If you haven't noticed lately...it's job hunting season.
Recruiters are manning the phone lines and frantically reading all resumes that articulate enough personality to attract their attention. It used to be that you could walk into an establishment and ask for the manager to talk about a job. That's not really the way it works anymore. To be honest, from a man's perspective, it's more like trying to court a woman you REALLY like.
I'll go through the steps for you (for any instance I say "girl or "she," that is equivalent to "the recruiter":
RESUME STAGE
This is your first date. Or in other words, your first interview. Are there any "gaps" in your history? Why did you "change industries?" Why do you think you're the right candidate for this "job?" This is the time for clarification on your part.
Do you not have enough experience? How about too much? Either way, since it's the "first date" you might want to put those aspects of your career on the back burner and highlight your other attributes before you delve into your "experience." Too much experience can hurt you because it might leave you looking old while not enough experience might leave you looking like you have no idea what you're doing. If recruiters catch wind of either of these, you might not get a call back.
IN BETWEEN STAGE
This is the time following the first date. You're antsy. You REALLY like her. You want to call her right NOW. You want to have more time to tell her how much you're the right person for the job. Buuuuuut, there are rules that are mandated by the recruiting society...you have to wait.
(But HOW LONG??? Nobody knows. It's pretty much a crap shoot now. In some industries, you might need to send a thank you letter/e-mail less than 24-hours post first interview. In others, they don't even want you to whisper their name until they consider you for a second interview. Recruiters want you to show initiative, but at what cost? They are the key holders. The choose who comes and goes in the company. If they don't like you, they are the only person to articulate that to senior management to make the decision when it should be SENIOR MANAGEMENT who should be conducting the preliminary interview.)
Anyways, getting off topic...This was supposed to be kind of about dating. NEXT SECTION.
SECOND INTERVIEW
Congratulations. You did it...but you really didn't. This is usually the face-to-face interview stage now. You were scrutinized in the Resume Stage, but now you're just being scrutinized more based on your character. She already knows about your history from the resume stage. Now she wants to know if the bullshit you're slinging know matches up with the picture you painted on the first date. In other words, if you lied during the resume stage...S&$T JUST GOT REAL.
In this situation, just relax. She likes you. She's busy, but you know what? There was something about you that she liked. She took time out of her busy schedule to find out more about you. She wants to know that you want to know as much about her as she wants to know about you.
This is the time to ask questions. Have at least 5 questions ready and improvise at least 5 more based on her answers to your first 5. During the interview, repeat the information divulged in the IN BETWEEN STAGE above and you should be fine.
REAL TALK
Remember, there is a fine line between being arrogant and being confident. Do yourself a favor and read up on nonverbal communication and sociological perspectives in order to empathize with her situation and conduct appropriate answers to her responses based on her body language.
Your tone dictates your inner monologue. If you're a little too direct with people when you should be accommodating: WORK ON IT. Take the time to think about your strengths and weaknesses according to the position that you want. Nobody's perfect, so being able to verbalize to someone your weaknesses makes you seem transparent and, well...HUMAN.
IN SUMMARY
1.) Be yourself
2.) Don't waste her time
3.) Don't BS her (Tell the truth)
4.) Be confident (without being cocky or arrogant)
5.) HAVE FUN (if you're not having fun talking about yourself, then how can you expect to be having fun doing a job at that company?!)
Namaste.
