JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People who have an impressive resume and a lot of experience still might have a tough time landing their dream job.
Experts said the best way to score the job you want is with an outstanding interview, and by avoiding some crucial mistakes in the process.
Recommended Videos
Hiring manager Brandi Britton has interviewed thousands of employees. Britton said it only takes seconds for job-seekers to seal their own fate and appropriate attire is key to being prepared for the job.
"The interview's over, you're chance of getting that job opportunity has ended," said Britton.
According to recent research, women can't afford to miss those opportunities. From June 2009 to May 2011, women lost about 220,000 jobs while men gained close to 770,000 jobs.
Yvonne Coleman doesn't want to be an interview casualty. She's a part-time radio personality and small business owner who wants to get back into the corporate world, but she hasn't been on an interview in a long time.
Coleman decided to go through a mock interview with critiquer Michelle Clark to get herself ready for her new job hunt.
Clark said that women should treat the intro to their interview like an appetizer.
"You want to give just enough information, realizing that the main course is coming a bit later," said Clark.
Clark said women should limit themselves to two minutes or less for each question.
Also, women should not be broad with their answers, said Clark. During the interview Coleman veered off into her radio background while she was interviewing for a corporate job.
"An employer in this unique situation may have discounted as not being valuable to them," said Clark.
Experts recommend that women talk about their specific experiences for specific positions, and if people get stumped by a question, don't stumble over answers.
"For some people, it can be a stumbling block that they aren't able to recover from," said Clark.
Clark said women shouldn't feel compelled to answer questions right away, either. Silence is okay as long as the interviewee is thinking over the question. It's also okay to repeat the question and answer as best as possible or ask for clarification than answer.
Experts said to always have two or three questions ready for your interviewer.
Experts offered a few suggestions:
- Ask what's the biggest goal for this company in the next five years and how would to help accomplish that goal?
- Ask who has been the best at this job and what can I do better?
- Describe my career path if I'm the hardest worker and best person for the job?