Executive Mistake #6 of 6 — Appearance and Performance
Are you appearing and performing appropriately for today’s job search era? You may be out of date with the way to appear. And I don’t just mean just clothing.
I’m Dana Manciagli, author of Cut the Crap, Get a Job! and here are some examples of the job search appearance and performance mistakes executives are making in their job search today:
- Resume has not been updated by a resume specialist and describes your jobs in industry terms that nobody can understand. Weak or non-existent LinkedIn profile
- Cover letter, if you have one, uses “I” about 20 times and simply regurgitates your resume.
- Old suit, out-of-date accessories.
- Interview preparation: Very little research, did not bring insightful questions for them, did not prepare for the most common interview questions like your strengths and weaknesses.
- Interview performance: No pen and paper
- Non-verbal clues: Your posture is slumped down in the chair, shows disinterest, or displays “come and get me if you want me.” You did not “go for the close” or ask about the next steps in the process or state how interested you are in the role and why.
- Follow-up: No thank you note back to each interviewer.
For an executive job search tip, I recommend you re-boot, re-start and re-energize your job search process end-to-end. I’ll help you. Specifically, here are two pieces of job search advice about your job search appearance and performance:
- Invest in updating your overall appearance. By appearance, I mean on your documents, on social media sites, and professional follow up. Physically, Invest in a new interview suit, work out, stand up straight and smile.
- Dial up your energy level. Every single job search encounter is important. A meeting with a networker, a phone interview, an e-mail and face-to-face interview are all examples of job search encounters. You need to dial it up! Assure you smile, have a good handshake, energy in your voice, your step, your eye contact. Most importantly, show energy about the company and interviewer.
Executives, you can do so much better and leave a much more memorable impression if you appear and perform to the best of your abilities. Good luck!
