Finding and applying for the job might be easy with many job search websites, but when it’s time to face your very first interview, the thought wil probably scare the living daylights out of you (or at the very least, intimidate you). Everyone has to face their very first interview. You will probably approach this with the highest of hopes and confidence and possibly be in for a few surprises.

(Image Source: Fotolia)

I decided to start working right after graduation mostly because I needed the money to get a few geeky products I was eyeing. In search for the right job, I went to a string of interviews, flunked a few, and learned a few things. As here in HKDC (hongkiat.com), we are about sharing (and because my editor made me do this), here’s a list of 10 things you should know when facing your first interview.

Recommended Reading: 10 Most Asked Interview Questions & How to Tackle Them

1. Never Lie In Your Resume

Creating a resume is probably the first hurdle I had to overcome during my job search. Similar to what was said in creating a professional LinkedIn profile, stating skills which you do not have is something you should never do in the professional world.

(Image Source: Alexander Parker)

Lying easily backfires on you. How easily? Well, as easily as if the interviewer tested you in the interview room itself. Don’t want to be caught in this kind of situation? Don’t lie. If you survived that, and landed the job and was asked to do the task, again, you’re caught red-handed. Employers would easily have second thoughts about you and about other things you say you can do (even if you can do these well). Don’t lie.

What you can do is to say you know or understand something on a basic level and then express how you have encountered the skill (or software) in the past with school assignments. This shows the employer that you already understand the basics, allowing them to skip the tutorial phase. Always show your interviewer your eagerness to learn.

Recommended Reading: 7 Great Ways To Get Your Resume Noticed

2. Go for What Interests You

It’s not easy to display or describe something that is outside of what you know during a job interview. You should consider applying for a job that includes your interests or things you are passionate about (I am saying this from experience).

(Image Source: Theo Folinas)

I enjoy reading about technology from multiple websites so talking, writing, relating and understanding technology and gadgets is second nature to me. So you can understand when I say it was easier for me to handle myself in an interview to get a writing job with hongkiat.com than it is to say, sell gadgets or tech products. Plus, it’s more fun.

Applying for a job that interests you allows you to show off your skill for that particular job and gives you courage when talking to the interviewer. Technically, you’ve been training for this in your daily routine, as you are already immersed in it.

3. Read Up About The Company / Job Scope

One crucial thing you should do is to read up the company’s profile and find out what their goal is as the goals of each company of the same field is slightly different. Some may focus more on certain aspects others don’t look at. By reading the company profile and understanding their goal, you can better answer questions like "why should we hire you?"

Preparation means you can ‘sell’ yourself better by telling them how your skill can help them achieve their goals. Even when there is a mismatch of your skill and their requirement, showing them that you understand the company profile and their objectives increases your chances of being hired. The last thing you should do is ask, "What do you do here?"

Also remember to not say you are there to change their goal, you can only help achieve it – there is a difference.

4. A Book Judged By Its Cover

There’s a saying for a dress code: "It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed". To add to that, make your dress code decision fit the culture of the company: is their appearance very professional or are they more relaxed and comfortable with semi-casual clothing?

(Image Source: Fotolia)

Bigger companies tend to go for the professional-looking route, while you can get away without a tie in smaller companies. If you’re unsure then it’s better to play safe and go all out to look like a clean-looking professional. Even before you say anything, they have formed an opinion about you based on how you look.

If you’re unsure of whether to wear a tie or not, keep one with you, just in case. Putting on a wristwatch may also put you in a better light – it makes you look like you don’t take time for granted. Keep a pen in your pocket, as there might be forms to fill and also a copy of your resume, cover letter or any related academic documents even if you have sent them copies before, in case they want a second look.

5. Be Ready For Everything

This interview is only one step away from you landing the job and mental preparation is crucial. Tell yourself that you’re going to an interview because they are already interested in your resume. You’ll just have to prove that you’re better than the other candidates.

(Image Source: Fotolia)

Also, be there early. Expect Murphy’s Law to visit you to make sure that everything goes wrong on the most important day of your life (so far).

One more thing, it helps to set you apart from the rest of the candidates if you know the right jargon to use. It gives the impression that you know what you’re talking about and are not just trying to wiggle your way through a tough interview. Also, use specific words when explaining your reasoning instead of using ‘like, like, that thing’.

6. Observation Starts From The Receptionist

A receptionist handles many things for the boss: mail, phone calls, the greeting of clients etc. The receptionist will also be the person to greet you and let the boss know that you’re here. You will probably also be sitting within their field of vision.

While you wait, any bad habits – like a restless leg, a need to constantly powder yourself, or trying to memorize the company profile from your notes – that surface might be picked up by the receptionist, the eyes and ears of her boss (who could also be your new boss).

Come to think of it, treat anyone inside the vicinity of the company building as an observer. The person whom you held the lift door for (or stole parking from) might be your future head of department so treat everyone right.

7. Question Everything (Intelligently)

Asking questions is highly recommended, and interviewers expect a ton of questions from you as it shows that you are interested in the company. However, don’t jump in and ask about benefits and leave days you can get in a year.

(Image Source: Jonathan Hironaga)

Focus more on questions that would keep them on their toes, making them remember you better than the many other interview candidates vying for the same spot.

While you can try the run-of-the-mill advice to ask and answer ‘safely’ without offending the interviewer or putting any pressure on yourself, note that some employers like risk takers as they are the ones who can come up with unique ideas. This will help you stand out, be remembered and possibly get hired.

8. Show Willingness To Learn

If you’re presented with something that might be slightly out of your league, you can express a willingness to learn. This will show the interviewer that you’re up for the challenge and willing to work harder than others to deliver the objective.

Large companies are known for sending their employees for training to improve in a certain aspect. Small companies on the other hand are able to give you face-to-face lesson and the sharing of experiences to help your overall growth. Both require an open mind to learning new things, even though you have graduated from the highest level in the academic world.

9. There Might Be more than One Interview

While in smaller or medium companies, you might be given the job on or right after the very first interview, most large companies have a second (sometimes third) round of interviews for shortlisted candidates. If you got the invite, congratulations! You should feel more excited than afraid as this means the company is interested in hiring you.

However in larger companies, the second interview might be accompanied by a second or different interviewer. They could be your future boss, head of department, supervisor or co-worker. And sometimes they take you around the place.

Take the chance to explore the company and its different departments, meet people who you might be working with, and basically get the vibe of the place. They’re not only choosing you, you are also choosing them.

At the end of this interview, they might offer you the job on the spot and you can choose to accept it there and then, or take some time to think about it. If there is no offer yet, go home and wait.

10. The Wrap Up: You’re Hired (Or Maybe Not)

Wait? Seriously? No. Send them a thank you email. Get the contact from the name card they handed out to you and email them, telling them clearly who you are, thanking them for the opportunity and telling them you wish they find the man (or woman) for the job.

(Image Source: Fotolia)

It reinforces your position in their mind and decision-making process, especially when they are having a tough time deciding between you and two other candidates. This will give you the edge.

Conclusion

At the end of the day you, you may or may not get hired. It’s just how it is. Not all blind dates work out great either, right?

I personally did badly for my first interview because I was seriously not prepared. So learn from me and don’t mess up! It’s not that hard to prepare for all these things. Yes, it may be nerve wrecking but putting up a strong yet humble front shows them you’re ready to face challenges and overcome hurdles. There’s some instant respect and admiration for you right there. Best of luck!

Many look at freelancing as a hit or miss career. Some even don’t believe that writers can make a substantial income freelancing from their backyard. But the arrival of the Internet changed everything: there are now plenty of vacancies online, and the writing industry has picked up tremendously.

(Image Source: kyjast)

Granted, there are uncertainties in freelance writing. You never know when your next assignment will arrive, and freelancers have been known to have plenty of insecurities in their jobs. Plus, you need more than just writing skills to succeed in your freelance writing career, skills such as how to find topics that your targeted readers might be interested in and how to promote your writing services.

More: Freelancing related articles.

1. Weave a Topic

Some writers are good at writing, but only when they are given a topic. There are tons of blogs with different themes, topics and interest.

(Image source: Fotolia)

It’s never easy to find topics to write upon. You may be able to do it twice or thrice, but to be able to do it, day in and day out, requires some ability to pull rabbit from under your hat. Here are some tips.

Pluck Ideas From Thin Air

You could be negotiating on a new smartphone, and while negotiating, you came across something new that you think would be interesting to other new smartphone buyers like you. Chances are what you have learned while buying your smartphone could be helpful to other buyers as well.

Writing a post like that will attract plenty of readers. Your ability to stay alert, pick up visible clues that have potential, and then turn it into something concrete is a valuable skill.

Give Wings To Your Ideas

Experience is what life teaches you. It gives direction to your writings. A successful writer somehow knows how to interweave the experience he has gained to contribute to the newfound idea and still make it relevant to those who are not in the know.

Experience is also a good place to draw real-life examples from. This helps readers to visualize your ideas with physical analogues they can relate to.

2. Communicate Your Ideas

The way you handle your clients will eventually decide how successful you are in maintaining relationships with your clients. This is perhaps, the most understated skill, in reference to freelance writing.

Many writers, even though, they have a great reputation as a writer, fail to achieve their potential, because they have failed in their public relationship efforts in the past.

You need communication skills to pitch ideas, negotiate rates, and there is no one-style-fits-all method to handle clients. If you can’t convince your client to buy into your written materials and agree to publish it, no reader will be able to read what you wrote.

3. Promoting yourself as a writer

A freelance writer cannot stay introvert, he has to come out and be an extrovert. Promoting yourself may not seem like a skill to you, but it is an essential activity that requires interactive skills.

No matter how good you are as a writer, if others are not aware of your presence, then you will never get enough assignments to keep you going.

Recommended Reading: Freelancers: 8 Awesome Reasons Why You Should Join Online Forums

Join Forums

It is important that you join writer’s forums such as digital point, writers.net, mywritingcircle.com or absolutewrite.com and interact with others. Speak your mind on goodreads, and answer back discussions on writingforums.com, show your wit.

You can even try writertopic.com or share comments on blogs. Clients are on the prowl to pick a writer from the lot. And if you are able to stick your neck above everyone, then there’s a chance that you might get a call up.

Convince others how good you are

Freelance writers should go out of their way to let others know how good they can be. This is not about persuading someone with words, but more about letting your actions do the talking. And it is also about being confidence.

Confidence tells a lot about what you can do. Don’t forget that you will continuously be tested even if the clients have been working with you for some time. Not only do you need confidence to get new clients, but you also need it to keep your current clientele.

Conclusion

The bottom line is your writing skills is not the only skill you need to succeed in freelance writing. Stay relevant, stay on top of things and stay connected with your clients to keep the projects coming in and your freelancing career afloat.

Further Reading

For more posts on how to improve your career in freelance writing, check out:

• Dealing With Criticism In The Freelancing World
• Dealing With Insecurities in Freelancing
• How To Work Better With Your Clients
• 5 Ways You Are Losing Your Clients

Ttraditionally, a website consists of the main section and a sidebar on the layout. Commonly, the content that is contained in the main section could be longer than the sidebar, which makes the height of these two sections unequal.

In some cases, we want the height to be equal. There are actually some solutions to this situation, and one that is frequently recommended is the Faux Column technique.

• View Demo

Recommended Reading: CSS Back to Basics: Terminology Explained

Faux Column

Dan Cederholm firstly introduced the term Faux Column in his post over at A List Apart. The idea of this technique is to create an illusion of equal height by adding background color or image to the container instead of to the sidebar itself.

Alright, let’s see the following example to see how this technique works.

  <div class="container clearfix">  	<div class="main">Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.   	Etiam congue, tortor in mattis mattis, arcu erat pharetra orci, at vestibulum lorem ante a felis.   	Integer sit amet est ac elit vulputate lobortis. Vestibulum in ipsum nulla. Aenean erat elit,   	lacinia sit amet adipiscing quis, aliquet at erat. Vivamus massa sem, cursus vel semper non,   	dictum vitae mi. Donec sed bibendum ante.</div>    	<div class="sidebar">Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.   	Etiam congue, tortor in mattis mattis, arcu erat pharetra orci, at vestibulum lorem ante a felis.</div>  </div>  

As you can see, we have three div that contain the main section and the sidebar. We also put more (random) content than in the sidebar.

Afterward, we apply a few styles for the main section and the sidebar to be displayed side by side in the browser and we also add different background colors to them.

  .container {  	/* none */  }  .main, .sidebar {  	float: left;  	padding: 20px;  }  .main {  	width: 400px;  	background-color: LightSlateGrey;  }  .sidebar {  	width: 200px;  	background-color: Tomato;  }  

This will result into something as shown in the following screenshot, as expected the height is not equal.

Let’s apply the Faux Column technique; we simply remove the background color from the sidebar and add it to the container, like so:

  .container {  	background-color: Tomato;  }  .main, .sidebar {  	float: left;  	padding: 20px;  }  .main {  	width: 400px;  	background-color: LightSlateGrey;  }  .sidebar {  	width: 200px;  }  

The sidebar height now “looks equal” to the main section.

I’m not against this technique. In particular situation it just works fine. But there are some other situation when this illusion will just fail, such as when add a margin to the main section. This screenshot below shows how it turns out.

CSS Table

Alternatively, we can achieve the same result using the CSS Table technique. This technique uses CSS display property to set the HTML elements to act like a table, and this is my favourite approach when this situation rises.

Let’s see the following example to see how it works.

The HTML sturcture is the same as the above example, only we now alter the CSS. We start off by setting the container display to be a table. Then, we set the .main and .sidebar to display as the table-cell and we also need to remove the float declaration from them, otherwise the table-cell will simply fail as well.

  .main, .sidebar {  	float: none;  	padding: 20px;  	vertical-align: top;  }  .container {  	display: table;  }  .main {  	width: 400px;  	background-color: LightSlateGrey;  	display: table-cell;  }  .sidebar {  	width: 200px;  	display: table-cell;  	background-color: Tomato;  }  

As we mentioned, this will output the same result as shown below. But, unlike the Faux Column, this technique does not deliver an illusion. We just set the div to act like a table. As we may already knew, the columns height is relative to the tallest.

• View Demo
• Download Source

Do you have another way to create similar effect? Do share it in the comment box below. We would love to see your tip.