How to get federal Job Good Book

Good article on interview tips in general

Take Care of Your Personal Appearance Be well groomed. Clean hair and fingernails are essential. Dress appropriately. Your clothing should be appropriate for the position you are seeking. Wear comfortable business attire. Abstain from chewing gum or smoking. Do not wear perfume, cologne, or other strong scents. The interviewer(s) may be sensitive to the fragrance.

Be Yourself Relax and try to enjoy the interview. If you are not yourself, it will show. If the interviewer feels that you are comfortable, this will ease the tension, for the both of you. Try not to be too "scripted" and remember to adapt to the conversation.

Know Your Resume and Cover Letter Inside Out Review your career history thoroughly. Review dates, positions, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Mentally review your past achievements and be prepared to describe your work experience in detail. Practice describing your experience in terms of your responsibilities and accomplishments at each job. Be prepared to cite specific examples of accomplishments and how your contribution can help the company solve its problems.

Be Punctual Do whatever it takes to arrive a few minutes early. If necessary, drive to the company the night before and time yourself. Allow extra time for traffic, parking, and slow elevators.

Be Friendly and Courteous Be friendly and courteous to all the people you meet. Try to fit in. Receptionists and others are sometimes asked for their opinion of you. Do not disregard them. Be tentative to body language. Send the right message by standing straight, moving confidently, and sitting slightly forward in your chair. The outcome of the interview will depend largely on the impression you make during the first five minutes. To succeed, you must project a professional, competent, and enthusiastic image. Remember that 85% of the verbal content of the interview will probably be forgotten within an hour of your departure. What remains is the overall impression and a few notes.

Be Adaptive Listen and adapt. Be sensitive to the style of the interviewer. Pay attention to dress codes, office furniture, and general decor which will afford helpful clues to assist you in tailoring your presentation.

Have Your Own Agenda and Know Where the Interview Should Be Heading Having your own plan will give you confidence and help you move from one area of questioning to the next. Remember that most interviewers are as uncomfortable as you are. If you can put the interviewer at ease by helping things move smoothly, you’ll improve your chances of being hired. Have some degree of control over the interview by asking questions.

Be Prepared to Share You may be asked to share past experiences with the interviewer. For example, you may be asked to describe a situation in which you applied your knowledge to overcome obstacles or problems. Ideally, you should briefly describe the situation you found yourself in, summarize the actions you took, and state the outcome based on your actions.

Be Prepared to Answer Unexpected Questions That’s designed to see how you cope with the unexpected.

Avoid Making Negative Statements about Previous Jobs or Employers Be diplomatic. No matter how bad your last job or boss was, there’s probably something good you learned from the experience. Emphasize the positive - with a smile.

Leave a Lasting Impression Maintain your enthusiasm right through to the end. Don’t let your guards down. Smile, shake hands firmly and be sure to thank your interviewer for his or her time. Don’t hesitate to say, "I hope we’ll have the opportunity to work together in the future."

Be Confident Talk about your strengths and abilities with pride, but don’t be cocky or conceited. Make eye contact. Let them you know you can do a good job.

Practice Simulate interviews with friends and family. Practice on questions you think you might be asked. Practice can help you be calm and confident during the interview. Plan out the answers to expected questions. Write down answers if it helps to make your presentation more concise. Try to keep your answers to the information your new employer will want to know.

Create a List of Questions You Want to Ask Beforehand Think of one or two questions that are really important to you and consider asking those same questions for all your interviews so you can compare the answers. Do not ask questions that are already answered on the firm’s website. Employers are as interested in your questions as they are in your answers. They will react favorably if you ask relevant questions about the position, the company, and the industry.

Eric Walker Resume Writer for Checkmate Resume http://www.checkmateresume.com

About the Author

Resume Writer for Checkmate Resume

How to Get Security Clearance for U.S. Citizens

If you’re actively searching for a government or state job and are a U.S. citizen, chances are you’ve come across the term ‘security clearance’ a time or two, or want to know more about how to obtain it. Here are some facts about security clearance for U.S. citizens that will help in your job search, and may even help you to get the security clearance you need at your existing job.

A security clearance is a determination, usually in written form, that a person is willing and able to protect valuable and secure national information. In order for a person to receive security clearance, an investigation has to be conducted on that person. However, the investigation is non-criminal and usually goes back about 10 years.

 
One of the best ways for U.S. citizens to get security clearance on the job is by contacting the Human Resources department of an office or place of employment. Human Resources will determine whether or not a state or government job requires security clearance, and will then give you the necessary materials to obtain that clearance. You will most likely be asked to fill out a questionnaire, and your questionnaire will be reviewed before you have a face-to-face interview.

Once you think you’ve found a state or government job that you think may interest you, be sure to ask for more details about security clearance during your interview. In most cases, normal, every day citizens are granted clearance, but you’ll want to know about any factors that could potentially complicate your being granted security clearance.

Procedure for state and local officials who require access to classified material

• apply for a security clearance through their local FBI Field Office. Fill out Standard Form 86 (SF 86), Questionnaire for National Security Positions; and two FD-258 (FBI applicant fingerprint cards).
• Secret and Top Secret security clearance are mandated by Presidential Executive Order (EO)
• clearance may be granted to those persons that have a "need-to-know" national security information

Top Security Clearances

• granted to those persons who have a "need-to-know" national security information, classified up to the Top Secret level
• a background investigation, covering a 10-year time period, is required.
• candidate will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
• It takes about 6 to 9 months for Top Secret security clearances

If you have any questions please contact the local FBI field office or go to the FBI web site.

With the baby boomers coming of age and other factors, the healthcare industry is doing very well. One more added advantage is that these jobs can never be off shored.  Enjoy the article and leave your comments

Should You Take On Nursing Assistant Training?
By Alison Wheelock

In the United States, nursing assistant training is regulated by a number of different government departments. This can vary and depends on the state in which you live. Because of this, you must make sure to check which government body you need to register with before starting your nursing assistant training.

Anyone thinking of taking up a career with sick or elderly people must undergo some type of nursing assistant training before they are allowed to work with patients. For example, it looks quite simple to give a bed bath to a patient, but you may not realize how much skill is required to carry out this and similar procedures. You should take advantage of any opportunity for an experienced person to show you how to carry out basic nursing procedures in the correct way.

There is currently a critical shortage of quality nursing assistants. Therefore, if you can prove to any potential employer that you have had some structured nursing assistant training, you will almost certainly improve the chances of securing the job you want. You may even be able to pick and choose the job offers you wish to take up - prospective employers may be almost knocking at your door asking you to come and work for them. At the very least, it is likely that you will be able to negotiate a very good deal in terms of pay and benefits before you accept the job.

First you will need to make a decision on which type of nursing assistant training course you wish aim to follow. Then, you need to ensure that you can meet the minimum requirements for that program. In order to establish whether you have the academic capacity to complete the training program all educational establishments will have set standards that you must meet. The educational standards required will vary between states, so you must make sure you carefully read the guidelines before applying for a nursing assistant training course.

You are likely to have to pay for your own course if you already work as a nursing assistant and you decide to study a nursing assistant training program. You could always ask your employer if they could sponsor you – pay the course fees. You could agree to work for them for a certain period of time in return for them funding your training program.

An employer who thinks highly of you will be only too happy to sponsor your nursing assistant training as they would know that they were retaining a nursing assistant who has been fully trained.

Alison Wheelock has been a freelance writer and author for over 10 years. You will find more Nursing articles available at http://www.nursing.success-tips-and-tricks.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Wheelock

Do you know that having a security clearance can get you more pay?  Some companies are even offering a brand new BWM to new employee with top security clearance (raffle)

Read this interesting article from Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020802348.html