Some of you may not always be in the interview seat and may actually be the one interviewing a prospective candidate. Whether you are doing it as a favor to a friend or are a recruiter, or someone asked you to keep an applicant company while they are being shuffled from one interview to another, remember to put yourself in the candidate’s place and act “as if”. We all know how nervous and intimidating the interview process can be. Understanding that is the first step in making a candidate feel comfortable and less awkward during the rigorous interview process.

Here are some topics or actions that will likely make an already nervous job applicant see “red” or worse, run in fear before the interview even gets started. Next time you are in front of a prospective candidate consider avoiding the following:

“You are sitting in my chair!” Claiming your space during an interview may seem like a natural step for you but marking your territory with an unsuspecting candidate is likely to have them feel like they just stepped in a pile before they even sit down. Physical and personal boundaries are important when meeting new people but rearranging people like furniture is not going to win you any high marks and will likely set the stage for a very tense first impression.
“So, you’ve been married before?” Finding ways to break the ice when meeting someone for the first time is an important first step in establishing a good rapport. Delving into their personal life and inquiring about their marital status or how often they date is not. Finding the boundaries between “social” and “sociopath” will help you know just how close is too close for comfort.
“When was the last time you had sex?” There is probably no “good” conversation where this phrase is appropriate unless of course you are auditioning for a scene in “Masters of Sex.” Inquiring about someone’s sexual activity is not appropriate topic of conversation for the office or in any professional setting.
“How late do you like to work?” It’s nice to know the work ethic of the prospective candidate, but inquiring as to their work preferences implies you may have a set of standards that are hard to match. You can discuss work expectations but watch out when you want to know what time this person likes to go home and have dinner with the family. At that point, it’s really none of your business.
“Excuse me …” It’s good to feel comfortable in your own skin, but when you are feeling a little to at ease you may miss the line between appropriate and crude. Controlling your physical urges in front of a candidate who is not your family member will help you set a good example not to mention maintain self-control during the meeting.
We all want to make a good first impression and knowing that you are representing your employer when you meet someone new for a job means you should act as if your boss were in the room with you. Your personal comments and actions during an interview are as important to a prospective candidate as what you may find on their resume. It’s always good to try and make someone feel relaxed but remember making someone feel “at home” should not be taken literally.

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As of June the current unemployment rate in the US is 5.5%. That is a marked improvement from two years ago. So what does that actually mean to you? If you are just graduating, ready to make a job change or just kicking the tires to see what’s out there, the good news is there are plenty-o-jobs! You might be struggling to find the right job for you but that does not mean that your options, choices and opportunities are limited. What it does mean however is that it’s time to not take any job that is offered to you but know how to become the stealth job candidate and choose the job that is right for you.

You might ask okay how do I know which job is the right one for me? Well doing your homework about the company you are considering is a no brainer. But how many of you actual dig deeper? When it’s time to narrow down your short list of potential employers you’d consider working for, think not only about the company but the person you’d be working for as well. Many of us think that if we get an interview let alone an offer from a company we’ve been courting for a while that we have got it made. Our curiosity about the company may stop with the benefits package or the 401k match. But it shouldn’t. Your sleuthing should just begin when you have honed in on the company and the job you are considering.

How do you go about being a stealth candidate? Well the process starts with coming up with a few key questions and the digging does not stop there. You not only need your Q&A list but you better start working your network of contacts and of course the internet to do some serious digging about not just the place you will be working but the people you will be working with.

Stealth Job Seeker Q&A List:

1. How long did the last person stay in the job you are applying for and why did they leave?
2. What reputation does the person you’ll be working for have in the company and outside the industry?
3. How many people have been promoted under his/her leadership?
4. Did you check out glassceiling or Google the name of the person you’d be working for?
5. What reviews do the employee’s give this person?
6. Have you asked to speak to any internal direct reports before taking the job?
7. What type of communication style does this person have?
8. Did s/he ask any inappropriate questions during the interview that make you nervous?
9. Is this someone you think you can learn from or someone who will likely suck the life out of you?
10. What does your gut tell you about this person?

Considering and accepting a job before you do the really hard work might save you time and years of aggravation if you make a choice that is not right for you. Don’t be afraid to ask some serious questions before you accept your next job offer. It’s neither inappropriate nor unprofessional if you dig as deep as you can before you start the onboarding process. Hey if they don’t like your line of inquiry, then you know it’s not the right company for you.

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Maybe the concept of work no longer has the same appeal as it did when you walked down the aisle to accept that ribbon glad diploma. You may still dream of the day when you land the job of your dreams or can start your own business where the thought of work still excites you. You may not do it for the paycheck or the corner office or even for all of the perks that come with the job. You may be into it for the creative process, the idea you can still create something and that you can and will make a meaningful contribution.

Whether you feel you are in the right place in your career or you feel you are still struggling to get ahead, you never imagined for a minute that you might actually have to work harder to get less than you thought? No one in school ever mentioned that! The work landscape continues to evolve, jobs may ebb and flow and the opportunities are abundant no matter where you turn. Still, why are there times when you feel that no matter how hard you work, or give it your all and you think that someone is paying attention to your efforts, but in actuality you are not getting any further than you did when you accepted your first job.

You maybe working harder for less money, for less recognition or for less upward mobility but yet, you continue to work-after all what choice do you have? If you have been in your career and excelled in your profession for awhile there is a time where you may need to step back in order to move forward. I know it seems counter intuitive but just like you have to pay more in taxes when you earn more in income, there is always a consequence to every action, good, bad or indifferent.

Not to make matters worse but working harder for less may be the new American dream. Lowering your level of expectation means you have to realize there is a reason you are where you are in your life and sometimes you need to make a choice or pick another path of action in order to get ahead. I’m not meaning to discourage or tell you to forget about going after what you want but knowing that you may need to put a bit more into it if you really, really, really want what you are after is the real truth. The good news is there is no limit to the opportunities that are available to you but the reality is you are not alone in your quest for the dream job. Line up with all the others pursuing the same dreams. What does that mean to you? It means you better get going in the race to get ahead and understand that you do have to work harder for the privilege of just being able to stand in line to submit your resume or land an interview let alone get a job offer. That is the true prize.

Not everyone is made of hard work, sweat and tears. Most give up before they even try but if you are not a quitter and you are passionate and believe in yourself there are no limits to where you can go from here no matter how little you get paid. We all started somewhere the ones that are further ahead in their careers are the ones who did not give up when the going got tough. Which type are you?

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If it’s times to update the resume because you are getting call after call to audition for your next big job, you might want to give some meaningful thought into the words you choose to express yourself. It might feel great when you get the call and they want to set you up for an interview but do you ask yourself how you even got that far? It may have been through an introduction or it may just have been the compelling words on your resume whatever the reason knowing what terms or phrases to avoid on your resume might help you get one step closer to landing the perfect job.

What does your resume really say about you?   If you ever wondered what works and what does not work when it comes to impressing someone you don’t even know here are a few “overused” words and phrases that you might consider eliminating from your resume if you want even a fighting chance at nailing the next job interview:

1. Thought Leader: When it comes to describing your leadership qualities and those you may admire in others, using this phrase to highlight your ability to be both thoughtful and a leader in one phrase seems over reaching and not a great way to explain how you truly think, feel and lead.
2. Thinking Outside The Box: Depending on whose box you are thinking “in” or “out” of may not be to your advantage when you are trying to explain how “creative” a thinker you really are. Best to think of another way that bests describe your ability to be innovative by citing a few key business examples rather than overusing a phrase that really isn’t very original to begin with.
3. Strategic Thinker: Much like being a thought leader being strategic is not something you need to think too much about if you are truly “strategic”. Showing someone how strategic you are is always about highlighting your professional results and not merely declaring you are able to think or act strategically. You need to prove it in order to convince someone else that you are strategic.
4. Results Oriented: Your orientation towards results is a given if you are good at what you do. Stating that fact is one thing but highlighting your accomplishments and the way your results increased profitability for the company is another. Show me the money and we’ll show you results.
5. Highly Motivated: You may be motivated by your work and your ambition to succeed but telling someone you don’t know in your resume about your motivations is not necessarily going to win you any extra points. Let’s put it this way, one would hope you are motivated, no need to pronounce it as some professional revelation.
6. Change Agent: Not everyone likes change. Change for change sake is not necessarily something you need to brag about. Being an agent of change implies you can make things happen. Just be careful that your agent status does not make you seem like you are a security breach or a career operative.
7. Dynamic: Being a dynamo is great when you are setting up a dating profile but describing yourself that way in a work situation is not necessarily the way to get the support of others. Describing yourself as “dynamic” is great if you are trying out for a professional soccer league.
8. Bottom Line: When describing your skills like a balance sheet be careful not to make yourself appear to be so goal oriented that you miss the big picture. Being able to relate to the people in your professional circle the way you can manage your departmental budget takes more skill than being a bottom line bouncer.
9. Best in Class: This might work for entry into a “dog show” competition but not when you are trying to explain how great you are as it relates to your professional skills. Save the “best in” for a beauty contest and not your resume.
10. Team Player: This phrase may have meaning when watching the World Cup but when you talk about how well you play with others in the workplace, it’s not necessary to let everyone know you can and will play nicely with other employees if your job depended on it.

Making sure you represent yourself in person as well as you do on your resume should not be considered an art form, but should take more than just common sense when you make an effort to stand out.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

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And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50