planning | Journey

When job searching, planning is an important step that can make or break your chances of success. A good resume and application may land you an interview, but planning is necessary to ace it and get the job offer.

Is your lack of planning costing you? We’ve put together some resources to help you pick out serious errors and interview flaws due to a lack of planning. These mistakes can destroy what could have been a great interview and result in a lost job opportunity.

Not Preparing to Be on Time

Before the day of your interview, plan out your drive to the location. Always allow extra travel time for accidents, bad traffic, or car trouble. If you can drive to the business location a day or two before your interview, you’ll have a better idea of how long the trip will take.

Not Being Properly Dressed

Showing up at a job interview in inappropriate attire or in clothes that are wrinkled is another deadly sin. If you haven’t planned ahead of time to iron your clothes or explore the company culture, you could end up looking shabby and embarrassing. If you have a chance to drive by your potential employer’s office to see how other employees are dressed, do so. At the very least, pick out your interview outfit the night before, try it on, iron or clean as necessary, and set the pieces out for easy dressing.

Not Preparing for Your Interview

Have you practiced answering interview questions? Have you read the company’s website and annual report if available? Have you looked up news about the company? Preparing for an interview takes effort, but that effort pays off when you have rehearsed answers to difficult questions and can have an intelligent conversation about the company itself. Not preparing for the interview may leave you looking nervous and uninformed.

Not Preparing Extra Copies

The company already has your resume, but you should plan to bring extra copies. While you’re at it, bring extra copies of any portfolio items, references, awards, and anything else a recruiter may be interested in. Never walk in empty-handed. By planning ahead, you can present yourself in a strong light by having extra copies of important documents.

Not Having a Follow-Up Plan

After the interview is over, do you have a plan for following up? The lack of follow-up can hurt your chance to be hired. Instead, make a plan to send thank-you cards and professional follow-up emails. Write the thank-you cards as soon as the interview is over and craft an email asking if the company needs additional information from you to send in a week or two. Not having a plan to contact the company after the interview may take you out of the running.

It’s tempting to leave your career to chance and not plan, but the people who are most successful are prepared ahead of time for any job search opportunity. Take time to put together your plan, and stop letting lack of planning cost you.

How do you plan ahead of time for job interviews? Share your tips with us in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Now that 2015 is well underway, many job seekers are focusing on their goal of finding a job this year. As job search efforts increase, it’s important to recognize and understand the key factors that contribute to job satisfaction so you know that the job you’re trying to get is the right one for you. To help determine the factors that go into job satisfaction, we recently polled Movin’ On Up readers and the results are in!

Keys to Job Satisfaction
The most important factor that contributes to job satisfaction, according to 32% of poll respondents, is “engaging or meaningful work.” “Feeling valued” was a close second with 29% of the votes. “Job security” was the most important factor for 11% of respondents, while “compensation” and “room for advancement” received 10% and 7% of the votes, respectively. Only 4% of people considered “company benefits” to be a key factor in their job satisfaction, along with 2% of those who chose “leadership.”

Additionally, 5% of respondents selected the “Other” option in our poll and left responses including:

Efficient communication
Pleasant atmosphere
Co-workers and managers who are nice to work with
Good planning, organization, and control
Flexibility
Acquiring new skills
All of the above

What Leaders Think
Interestingly, it seems there may be a disconnect between a company’s decision makers and those trying to secure a job there. On Refresh Leadership, the Express blog for business leaders, we asked the same question and the results were very different. While 26% of leaders agree with job seekers that “engaging or meaningful work” is the most important factor in job satisfaction, that’s where the similarities end. In fact, while only 2% of Movin’ On Up readers said “leadership” was a key factor, 14% of employers chose this answer. Additionally, 19% of employers chose “compensation,” while only 10% of Movin’ On Up readers agreed, and “company benefits” gained 11% of employer votes, but only 4% of job seeker votes.

Your Job Search
Though there does seem to be a divide between what business leaders and job seekers value most when it comes to job satisfaction, you should keep these results in mind when you’re looking for a job. Were you one of the majority of respondents who selected “engaging or meaningful work” as the key factor to your job satisfaction? If so, try to use this as a determining factor in your job search. For example, if you are interviewing with a company, ask the interviewer what he or she enjoys most about their job. Look for ways that the job can inspire you or help you give back to the community. If you chose “leadership” or “room for advancement,” you can inquire about these elements of the job during an interview by asking questions that show your interest in the position. You may even be able to determine some factors, such as compensation and company benefits, through the job posting. While getting a job is a nice start to the year, ensuring that you’ll be satisfied with your work is even better.

How do you plan to use these results to help with your job search? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

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