What College Students Should Wear to a Job Interview

What College Students Should Wear to a Job InterviewWhat College Students Should Wear to a Job InterviewWhile college students might dress casually in the classroom, they should always dress professionally when interviewing for a professional job or internship. Below are a few tips on how to select the perfect outfit for a job interview. Research the Company Before going to an interview, find out how employees at the company dress. This might involve researching the company online or even calling the company and asking before your interview. Some companies are very conservative in their dress policies and require business attire, while others are mora business casual. Either way, you should always dress at least slightly nicer than the employees. If you cannot find out how the employees typically dress, it is safest to dress conservatively. It is far better to come to an interview overdressed than underdressed. Attire for Men Men should wear a suit, tie, and dress shoes for f ruchtwein interviews. The suit should be a subdued, solid color (navy and deep gray are best), and shoes should be black or brown. Wear a long sleeve, button-down shirt (either white or another color that matches your suit), and a subdued tie (small dots or classic stripes work well). Wear black socks so that you will look professional if you cross your ankles. Even if the employees typically dress in a business casual style, you may still want to wear a suit and tie. However, if the interviewer tells you that you should dress casually, or you are very confident that they prefer a casual style, you can wear a blazer or sports jacket with dress slacks and either a sweater or a button-down shirt. Make sure your jacket and pants match (again, navy and deep gray work best) and that your shirt or sweater is not too brightly colored or patterned. Wear black or brown dress shoes and black socks. Your look must be polished iron your outfit the night before and make sure your shoes are clean (you may consider getting a shoe shine before the interview).? Attire for Women Women have slightly more options for professional interview attire. A suit (either pantsuit or skirt suit) with a button-down shirt or blouse is most appropriate for a professional interview. The suit should be a solid, neutral color, such as navy, dark gray or black. The shirt or blouse can be any color that matches the suit but is not too bright or loudly patterned. Make sure your blouse is not low cut if you feel at all concerned that it is too revealing, do not wear it. Wear neutral colored shoes, either professional flats or heels (no more than 2-3 inches). In the instance that the employees typically dress in a business casual style, you can still opt to wear a suit if you like. If you are instructed to dress casually, a skirt or slacks with a blouse or button-down shirt and blazer or neutral cardigan should do the trick. The skirt or slacks and blazer should be a solid, neutral color, such as navy, dark grey, or black. Make sure your blouse is not too low cut or too brightly patterned. If elect to wear a skirt, you may want to wear nude pantyhose, especially if you are interviewing for a very conservative company. It always helps to give your clothes a fresh iron and shoes a polish before your interview. Grooming Tips Men should make sure their hair and nails are trim, and that they have shaved or trimmed their facial hair. Women should put up their hair in a clean, simple updo, such as a sleek ponytail or bun, or wear their hair down if it is washed and trimmed. Both men and women should avoid heavy colognes and perfume that might be distracting for the interview. Makeup for women should be limited. This may include a concealer or foundation, a neutral gloss or lipstick, and mascara. Avoid brightly colored eyes. Jewelry Women may wear simple jewelry, including one small necklace (such as a pearl necklace) and small studs or little hoops. Any other jewelry or pi ercings should be removed. Men should remove any jewelry or piercings during the interview. Both men and women should try to titelblatt up any tattoos.

Can Introverts Get Ahead in the Workplace

Can Introverts Get Ahead in the WorkplaceCan Introverts Get Ahead in the Workplace3 steps introverts can take to highlight their talents and advance their careers.Are you an introvert? If not, someone you know probably is. Studies show that one-third to one-half of Americans are introverts, according to Susan Cain, author of the book Quiet The Power of Introverts in a World That Cant Stop Talking.While no one has an entirely introverted or extroverted personality type, people tend to be mora of one or the other, experts say. Someone mora introverted is energized by time alone, is an excellent listener, thinks carefully before speaking or acting, and prefers to express feelings in writing instead of talking, according to Beth Buelow, the Tacoma, Wash.-based founder of The Introvert Entrepreneur.If youre an introvert looking to gain ground in yur career, you may be sitting on a gold mine. Leadership in the American workplace is imbalanced, some experts say, and in need of more introver ted styles.Cain says our value system hinges on the Extrovert Ideal - the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight. Introversion is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology, she writes. And while extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, its become an oppressive standard that most people feel they must conform to, she says.Ray Williams, president and CEO of Ray Williams Associates in Vancouver, Canada, says our culture portrays strong leaders as men who are aggressive, outgoing and dominant- a stereotype perpetuated by movies, TV and the press. We have a preference for leaders like Donald Trump, he says, even if their performance records are lackluster.The status and reputation of quiet, introverted leadership is undervalued and underappreciated, Williams explains in a Psychology Today article. Despite decades of research on leadership pointing to other less demonst rative skills that are needed, extroverted leaders are still favored in recruiting and promoting decisions. Yet recent research reveals that todays workplace may be more suited to introverted, quiet leaders.Making the Most of Quiet StrengthsWilliams says our reliance on extroverted leadership styles has led to business failures such as those on Wall Street. The workplace needs a better balance of introverts and extroverts, he says, not just at the leadership level, but throughout the ranks.The strengths of an introvert, such as being a good listener, are not always obvious. Yet such skills are invaluable to employers, and introverts are in a prime spot to capitalize on them, experts say.Growing awareness about what it really means to be an introvert is opening a window of opportunity for so-called quiet leaders, according to Buelow. Being an introvert doesnt mean you are shy, or dont like people, she says.Buelow offers several steps introverts can take to highlight their talents and move their careers forwardGet comfortable discussing your accomplishments and strengths. Offer stories and examples of how you contributed to a past success. Share the spotlight with your colleagues, your project or process, and the company, to keep it from feeling self-oriented.Recognize strengths you can cultivate and use to promote yourself. Listening, focus, making one-on-one connections, introspection and establishing safety all lead to increased transparency and communication.Focus on your listening skills. If youre more of an introvert, youre likely to be a good listener, one of the most valuable traits of a leader. Introverts absorb information and consider it from all angles before taking action.Toward BalanceA balance of extroverts and introverts is needed for a team to succeed, experts say. Managers and employers can achieve that balance in a variety of ways. During the hiring process, Williams suggests using profile assessments that include emotional intelligence and pe rsonality style.Buelow recommends using a strengths-based approach to hiring and evaluation. Recognize where introverts thoughtful, calm, observant energy can be an asset and encourage those employees to step into leadership roles, she says.The language employers use to recruit should show they want people with different work styles, as well, Buelow says. Shes learned that many introverts try to be more extroverted so they get considered for leadership roles. This certainly expanded their comfort zone. But it also led to less job satisfaction and higher burn-out, since they had to act like someone they werent in order to be accepted, she explains.

This One Detail Could Totally Transform Your Resume

This One Detail Could Totally Transform Your Resume This One Detail Could Totally Transform Your Resume People tend to leave one crucial detail out of their resumes: their results! However, including this detail could totally transform your resume and make it much more effective. Dont  sell yourself short. Give your results a prominent place on your resume. Why Do Results Matter? Anyone can say theyre a great employee, but very few people can actually prove it. Thats where results come in. When applying for a job, you want to use facts to make a case for why the company should hire you. If you can show a hiring manager that you will be the solution to their problem by discussing the value youve created for previous employers, youll have a much better shot at the role. Relying on subjective terms and clichés instead of quantifiable results will get you nowhere. In fact, employers look negatively  on this because it doesnt convey any real information. Instead of saying you are results-driven, give potential employers a taste of what youve actually achieved: Pitched and cultivated a relationship with [Company Name], securing $10,000 partnership for 2016. This sentence shows that you actively pursued a client and generated concrete results. Using active verbs and integrating metrics creates a stronger claim than using common resume phrases or buzzwords. Create a SOAR Story A SOAR story is a great way to bring results into your resume. SOAR stands for situation, obstacle, action, result. A SOAR story is a format in which you analyze an event at work by breaking it down into the situation, the obstacle you faced, the action you took, and the result of the action. As career coach Alyson Garrido explains,  the SOAR format works wonders when writing a resume, penning a cover letter, or preparing for an interview. It also bolsters your confidence. Creating SOAR stories prior to writing your resume ensures you are paying attention to your results. It also helps with interview prep by keeping your achievements top of mind so youll have no difficulty wowing your interviewer. What Youre Missing Out on if You Dont Include Results Think about a court case. Anyone can make a claim, but if theres no evidence, the claim has no power. Its the same when someone reads your resume. You can talk about how great you are for as long as you like, but if you dont have any evidence or results to prove your greatness, no one will take your claim seriously. Not providing enough quantifiable results may automatically knock you out of the running for a job. Thats a pretty big statement, but the fact of the matter is that each corporate job opening receives an average of 250 applicants. If you arent showcasing results, someone else probably is, and theyll be more likely to land the job than you are. - If youre not including results on your resume when applying for a job, youre doing yourself a disservice. Including this one detail could transform your resume and make your job search a lot more successful. Michele Lando is a certified professional resume writer and the founder of  Write Styles.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. We're SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.