How to Land the Job. . .
Dress Attire
What to wear is becoming increasingly complicated as more and more companies are converting to a casual dress code instead of the usual suit and tie look. The best way to get a feel for what to wear to a job interview is to research the company and seek out what kind of atmosphere you will find there. If you find the company to have a more conservative dress code, then men will usually wear a suit and tie with dress shoes. Try to avoid wearing too many bright and contrasting colors; because, they tend to be distracting. Women will usually wear either a skirt and a button down dress shirt with heels or a pants suit with heels. If a company seems to have a more casual dress code, then men usually wear dress slacks or khakis with a button down shirt and dress shoes. Women tend to wear a pencil skirt or pants with a collared shirt or a work dress, all with heels.
Good
Formal
Bad
Casual
Speech
When in an interview, it is easy to slip into our usual slang vocabulary. It is important to avoid short cuts in speech. Doing this helps employers to see that you are a capable and intelligent candidate for the job. During an interview try to avoid using words such as: "like", "gonna", "um", and "and stuff", etc. Instead use words such as: enjoy, going to, similar to. To avoid using fillers such as "um" and "and stuff" make sure you think through your responses before you say them. It is important to be direct in what you say. At the same time, have emotion in your voice, and try not to sound like a robot. Word choice is very important, so try to use upbeat and positive language.
Bad Sentence: "I'm gonna go to lake um... Johnson this summer and try to get like a super good tan and stuff."
Good Sentence: "I will be going to lake Johnson this summer, and while I am there, I will be working on my tan."
Be Prepared
Being prepared for an interview is crucial to landing a job. If you don't prepare for common questions asked in interviews, it becomes very easy to be blindsided by simple questions.
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Make sure you can list some of your strengths and weaknesses.
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Research the company before you attend the interview. Doing this gives you some background knowledge on the company, which in turn can help you stand out as a candidate for the job.
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Prepare a few good questions to ask the employer at the end of the interview. By asking questions, you are showing that your are engaged, interested, and genuinely care about the job and the company.
Energy
One of the biggest problems people run into during a job interview is that they radiate bad energy in the interview. Most of the time, this is unintentionally caused by nerves. When in the interview be sure to smile, use positive language, and avoid talking in a monotonous voice. If you do all of these things you seem like a much happier and more enjoyable person to work with. Having good energy can help translate into landing the job you are hoping for.
Follow Up
When hiring, a business can go through hundreds of applications and interviews. A good way to help yourself stand out is to send a hand written thank you letter to the employer after the interview. It is a good idea to send the letter whether you know you got the job or not. Sending a thank you letter, shows that you care about the job and you respect the time the business spent to interview you.
Networking & Creating Connections
Networking is possibly the most important part of job hunting. Networking is what people refer to when they say, "It's not what you know; it's who you know." Making connections with other people in the job force is networking. When you make an effort to get in touch with people in your job field, it helps you gain a foothold in the industry. A great way to network with individuals of power is to attend seminars, public speeches, and workshops. Once you meet the an individual, don't just focus on business talk and your personal qualities. Instead, talk about some interesting personal details between the two of you. By talking about other topics, it helps them actually take an interest in you, as well as differentiate you from every other person they meet that day.