So, you’ve impressed a  potential employer with your application and resume. Now it’s time to interview. All you have to do now is answer the dreaded interview questions. This actually can be quite easy. All you have to do is practice. Every interviewer/hiring manager has basically the same questions everywhere you go. So if you have done your homework on the company and know what you want to say, this can be no big deal. Here’s a list of the Top 5 questions and a few tips on how to best answer.

5)  Tell me about yourself.

This is usually the first question. It’s a good chance to tell the interviewer about what kind of person you are. Tell them a little about where you’re from, hobbies, achievements, and goals. Keep it brief though. They don’t want a novel.

4)  Are you a team player?

The answer is always “yes”. (unless the job involves working alone!) Many jobs out there heavily rely on how well you work with others. It’s OK to mention that you can work independently, too, but you do value the benefits of good old fashioned TEAMWORK. Give examples of when being part of team was important.

3)  What is your greatest strength?

This is a perfect chance to talk about what makes you successful. Don’t be too vague. Give examples to back up why you’re “great”. Try not to sound cocky, but make sure you sound ready for any challenge that awaits.

2)  What is your greatest weakness?

Alright this is the most famous of all interview questions. How can you tell an employer what you’re not good at? It seems unlikely that there is any way to answer this without making yourself seem bad. Unless you’re prepared, you’ll stumble on this one. Try mentioning a positive. “I forget to ask for help sometimes, but I’ve been working on that and I’m starting to notice good results.” You can mention most real weaknesses, as along as you can mention that you’re working on it and how you’re doing better.

1)  Why should I hire you?

Okay, now you can sum up what you’ve talked about. Keep all the points in the interview that you did best at fresh in their mind. Remember to be sure to study the company and know what the position requires. Tell them you are a hard worker and really like to succeed at everything you do.

Keep in mind these aren’t the only questions they will ask. Be prepared for anything. These are just the 5 most common questions. Remember to practice, either alone or with a friend/family member. It will make a great difference and the interviewer will notice. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Very often, your resume speaks for you and represents the first impression you make. It’s almost sad to admit, but it is true. Many recruiters and employers miss out on great candidates because they are too quick to jump to the conclusion that an unpolished resume reflects an unqualified candidate. For this reason, many great candidates also miss out on great job opportunities. With that thought, let’s take a look at the 5 reasons why you’ll need to update your resume before applying to a job.

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The staffing business is all about reputation – the recruiter has a reputation, the client has a reputation, and the employee/candidate has a reputation. Anytime a recruiter refers or recommends a candidate to a client, she is putting her reputation on the line -she is banking on the candidate making a great impression to back up her word. If the candidate fails to impress her client, she would get a strike against her for having sent someone who is less than ideal. Recruiters do not just send anyone to interview with their clients, only those they are confident in.

Do recruiters “judge” you the moment you walk in the door? No. Not really. But the way you present yourself will be remembered and documented in their database forever! So how do you go about making a good first impression with your recruiter? Here are a few things to keep in mind:

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Now that you understand how a staffing agency can help you, and how to register with one, you’ll have to decide which agencies to apply with. There are thousands of agencies out there, each specializing in one or a combination of industries. Before you can decide which agencies you want to apply with, you must first decide what type of work or which industries you’d like to be associated with.

Once you’ve narrowed your choices down to certain types of work, do a google search for staffing agencies that specialize in placing people to work in those fields. For example, if you are looking for staffing agencies in Dallas that specialize in finding accounting jobs, you could google “accounting staffing agencies dallas tx”, and a list of relevant agencies will be returned. You could try combinations of different keywords to get different results.

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If you live in a big city like Dallas – Fort Worth, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a staffing agency to register with to be considered for job opportunities. A quick google on “staffing agencies” would bring back more recruiting offices than you’ll have time to visit. So how do you go about putting yourself on their lists of available candidates? The process may vary with some agencies, but for the most part, they all offer the same options.

The four most common ways are to: walk in for a visit, set an appointment for a visit, apply online, or send your resume via fax or email.

I believe the most effective way is to visit in person. This gives you a chance to get to know your recruiter and the company that you depend on to find your next job. But more importantly, it gives your recruiter a chance to get to know you!

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What is a staffing agency, and how does it work? Whether you call it a staffing agency, an employment agency, a recruitment firm, or something similar, you are referring to the same type of business; a staffing agency is an unemployed person’s best friend! In a nutshell, staffing agencies find jobs for unemployed individuals, and find workers for hiring companies. The variation in the firms’ names reflect the industry and types of clients each firm caters to.

The idea of going to a staffing agency to ask them to help you find a job has been around for more than 100 years! During the early days, staffing agencies were few and far in between. Today, there are thousands of agencies across America, with the biggest ones reaching revenue heights of 10 to 20 billion dollars! The Dallas Metroplex alone has close to 1000 recruiting offices!!

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