Standing Out from the Crowd

To land an interview for a job you want, make sure your resume and online professional presence are in order. This will help you stand out from the other applicants when you apply. Your resume is your first introduction to a new company. Make sure your resume is easy to read and clearly shows the recruiter or hiring manager that you're a strong fit for the job you're applying for. Avoid using lots of filler text in your resume. If you're new to the industry, you may not have a lot to put on your resume, but that's okay. You don't need to list out every piece of software you've used or networking protocol you've ever learned about, stick to your relevant qualifications. Use a standard resume template and be consistent with your formatting and structure. Proofread your resume and have someone else review it too. You don't want grammar and spelling errors to be your first impression with a potential employer. There's a lot more to say about resumes, so I've included more material in the supplemental reading. You should also make sure you have an up to date online presence. Your profile should look professional and have the most current resume, a photo and updated contact info. Don't forget to do this, employers are using sites like LinkedIn more and more to reach out to candidates. Now, when you find a job that you want to apply for, you want to learn as much as you can about the role. First place to find this information is in the job description. The description will usually include the roles responsibilities and requirements and some information about the company. Take some time to understand those details and make sure it's a good fit for you. Feel free to ask your recruiter any additional questions you have about the role or the company.

Knowing these expectations and requirements, will also help you prepare for the interview. For any IT role, make sure that you know the fundamentals of IT really well, and spend extra time reviewing any specific areas that are called out in the job description. This program will get you started with some of those fundamentals like, networking and operating systems, but you'll still need to do some research on your own. On top of the specific job requirements, you should also take time to research the company that you're applying to. Learn about the main characteristics of the company, what their primary products or services are, who their customers are and where they're located. Look for things that are new, interesting and exciting about the company's future. Try to learn about some of the challenges the company might be facing. If the company has a code of conduct or mission statement online, make sure to read it, as it will illustrate what the company prioritizes. Knowing the company's values will help you decide whether it's a company you want to work for. Some of these facts may come up during your interview, either as part of a scenario or in a question by itself, so you want to be prepared. Lastly, once you have an interview scheduled, make sure you know where to go when you need to be there and what the appropriate attire is for the interview. This particular tip was especially important for me when I first interviewed with Google. At the time, Google was in a temporary space above a restaurant Inn Arbor, a town I was not very familiar with. There was no sign or address, so when I got there I had no idea where to go. Thankfully, I arrived with some time to spare. So when I got to the right block for the address, I went around to the back alley, found the address on the fire escape and climbed into the second floor. The door was open and the woman behind it was a little surprised to see me entering. Everyone had a bit of a laugh when I told him I couldn't find the front entrance and I didn't want to be late for my interview. To this day, my manager still talks about my entrance and says it showed him I was resourceful and determined. Who knows? Maybe that's why they decided to give me the job