Say The Right Thing During Your Job Search

Posted by in Career Advice


Are you doing as well at your job search as you'd like? If not, maybe the problem is the words that are coming out of your mouth. Job searching is an intense process. From the very beginning, you have to be and show your best. Your résumé and cover letter have to be impeccably written. Your interviewing techniques have to be masterful. Your salary negotiation skills have to be at their best or you will leave money at the table. Meanwhile, throughout the process, no one tells you how you are doing. A company may bring you in for a series of interviews, tell you that you are the best candidate for the job, and then you might never hear from them again. A recruiter could tell you that a position has opened up that you would be perfect for, and then he or she might never return your phone calls. It's a guessing game and it can play with your emotions and your view of yourself. But still, this is how many jobs are filled. This means you have to get good at being the person selected for these open slots. The better you are at saying the right things, the more likely you are to get the job you want. What you say while looking for a job is crucial to your success. It can be the difference between getting a job or being passed by for someone who said something better than you did. So, How Do You Get Better Ay Saying The Right Thing? Follow These Four Points Below: 1. Expect To Be Terrible At First You cannot get good at saying the right things without knowing what it feels like to get it wrong, too. If you haven't searched for a job in a while, you will be rusty. You may not be used to questions such as, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Or, "Tell me about yourself." You may also be apprehensive about leaving your current position and not comfortable discussing the details. Expect that there will be mishaps in the beginning. This way, they won't throw you. 2. Put Yourself On The Court A job interview contains two main components. First, you get ready for the interview. Second, you have the interview. No matter how hard you prepare for the interview, success or failure happens while you are there. Tell an employer what you can do for them. Let go of how you think you are doing. Trust that you have done the work and that's why an employer has asked to see you. You don't know what a job is truly like until you go there. You may be nervous about it, so don't let fear keep you from going. This principle holds true for other job search seeking activities such as job fairs and networking events. There may be many reasons not to go, so keep your eye on the bigger picture, which is they can lead you to a great new job. 3. Practice Makes Perfect Some people make saying the right things look easy, but they work at it. They role play mock interviews with friends, family, and their coach several times. They say their 30-second introduction over and over again until it becomes second nature. They anticipate questions that make them uncomfortable and they have their answers spelled out and ready to go. You can't do well without practicing. It's your pathway to job searching success. 4. Learn From Your Mistakes Looking for a job can be tricky sometimes. You may be asked a question that you have no clue how to answer. You may say something foolish, and then realize when it's too late, that you can't take it back. Saying the wrong thing from time to time happens to everyone, so know that you are not alone. If you fall off the horse, pick yourself up and try again. If you don't do as well as you liked in a certain situation, be confident that you'll get it right the next time. So, what do you say? You only have one life to live, so it might as well be a life you love!
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  • Shelley A
    Shelley A
    Thank you as this was definately a great help!
  • Howard R
    Howard R
    This was a good reminder of many good points to me.  I was also encouraged by it.Thanks,               Howard  
  • Rebecca V
    Rebecca V
    This was a very well written article and was most helpful to me.Thank you.Rebecca
  • Anabel R
    Anabel R
    This is a great article.  Makes sense and I've been through every step mentioned.  Thanks for the refresher course.
  • Karen D
    Karen D
    I liked the article. It highlighted several possible pitfalls to consider while traveling the job seeker journey. The article left me feeling hopeful. One thought comes to mind when I think about falling off the horse, then getting back on, "Pet the horse first". I have one life to live and I must be kind to myself first and know my value while taking the ride. The idea of rehearsing and role playing an interview is a fantastic idea. Thank you.Thank you.
  • Carli H
    Carli H
    I am rusty because I have been out of work for a while, but I am a full time student.  I seem to get caught up in the strengths and weaknesses, or why should we hire you.  What are they listening for? Thank you.
  • Kara R
    Kara R
    I think I have been saying the wrong thing.. I have been looking for a job for over 3 months.. I want to know what will catch their eye to have me interview the 2nd one or get the job would be great.. Thank You
  • Lee S
    Lee S
    This info is very helpful for people like me, who are inexperienced at interviewing and not naturally good at it. I definitely need to do some role playing and prepare my answers - it sounds like a no-brainer when you hear it, but it didn't seem like I needed to practice talking about my job before going on an interview! Thanks for the help!
  • Kevin B
    Kevin B
    I agree with Dave Long's reply. But I want to include that what has helped me is using the frame of mind that I am also interviewing this company, to see if i want to work for them, can they advance my career, etc. this seems to give me more confidence when I'm in front of a prospective employer. I have been involved in the construction business and don't want to do that any more. It has been difficult finding something that fits.
  • CAROL L
    CAROL L
    I think this information is very helpful for those like myself who in looking for employment. I just completed a business skill training program that taught the class a lot of the pointer that this article states.  I think it is very important because the truth is you don't always know what the interviewer in looking for. So it always good to have a heads up on what to expect.
  • Heather A
    Heather A
    I had an interview today. I was so nervous, but as I got closer to the location I had a personal revelation..."they can't eat me and the worst that can happen is they say no"...rejection is part of life. Keep a positive attitude and don't let rejection define how you feel about yourself
  • Maura H
    Maura H
    How can I respond when you don't have experience in a new career that you study for? Most of the companies want a year experience.
  • Nancy K
    Nancy K
    This was a good article and spoke to concerns job seekers have - especially the interview.  The practice tip is most important.  If you are comfortable, it helps alot.  Also if you say the wrong thing, you can address this in  your thank you letter.  It may smooth over rough edges and move you toward a  successful opportunity.
  • Joan T
    Joan T
    I have an impressive resume, but I also have a 4th degree misdemeanor from 2009.  How does one get through a background check?  Do I bring it up to the employer?  Do I let them find out for themselves?  I've hired people myself, so I typically do quite well in an interview, but it is the dreaded box that I must check that asks if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor in the past 5 years that I believe is getting me tossed out.  I'm a good person.  I've made restitution, but I'm just a number to the HR dept.  Even if someone wanted to hire me, I'm not sure they will be able to due to liability.  Is there a solution?
  • Valerie R
    Valerie R
    Very informative article and comments.  The weakness and pay questions threw me for a loop but I think I have it handled now.  It is comforting to know that I am not the only 57 year old in this situation.  Thanks to all and good luck.
  • Thomas W
    Thomas W
    Excellent article. To the point, encouraging, helpful information and ideas.  Thank YOU!
  • Thomas L
    Thomas L
    I've read a lot of these comments.  Here's a few things that I've learned during the interview process that I am still in.  Inside contacts on a position are key.  Find someone who works there and get your resume forwarded to the hiring manager.  NEVER say anything negative about a former employer or work situation.  Put a positive spin on it some how.  I was asked "Was there ever a difficult situation in your working career?"  Duh, you cannot say No to this, so answer carefully.  Say something like:  Someone didn't like the quality of my work on a particular project, so I went to them and discussed what I could do to improve.  I learned key information that helped resolve that.  Life is full of problems.  It's not the problems that matter, but how we handle them, how we act when confronted with them, and what the results are from that experience.  If you are doing the right things, it will be a positive experience.  Those are your working BRIDGES to success, the ones you are not supposed to ever burn or fail to build.  You never know when you will need a recommendation from someone for a referral or to forward your resume onward for you.  Start today to build your network of existing colleagues and when you are working again, build it some more by being the best most helpful, friendly, and honest person you can be.  You will never regret doing that.  On the other hand, you may if you have few contacts to help you sell yourself.In your resume, put in your numbers.  How much you saved the company doing XYZ or selling ### of widgets in only 6 months! or something like that.  Companies are hiring us to make money off us.  If we do not make them money or save them money why would they hire us???  Finally, be friendly, sincere, and smile a lot.  It always helps people to feel better.  If you compliment something or someone, make sure it is believable and sincere.  Also, ask questions.  That gives you information and takes some of the pressure off you for a while.  Dress nicely, no matter how they say you can come.   You don't need a suit, but a tie and nicely pressed clothing say much about how serious you are and how you feel about yourself.  I'd nix any strong perfume though.  Some people are allergic to the stuff. You might want to befriend an HR person in your network.  They know the ropes of hiring and can help you polish your resume.  Finally, if you have faith in God, pray with all your heart to God for help.  Then work like everything depends on your efforts and expect a miracle to occur.  Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find a job.
  • Patricia Woodard
    Patricia Woodard
    I think the information provided is great, keep it coming cause I have an interview next week.
  • Bruce Mason
    Bruce Mason
    Like many people now I am looking for full time employment. It's hard times and articles such as this and the comments are extremely helpful to me. The comments about the "strengths" and "weaknesses" questions are most helpful.Those are the toughest for me. Stay strong everyone. Better days are ahead. We all have skills and experience that is valuable.  I am 60 years old and a licensed Rad Tech/MA working per diem since I was terminated 2 yrs ago. I took a $10.00 an hour pay cut in my current job. I hope my experience and skills will get  employers past my age. I think that is a factor for some facilities.  
  • regina ayars
    regina ayars
    If you ask my last employer why I was fired, they would say my "quality".  That is not accurate but it falls into that category.  It was more of a difference in opinion when it came how to treat customers.  I have letters of recommendation from these same customers.  I feel that when you are filling out an application and your choices are laid off, fired, or quit and I have to answer fired, it makes me look bad.  I also believe that when the perspective company calls my former employer, I am getting "black-balled".  How do I get around this?  
  • Diane parsons
    Diane parsons
    I am off for an interview, and hope some of the comments help. Good stuff!
  • Terry Gunderson
    Terry Gunderson
    I am a nurse without hospital experience for over 12 years, I have worked in oncology outpatient clinics and am very good at my skills.  I was fired 8 months ago.   I have not had to interview for 7 years and they are so involved with questions.  They want you to answer truthfully and did that, but they don't want to hear it so you learn to answer questions with a different approach.  Weaknesses?  I say I thought I could "do it all", but realized I was better off asking for help.  Turn a conflict with coworker into a positive somehow.  I just had an interview yesterday 10/25/11 and received an email I had not gotten the job.  WOW how inpersonal is that?  They want compassion?  It is hard out there and hard to stay positive when you are rejected and don't get feedback as to why.
  • dave long
    dave long
    Thank you for hosting the individual comments from many job seekers across the vast electronic belt wave. E-filing resumes has become the norm, and does consume time, but remember, it is faster and more efficient than driving the city looking for help wanted signs, and sitting in a waiting reception area to then be asked to fill out an application, and be thanked and told; "We will review your application and get back to you!" Use the internet to cherry pick your prospects, and perhaps you may be recruited by an entirely different industry. The question... What did you do when, or How did you resolve... or in fact any of the round the bush questions should be answered by clearly and confidently blowing your own horn. Use your actual work experience as examples. I would never answer the money question unless you don't really intend accepting position if offered. If you really are after the position, and you do have the skills, and experience, switch the interviewer to the interviewee by asking what your predecessors reason for vacancy was, and what their compensation was, also did they fully reach their potential in the position... About applications online that ask personal information like License numbers, or social security numbers, don't, I repeat, don't provide them, and xxxx out of the screen. Search the internet for the company website, go to the "Contact Us" tab or menu and email you concern about asking such information online. The EEOC part at the bottom of an application should always be answered; "I choose not to disclose". As stated in the application description, this will not effect the candidacy of the applicant. A face to face interview is your chance to show your worth,and should be taken very seriously. Think of it as meeting the gate keeper with the golden key!!! Moosehead the office for topic comfort ice breakers, this helps put you, and your interviewer at ease and can work as a blending conversation. I see the picture of a basketball game...pause and wait for an explanation...now is your chance...Yes, I also have an interest in basketball, as I was coaching my son/daughters team, and found it rather informative when I asked the parents for ideas on... This is a great way to reveal your actual skills, and it personalizes it to your interviewer.
  • Chun Chu Kim
    Chun Chu Kim
    Thanks for the article was good and helpful.
  • Pat
    Pat
    I am a 50+ year old female that has been a homemaker for over 20 years that need a job desperately. I have read from my research on the internet that my age and the fact that I have not worked outside my home are weaknesses. Please help me figure out how to cover these in my resume and maybe hopefully get an interview.
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