Hello Jobcasers! Ok, let's talk about what we all want- the face to face interview!

I will walk you through how I have 'prepped' candidates for 20 years fo a f2f interview. Please forgive any misspelling etc.. I'm a Recruiter, not a writer. Second, join my group! Ask a Senior Recruiter anything! No question is dumb and I answer all questions. I'm not seeking a job- I am seeking to give back and help! Try me.

So, you are going to your f2f (face to face) interview for the job you want. How do you know you are ready? I will cover these points to make you ready.

1) What should I wear? Great question. So, I usually use this rule of thumb- the higher level of responsibility and pay, the more you should 'dress up' to fit the role. In other words, a job paying 60k+, I would advise my candidate to wear suit and tie or at least a sport coat and tie. Let me expand- men should wear a dark blue suit or black suit, black shoes for black suit, brown shoes for blue suit. Wear a white shirt, and wear a yellow, or red tie. Make sure your shoes are polished! and you wear black socks. Or, if you don't have a suit, wear nice kaki's, white shirt, yellow or red tie, a blue blazer, and brown shoes.
Men- facial hair. either shave it off or make sure it is VERY well groomed! Nobody wants to see some caveman.

Women- either wear a dark suit as mentioned above or a conservative dress. Don't wear your Saturday night dress- wear your going to church dress.

Cologne or perfume? NO!! NO, NO, NO! What smells good to you may not smell good to the person interviewing you and they may be allergic to it.

For positions paying less. with less responsibilities, I suggest wearing the following:

Girls and guys- Kaki pants, Polo type shirt. This works for grocery stores, food joints etc. For warehouse, construction I might recommend blue jeans and a golf shirt.

What to bring- ALWAYS bring a notebook and 2 pens (one may break) with some questions you have already written down.
Bring 3 copies of your resume (there may be others in the interview- keep one for yourself and two for them) and 2 professional references.

RESEARCH THE COMPANY!!! Go to Google and pull the company up- Glassdoor is a great site to find info about the interview and work environment. 75% of the time the interviewer will ask you what you know about their company. Show them you have done your homework. They will ask you at some point if you have any questions- ask them. They want you to!

If you don't have a skill they are seeking but have something similar tell them about it. I haven't used xyz but I have used abc…

Always arrive 10 minutes early. Make sure you know exactly how to get there and plan for traffic etc.
Always look them in the eye the whole time and NEVER say anything negative about your former employers.

CLOSE THE DEAL!! When you are finishing the interview, tell them you are very excited about the opportunity and you feel like you are a great fit. Ask them what the next steps are and TELL THEM YOU WANT THE POSITION.

I think this covers about everything. Please let me know if you have any questions.

I just finished my first day at the Census Bureau, 2020census.gov/jobs It is the easiest job I have ever had. Anyone interested should apply because they are hiring all the way through 2020. They train you to do everything so as long as you can apply and get hired they will train you. People if you are concerned about ageism than you definitely need to apply. It is temporary, however, it could be a stepping stone to other departments in the federal government. If you want to work this is the place for you. They are hiring Field enumerators Field Supervisors, Office Clerks, Administrative positions as well as technical support people. Older people and Veterans are encouraged to apply because they are hiring millions of people. I hope this will help some people. in addition, they are hiring in every state so check it out and they pay weekly. TYJ

Has anyone else experienced the red tape involved with getting approved for a job at the Census Bureau? I applied December 6th of 2018 and I am still waiting on my background check to be approved. I do not smoke, do not drink and have no criminal past that I know of. I think they could make the process a little more streamlined to get people in there faster. Has anyone else experienced working for Federal Government and what were your experiences on the background check?