How To Prepare For A Last-Minute Interview

When a company’s search for talent is a top priority, like it is for most businesses in today’s job market, we often see the interview process pick up speed. A prompt pace in the interview process allows for a more efficient, natural flow of conversation between client and candidate.

While recruiters and hiring managers are working overtime to find the best talent, there’s a good chance that you could be asked to interview without much lead-time. Though they aren’t always ideal, last-minute interviews are pretty inevitable. To be best prepared for an interview that could happen at the drop-of-a-hat, here are some great tips from Forbes.

1. Research the company, team, and role.

2. Review your elevator pitch.

3. Update your START stories.

4. Prepare questions for your interviewers.

   Click here to read the full article from Forbes.

Laid Off? Take a Deep Breath and Then Take Action

· Acknowledge the emotions! It’s totally fine to go through the emotional stages. Whether you’re angry, sad, fearful, shocked, happy… feel it. These emotions will inevitably help you move forward.

· Check unemployment benefits. Reach out to your local state employment agency to see if you’re eligible for unemployment benefits. Click here for more information on filing for unemployment.

· Talk it through. This is a great opportunity to reach out to past friends, colleagues, collegemates, and whoever else is in your network.

· Make a list of companies who are hiring, and then narrow it down to the ones that you’re interested in and passionate about.

· LinkedIn should be your new best friend. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile set up, then this is the time to make one. If you already have one, update it.

· Network like it’s your job. After you’ve embraced the emotions that follow from being laid-off and have created a road map of companies you’re interested in and where you want to go, next up is to network with people outside of your current network. Don’t forget to add a personalized message when adding new people on LinkedIn.

· Connect with a recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies are fantastic resources to help job seekers as well as they have tons of connections with companies, and even better, they know who’s hiring. Here at Emerging Blue, we love supporting job seekers.

About Emerging Blue:

Emerging Blue is a brand focused talent resource partner that represents freelance, temp-to-perm, and full-time talent in Fashion, Home and Beauty. We fill jobs from San Francisco to New York, and everywhere in-between. We represent top candidates, the hottest brands and innovative companies of all shapes and sizes. If you need recruitment and hiring support, we would love to partner with you. Our talent is your strength. Get in touch with us at info@emergingblue.com.

Video Interviews…Ready for Your Close-up?

As some companies are moving towards video and Facetime interviews, being ready for your video close-up could make all the difference. Here are a few tips from our team of recruiters on being ready for video interviews.

1. Location, location. Pick a quiet place to interview without an elaborate backdrop so that you can be the focal point on the screen. No one wants to see your kitchen…or your ceiling. Remember to check your camera angles.

2. Check your lighting. Keep in mind that a bright window or light source behind you may cast your face in darkness. Test out camera placement beforehand to get your lighting just right.

3. Look at the camera, not the screen. While watching yourself during a video interview is oh so tempting, it may come across to the interviewer that you’re not making eye contact. Looking directly at the camera is a great way to avoid this.

4. Dress the part. When it comes to what to wear, treat your video interview like an in-person interview and dress appropriately from head to toe (or at least from head to waist!).

5. Practice makes perfect.  Having a practice interview with a friend beforehand is helpful because your first few video calls may feel awkward, especially if you are getting used to the technology.

6. Close other programs on your computer.  Getting email notifications and other pop-ups during your interview can be distracting (especially if they make noise). We recommend to make sure all other windows on your computer are closed before your interview.

7. Use notes.  Don’t be afraid to help yourself with post-it notes or a copy of your resume. One benefit of having a video interview is that you can have some key reminders in front of you. Keep in mind however, they are notes, not a script. Avoid sounding like you are reading out loud.

8. Avoid interruptions.  While we might personally love if your dog jumps into your lap during an interview, others may not. If you are interviewing in a house with multiple people or pets, be sure to let people know ahead of time and plan for a quiet space. 

9. Keep your profile professional.  Unlike an in-person or phone interview, your first impression during a video interview doesn’t actually involve you. The first thing your interviewer will see is your video username and picture, so double check that they are both interview appropriate (or create a professional Video account).

10. Let your personality shine through. Sometimes it is hard to get a read on a person’s personality via video interviews. We recommend that you let your personality shine through, while keeping it professional. As with any interview, standing out may give you an edge.  Even more so with a video interview.  Showing a little personality can go a long way.

3 Design Portfolio Tips... For Students & Recent Grads

Recently we were invited by two local fashion schools to review graduates’ portfolios.  It was impossible not to be blown away by the level of planning, the quality of storytelling, and the caliber of designs – from classic to edgy – that went into most of these presentations. Not to mention the energy was electric. Great job teachers and students!

If we were to offer three simple tips to you, inspiring and gifted designers, to help you make a great impression on job interviews, here’s what they would be:

1. DON’T make your portfolio oversized.  Wide open spaces are as unflattering as the superfluous graphics used to fill in the space are.  An 8.5 x 11 portfolio is a standard..and common size. With that being said, if you have a lot of content that you feel confident and passionate about, you should absolutely use the next size up.

2. DON’T bind your portfolio.  An unbound portfolio allows for additional pages to be added, or for the content to be shifted around to highlight your newest work … or, sometimes more importantly, to showcase work for a specific job interview.

3. DON’T do giveaways.  Whatever the “gift”, it’s an unnecessary, and sometimes awkward thing to do.  Let your work impress the viewer. If you feel compelled to give something away, have your business cards or resume ready.

Hopefully these tips will help you to tweak your approach to showcasing your style and essentially marketing your personal brand. It’s a crazy competitive world out there, but your talent, hard work and attention to detail will pay off.