Tips for Landing “The Job”

By: Greg Trost, Founder & CEO, Trost Financial Consulting

I wanted to reach out and offer some ideas for those of you who are seeking employment in these troubled and crazy times. Prior to becoming a financial planner I had two careers. I owned a recruiting firm for four years and I was a restaurant owner before that. You can read about my full professional journey in this blog. I especially know how hard this is on the restaurant workers. I am trying to support them as much as I can by taking advantage of the takeout program. These people are some of the highest quality people in the work force today. Here are a few pointers if you need to start a new job or career:

There are tons of job search platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, SimplyHired, Indeed, Glassdoor. Choose at least two that best suit your job search needs. Use key words to highlight your talent. Highlight achievements in past jobs. If possible use stats or percentages to show how you increased revenue in your past position.
Google search yourself to see what potential employers will see. Clean up your profile as needed. Search people within your industry to see how they promote themselves on LinkedIn.
Write a clear/concise one page resume with proper grammar. Try to use a thesaurus to use similar words without repeating. Do not get too wordy.
Always research the company and the individual before the interview. Find a tidbit of info so they know you spent some time. “Mr. Trost, I saw you attended the University of Oregon. The duck is my family’s favorite mascot!”
Practice for your phone interview by placing a mirror next to the phone so you can see yourself while you are talking. Smile! Ask for “next steps.”
Never do a phone interview until you have showered, dressed and are presentable. Dress the same as you would for an in-person interview. It makes a difference.
Always send a thank you note to the interviewer that same day. Please make sure you check the spelling. Pre-write the card on paper before writing in the actual card. I like to write it and drop it in the mail within 30 minutes of the interview.
Always follow up the interview with a thank you email the same day. Yes, this is in addition to the mailed note.
Always use the Mr., Dr., Ms. or Mrs. when addressing them. Let them tell you if they would like to be addressed differently.
Always make sure you eat a good meal before either phone or in person interview and only one cup of coffee.

I hope you find these tips helpful. We are here to help in any way we can, and the most important part of any interview is the following…

If you like what you hear, and you want the job, “ASK FOR THE JOB!” Make sure they know you want it!

Stay well and healthy and we will get through this time of unrest.