2 answers
Divinegrace
Student
Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA
1
Question
Asked
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What are some common mistakes that prospective employees make?
I am currently in my Senior year of high school and hunting for jobs. I have gone through several interviews and so far, I have not landed a job.
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2 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1860
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Divinegrace,
First, the good news! You ARE getting interviews! So, you are doing something right with the way you fill out applications or write your resume. They ARE interested in you. So, that's the first hurdle.
Something about the interview may have room for improvement. I'll give you three suggestions.
1. In first jobs, try to think about things from the employer's perspective. If you were that employer, what sort of person would you want to hire? And, I'm talking about looking for things other than "experience." The short answer, for many jobs, is they are looking for someone who can make or save the company money. That can take many forms. People-skills helps. But there are things like attendance and safety. If you don't show up to work, the employer might have to pay another employee overtime, or maybe decide to work short-staffed, which could result in delivering mediocre customer service.
For safety, think about putting out the wet floor signs. If the sign isn't there, and a customer falls, they file a lawsuit. Or, you as an employee could get hurt which, could result in lost time and having to pay workers comp.
There's also regulatory compliance. What if you are selling alcohol but fail to ID the customers? You sell to someone underage, get busted, the company gets fined.
So, you could give examples of how you practice safety in sports, or chemistry lab. You could cite your good attendance record. But, whatever you do, do not lie or make things up!
2. Second interview skill: STAR
When asked a question such as, "give me an example of a time you had to deal with an irate person." You want to tell a story, so the person doing the interview feels like they are there. This is a form of storytelling you will be using throughout your professional career, so it is good to learn it now! It also helps you to stay calm during the interview and answer questions like this in a logical format.
S- Situation
T - Task
A- Action
R- Result
"I had a customer who I had already cashed out. He started arguing with me about the price of an item. (situation).
He was holding up the line. I needed to get him to move out of the way, so I could ring up other customers (task)
I sent a co-worker to check the price on the shelf. She did so, and took a picture, and brought it back to me. I politely told the customer that the price the item scanned for and the price on the shelf were in agreement. As I showed him the photo on the phone I subtly moved away from the register. I told him if he wanted to further to discuss it he would need to either call or come back during dayshift hours to speak with the manager. I gave him the manager 's name and phone number. (action)
The customer apologized, and departed the premises, allowing us to continue ringing out the other customers. (result)
3. Please make sure you have researched the company's website, arrive on time, properly dressed, etc. Although many employers are more flexible than they once were, some still react to things such as piercings, blue hair, and tattoos, so it is best to be a bit conservative (unless interviewing at a tattoo parlor or something similar, of course!)
Finally, practice answering "the usual" questions. Know what you are going to say, to "tell me about yourself," "what are your strengths and weaknesses," etc.
Good luck!
Kim
First, the good news! You ARE getting interviews! So, you are doing something right with the way you fill out applications or write your resume. They ARE interested in you. So, that's the first hurdle.
Something about the interview may have room for improvement. I'll give you three suggestions.
1. In first jobs, try to think about things from the employer's perspective. If you were that employer, what sort of person would you want to hire? And, I'm talking about looking for things other than "experience." The short answer, for many jobs, is they are looking for someone who can make or save the company money. That can take many forms. People-skills helps. But there are things like attendance and safety. If you don't show up to work, the employer might have to pay another employee overtime, or maybe decide to work short-staffed, which could result in delivering mediocre customer service.
For safety, think about putting out the wet floor signs. If the sign isn't there, and a customer falls, they file a lawsuit. Or, you as an employee could get hurt which, could result in lost time and having to pay workers comp.
There's also regulatory compliance. What if you are selling alcohol but fail to ID the customers? You sell to someone underage, get busted, the company gets fined.
So, you could give examples of how you practice safety in sports, or chemistry lab. You could cite your good attendance record. But, whatever you do, do not lie or make things up!
2. Second interview skill: STAR
When asked a question such as, "give me an example of a time you had to deal with an irate person." You want to tell a story, so the person doing the interview feels like they are there. This is a form of storytelling you will be using throughout your professional career, so it is good to learn it now! It also helps you to stay calm during the interview and answer questions like this in a logical format.
S- Situation
T - Task
A- Action
R- Result
"I had a customer who I had already cashed out. He started arguing with me about the price of an item. (situation).
He was holding up the line. I needed to get him to move out of the way, so I could ring up other customers (task)
I sent a co-worker to check the price on the shelf. She did so, and took a picture, and brought it back to me. I politely told the customer that the price the item scanned for and the price on the shelf were in agreement. As I showed him the photo on the phone I subtly moved away from the register. I told him if he wanted to further to discuss it he would need to either call or come back during dayshift hours to speak with the manager. I gave him the manager 's name and phone number. (action)
The customer apologized, and departed the premises, allowing us to continue ringing out the other customers. (result)
3. Please make sure you have researched the company's website, arrive on time, properly dressed, etc. Although many employers are more flexible than they once were, some still react to things such as piercings, blue hair, and tattoos, so it is best to be a bit conservative (unless interviewing at a tattoo parlor or something similar, of course!)
Finally, practice answering "the usual" questions. Know what you are going to say, to "tell me about yourself," "what are your strengths and weaknesses," etc.
Good luck!
Kim
Jezlea Ortega
Tech Architecture
33
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jezlea’s Answer
Hi Divinegrace! Many job seekers face challenges in building their personal brand, getting noticed, and improving their elevator pitch and interview skills. For personal branding, it's important to show why employers should hire you by highlighting your skills, like expertise in artificial intelligence with experience at Google. You need to define what makes you unique compared to other candidates. To get noticed, focus on small actions like attending networking events, having a strong LinkedIn profile with a professional photo and detailed information, and sending thank-you notes after meetings or interviews to show continued interest. Finally, it's crucial to master your elevator pitch and interview questions. This shows you've done your research, thought carefully about your answers, and are genuinely interested in the company.