April 25th, 2010Understanding Your Resume To Ace A Job Interview
Preparing for a job interview? Good for you! You’ll want to be comfortable talking about anything that you have included on your resume, particularly why you left previous jobs. If you have employment gaps, this is another thing you should be ready to explain.
If you have had a period of unemployment, you may be worried about how to explain this to an employer. This does not have to be a bad thing, but you will need to present it in the most positive light possible.
This is not to say that you should lie – do not ever lie on a job interview. Just prepare to talk about what you were doing while you were not working for another employer.
One example of a positive spin on a period in which you were actively looking for work and were able to spend time with family during the process is to just say so. You won’t be judged necessarily for needing time to find work, but if you complain this would be seen as negative.
Maybe you were unemployed because you were a student. Coming back into the work force with new skills and knowledge is a good thing.
If you have long period of unemployment, this could make it harder to get the actual interview. One method of breaking through this barrier is to include a brief explanation of the period of unemployment in your cover letter or on the resume.
It may be tough to look at your own resume and think of what questions may be asked of you. If this is a problem, consider having a friend or family member take a look and ask you natural questions that come to their mind. A fresh pair of eyes never hurts.
The last thing you want to do on an interview is have a hard time explaining what is on your own resume. If you had someone else prepare your resume, you should be especially careful to make sure that you are prepared to discuss anything and everything on your resume. Good luck!
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