Keys to Interviewing Success: Presentation, Presentation!

You have secured the interview and are now preparing to meet your prospective employer face to face.  Obviously, your resume and cover letter have done the job of opening the door for you; you have probably forwarded them to the hiring manager via email or fax, or perhaps she had perused your qualifications on an Internet job board.  With so much of the job search conducted electronically, many applicants are uncertain as to how to present their documents during an actual interview.   The following are some foolproof methods for you:

Take multiple copies of your resume, letters of reference and/or commendation, and any other credentials that the interviewer may require.

If the interview goes well, your potential employer may wish you to meet with others in the company, perhaps the head of a department, or a manager in another business unit with whom you will need to coordinate.  Be prepared for this happy circumstance!  Don’t risk appearing unprofessional by asking the interviewer to photocopy your documents for you!

Consider using a folder, which, when opened, will reveal a pocket on each side.

You can place your resume on the left-hand side of the folder and other pertinent documents on the right-hand side.  Available in packages of multiples in office supply stores, the folders are relatively inexpensive.  Although this is not necessary, if you wish to make a larger investment, it is possible to custom-order folders with your name on the outside front cover.  If you obtained the folders through a “Big Box” retailer, the store where you purchased the folders should have printing services on-site that you may utilize for this purpose.

Simplest is best. 

Keep your lavender, scented, or flower-bordered stationery strictly for personal correspondence.  Yes, we have known people to use, and want to use, such stationery for their resumes, assuming that they then would stand out among the crowd.  Fanciful colors and papers do stand out, but not in the way that you wish them to when attempting to project a professional image of yourself.  Cream, ivory, light gray, or white is best in terms of resume paper.  Portray yourself as cooperative as well as skilled, and your resume and cover letter stand a better chance of being read…leading to a better chance for you to ultimately land the job!