Interviews, Q&A, Chapter 4 and 5

Chapter 4 of Light, Bright, and Polite

In the book Light, Bright, and Polite for Professionals, John Ochs gives advice as to how to portray yourself on social media and how it can influence your reputation and in return your chances of getting a job. In chapter 4,  Ochs talks about ways to use your social media platforms to impress potential or current employers that look at your accounts. Some of the tips he mentions is to be involved in your desired field of work. Whether it be volunteering, organizing an event, or being involved in an event that revolves around your field of work. Posting this involvement on social media will show current or potential employers that you are involved and passionate about what you do. Ochs also provided a formula to follow when posting on your account that is sure to impress employers. The formula is; take a group photo, give thanks to organization, give credit to organization, mention the purpose of the organization, and lastly mention the outcome of your work. As I enter the field of education, there is always organizations and groups that advocate to make the education system better that I can be involved in. As time goes on I will try to get more involved in organizations for my field, not only to impress future employers, but to benefit the field of education.

Chapter 5 of Light, Bright, and Polite

In chapter 5,  Ochs talks about how each individual social media platform can help you create a professional online persona. One of the big platforms he stresses to use is LinkedIn. Ochs describes that many employers will use your LinkedIn account and compare it your resume and or use it as your resume so it is important to keep this professional and up to date. One of the things he says you should include on their is a description of your current job position, your role in the company, and a quote from an employer that may have written a letter of recommendation. This will allow future employers to grasp an understanding on your training and skill set and how that may be an asset to their company. Another platform he talks about is Facebook. Ochs suggests using your real name so people can easily find you, and make all your posts appropriate and professional. As mentioned in chapter 4, Facebook is a great place to post your involvement for whatever organization you get involved in. He offers similar advice for Instagram, YouTube, Gmail, and Twitter. I will take all this advice into consideration as I am very active on social media and want to keep a professional online persona.

Interviews

Interviews can be nerve-racking knowing that you have to outshine the other applicants with your skills, attitude, and how you portray yourself in order to ensure you get the job. That's why knowing the do's and don'ts can help you better prepare and lessen your nerves. In the article, 2 mistakes To Avoid In A Job Interview,  it explains two mistakes you don't want to make that could jeopardize your chance of getting the job. The first on is talking too much, when you talk too much it gives off the impression that you are trying too hard and almost cocky. If you talk too much you will also risk the chance of you running out of time before al the questions are asked. The other mistake is talking too little, this can come crossed as your not fully engaged and a lack of confidence. By talking too little you also aren't able to get across all the skills and abilities you have to offer. The important thing when interviewing is finding the balance between talking too much and too little, this can only come with practice. When I go to interview for potential teaching positions I will be mindful of my response time to the questions that are asked to make sure that I am able to balance between the two effectively. 

When it comes to the interview process many people tend to only think about how they are going to act and answer the questions. Although this is important, it is also important to dress and present yourself in a professional way. In the article, 6 Things You Must Not Wear To Your Job Interview, tells you some things to refrain from when getting ready for your job interview. One thing it says is to make sure you don not show up in dirty or wrinkled clothes. As this is very unprofessional, wearing clean and ironed clothing will give off the most professional first impression. Another thing it mentions is to not wear clothes that show too much skin. It is important to wear conservative clothing to come off as professional and show your understanding that the workplace is a professional atmosphere. In the next few years when I go to interview for teaching positions, I will take all this into consideration as I get ready because I want to come across as professional as my first impression for the interview.

At then end of the interview when the question, "Why do you want this job?" is asked, it is important that you answer it correctly and effectively to ensure that it sets you out from other candidates. In the article, 'Why Do You Want This Job?' Is A Trick Question--Here Is How To Intelligently Answer It, it gives tips to how to answer this question to set you apart from the rest. One of the things it says to do is match up your skills with the job requirements. This will show that you meet the criteria that is specified in the job description which will show that you are a great fit for the job.  Another thing it suggests is explain how and why the job will help advance and grow your career and how the job would overall be a great fit for you. This will show that you are very interested in what the job has to offer and that by getting this job will help your career to flourish. When I get asked this question at future interviews, I will take into consideration all of the tricks mentioned to help me answer this question and prove that by hiring me, both me and the workplace will benefit from it. 

Q&A

My class was given the opportunity to have a Q&A with Shannon Sienrukos, Jennifer Lee, Arynn Yaeger, and Lisa Simmons about the interview process. One of the main themes that all these women mentioned were crucial in the interview process was to make sure that your LinkedIn profile was personable and had key words that match up to the skills needed for the position your are interviewing for. They mentioned this was important because the skills that you mention you have in your LinkedIn will already put you above anyone who didn't mention these skill sets in their profile which gives you an advantage before even walking in the door. Arynn Yaeger also mentioned that during the interview process to be mindful of your personality and professionalism as it is important to make a good first impression.  She also mentioned to always be honest and if you don't know the answer to something, offer a solution to the problem at hand.  Shannon also backed this statement up by saying to think out of the box to your solutions that you propose to show that you a good problem solver and are willing to work to find the answer. Jennifer also added to this statement that make sure you show them that you are a problem solver and are willing to learn new skills which in return will prove that you can be a vital asset to their company. As I go to interviews within the next few years, I will take all of their advice into consideration. Especially since becoming a teacher is all about learning new things, I will definitely prove to my future employers that I am willing to learn and be a team player and that I could be an asset to the school. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, as I enter the field of education I will take Ochs' advice into consideration on how to manage a professional online persona on all social media platforms that will impress future employers. I will also consider all of the interviewing strategies and tips that I have learned to help me prepare for the day when I go for a teaching interview.