Interview Etiquette is Not Dead

I was on a date with my significant other. Although we did combine dinner and a movie at the Studio Movie Grill, we had the traditional romantic date. Upon the arrival to the car, I patiently waited next to my door, anticipating my chivalrous partner would graciously open my door. To my surprise, he laughed at my gesture and joked that “chivalry was dead.” Of course we had a nice laugh, and he eventually came to open my door. However, this is something common with this generation. So many people don’t demonstrate proper etiquette. Maybe it is no longer needed, but I think there are some things in life that should be remain traditional.

The one place that we need to maintain proper etiquette is in interviewing. It’s important that you always shake your interviewer’s hand and make eye contact. Wait until the interviewer sits down before you sit. At the end of the interview, always ask questions. Your last question should always be something to the effect of wanting to know the next step. And last but not least, always follow up with a thank you note.

Hopefully I have saved the existence of interview etiquette. Chivalry maybe dead, but interviewing etiquette isn’t.

Show your chivalry with daja.pope@mattressfirm.com.

Suit Up!

Just as the pros in sports do, suiting up is an essential part of the game!

As a recruiter, it’s my job to get the best potential candidates scheduled for formal face-to-face interviews. I do inform candidates that it will be business professional and I can’t tell you how many candidates we have show up business casual or no “business” at all. Remember the saying, dress for the job you want, not the job you have?

*According to Kim Zoller at Image Dynamics, 55% of another person's perception of you is based on how you look.

http://www.ideasevolved.com/

*Below are some tips to help you win the interviewing game:

• Solid color, conservative suit

• Coordinated blouse

• Moderate shoes

• Limited jewelry

• Neat, professional hairstyle

• Sparse make-up & perfume

• Portfolio or briefcase

• Conservative tie

• Dark socks, professional shoes

• Go easy on the aftershave

Wearing a suit is essential to scoring that homerun of first impressions!

*www.jobsearch.com

For more "Homerun" tips - erin.lindquist@mattressfirm.com

Think before you click



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As a recent college graduate, I know how difficult it is to find a job during a down economy. It’s common to get flustered and just take any job for no reason other than to just make some money. Something I have noticed as a recruiter is how easy it is for job seekers to quickly jump onto a job-posting website and get “clicker-happy”. You may be confused by the term “clicker- happy”, well what I mean by this self-made term, is how people simply click on any or all of the jobs they may qualify for and apply to it before they know anything about it. Yes, you may have a lot of recruiters contacting you for interviews, but who can remember them all? Another flaw in this quick “clicker-happy” process is the fact that you may be applying to a company that you have no idea of its status, what the position actually entails and how to differentiate yourself from the majority of the workforce also looking for “anything.” Then, once you have been working for a few weeks, you find the job does not suit you and leave for one of the million other positions you applied for.

From a recruiting stand point, we can tell during the initial interview if you are truly interested or simply just “clicking” the apply button. How? Research. During the first interview, one of the initial questions will most likely be something along the lines of, “Why did you apply to our company?” or “What made you apply for this position?” This is the question that can make or break you. The candidates that pass to the next round of the interview process all have one thing in common: Research! If you want to make yourself stick out from the rest, do NOT answer the question by simply reinstating the job title or “I am applying to anything and everything.” Once I hear one of those statements, I immediately assume the person took the “clicker-happy” approach in their job search and they fall into the shadows of the ones who really want the position.

My advice to those who want to click “apply” on every job posting is to stop and take your time. Once you click the apply button, look up the company website, ask a few people who are currently employed with the company a few questions on how they are enjoying their job or where the company is headed and find how your skills and strengths will contribute to the company or the position. Just those simple few steps will set you apart from all who have come down with the “clicker-happy” flu and put you in front of the majority of job seekers.

Clicker happy? ashley.gonzales@mattressfirm.com

First Day

The sound of the school bus driving around the corner. The smell of freshly sharpened pencils. The look of your new outfit. Do these memories bring you back to some of your first days at school? You’ve had a chance to have fun with friends at water parks, sleep in and play video games galore but now it’s all over. Do you remember the anticipation of walking through the doors to your school and how you hardly slept at all the night prior?

Now, compare this feeling to the first day at your new job – a place you are hoping to start your career. A place you are hoping to learn and grow from, feel a sense of belonging and meet new people. And just as you would build your reputation and transcript in school, you get the same opportunity to do this at your new job. So make sure you are always putting your best foot forward and take advantage of new projects and assignments handed your way. Going above and beyond with your co-workers and boss will surely lead to promotions within your own company which will allow you to grow professionally.

So, don’t forget how important that first day of school was and make a point to make every day that important with your new company.

Got first day jitters? Score some tips: brandee.baker@mattressfirm.com

Are you ready for some football?

The lockout is over and with pre-season games starting, football season is here! Fortunately for all those die-hard fans out there, football is back. What is it about this pigskin-slinging, body-crushing game that gets people so excited, or obsessed? Well… I don’t have the answer to that question, but we can learn a few things from this game in regard to our professional development. Like football, in order to become a “pro”fessional in your career it takes hard work, passion, self discipline and a lot of teamwork to be successful.

Hard Work. What are you doing to take your career to the next level? Professional athletes spend hours training to be the best. How long have you spent practicing your trade? When you feel tired or weak, do you simply give up or do you push through to get the job done right?

Passion. Passion is a powerful thing! Professional athletes have a passion for the game in which they play. They have a passion for doing whatever it takes to win. Think about the pre-game huddle, the chanting and the banging of helmets on the locker doors! Can you confidently say you have passion in your life? What are you passionate about? Bring that passion and enthusiasm to your career and see how it changes your game!


Self- Discipline. What have you done lately to challenge yourself professionally? Do you need someone to tell you when to start your job, when to quit, when you’re doing something right or when you’re doing something wrong? Becoming a pro football player requires self-discipline. How are you driving yourself? Do you set goals without someone making them for you and, if so, what are YOU doing to make sure you achieve them?


Teamwork. We all know the saying “Teamwork makes the Dream work,” but do we all really believe this? Are you a true team player or are you in it for yourself? When was the last time you took time to help out a co-worker, or took a “hit” for someone on your team? The football players that are really respected by their peers seem to be those that aren’t just great at the game, but those that they trust and know are team players. It takes a great offense, a great defense, a great special teams and great coaching to win football games. The same is true in your profession as well.

So as you’re gearing up for football season, picking your fantasy football team; make your career goals a reality! Instead of just cheering on your favorite team this year, learn from them. Push yourself to be the best, be passionate, set goals for yourself while following through on them and trust in your teammates. Do these things and you too will be headed toward the end zone scoring that touchdown… The question is… do you have your victory dance prepared?

Down, Set, Hut… good luck to you this football season!

Need some pre-season tips? amanda.williams@mattressfirm.com

Emergency Exit

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It’s no secret that companies usually contact former employees for an Exit Interview. Let’s face it…they can be uneasy and uncomfortable. However, they are an important practice used by most companies to better themselves as an organization.

Below are some tips for a successful (and hopefully less awkward) exit interview:

• Be calm and professional…control your emotions.

• Be honest. Feel free to share the true reason(s) you are     leaving the organization, maybe it’s something that can easily be fixed.

• Give advice. Companies love to hear raw feedback on how they can better the organization.

• Back to basics…remember the compliment sandwich? Provide something positive that you did enjoy about the company, then something constructive followed by another positive.

• Don’t burn any bridges; you may want to rejoin the company at a later time.

erin.lindquist@mattressfirm.com

Are you married to your job?

http://www.artmoth.com/

After recently getting engaged and planning a wedding I naturally have been thinking a lot about the concept of marriage and what it entails. I have been thinking about the significance of the ring, the vows, the wedding ceremony and why people choose to get married? With the divorce rate of 1st year marriages being at 50%, what is it that half of the married couples do that make the marriage work and what are some doing, or not doing to make the marriage fail?

You might ask “what does all this marriage talk have to do with my job?” Am I just being a “brideszilla” and letting this significant event control my every thought, or do these same questions apply to your career? Why is it that some people have a healthy and happy relationship with their co-workers, can find success with their career. While others dread going to work and cringe at the thought of hanging out with their co-workers for more than the required amount of time? And why is the unemployment rate, much like the divorce rate is at record highs?

Now I know your job isn’t what you’re technically “married” to, but should employees look at an offer letter more like a wedding ring- a symbol of trust between the company and the employee. A vow that you are going to commit to the company and the company is going to commit to you? Should companies and employees be thinking of the on-boarding process as the “wedding day/ honeymoon period” where both parties are excited about the future, wanting to look their best for each other, and celebrate the joining of two people… or company and new employee?

A marriage takes two people to make it work. The same applies in your professional career. Before accepting a job, or hiring a new employee, make sure you are certain this is something you can commit to. I don’t expect everyone to take one job and be there for the rest of their professional career, but only work somewhere you will be happy, only hire people you would want to work with everyday! After all you are with your co-workers more than your family. Work with people you can trust, would you marry someone you didn’t trust?

So as I might be stressing about the minimal details of planning a wedding (flowers, cake, linens) and you might be stressing about the minimal details of the job search (title, office building, name of company, what paper to print your resume on), remember to cherish and look for the things that will not fade and really matter. I know that I am marrying a man of character that I trust and love to be around. So when looking at your career look for the values of the company, the people you will be working with, and ultimately your overall happiness. Best wishes to you and your “marriage”!

Looking for wedding tips? amanda.williams@mattressfirm.com