If you are an applicant, I’m sure that you are busy finishing your resume and you are even practicing mock interviews with your friends. That’s a good sign. But do you know that your resume and way of speaking is not enough for you to pass the interview process? I conducted some small chit-chats with different HR people. Luckily, they shared their ‘secrets’ with me. I’m willing to share it with you. I believe that you will be able to get hired if you read this article.
Format of your resume
You might have great credentials. You might have a lot of awards. In fact, it seems that it won’t fit in a 2 – page resume. Do you still have to include all your credentials?
My answer is a big NO. Just so you know, HR people are very busy. They won’t give an hour just to read your ‘novel’ like resume. It is best if you learn how to compile those. For example, instead of putting all the years when you became an outstanding student like this:
- 1999 3rd Honor Student
- 2000 2nd Honor Student
- 2001 3rd Honor Student
you can just put, ‘Consistent Honor Student’. I think that even if you don’t put the years when you bagged the awards, the HR people will know that you are smart using the alternative phrase I suggested.
Related: Warning! 3 Things that Really Shouldn’t Be on Your Profile.
The kind of paper you are using
Of course, this wouldn’t apply if you are going to send your resume via email. But if you are going to personally deliver your resume, I suggest that you print it in a quality paper.
I remember during college, I submitted a report to my strict professor. I wasn’t aware that the kind of paper that you use has a bearing. Well, when I got my report back, I received a bad comment about the quality of paper I used. My professor said that a paper can tell a lot of things about a person. It’s actually a representation if you are serious or not. From then on, I always print important documents in a quality paper.
How you walk
Don’t you know that HR representatives check out the way you walk? Some people think that this is shallow. If you ask my opinion, that’s fine. I would like you to know that walking can also tell thousands of things about your personality.
Try to put yourself in their position. If you are an HR personnel, who would you hire? Are you going to be impressed by a person who walks with his head down? Or are you going to be impressed by a person who’s confident?
There’s no doubt that you will choose the latter, right? A company needs an employee that represents them well. If you are confident even while walking, you will have that unfair leverage.
Related: And the Interview Was Going So Well Until…
How you smell!
I’m not talking about smelling like you just finished a basketball game. This is actually the other way around. Don’t go in an interview smelling like you took a bath using perfume. It’s too strong. A lot of times HR people disgraced that. Just make sure that you smell nice. That means, you need to be fresh. A little bit of scent will do fine. And don’t forget to bring your handkerchief. That will come in handy if you perspire a lot.
Irritating follow ups
Once you are done with the interview, don’t panic. This is the perfect time to breathe. Wait for a few days for the call. Don’t call the employers every day. Even if you made the cut, you’ll never get hired because they are already irritated.
Use this knowledge to be able to fully prepare for your application. Perhaps, you think that what I have here are shallow or useless. Believe me, they play a huge role in the process. Hence, you have to take note of these.
Related: 10 Job Interview Blunders You Must Avoid.
Toni Okeson is one of the senior content writers for Gowelding.org. It is an established welding site and a place to learn about Tungsten Arc Weld. If you wish to learn welding from the best, then this is the best source. Image: Shutterstock.
