Preparing for a Job Interview

Preparing yourself for your job interview before you go is an important way to make sure you don’t screw up your chances of getting the job during your interview. While there may still be candidates that are more qualified than you, you don’t want to lose the position to a less qualified applicant simply because you didn’t do well in the interview.

There are a few key things the interviewer will be looking for:

• Confidence
• Explanations for any shortcomings
• Passion for your field
• Intelligence
• Responsibility
• People skills

You should work on these issues, especially one very important aspect. You need to be able to explain any shortcomings on your resume to the satisfaction of the interviewer if you want to have any hope of getting the job you’re applying for.

Let’s say you have plenty of experience, but no formal education. The interviewer is probably going to tell you that the company mostly hires college graduates, or they are going to ask you why you feel qualified for the position without an education.

You need to be able to explain why your experience, your drive, and your passion outweigh your lack of education. If you can convince the interviewer that you will be a valuable member of their company, your education won’t matter so much.

If you have a large gap in your employment history, you need to be able to explain why. Were you traveling around the world to get experiences that would prepapre you for the position? Were you taking some extra classes? Were you ill at the time, but better now? Whatever the reason, you need to be prepared to explain it in a way that will show the gap as a benefit, not something negative.

Finally, you need to be sure you can explain why you are no longer working at each of your former jobs. It is very common for interviewers to ask why you left your former positions. You need to be able to explain why, without looking like a whiner or irresponsible. If you were fired, say so. But give the interviewer a good explanation as to why you were fired and why you wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Your honesty will be appreciated. You may have quit because you felt you weren’t happy with your prospects for advancement, or because you felt you could not learn anything more at your current position, or because you needed to move to a new area of the world. Whatever the reason, try to make it sound like a benefit.

Resumes and Lack of Education

A lot of positions require or prefer a degree these days. Even positions for while you may be exceedingly qualified for may reject you if you don’t have a degree. Without that piece of paper, you may not even be able to get your foot in the door at many places.

But there are ways to make yourself look especially appealing without actually having a degree. We’re going to look at some ways to pad your resume with true facts that will help you have a better chance of getting an interview, even without a formal education.

1. Take Some Classes

You don’t necessarily have to have a formal degree to have an education worth mentioning. If you don’t have the time or money to get a degree, you can still take some night classes that would look good on a resume. Once you’ve completed these classes, they will help fill up your education section. Remember, only mention classes that are specifically related to the position you are applying for. A class in automotive repair isn’t going to be very helpful if you’re applying for a job as a line cook.

2. List Internships and Volunteer Work

If necessary, you can list volunteer work and internships as education. These types of work experience are very valuable educational experiences, especially if they are in the field you are intending to work in!

3. Get Work Experience

Even if you have to take low-paying jobs for a while, it’s very important to get work experience if you don’t have and education. Don’t just seek employment with any company, but try to get a position with one of the most highly-respected and well-known companies in your field. This kind of experience is absolutely invaluable, especially if you come highly recommended from this employer! A low-level job in one of these titans of industry is better than a higher-level position at a company that is unknown, unless of course the difference in the level of responsibility are very significant.

Some employers are going to be completely inflexible. They will see you don’t have a degree and just automatically throw away your resume without even reading it. This is unavoidable. But some companies will be slightly more flexible if they see other information that impresses them. You just need to do everything you can to emphasize this information so they can see it before they toss your resume in the bin!