If you’ve just finished college or are looking to make a change in your career, you’re more than likely to be interviewed several times for a number of different positions in the near future. Often we apply to jobs that we would love, even though we might not meet all of the qualifications, just because we want that one position. Here’s how to get your foot in the door and dramatically increase the chances of you getting your dream job.

It’s all about who you know. Do you know anyone who works for the organization or maybe one of the organization’s major partners? Ask and see if they can throw in a good word for you. If you don’t have any contacts in the organization, go ahead and stop by and make some. Chat with a secretary or someone who does something similar to what you would like to do there.

Your Resume is Just a Sheet of Paper—A Very Important Sheet of Paper. Your resume won’t get you the job, but it will get you the interview. Make your resume consistent, clean, simple, and error free. Recruiters tend to notice glaring errors on the resumes and use it as a way to weed out less desirable candidates. If you don’t have top-notch English skills, find someone who does to take a strong look over your resume.

Be nice to people. Dale Carnegie wrote an excellent book about this subject that everyone should read. How To Win Friends and Influence People is the definitive guide to treating people in a manner that they would want, and react in a manner that’s favorable to you. The book gives you some great ideas that are easy to implement that’ll set you apart from the crowd.

Do Your Research. Research the company thoroughly. Read their annual report. Figure out their mission. Research the interviewer. If you know a lot of information about the company, the interviewer will know that you’re serious about applying for the job. If you know a lot about the person conducting the interview, you’ll know if there’s any one topic that you can relate to that might really peak their interest. Look at the company website, use Google to your hearts desire, and talk to people who work there to accomplish this task.

Appearance Matters. You should wear a suit for just about every job interview that you go into. There’s no excuse for wearing anything but unless you have an extremely specific reason for doing so. Take a shower, come clean shaven, brush your teeth, don’t be drinking the night before, don’t wear too much cologne, just look professional and clean.

Be Assertive and Professional. When the time for the interview comes, look the person giving you the interview in the eye when you meet them. Shake their hands firmly, but not too tight. Be confident in your speaking, and in your qualifications. Don’t use any slang or vulgar language. Be polite and honest. Doing all of this is no easy task. It requires practice, but it’s what’ll get you the job.

Follow Up. Get the person’s business card at the end of the interview. Thank them for their time, and send them a thank you email thanking them for their time. State that you’re excited at the prospect of working for the organization and that you feel you’d be a great fit. If a couple of weeks go by, make a phone call to the interviewer and let them know that you’re still interested.

Attaining that one job that you really want isn’t an impossible feat. Once you get the interview, ace the interviewing process with these seven steps.



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