PLACEMENT FEES

Make sure that the employer is responsible for any placement fees. There are too many companies willing to pay a fee. You should never have to pay someone to find you a job.

APPEARANCE

Your appearance is critical. Dress and act appropriately whenever you have contact with a potential employer. Every meeting is a chance for you to be evaluated. This means that no matter how casual the contact appears to be, you have an opportunity to make an impression-either good or bad.

DEALING WITH THE RECEPTIONIST

The receptionist or secretary is an important person. They are the gatekeeper guarding your access to the rest of the company. Do not act rude or superior. Be pleasant and it may pay off. Be aware that how you treat these gatekeepers will affect your access to important people. It will also be communicated to others in the company.

RESUME

Your resume is your sales brochure. In many cases it is the only opportunity you will have to present yourself to a potential employer. It must be neat and easy to read. Spelling and punctuation errors are fatal. Have someone you trust proofread and correct your resume. Remember that potential employers receive many resumes. The person screening them is usually not a technical specialist. If they do not find what they are looking for or think your resume is sloppy, that will be the end of the line for you. Using an objective statement limits the scope of opportunities you will be considered for. Do not use one in most cases. Do not put in salary information unless required to do so when answering an ad. You may cost yourself money or price yourself out of a good job. Send a cover letter (see below) when you send a resume. Don't make the employer guess why you have sent it.

RESEARCH

Research the company. Google them, call for brochures, meet people who work there. Use these resources and mention some of the things you learned in your interview and express interest in learning more about what the company does.

INTERVIEW

Be positive during your interview. An employer is mainly interested in what you have to offer his company. If you give the impression that you are only interested in what the company can do for you, you will lose their interest quickly. A firm handshake and eye contact are important. If you have difficulty looking someone in the eye, look at the bridge of their nose. It will appear that you are looking them in the eye.

KEEP IT POSITIVE

If there are negative things in your education or employment, be honest. Don't dwell on them and do try to put them in as positive a light as possible. Keep the negative comments about past employers to a minimum. You do not want to appear to be a malcontent. End the interview on a positive note. If you are interested in the position, tell the employer. Don’t make them try to read your mind. Remember that your competition is probably asking for the job.

FOLLOW-UP

Follow-up with a thank you note (see below) and possibly a phone call. If you are interested in the position, say so. The employer is looking for your interest and enthusiasm. They want people who want the job.

COVER LETTERS

A cover letter gives a potential employer an opportunity to evaluate your ability to communicate. It is your chance to make a good impression. Make sure that all the words are spelled properly and that there are no punctuation or grammar errors. These all reflect on your ability to communicate.

Here are some things to consider when putting your cover letter together: A cover letter should draw employers to your resume. Don't clutter it with needless facts.

Keep it brief; no employer wants to read your life's history.

Tailor it to the position and company to which you are applying; in other words, a cover letter shouldn't be "canned."

Begin by explaining why you are writing to this person and where you heard about the opportunity. You may want to say something similar to "your recent Daily News advertisement caught my attention" , or "I heard about this opportunity through Kames & Associates".

Be sure to say why you think you would be a good match for the position. If the advertisement lists several traits or skills the employer wants to see in job applicants, refer to those skills in your letter and say how you exemplify them. Mention traits that will set you apart from other candidates.

Refer the employer to your resume, for example, "you can see from my resume that I have the experience you are looking for" may be a good way to do so. Experiment with your own wording.

Remember to sign your cover letter.

Note "enclosure" or "enc." several lines after your signature because your resume is enclosed.


THANK YOU LETTERS

Now that you have written a resume and cover letter and done everything right during an interview, there is still one important thing to do (no one said this was going to be easy).

You need to write a Thank You Letter.

Sending a Thank You Letter is an important step in the process. It shows that you understand and practice good business etiquette. The letter gives you a chance to reinforce some of the positive things you said in the interview. You can also add anything that you forget to mention in the interview.

Here are some things to consider when putting your Thank you letter together:

Thank the employer for his or her time during the interview; this is, after all, a thank you letter.

Mention some of the things you learned during the interview, specifically those things you feel you are qualified to do. For example, "I was especially excited to learn that you are looking for someone with SoftWare Pro experience. As you may recall my mentioning, I have over five years of experience designing brochures using SoftWare Pro."

If you forgot to mention something during the interview, include it in the thank you letter.

Invite the employer to contact you for more information if necessary.

Mention that you are looking forward to the employer's decision.

If the employer requested that you submit samples of your work, you may attach them to the thank you letter. Be sure to mention the attachments in your letter: "As requested, I am forwarding samples of the press releases I have written for your review."

Be sure to sign your thank you letter.