Do You Really Want to Get Promoted?

So after working for several months at the new job as a receptionist, I got to see what my supervisor's, Administration Assistant, responsibilities were. I am not sure if I really want to get promoted to his level especially the part where ethics comes into the question. So these questions you need to answer about yourself honestly if you are ready for a set of new responsibilities.
Are you willing to be an on-call employee?
If any of your team is sick and you can not find coverage, you will be responsible to make sure that spot is filled; so, who is left besides you?

Are you willing to sacrifice some of your vacation time?
A lot of companies do not like supervisors to take vacations during certain times of the year called black out dates. You also have to make sure other managers can take your place while you are gone for the vacation.

Can you handle the extra responsibilities?
Pay attention to what your supervisor does. Will you be able to handle the stress and the responsibilities that he or she is doing? There's also some legal issues you have to deal with when becoming a leader. Human resource issues can come up if one does not know how to handle certain situations. The ethical issues that you have problems with your supervisor currently, will you be able to solve that problem once you get promoted?

 What is the turnover rate for the position you want to get?
If the turnover rate is low, do you know if your supervisor wants to get another position?  Be good friends with your supervisor so he or she can recommend you to your boss to have you promoted once the position is available. This way, you can also find out whether you have a good chance to get promoted or you might need to find a different company to work for where you have a better chance of a promotion.

These questions are based on experience and does not apply to all companies, but why not prepare for the worst-case scenario?

After the Interview

   So you finished your interview. I hope the interview went well since you prepared by researching and anticipating the questions that will be asked of you. A simple gesture of writing a thank you note card to the interviewer will help you stand out of the hundreds that the interviewer interviewed. Make sure this thank you card is not sent electronically. With the technology overpowering society these days, less and less handwritten notes are being sent out. Your letter will demand presence of the hiring manager or the human resource manager.

   In the thank you card, thank the interviewer for informing you about the company. Add how much more motivated you are to work for the company and that you hope to hear from him or her soon.

Anticipating Interview Questions

   The best way to prepare for an interview is to anticipate the questions that could be asked during the interview. Simply put: Do your homework.

Research the company.
   Read the mission statement of the company. Research what the company is going through and incorporate your answers to the questions asked. If you go into an interview and have no clue what the company or firm does, you will just look like all you care about is the money you will be getting from the company. Many companies these days want enthusiastic employees and by knowing about what's going on and what you can do for the company will put you ahead of those who didn't do their homework.

Questions about yourself.
   Most interviews start out with the usual questions and statements like: 

• Tell me something about yourself. If you are not sure about what to say, start out with hobbies and what you like to do when you have free time that can relate to the skills needed for the job you are applying for. This statement allows the interviewer to open you up and learn something unique about you. If you have the same interests as the interviewer, then that would be a plus! Make sure you do not tell your life story. Limit this answer to two to three minutes. If you can not think of anything, mention where you went to school and what degree you got.
• What are your strengths? State your strengths that relates to the position you are applying for. Give an example of how you used each of your strengths. Be prepared to explain about three strengths along with experiences.
• What are your weaknesses? This one is a tricky question, but make sure you answer this correctly. Do not answer that you do not possess any weakness.  If you do so, you would sound like you are perfect and no one is perfect. You want to present yourself as someone who is always learning to become a better individual. So an example of my weakness is that I like to take on many assignments that I can not finish. So to better phrase this so the weakness doesn't sound negative would be: One of my goals is striving to delegate tasks so I will not be overwhelmed.
• Do you prefer to work by yourself or in teams? Give the answer of both. Why not allow the firm have the best of both worlds? Working by yourself means you can handle things on your own without supervision. Working in teams are a must because many companies are emphasing in teamwork.

Questions about your interests and the company's.

• Why would you want to work for us?
• Why are you interested in this position?
• What do you know about our company?
• Why would you want to work in this industry?
• What interests you about our services or products?

Questions about your experience.

• What was the most rewarding experience have you had in the past while working?
• How have your education or past working experience prepare you for this positon?
• What is a typical workday like?
• What job functions you liked the most and least? Why?
• Do you have any computer skills and what are they?
• Who was your toughest boss and why?
• What was the reason you left your last job? (or leaving your current job?)

Questions about your contribution to the company.

•  How would you be an asset to the company?
• If the position was offered, where do you see yourself in five or ten years from now?
• What is your way of getting along with a group of diverse co-workers?
• What would you like to get out of working for this company?

Set Up for First Phone Impression

Make sure your voice mail message is appropriate.
   If you can not answer the phone call at anytime of the day due to certain obligations- work, school, etc.- have a professional sounding message. You do not want to send any bad first impressions due to the voicemail. No songs or music recorded. Make sure your voice mailbox is not full and able to receive messages. If you got a new phone or switched to a new phone carrier, do not forget to set up the voice mail box as well. There are many times when I have to contact people, their voice mailbox are either full or not set up, and I could not leave a message at all. You do not want to forfeit the opportunity for the position just because you forgot to empty those saved party messages your friends left you.

Do not answer the phone if the setting you are in is not perfect.
   Let the phone call go into voice mail if you are at a party or have a lot of background noise. You do not want any distractions or interruptions when answering an important phone call. You want to be the one in control. This way, you can be sure of the right time and date for either the phone or in-person interview.

Answer the phone with a smile (^_^)!
  Research shown that people that answer the phone with a smile sound more personable and friendly regardless of how the person is actually feeling. Sounding friendly will provoke the caller looking forward to the interview with you. Knowing phone ettiquette is a plus if you are hoping to get a receptionist or concierge position.

If the phone number listed is a home number, alert people at home.
  Not every one has the luxury of cell phones. So if your primary contact phone number is your home, alert the people that live with you that you are expecting a call to setup an interview. Make sure an adult is answering the phone. Do not let any children to answer the phone. Give tips to adults at home to answer appropriately as well. Since not all households have Caller ID implemented. I think saying, "[Insert Family Name here] residenc," is enough. Remember to change the answering machine message as well. Refer to the first point.

Appropriate Dress for the Interview

   After tailoring all your resumes to the companies you are trying to apply for, make sure you don't idle yourself. If you need to turn in your application with your resume, make sure you have the right attire. I highly recommend that you dress in a professional manner even if the task is only to turn in your application. As discussed in getting an application, one may never know that he or she could get the interview on the spot. Here's a link to a short video about how to dress for an interview: Dress Appropriately. This video does focus on men, but I believe it relates to women as well.

You can also find the casual work attire versions here.

For women, do not dress to seduce, but dress to impress. Here are some suggestions for your professional attire section of your closet:

• dress shirts and/or blouses
• pencil skirt
• dress pants
• blazer or plain coordinating cardigan

 Make sure you dress accordingly to the position you are applying for. As mentioned in the video link above, if you are applying for a more artistic or fashion-related occupation, dress the part. If in doubt, always remember: over-dressed is better than under-dressed in an interview situation.