This document provides guidance on preparing for job interviews and tailoring resumes to suit different job applications. It emphasizes the importance of soft skills alongside qualifications, the necessity of networking for career opportunities, and the need for research on potential employers. Additionally, it highlights that opportunities often arise from personal connections rather than job advertisements.

1. With your first day swiftly approaching, you may start
to feel just a little bit nervous, a little bit
underprepared and a little bit hesitant. There are ways
to prepare yourself before you even set foot through
the door.

2. Learning to be comfortable in an interview
environment is important and relatively easy if you’ve
adequately prepared and understand the possible
consequence of each outcome. Getting the job or the
promotion is important, but success doesn’t mean you
will live happily thereafter, just as failing will not be the
end of your life.

3. There’s a reason why people have separate resumes
for different types of jobs. No two jobs are alike, and
your resumes shouldn’t be either.“There is no one-size-
fits-all for resumes, so each diverse and intriguing
skill you can add to your qualifications should be
noted". “Each job is going to have different
requirements.”To find out how to properly tailor your
resume to a job, review the job description to see
what kinds of keywords are used and what values the
company holds in high esteem, and then have your
resume reflect that.

4. There is no excuse for not knowing details about a
company at which you’re applying to work. Most
companies have websites that describe their products,
history, locations, and management members. Large
companies often have a special section dedicated to
company information, which can be searched for
financial information if they are publicly traded. Similar
information can be found for competitors and the
industry as a whole.

5. An interview is a get-to-know-you conversation to
discover if you are the ideal candidate for the job.
The interview experience you create with the
interviewer will help them decide whether you are the
right fit for their organization and if they will
consider you becoming one of their team members.
Many job interviews start with an open-ended
question like “Tell me about yourself.” Your response
to this request will set the tone for the rest of the
interview. In other words, you should be very clear of
what message you are sending and clarify your
qualifications and the reasons why you want the job.

6. In the modern working world, degrees and certificates
are not enough on their own. Soft skills are just as
important as hard skills. Soft skills are the personal
attributes that enable someone to interact effectively
and harmoniously with other people. The most
common soft skills employers are looking for include
strong work ethic, positive attitude, good
communication skills, time management abilities,
problem-solving skills, teamwork, self-confidence,
flexibility, and the ability to work under pressure. You
cannot learn soft skills in a day. You need to practice
often to develop them. Find the soft skills you would
like to improve on and then make a plan to learn and
practice them. Remember that practice makes
perfect.

7. Opportunities will not come to you if you just sit back
and wait. In other words, putting an effort into
reaching out is just as important as sending
applications online to available positions. Based on
LinkedIn Reports, studies have shown that eighty
percent of jobs are never advertised – it often comes
down to who you know, and who knows you, that
matters. When you develop a strong network, you will
be in a better position to learn about new career
opportunities, in addition to learning of potential
opportunities before your competition. Attending
some networking events and having conversation with
professionals in your field will definitely be a big help
for your career planning and job hunting.