Rick Bravo’s Post

"Top-Ten Tips for Encouragement and the Unemployed" Tip #9: PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW No interviews scheduled in the foreseeable future? It's still good to get in shape and be prepared for the day when it arrives. *PREPARE FOR GENERAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS -- The Internet is filled with "Top 20/50/100 Interview Questions." Prepare your stories so you are telling them as comfortably as your favorite personal sagas -- getting your driver's license, what you did at your first job, etc. Think about some of your greatest professional accomplishments and retell these familiar stories to respond to general interview questions. *PRACTICE "STAR" RESPONSES -- When practicing your general responses, get comfortable answering in the STAR format: structure your responses by defining the Situation/Task/Action/Result. *PRACTICE WHAT YOU WON'T BE SAYING -- I'll never forget a friend who was looking for a new job for years. She quite confidently told me she'd begin her interview by telling the hiring manager she won't travel and would only come to the office twice a week... at most. Basically, don't begin the conversation with your demands. And, no... I don't believe she ever found a new position.  *ATTEND AN IN-PERSON JOB FAIR -- what a great opportunity to practice your elevator pitch! And, though I haven't tried speed dating, I think it must be a very similar experience. Multiple attempts to improve your first impression... and maybe, you actually find a path to your new career. *YOU HAVE AN INTERVIEW -- Study up on your prospective professional home. Show them your interest by citing their mission statement, strengths, sustainability programs, leadership, recent accomplishments, position in their industry, etc. Have an insightful question or two prepared for the interviewer. *CONVERT NERVOUS ENERGY INTO EXCITEMENT -- you've been doing all you can to get this interview, and now your nerves are building. Harness that energy and get excited. Show your enthusiasm!

During this time of job fairs and interviews, I am careful to use every interaction as a lesson as well as a job opportunity. Interviews, whether 30 minutes or 30 seconds long, should not only be a pitch but also a conversation. With clear, honest communication and understanding, the interviewee should be able to effectively state the relevant highlights of their skills and background. By listening well, the information can be exactly what the interviewer is looking for! Using tools like company background research and the STAR answer method, candidates should be able to crush every interview by being a master of conversation, rather than a performer of a prompt. Reach out to me to see what the STAR method is and if you have learned any lessons during your interviews! Let's grow together!🌟🌟🌟 Michelle Pribbernow, Ph.D.

"🚀 3 Easy Ways to Prepare for Your Next Interview! 🚀 1️⃣ Mock Interviews with Employers Get real-world practice with actual employers! Sign up through Handshake to participate in a 45-minute mock interview session, complete with feedback on how to improve. 💼 Dress professionally and bring your resume! careers.uiowa.edu/mocks 2️⃣ Meet with a Career Coach Work one-on-one with a career coach to discuss interview prep, career fairs, or review practice interviews from Big Interview. 📅 Book your appointment now for personalized advice! 3️⃣ Big Interview Access powerful video tutorials and practice virtual interviews to boost your confidence and skills. 🎥 Register today for instant access! Get ready to ace your interviews – start preparing now!"

I recently read an article by The Wall Street Journal called, Job Interview Preparation Tips to Help You Stand Out and it had two points that were very interesting to me. The first point talked about if you have gaps in your back round (meaning any long period of time where you were unemployed). The article says that you should always be prepared with answers to explain the gaps such as taking time for yourself or exploring different career interests which I thought was an interesting and smart thing to have answers ready for in an interview. The second tip the article talked about is addressing your own critiques before the interview. This means making sure you sit up straight, and if you have a fidgeting problem making sure you are able to control that before the interview happens. Having a good impression physically is one of the most important things in a job interview so looking presentable is something to work on if you want to be considered for a job! These skills are going to help me dress more presentable at work and help me practice having answers for obscure questions that I may be asked at my internship! https://lnkd.in/ehGaNh9j #alpinecteinternships

Every year we see countless well-meaning professionals make the same interview mistakes. That’s because, contrary to popular belief, the biggest challenge isn’t honing your technical skills – it’s being memorable. Interview pros know how to stand out from the crowd: - They scrap the Q&A script and connect on a human level. At the end of the day, an interview is just a conversation on a topic about which both parties are personally invested – so, the best kind of conversation! - They enjoy stumping their interviewers. Bonus points if they can prompt a “I’ll get back to you about that.” - They’re genuinely curious about…everything. Even if they don’t get the job, interview veterans aim to leave every interaction having learned something new about the industry, company, and role. - They know the value of a thank you note. Archaic convention or not, thank you notes are the perfect opportunity to emphasize strengths, fill in any gaps, and express excitement. Making people like and remember you is just as important as proving your technical chops - after all, almost everyone applying can do the basics of the job. Fair or not, people who master the art of being memorable tend to get more job offers. Have you gotten lost in the crowd – or even worse, lost in the black hole of online applications? What’s worked for you to stand out?

New Tough Interview Question & Answer Do you prefer staff or line (evolving or repetitive) work? You might be asked this question at a job fair (yes, they still have them!), or in a situation where the kind of work you’re looking for isn’t clear to the interviewer. This can happen when you use a generic resume without a specific Objective, a company is trying to fill a lot of different positions at the same time, or the interviewer wants to better understand where you might fit in. With this query, the interviewer is really asking is it your preference to work collaboratively with others, or to work on the same task(s) repetitively and possibly in isolation. Of course, only you can answer this question, but regardless of your preference, state it briefly and clearly, without further explanation. You don’t want to give your interviewer something to be judgmental about unnecessarily, nor do you want to create more questions in their mind.

Connect on a human level! Read below:

Just learned a new term to explain all these job placements: Ghost Posting. Explains a lot about how one can apply to upwards of like 300 jobs in a few weeks and maybe get one job interview a month. If there are real recruiters out there interested to speaking with me they usually just email me directly or call me at this point. I'm starting to just not believe that linkedin or indeed is filled with little more than fake job spam. Exceptionally disheartening for someone trying to actually get back into the field after months of searching and maybe a handful of interviews.

Making Your Mark: Crafting a Memorable First Impression in Job Interviews🌟 Hey LinkedIn fam! 👋 Let’s talk about something crucial today—making a killer first impression in job interviews. Whether you're stepping into a job interview for your dream role or meeting a potential employer at a career fair, those first few moments can truly make or break your opportunity. Remember the time I walked into my first big job interview? Sweaty palms, rehearsed lines—classic nerves kicking in! But you know what made the difference? It wasn’t just my crisp formal attire or polished resume; it was how genuinely interested I was in the company and the role. I asked insightful questions, listened intently, and found common ground beyond the job description. That's the secret sauce, folks—authenticity and genuine curiosity. It's not about impressing with fancy jargon or a perfect handshake (although those help!). It’s about showing up as your authentic self, ready to connect and add value. And here’s the thing: making a great first impression isn’t about being flawless. It’s about being real and memorable in a sea of sameness. So, next time you’re gearing up for that big interview, focus on being present, showing empathy, and leaving a positive impact. Let’s all strive to make every first encounter count, shall we? 🚀 #FirstImpression #InterviewTips #CareerGrowth #AuthenticityWins #JobSearch #ProfessionalDevelopment

My congratulations to another client who is graduating with a wonderful job and my thanks for his review. Will prioritized his search and was proactive about making sure he had the job search and interview skills he needed to be successful, so kudos to him! I love that Will’s review of our work together highlighted that I was able to bring out the best in him so he could go into interviews with confidence. This is something I focus on because oftentimes students and recent graduates underestimate the value they can bring to an employer. This is where working together to explore their experiences and accomplishments is so helpful. I am able to partner with clients to mine their experiences for “nuggets of gold”, and provide outside perspective on the value of these achievements to employers. Not only does this allow the job seeker to demonstrate to an employer what they have to offer, but just as importantly, if not more so, the student or grad is able to gain appreciation for their accomplishments which brings new found confidence! This is critical for successful interviewing because a prospective employer can feel when a candidate is confident in their abilities and for the interviewer this translates into confidence that the candidate is up to the task of delivering for the employer. If your student is graduating and hasn’t yet secured a full-time job, now is the time for them to focus their energies on their search. This means a lot more than just submitting job applications and hoping to hear back. Instead, they should be actively networking, identifying their skills and passions, and mining their experiences for achievements so they can appreciate their own value and share that with interviewers. If you have a student or graduate who can use help identifying the skills and experiences they have had that will be of value to prospective employers in their specific field, industry, and functional area, feel free to reach out. I can be reached via message here or by email at interviewacecoaching@gmail.com You can also follow me for tips at https://lnkd.in/gYBYcuaf