Burnett / Choice Blog

Top 5 Ways of Making a Good Interview Impression

1) Arrive Early – When arriving to an interview site, you should be mindful of possible traffic delays that you may come across, as well as getting lost on your way to the interview. Allow time for these mishaps, as well as more time to ensure that you arrive early to the interview.

2) Arrive Ready – You should be ready for the interview. The minute you walk into a waiting room, you should be ready and aware that your interview has already begun. Although you are not speaking directly to an interviewer, your overall demeanor speaks for itself to the person who is working at the front desk.

3) Arrive Prepared – It is important for you to be prepared for your interview. Bring your own pen and paper to the interview. Also, it's a good idea to research the company first by visiting their website and understanding what the company does, and the industry that they're in. During your interview you should take notes of important information that the interviewer tells you. Also you should prepare and bring questions that you may have regarding the position for which you are interviewing. This will show the interviewer how much time you’ve set aside to make this interview a good one!

4) Dress to Impress – When you are interviewing for a position, it is important that you ask the interviewer what style of dress best fits for the interview. It’s always better to be overdressed rather than being underdressed for an interview. For additional tips of how to dress for your interview, visit www.burnettstaffing.com/employees/dressing_tips.html.

5) ALWAYS Say “Thank You” – After your interview is over, whether the interview went well or not, it is important for you to thank the interviewer and express your appreciation for them taking time out of their day to meet with you.

You may be surprised by how much better you will feel drinking enough water. Usually, you will experience greater energy, less stress, and even less physical pain.

More Energy

Always tired? It may have something to do with the caffeinated, sugary drinks we tend to live on. Though soda, coffee and "energy drinks" are water-based, the sugar and caffeine they contain are diuretics, which can steal as much water from the body as the drink supplies.

When we put aside coffee and soda and reach for a glass of water, the liquid that the coffee and soda zap from us stays inside our bodies. When cells have the nourishment they need, they work properly, and fatigue dissipates.

Better Mental Stability

Brain cells are 85% water. The mind, including the part that controls emotions, cannot operate properly without enough water.

Next time your mood takes a dive, have a drink – of water. In a recent Tufts University study, college athletes who weren’t given fluids during practice felt more confused, angry, tense, and blue afterward than those who had plenty of water. “The level of dehydration was very mild – it could easily be compared with what busy office workers might experience if they forgot to drink enough during the day,” says lead researcher Kristen E. D’Anci, PhD.

Less Pain

When we experience physical pain, such as headaches, back aches, and joint pain, our first reaction is to medicate the pain away. A less expensive alternative might be to pick up a bottle of water. Adequate hydration can actually ease pain (though any doctor's orders about pain management should be followed).

Water relieves pain because muscles and joints need water to remain supple and well-lubricated. Well-hydrated muscles do not cramp easily, and well-hydrated joints do not allow bones to rub together. By drinking adequate water, individuals can assure that their bodies will not need to pull moisture away from the muscles and bones in order to sustain vital organs.

How much you need to drink depends on the weather and your activity level and weight. For most of us, that should start with 8 cups (about 2 liters) of water a day.

1. Our successful track record
o   We have been helping careers and companies grow in Texas since 1974!

2. Our staff
o   We have a very experienced, caring, long-tenured staff (the longest tenured staff in Texas).

3. Our reputation
o   We have a well-respected, award-winning, reputation for excellence.

4. Our client companies
o   We have established relationships with top companies in a wide range of industries.

5. Our benefits
o   We offer great benefits to our staffing employees including a mini-medical plan, service bonuses, holiday pay, weekly pay, direct deposit, portable pay cards, credit union membership, and more.
o   We have easy online time keeping and availability status notification.
o   We offer 24/7 free online training to upgrade your skills.

6. Our employee-owned status
o   We are one of the largest employee-owned staffing firms in the U.S.

7. Our diverse opportunities
o   We have temporary, contract, temp-to-hire or direct hire placement opportunities for you to choose from.

8. Our wide range of skill specializations
o   We offer fifteen specialty services
- Accounting
- Administrative/Clerical Support
- Convention Support
- Engineering
- Human Resourcing
- Information Technology
- Legal
- Light Industrial/Assembly
- Management
- Medical Administrative Support
- Procurement
- Teleskills/Call Centers
- Training and Consulting Services
- Sales/Marketing
- Special Projects

9. Our free placement service
o   We never charge a placement fee to our applicants.

10. Our convenient online registration
o   We have an efficient online registration process that allows your profile to be searched for a match to our current job opportunities.

11. Our easy online job search
o   We have made searching for jobs easier than ever.

12. Our extensive Texas market coverage
o   We have offices in Austin, El Paso, Houston, The Woodlands, San Antonio and in Dallas where we operate as Choice Staffing Services.

When deciding who to do business with this year, make sure you choose Burnett Staffing Specialists/Choice Staffing Services. We want to play a part in your success in 2012!

 By Terry Fisher – HR / Sales Operations Manager / Recruiter - 8 years

Your interview actually begins when a Recruiter or Hiring Manager is reviewing resumes.

If a candidate’s email address is suggestive and/or crude, an otherwise qualified candidate can be eliminated. Inappropriate email addresses, such as countryhottie@gmail.com, sexybaby@gmail.com, citysstud@gmail.com, suggest a lack of professionalism and maturity.  If a candidate has personal emails like these examples, they should consider setting up another email account with firstnamelastname@gmail.com or firstinitiallastname@gmail.com or lastnameanda number@gmail.com.  This email box could be used for all job search email correspondence, now and in the future.

Likewise, when a Recruiter or Hiring manager calls the candidate after reviewing their resume to schedule an interview, it’s still part of the interview process.  It’s important to keep this is mind, because many candidates have suggestive voicemail greetings or loud music on their phone, or have family members and friend who answer a phone and say “she’s not here,” and hang up.  There are also candidates who answer their own phones with “Yeah”.  Again, this is part of the interview and it often eliminates candidates who could otherwise be qualified.  During a job search, change your voicemail greeting to “Hi, this is Tony, please leave a message and I will return the call as soon as possible.”  Do not include a phone number on a resume if it’s going to be answered by someone who won’t or can’t (small child) take a detailed message. 

Once a candidate has an appointment for an interview, these are a few other pointers that I feel will make you stand out among others:

• Always dress your best (a suit if possible), it will make you feel more confident and show the company this interview is important to you.
• Arrive early, this will give you time to review the job description and put yourself in the right mindset to interview.
• If you have any concerns about the job or company, leave it outside. During the interview you need to focus on selling yourself and highlighting your best attributes. This is like an audition! Your mission is to either get a job offer or a 2^nd interview. You can’t turn down an offer we don’t get.
• Keep a positive attitude. You are a great candidate for this position. Remain confident!
• If they ask you to complete an application, do it with a smile!
• Before you leave the interview (if you are interested in the job), tell the interviewer. “Thank you for your time, I am very interested in this position. I think I would be a great addition to your team.”
• And one final tip - always send a "thank you" email. 

Also note, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other online profiles can also be part of the interview process.  Candidates have been eliminated, and even job offers rescinded because of what a candidate posts online. Think before you post anything online including photos and comments.

Consider any contact a hiring decision maker could have with you to be a part of your interview process. Don't tank your chances before you make it to the face-to-face stage.