Qualification checking

Qualifications as good as possible.

This may sound strange, but at entry level some people have all the qualifications they could possibly need for the job, and still don't get it. The qualifications are no secret, but the way they're presented at the interview actually damages the applicant.

At the risk of harping on about presentation and communication, all the interviewers know about you is that you have these qualifications.

This is not the time to take a vow of silence.

Your motivation is extremely important.

Really, this is what the whole interview is about, your career.

It's also where your communication and presentation have to be at their best. You need to extrapolate, and explain what you're intending to do with your qualifications, and really, show where this position fits in with your career plans, and intended career path.

Credibility is another big part of entry level interviews. These guys are professionals, and they know where you need to go with your career at this stage. Most professionals are actually pretty sympathetic, and can be a real help to you. Really good professionals will make a point of helping, at the slightest excuse.

Not if you clam up, though. It is quite possible for a very talented person to come across as a very average person, if there's no information available to prove some sort of direction and motivation. The interviewers have to get someone who's clearly motivated, and intending to follow through with the career aspects, or they're wasting their time.

They don't know what you're trying to achieve, and have no way of finding out, if you say nothing on this subject. The worst case scenario is that you'll convince them that you're not particularly interested, or even hostile, and that effectively kills off your whole interview.

Which is a colossal waste of time, for you, and for them, and they don't have any reason to be grateful for that. They could have been interviewing someone who actually wanted the job, and was prepared to admit it.

The employer doesn't need a Prima Donna, or an uncommunicative, possibly belligerent, and apparently uninterested, employee.

You may not intend to look like that, but if you're a naturally shy person, that's one of the risks. They don't know you, and don't necessarily understand your inhibitions or sensitivities.

So don't be shy, on this subject in particular. Entry level is a career thing. Candidates are supposed to be sufficiently motivated, and they're also supposed to be learning the ropes of their profession. Chronic lack of evidence of enthusiasm and total silence on the most important part of the interview is not going to achieve very much.

Entry level interviews have one saving grace. You can do them until you get them right. But if you don't get them right, you could be doing them for years.

Make the effort, do the work, present well, and communicate.

That's all you need to do.

Visit cvtips.com for a lot more information on CVs, Resumes, Cover Letters and Interviews.