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You've got 20-seconds to make your first impression.
How to make the most of it:
1. Present yourself in 3-Dimensions
Enhance your 1-Dimensional resume with a 20-sec. video clip and a personality profile and you’ve got a state-of-the-art 3-Dimensional Resume - only from SummerClerk.com. Your very own, personal URL lives online! And you control who can access it. Include your private URL address in all your written or electronic communications with potential employers and let it do the talking for you. It’s how you reveal the best of you without having to start over every time you want to make a contact. Go beyond the minimal information such as GPA and resume. For example, the highest GPA is not the best indicator of the "most qualified" person for the job - employers know that. The person who doesn’t hide behind a number is usually the one that gets the job.
2. Your persona is what people remember about you
The way employers look for good candidates is changing. How you present yourself tells an employer a lot about whether you will embarrass the firm. Your personality and how well you ‘fit’ the organization are just as important to job success as work experience, education and skills. Job performance is a function of what a person knows and does, plus how he or she does it (e.g. calmly, creatively, attentively, etc.) Employers know that skills can be taught; work experience will be accumulated over time; but personality is ‘hard wired’ and difficult to change. Our personality helps us and our employers see strengths to leverage and the soft spot to grow.
To the extent our strengths align with the job and the organization's requirements, we are likely to be a good fit for the position and enjoy the work. Candidates who are good fits tend to become successful in the position and often report greater job satisfaction. If a person is not a good fit they may not perform well. They are more likely to be less satisfied with the job, and they tend to leave the job (voluntarily or involuntarily) in the future. Nobody wants that.
People in the business community understand that individual differences in character, behavioral tendencies, attitudes and values affect job performance. Organizations have begun to seek out applicants that have the personality characteristics that are likely to be successful in the position. A good way to identify these kinds of characteristics is through personality assessments that determine a person's reputation, behavioral tendencies, values, and motivations with a high degree of accuracy. This may be one reason why personality profiles are one of the fastest growing trends in the field of Human Resources.
Frankly, the 3-D Resume does a better job of matching you with potential job opportunities based upon your personality. The Hogan Personality Inventory is used because over half of the Fortune 500 companies use it - because it works. Again, this is important for you because ‘Hogan tested candidates’ are more likely to be successful in their new jobs having more job satisfaction, and have longer tenures with their employers. By the way, you will receive a personality report from Hogan as well. This report will provide you with valuable career development insights that will help you in your job search and your career development. While education tends to focus on technical and financial issues, personality assessments make you more aware of the skills needed for individual growth and success. For individuals interested in advancing their careers, knowing where their strengths are enables them to leverage them, as well as, knowing what their potential weaknesses are so they can take steps to improve them.
SummerClerk.com creates an effective intersection for students and employers. Employers can find you based on your personality profile, resume video, etc., and you can find employers interested in your unique characteristics - a mere resume doesn't begin to reflect the real you. This gives you a web presence that you don’t have to create every time you make a new contact.
3. If a picture is work 1,000 words; a video clip is worth 10,000 words
Making a video clip does several things. First, the fact that you have one goes a long way to make a good first impression to the employer. Then too, psychologists report that first impressions are made within the first 20 seconds of an introduction. Secondly, it prepares you for the job interview. It makes you practice what you will say during that first impression. That practice gives you more confidence. But remember, no one - I repeat, no one - should submit a sloppy, thrown together video clip. If you have trouble writing your script or shooting the video, etc., get help (see our tips on what and what not to do). This is an opportunity to make a good impression; don't wing it.
4. Good questions to ask in the interview
Based upon the Helpful Career Tips section of your Hogan Report, you should make a list of questions to use during your interview with potential employers. The seven areas of the Personality Inventory are great guides from which to develop questions.
For instance: