Red Flags in Job Interviews

Red Flags in Job InterviewsRed Flags in Job InterviewsHave you ever left a job interview with nagging doubts about the employer? Count yourself lucky for noticing. You undoubtedly spotted some red flags.Lets say you were excited about your new job opportunity when you arrived at company headquarters for an interview. But then the hiring manager made you wait in the lobby an extra hour. He didnt maintain eye contact or inquire about your professional goals during your interview. And when you asked for examples of how you might use your accounting skills and experience to contribute to the companys performance and growth, he gave an elusive answer.Alone, one of those job interview missteps might be acceptable. But together, theyre a clarion call to politely pull out of consideration and keep looking for a new position, even if youre desperate to get out of your current job or need to start earning a paycheck soon.Here are seven job interview red flags that candidates shouldnt ignore1. Valid questions get vague answersOf course, its never appropriate for the interviewer to reveal personal information about a previous employee. But the hiring manager should be able to address any questions you rumliche lage about the expectations for the position and provide some history about the role and its influence on company operations. Look for direct answers to questions like the following What is the first challenge the person hired for this job will have to deal with? What do you see as the finance or accounting departments mission? What are the pros and cons of the job? What can you tell me about the person to whom I would report?2. The interviewer cant provide a clear picture of the jobNo matter whether youre applying to be an entry-level staff accountant or the CFO, your interviewer should be able to explain the responsibilities of the role and how success will be meakoranversd. If he cant, you will likely have a difficult time forging a clear career path in the compan y.3. Descriptions of work environment are neutralAsk the hiring manager what he likes most about working at the company. If he cant answer without hemming and hawing, it could signal job dissatisfaction on his part. If the opportunity arises during your visit, pose the same question to other employees in the department, from the accounting manager to the data entry clerk. Do they seem enthused about their daily responsibilities? Does the company work to keep them happy and reward them for their efforts? Are there opportunities for advancement? Pay attention to the office mood.4. Employee tenure is shortA pattern of employee turnover can be a symptom of a high-stress, low-morale office culture. If you learn that previous employees didnt stay long at the company, and theres no evidence of tenure among the staff, you might have a bad-boss situation or a toxic work environment.5. The hiring manager isnt preparedJust as youve invested time preparing for the interview, made sure to show u p promptly, studied expectations for the available position and arrived with questions about the company and its goals, your prospective employer should also be ready to assess whether you are a perfect fit for the position. Take note if its apparent that the employer hasnt read your resume, or is late for the appointment.6. The work environment isnt appealing to youFrom the moment you walk in the door for your job interview, pay attention to the environment. Are workers actively engaged in their duties, or are they slumped over their cubicles like drones? Does your prospective boss deal with his peers and subordinates in a professional manner, or does he seem aloof and dismissive? If you see these issues during your interview, theres no reason to believe theyll improve once you start working in the office.7. You dont feel like youre being heardIf the hiring manager does all the talking in the interview and doesnt appear to listen to your comments or ask thoughtful questions about y our career goals and past accomplishments, thats a red flag. You can tell whether a manager is really interested and engaged by observing his body language, eye contact and overall etiquette during the interview.Red flags for job candidates arent hard to spot if you know what to look for during the interview. Dont disregard them. Instead, turn your attention to finding employment elsewhere.Still looking? Learn about how a staffing agency like ours can help you find a temporary position.SEE WHAT TEMPORARY ROLES WE PLACE

10 Tips for Writing a Cover Letter

10 Tips for Writing a Cover Letter 10 Tips for Writing a Cover Letter Learning how to write a titelbild letter thatprovides insight about your experience, desire to work for a company, and personalitycan make a big difference in how many job interviews you get. A poorly written cover letter can make you come off as lazy, and a poorly optimized one can come across as a copy-and-paste job which turns hiring managers off. Here are 10 easy tips for writing a cover letter that boosts your chances of landing an interview.1. Avoid copying your resumeOne of the most common mistakes job seekers make is to squander their cover letter by essentially converting their resume into paragraph form. This redundancy doesnt actually help the hiring manager decide whether you are right for the job, or convince them that you are passionate about getting the opportunity.Use your cover letter as an opportunity to tell hiring managers what your resume cant.2. Skip the generic salutationA lot of cover letter s start with To Whom it May Concern. While this practice was once widely recommended, it has now become outdated. You can skip the salutation line and dive right in to the heart of your cover letter instead.The exception is that, ifyou know the hiring manager you are writing to, you should absolutely address it to them specifically.3. ResearchA good cover letter can become a great one if you pepper in some information based on what youve learned about the company. Get a sense of the companys culture and goals, and write your cover letter to reflect how you would be a great fit into.You can research a potential employerby visiting the companys website, talking to current or past employees, and looking at employer review sites such asGlassdoor.4. Get the opening rightDont waste the first sentence by stating which position youre applying for. Instead, open with a one-sentence pitch that will convince the hiring manager they should consider your cover letter and resume.Try a line such a s, Im an experienced broadcaster with more than a decade of experience in radio and television production.Grab theirattention, and make them want to continue reading.5. Keep it briefThree paragraphs should be enough to answer the important questions a hiring manager would want answered.Who are you?Why do you want to work here?Why are you the best person for the job?If you cant answer these questions in three paragraphs, consider recruiting a friend to help you trim the fat.6.Focus on the companys needsIts easy to get caught up in what a position would mean for you and your career. But a hiring manager isnt interested in why the job is perfect for you they want to know whether youd be a good fit, and how you could help their company.Sell yourself, and forgo the common mistake of explaining how the job would benefityou.7. Dont mention weaknessesHonesty is great, but a cover letter is notlage a place to volunteer negative information about your qualifications. An interview will provide the hiring manager with the chance to find out about your weaknesses.Focus on your strengths, and avoid statements such as, Despite not having worked in salesYou can get a sense of what a hiring manager is looking for by throwing the text of the job description into a word cloud creator such asWordle, which will take the text and present it with frequently-used keywords appearing larger than the rest.Determine which keywords are most applicable to your experience, and work them into your cover letter. Try Jobscans resume analysis tool to make sure you have effectively incorporated the right keywords into your resume as well.8. Tell your storyHow do you associate with the company? Is there something interesting you can share that describes your relationship with the company to this point?If youre applying for a job at a tech company, you might take a sentence or two to describe your experience as a user or customer, a favorite feature, or a suggestion or insight.9. Customize the let ter for the company and jobDont use the same cover letter for every application. Not only does doing so increase your chances ofsubmiting a letter with the wrong company name (which does happen, and which immediately removes you from consideration), it wastes your opportunity to introduce yourself in more depth.Remember, this is your chance to prove that you are passionate about working for a given company. If youre sending out a form letter that offers no personal connection with the brand, the hiring manager will have a hard time seeing the connection, too. Take the time to write a tailored cover letter for each position.10. Inject personalityDont forget to be yourself in your cover letter.In most cases, the hiring manager will appreciate reading something written by a real human being instead of blandcorporate-speak.If you askedyour best friend to read your cover letter, would they hear your voice in the words? If so, then youre on the right track.For a detailed look athow to wri te a cover letter, check out the cover letter vorlage available to Jobscan members.

What to Do When You Just Dont Fit in at Work - The Muse

What to Do When You Just Dont Fit in at Work - The MuseWhat to Do When You Just Dont Fit in at Work These days, being the right person for a job tends to involve a lot more than just showing up with a strong skill set and a passion for the field. More and more companies also want to find someone whos a good culture fit. What this means varies across organizations and industries, but it suggests that no matter how rock-solid your resume, how airtight your interview answers, if you arent deemed the right fit, you may leid get an offer.And yet, because fit can be difficult to determine throughout a couple of interviews or in-person meetings, plenty of individuals find themselves joining companies and quickly realizing that its bedrngnis working- and not because they dont know how to do the job.After many years working for the same company, my friend Tim decided it was time to move on. He felt as though hed outgrown his role at, lets call it, Company P, and was psyched when Company X cam e knocking. Although he liked his colleagues quite a bit, the offer at Company X was worth more to him at the time than friendship in a department where hed already made his mark. After a few weeks at the new gig, Tim and I met for drinks, and I asked him how things were going. Was he liking it as much as hed anticipated? Looking distressed, Tim explained that the actual day-to-day components of the job were great. He was working on some exciting projects and he had a ton of responsibility- far more than his former organization had allowed. But, he admitted, he was eating lunch by himself at his desk every day while a group of his co-workers went out without him. The one happy hour he attended left him feeling defeated, like hed never make any friends.I suggested that he give it more time. After all, the others had established connections months or years prior, whereas Tim had been on the team for less than four weeks. Surely, things would change and hed feel looped in soon. Unfortu nately, that didnt happen. Its been over a year now, and Tim reports feeling as out of it as ever. Theres one person he chats with socially somewhat regularly, and they even get lunch together on occasion, but mostly Tim does his work and deals with the feeling that he doesnt have a group. Since he loves the job, he plans on staying. I suppose things could change for him, but if Im being truly honest, Im inclined to say hes just not a great fit. The leadership team has perhaps realized this and decided it doesnt care since Tims work ethic and output are outstanding. While I dont mean to paint a depressing picture with this anecdote, the truth is, its entirely possible that youll find yourself in a similar position one day, and rather than optimistically- and unrealistically- assure you that youll find a way to fit in, I think its better to be straightforward. If you have a few jobs throughout your career, you may discover that not all of them fit you the same way. If the environment isnt toxic, and you like the work youre doing, it may not even be a big deal- or at least, you dont have to make it a big deal. Sometimes, you can force yourself into a circle. You can drag yourself to events that are way outside your scope of interest just to try to forge a bond with your co-workers. You can engage in conversations on topics that mean nothing to you. You can try to be your bubbliest self in the face of all those extroverts when really, deep down, youre as introverted as they come. Theres plenty you can do to fix your situation, but at the end of the day, you might be happiest admitting that its not going to happen. Im not suggesting you put up with a cliquey environment or allow yourself to be bullied by your co-workers. Im simply saying that if everything else lines up, maybe it doesnt matter if you dont have a ton of friends at work. Instead, ask yourself Are your ideas heard? Do you feel respected? Do you believe your colleagues are open to including you in thi ngs even though youre not interested? Are you learning from your boss and teammates- even though youre not hanging out with them? Again, as long as the environment isnt toxic and you value the work youre doing, this problem doesnt have to cast a dark shadow over your week. If you dont fixate on it, no one else will either. And, down the line, one of two things is likely to happen You move on and land in a role at a company where you 100% fit in , or two, you stay long enough that things start to change and you begin to feel like more of an insider over time.There are a ton of compelling reasons to leave a job- a terrible boss, condescending co-workers, unfair work policies, zero work-life balance- but not fitting in perfectly when everything else is OK probably isnt one of them. With all this said, only you know what you need to thrive in a role. So, if you come to the realization that having good friends at the office is key to your happiness, you should 100% go ahead and start tha t job search. Lifes too short to be unhappy Monday through Friday. Photo of professional man working alone courtesy of Caiaimage/Tom Merton/Getty Images.