Author: prinOper@torent

1. Research the company you are interviewing with. Show them that you are interested in more than just the money. (This can also be used to help predict their interview questions)
   
2. Dress to impress for interview, even if the place of business you are interviewing for dresses down every day. Yes, even if they tell you on the phone dressing down is okay. You will stand out in the list of people who interviewed (and dressed down) as the one most dependable. Business attire helps give you confidence and reminds you what frame of mind to be in during an interview (very few exceptions to this rule). Retail-yes. Nanny-yes. Restaurant-yes you too.
   
3. Do not tell stories during an interview unless it is relevant to the question and keep it short.
   
4. Arrive 5-10 minutes early to the interview. This is a good way to stand out amongst other hirees.
   
5. Smile! A smile goes along way. If the employer has to choose between two people with the same experience level, they are more likely to choose the person with the most positive disposition.

No matter where you live in the world you have now experienced hardship due to #COVID 19. It is now something we all share in common. Allot of people have recently re- assessed work/life balance in their lives and have made changes or have thought of making changes to address this. Whether you have taken a leave of absence for health reasons or are a parent that has taken time off to raise a family, the transition to get back to work can be difficult, scary, and frustrating.

If you are thinking about taking a leave of absence from work or are about to return to work this article will be a good read for you.

The one mistake that people make is not preparing for their return BEFORE they leave.

Before you leave your place of employment. Ask for reference letters from managers that you have had great experiences with. Print out and save those performance reviews and update your resume.

The most challenging part of returning to work after taking more than 3 years off is remembering the metrics and metrics will be one of the key factors needed to re- qualify you when you pursue employment again. It will also help you combat ATS 
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-ats-shay-h-/  .

As an employer the main factor preventing one from pursuit of a candidate who has been out of work is whether or not they can remember skillsets learned. Did you ride a bike once? Or have you ridden a bike hundreds of times? Having this information will tell me if you will be able to pick up the bike and ride it again with ease or not. Making time in-between less relevant.

Although metrics will be a great asset to confirm you as a knowledgeable resource outside of time. It is not the only hurdle. What you have been doing within the time gap will need to be explained. It is best to explain this information within a cover letter, so this will rule out the thought of you being fired from your last employer.

Before coming back to work join as a volunteer within your desired field or join a committee or board that will help to re-establish you as an active subject matter contributor if possible. This can be added to your resume and will help fill some of the gap.

We never know what this world will bring us tomorrow , so always prepare today.

I hope this helps someone.

Sincerely,

Shay H.