If all this sounds very confusing and you’re unsure what to include and what to leave out, contact the resume writing experts at Heartland Resumes. Their professional resume writers know what information to highlight and which to leave out. Don’t take chances with your chances! Contact or call them today at 402-215-8238!

 

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How to Handle a Mistake at Work

How to Handle a Mistake at Work

How to Handle a Mistake at Work

Have you ever made a big mistake at work and thought you would never recover? Don’t worry—we’ve all been there! And believe it or not, even the biggest mistakes will be forgotten with time. So, what do you do when you make a mistake at work?

First and foremost, accept responsibility and tell your boss as soon as possible. Don’t let your fear of getting in trouble keep you from admitting a mistake. The sooner you can start mitigating the issue, the better off you will be. Reasonable bosses will understand that human errors occur and have made mistakes before too. The mistake will come to light either way, and the longer you put off talking to your boss, the worse you’ll look. Don’t deflect blame, accept responsibility for your part in the mistake. If you get defensive or point fingers, you will only look worse.How to Handle a Mistake at Work, Heartland Resumes

Next, it’s important to devise a plan to prevent this mistake from reoccurring. Get with your co-workers or boss to develop a more effective and efficient process. You should present your plan to your boss so that he or she understands you are taking the mistake seriously and taking steps to avoid it in the future. This will show initiative, and maybe it will even help prevent your coworkers from making the same mistakes, improving productivity and making you look even better in the long run.

Sometimes mistakes are the best ways to learn and improve. Don’t be scared of making mistakes. If you handle a mistake correctly at work, all will be forgiven and may even improve.

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5 Ways to Catch your Manager’s Attention

A CPRW is a Certfied Professional Resume Writer and Heartlanf Resumes, Omaha has them!

5 Ways to Catch your Manager’s Attention

The difference between an average employee and a top performer often depends on the manager’s perception. Here are five ways to catch your manager’s attention and improve their perception of you.Catch your managers attention

  1. Be positive – Managers appreciate employees who create solutions, not complain about problems. If you need to address something negative, provide an idea to resolve the problem. Managers look for employees who have a positive attitude that does not complain.
  2. Be reliable – Reliability is so important in the workplace. Are you on time? Do you complete tasks by their deadline? Managers want to know that if they assign you a project, they can rest assured knowing that you will complete the task on time and meet expectations.
  3. Be friendly – Personality can go a long way in the workplace. Managers want to work with people they can get along with and who get along well with others on the team. Being friendly can go a long way to creating a positive impression in the workplace.
  4. Be proactive – It’s so important to be proactive in the workplace. Don’t sit and wait for an assignment; look for ways to improve the business. Catch your manager’s attention this way, and they will take notice of your ambition if you go out of your way to look for things to do. This will set you apart from your colleagues.
  5. Be coachable – Sometimes, your manager will have to deliver constructive criticism or talk to you about your performance. Make sure to be receptive to feedback. You need to be able to take the feedback and work to improve without taking it personally.

Follow these five tips, and you will catch your manager’s attention and stand out in the workplace!

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How to Set Career Goals — and Why You Should

How to Set Your Career Goals — and Why You Should

What are your career goals? Do you know how to set career goals?

There is one indisputable truth in life. If you want to accomplish something, setting goals is the best way to guarantee success. 

We have numerous opportunities to set goals throughout our lives, plan a wedding, buy a house, pick furniture, and go on vacation. One of the best opportunities to set specific goals is when you’re job searching. By writing it down or typing it out, you can plan each action that needs to happen to achieve your goal. 

Getting a new job is simple, but the process can be difficult and overwhelming. You can make it simpler by having a plan in place. 

Start by answering this, “What are my career goals?” 

What is a goal?

A goal is something you want the future to hold. It can be a need or a want. It can be something you want right now or something you are working towards in the future. How to Set Career Goals — and Why You Should

The most popular career goal is deciding the type of profession you want to pursue throughout your career. Do you want to be a Doctor, Lawyer, Data governance, or something else? If you need help defining your career goals, give these tips a try.

It’s not enough to say you want to be an Environmental Scientist. You have to know what to do to get there. Defining your ultimate career goal will allow you to clarify your short-term career goals.

Create your SMART goal

You have to set goals in a precise way to help you reach them.

If you create goals using the SMART method, you can establish a clear path for what you need to do to hit the target. 

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

Tools for a strong job search

Setting goals, long or short, are an essential tool for a strong job search. 

 Knowing what to search for is challenging if you haven’t defined it. Once you start that search, you’ll need to explain your execution of goals through your resume. 

Hiring managers or recruiters want to see resumes that have accomplishments. Suppose your previous job required you to produce $50,000 in quarterly sales. Many job seekers will put something similar like this on their resume: “Produced $50,000 in sales every quarter.”

Outstanding! But did you do it? 

Technically, bringing in $50,000 in sales each quarter is a long-term goal. Meaning you had to do something every day to accomplish this. Maybe you broke up the job into small pieces. Setting a short-term goal to talk to 75 businesses weekly to close five sales would take you closer to achieving the long-term goal of getting $50,000 by the end of the quarter. 

“What are your career goals?”

The first step to correctly answering “What are your career goals?” is, obviously, first having goals in an interview. Next is effectively communicating with the recruiter or hiring manager in an interview.

First, ensure you have a precise and concise description of your career goals. This description should be phrased so that strangers (people outside your career) can relate to and understand. Learn to express your career goals in a manner related to the company you’re applying to.

Next, be prepared to explain how you plan to achieve your career goals. Several hiring managers are trained to ask more in-depth questions during interviews. After stating your career goals, there may be a follow-up question to help the hiring manager learn more about you and your goals.

Finally, be prepared to demonstrate adaptability by discussing changing your short-term goals to reach the long-term ones, if necessary. Changing an individual step on a path is more manageable than building a new path. 

Goals are a standard part of everyday life, whether we recognize it or not. 

Taking the time to set SMART goals makes things easier, including your job search. Don’t waste your time applying for jobs that won’t make you happy. 

Are you planning on landing a new job in the short term? We can help you with our professional resume writing services, cover letters, and interview coaching.

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What Recruiters Want to See on LinkedIn

What Recruiters want to see on LinkedIn

If you’ve been looking for a new job, I am sure you have skimmed LinkedIn. Why wouldn’t you, with over 20,000 companies in the U.S, use LinkedIn for recruiting. 

Not sure what recruiters are looking for? No worries, we are here to help! A well-designed LinkedIn profile can get a recruiter’s attention and increase your chances of getting hired faster. 

Why have a LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn is all about networking. It helps make more meaningful connections and is a great way to introduce yourself to new career contacts. 

Your profile should NOT look like your resume. They should complement each other. You have a chance to include all of the details of your past work history, and since it’s a social platform, it’s less formal than your resume. Use it to show off your personality and interests. 

What recruiters want to see on LinkedIn

A picture can say a thousand words, but your headshot only needs to say one thing: employable. 

Your headshot is the first thing recruiters notice. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer to have a strong photo, but it could be an option to consider if you have the means. 

You can take your professional headshot just as easily. Find a plain background and good lighting. Be sure to bring your smile and crop the image so your face is centered and doesn’t get cut off when you upload your profile. 

Your headline is the next thing you should focus on. It is the following item recruiters are looking for. You could be missing out on a potential job by leaving this section blank and allowing it to default with your current position title and company. 

Use keywords in your headline. Doing this will allow your profile to come up when recruiters are searching for people in your field. 

You could include your job title and the company you work for if it’s a well-known organization. However, choosing to use a combination of keywords targeted towards your industry is the best way to stand out in the crowd. 

Tell your story. Your about section is your chance to show recruiters your career life. Ask yourself a few questions like, Where did you start? What motivated you? Where do you want to be next? What are you most proud of achieving in your career? This is where you can expand on your brand from your perspective. 

Take full advantage of the endorsements and recommendations. These two functions give recruiters insight into your greatest strengths and how you work with others. A well-written recommendation should highlight how amazing you are at what you do and your soft skills. 

Engage with LinkedIn. Recruiters love seeing how active you are with the sire and not just letting your profile sit for months at a time. When active on LinkedIn, recruiters are more likely to believe your profile is up to date and care about professional networking. 

You don’t need to be logged in every day if you are not a social media person. Try to check in twice a week. Consistency is key. Easy ways to engage, make a post, interact with one of your connection’s posts, and repeat a few days later. 

Now you know what recruiters want to see on  LinkedIn profiles yours can impress recruiters and get you to your dream career faster. If you want a professional consultation on your profile, fill out the form on the right! 

 

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