Recently I have been going on job interviews, as my OPS contract with the college expires soon. The daily news covers stories about how tough the job market is and people having to go to many interviews before securing something. It seems like the jobs you really want, are not offered, however, the job you are not too excited about, is offered.  All in all, I decided to look at the many learning opportunities that I have had over the past few weeks. I’m not by far the expert on job hunting and interviewing. Here are a few things I have learned:

  • Learn to have patience. Often approvals, etc. take time. When should you follow-up on a job? Really not sure, but I found that following up one week or two weeks after the interview is really too soon.
  • Never assume you got the job. If the job is too good to be true, then it might not happen.
  • Don’t get over confident.
  • Sometimes second interviews are very different then the first. During the first interview, it seems like everyone is on their best behavior to impress you. Be sure to really observe the office and people in that office on the second interview.
  • Be prepared for the unexpected. Some interviews don’t always use the typical difficult questions.  Additionally, they could be watching your body language and how you would handle something under pressure.
  • Be willing to step out of your comfort zone.
  • There is no perfect job.
  • Focus on the positive. Try to find something you learned during the process.

Some other things I realized about myself was the fact that after you have been of away from your field of expertise for 6 months, you can be out of touch and no longer the expert.  I often felt after all the years of obtaining my degree’s, I still was not educated enough. So, spend some time brushing up on your skills and knowledge.

No matter what, I think the most important thing I have learned is to focus on the positive. Job hunting can be really tough. You really don’t want give off negative vibes.

🙂