Step 4: Readiness

Market Yourself to Employers so the want to hire you

How you present yourself to future employers can either make or break your job search process. Here are the key elements to presenting yourself best to employers for whom you want to work.

Resumes and Cover Letters: A well thought out and designed cover letter and resume is an extremely important tool in marketing yourself. These documents are what all employers ask for first in the hiring process. If you resume does not clearly communicate your strengths and experience, you will miss opportunities.

Let us help you create a meaningful and memorable Cover Letter and Resume.

Montreat College’s Online Career Network: Montreat has worked hard to make it easy for you to find a job or internship. Handshake, our online Career Center, provides a place for you to gather your experiences, post your major, and connect with hundreds of employers who are looking for you!

Log in, build your profile, and watch the job and internship opportunities come to you.

Search for Jobs

Montreat College’s Online Career Network is a great place to market yourself in front of employers, and a great place to search for jobs in your field. Be sure to build your Handshake profile so that our network will connect you with jobs that fit your experience, skills, and interests.

Here are some other places we recommend you check out in your job search:

Preparing for the Interview

Congratulations! You have landed an interview! Now is the time to do all that you can to impress.

Do your Research: Take the time to learn everything you can about the company. Check out their website. What are their values? Their goals? Their accomplishments? Taking the time to familiarize yourself with the employer prepares you to impress with great questions and thoughtful conversations.

Dress the Part: According to Linda Blaine, clinical psychologist and author of Straight Talk, it takes 7 seconds for someone to form an opinion of you. Use those 7 seconds well!

Here are some quick tips:

Dress a level more professional than the company culture
Company Culture = Blue Jeans and T’s
Interview Outfit = Slacks and a Polo

Company Culture = Business Casual
Interview Outfit = Business Professional
– Closed toe Shoes, Tucked in Shirt, no tennis shoes
– Covered Shoulders

Practice your Social Skills: When greeting your interviewer make good eye contact, shake with a firm hand, smile, and greet them by Mr., Mrs., or Dr. Lastname until they tell you otherwise! Also, watch your language; cuss words or something that closely resembles a cuss word have no place in an interview.

Be Ready to Discuss Your Strengths: They will ask. Have a small list of your strengths ready to share, and even more importantly, examples of how you have used them. Practice with a trusted friend. The balance between Timidity and Arrogance is Confidence. Find it.

Be Prepared with Good Questions: An interview always concludes with, “Do you have any questions?” Be ready with some questions! Go back to your research and formulate a question or two. This shows genuine interest in the company and that goes a long way in creating a lasting impression.

Please note, that questions regarding pay is always inappropriate in the first interview. If you have concerns regarding the hours of employment, you may ask, “What does a typical work schedule look like?”