Tips on Job Interview Preparation

There are many important tips on job interview preparation. However these three tips are probably some of the easiest to get right but are often overlooked when preparing for your job search and job interviews.

Not paying attention to these personal details can ruin your chances of getting the job offer.

Your
online reputation and social media profile are likely to be searched and
taken into consideration by the company as part of their hiring
decision. It is essential that these online details present the image
you want to potential employers.

Make sure any personal information that the potential employer can access sends the right message about you.

Your Email Address

Review your email address. Does it sound professional and give the right image?

Email addresses like hotgirl@... or potatohead@... are likely to make a negative impression on any prospective employer. Details like this need to be looked at before you begin your job search and job interview process.

Although these sort of casual and fun addresses are acceptable in a social context they are sending the wrong message in a formal work context. One way of avoiding mixing business with pleasure is to create an email address that you use only for resumes, job applications and job interviews.

You can set up a new business-like email address with one of the numerous sites that offer free email accounts. Appropriate suggestions for such an address include simply using your name johnsmith@.. or your initials and an indication of your area of expertise such as jkdsales@..

Your Voice Mail Message

Here is one of those critical tips on job interview and job search preparation. Check your current voice message and be sure it is what you would like a potential employer to hear. Does it sound sufficiently mature and professional?

Wacky and funny are inappropriate and should be changed before you begin your job search! Begin with a greeting and then clearly state your first and last name and your number. Highlight that the call is important and that a message will be returned as soon as possible. End with a thank you.

Impress with a clear, concise message that portrays a professional image. Follow this up by checking your messages frequently and getting back to callers as soon as possible.

Your Social Networking Profile

Your social media details can easily be found online by potential employers and over 70% of recruiters check social media sites to find out more about job candidates.

Employers often consider a social networking profile as a valuable
background check on a job candidate. You may consider this an invasion
of your privacy but that will not prevent it from happening - the fact
is that our social media information is not only accessible to people
who know us and understand its context.

Fair or not, employers are using social networks to research job
candidates and one of the most important tips on job interview and your
job search preparation is to be aware of this and presume that anyone is
able to read what you post online.

There are many online communications that can tell an employer about you including blogs and all the social networking sites you contribute to.

Check
the following to ensure that there is nothing that will impact
negatively on your employment chances - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
LinkedIn, your blogs and any forums or bulletin boards you
post to. Your online reputation is important.

Look with a critical eye at your Facebook
profile, pictures and friends' comments. Make your profile private if
you are concerned and edit your front page to make it appropriate
viewing for a prospective employer.

An employer can "Google" you and find anything you have written or has been written about you. Check your Google profile.

These
tips on job interview preparation show that every detail needs to be
considered when you are in the hiring process. All personal aspects that
you present to a possible employer should reflect a professional image.

Latest Update - Can an employer ask for a Facebook password?

There have recently been media reports of employers requesting the
Facebook passwords or social media log-in details of job candidates.

What are your rights in this situation and how should you respond?

There is no federal law protecting an individual's social networking
privacy. In the US an alteration to the Cyber Intelligence and Sharing
Act that would have prohibited employers from asking for social media
passwords as a condition of employment was voted down in the house of representatives.

A number of states have enacted social media privacy laws banning employers from requesting social media user names and passwords of current or prospective employees. To date workplace data privacy laws have been introduced or are pending in over 25 states. However these laws do have exceptions about accessing social media accounts. These include obtaining data voluntarily from an employee's coworker.

In the UK the Computer Misuse Act states that it is an
offense to access data you are not authorized to use.

General
opinion is, that as a job candidate, you have the right to defend
your social networking privacy. You can ask the company what their
official social media monitoring policy is and request they act
accordingly.

However the harsh truth is that a number of
employers use other means to access online details including asking
someone to friend the candidate or follow them on Twitter. It is
essential that your online profile is appropriate.

Make social media work for you during your job search

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