Interview!

I have an interview coming up, for a job to which I responded several months ago. It's a state government position and I'm very excited about it.

I have to dig out my suit, make sure it still fits, or go to Plan B. Because I don't have a Plan B, it really needs to fit.

My interview skills are rusty, but I earlier this summer, I took advantage of an Interview Skills course through my local unemployment office. It was one of the things I needed to do in order to obtain my unemployment payments. Even though I was already scheduled for a project, since I don't think I'm the best interviewer in the world, I thought it was a good idea to go.

It was beneficial. The part I remember is the little script we were given, where you filled in the blanks: "I'm a _____________ with X amount of experience, and my skills include __________, __________, and ________. "

I decided to look for a job that isn't designated as Attorney but one in which my background would make sense. I decided to look at government positions, as there are many areas of government in which a law degree would be beneficial, but that have other types of job titles. You have to read through a lot of job descriptions.

My state and the federal government both have webpages on which one may enter a resume and create a job search. Once you've done both of those, potentially appropriate jobs pop up on lists in your e-mail and it's easy to respond. And painless.

The biggest problem is actually sitting down and determining what information is best to include for these jobs. One of my friends recommended sending a cover letter and resume to the HR contact if that information was provided. I did so for this job and rather than targeting my resume, used their key phrases in my cover letter. I matched my experience and qualifications to the requirements listed for the job.

I do that all the time, but in this case it was actually useful.