Submitted by britthorn
Over the next few months I will be posting a step-by-step guide to getting the perfect job in the extremely competitive legal market. Unfortunately, many worthy candidates fail to snag their dream job based on poor interviewing skills. A major source of this problem is interviewees failing to address each step of the interviewing process. From my perspective, the interviewing process has the following steps:
1. Creating the perfect resume;
2. Buying and putting together an appropriate outfit;
3. Showing up on time and prepared;
4. Nailing the first impression and handshake;
5. Controlling body language;
6. Highlighting your strong points, regardless of what questions are asked;
7. Making yourself standout in comparison to other interviewees;
8. Nailing the final impression and exit; and
9. Writing a formal thank you letter after the interview.
This month I will address step one of my step-by-step guide to nailing an interview. The first step, creating the perfect resume, is possibly the most important stage of the interviewing process. Why? This answer is simple. Without the perfect resume, the employer may not even decide to interview you for the position. Without an interview, you obviously have no hope of getting the job.