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Going the Extra Mile

by Annette Clemens, Assistant Director

Many first-time job hunters think that the surefire way to land an offer is as simple as writing a good resume.  Considering how common this assumption is, it’s probably no surprise that the majority of career books in any Borders or Barnes & Noble are about resume writing.  Consequently, that puts a lot of pressure on one document.  While resumes are obviously the key to landing a job interview, there are a series of intangible factors that employers use to weigh your candidacy.  Every job hunter should know what these factors are in order to stay at the top of the competitive pile.

Whenever you encounter an employer, whether it’s for the first time at a job fair or on a second interview, you should greet the person with a firm handshake.  Whether you realize it or not, your handshake says a lot about you.  A weak handshake will come across as such, and the employer will more than likely think of you as a weak candidate.  Conversely, it’s a good idea not to try to overpower the interviewer with a handshake that is too strong.  Remember, one day you hope to be working with this person, so arm wrestling is not a good idea.  The key here is to introduce yourself with a solid handshake with just the right amount of finesse – not too weak, not too strong.

Related to the handshake is the importance of maintaining good eye contact.  Many times in the Internship Preparation Seminar and in sections of BA 200, I’ve stressed how uncomfortable some students can be looking directly at the employer during a job interview.  Remember that business in the United States is a very assertive, almost aggressive, arena.  If you look at the floor or out the window during an interview, this will always comes across as boredom or disinterest.  Maintaining eye contact is a non-verbal way of expressing interest and motivation.

Perhaps one of the most important expectations that employers have for students is the writing of thank you notes.  It is essential to write and send a thank you to the employer within 24 hours of the interview or job fair.  A thank you can come in one of three formats: e-mail, a formal thank you letter, or a stationary store card.  E-mail is pretty typical in the world of Information Technology, although this is sometimes frowned on as being a little too informal.  The formal thank you letter is effective for clearing up any miscommunication, or if there was something you forgot to mention during the interview.  However, it is the stationary store card that most employers seem to like best.  The reason is that the card stands out more than an e-mail or letter because it’s more colorful and shows favorably on you because you took the time to handwrite it.  In any event, make sure that you thank employers for two very important reasons.  First of all, thank them because they expect it and secondly, because your competition more than likely will.

Lastly, you definitely want to dress professionally.  Despite the trend of businesses becoming more casual, dressing down is not a good idea for the interview itself.  Wearing a business suit is another non-verbal way of communicating your professionalism and seriousness about the field.  Remember that employers might very well downgrade your candidacy for dressing too casually, but there’s no reason they would do so if you show up for the interview in a suit.

Any job search is tested by your knowledge of how to market yourself effectively.  Of course resume writing and interviewing are crucial to landing a job, but you’d be making a mistake if you thought that was all there was to it.  When all is said and done, many offers are given to the candidate who goes the extra mile by delivering the intangible factors that make up a job search.  While none of these factors, either singly or in combination, is guaranteed to get you a job, it is true that executing all of these factors makes it a lot harder for employers to turn you down.