Do you have a Federal Government Job interview coming up? Here are some tips that I have learned that has proven helpful to me.
[I originally posted this the GISjobs.ca site but thought that the GIS readers here could benefit from it as well, so let me know what you think]
Making it to the interview stage is no reason to celebrate but it is an important step in the job hunt process. Consider that by getting to this point you have certainly increased your chances of getting that job. Government Departments
get hundreds and often thousands of applications for the various jobs that they post, that they then narrow down to a pool of potential candidates (sometimes tests are even involved to help narrow down these large numbers). Chances are that the number of people getting interviewed will not be very many so your odds are pretty good if you have made it this far, but your work is not over yet, you have your foot in the door, but now you need to make the big sales pitch and sell yourself.
Before you go into an interview take some time and prepare yourself, do some research (check out the Department’s website etc.) and ensure that you thoroughly know the details. Almost all Federal Government jobs have a section known as the “Statement of Merit Criteria” If you are not familiar with this and have been applying to jobs with the Federal Government then there is a good chance you have not been having much luck. This is the section of the online application where they ask you to briefly demonstrate that you meet each required criteria for the advertised position.
Job seekers take charge of your online presence, you need to remember that in this day and age that most government employers will likely perform an internet background search on any candidates, so you should set up a professional profile for yourself such as the ones available at LinkedIn.com . Check out my LinkedIn profile of as an example of a professional portfolio, to get yourself started.
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