The title of this entry seems simple and yet, when you are job searching, you need to take it literally.  When you are interviewing, you know that you need to prepare for your interviews.  There are many factors that will be considered when it is time for a prospective company to make a decision on who they want to hire.

They will be looking at your past work experience, your tenure, your official title and position you held, your education, your skills, your overall level of professionalism, your ability to dress and present yourself appropriately, your confidence in your answers, your ability to handle difficult questions, your honesty, your body language, your consistency and your overall demeanor!

These are all areas you expect to be critiqued in during an interview.  One simple lesson you should not take for granted is your first impression.  You need to be nice right away.  Most professionals know that you must come across positive in every interview.

Sometimes, you may forget to be nice to others that may not appear to be as important.  This is a common mistake and it has extreme consequences.  I am referring to people in a company that see you before you get to your interview.   The Doorman, the Concierge, the Mailperson, a Clerk, an employee and probably the person most likely to “make or break” you is the Front Desk / Receptionist / Administrative Assistant / Executive Secretary.  Anyone you come in contact with prior to your appointment can quickly send a message to the person you are interviewing with.  If you are rude to someone, they will not hesitate to make a call.

Most of the time you will meet at least one person before you meet your interviewer.  The company’s Front Desk person will definitely make a quick judgment call and then will take their opinion of you back with them to the interviewer.  The individual upfront usually knows everyone in the company.  It is their job to know who is going where and when.  If they see you as a possible new hire, they want to see for themselves if you will fit in.  They will notice if you are nervous, quiet and unfriendly.  If on the other hand they see you as happy (because you are smiling at everyone they see), confident (because you are making good eye contact with others) and friendly (because you are talking with the Front Desk individual and even saying hello to others if it is appropriate to do so).  This positive observation will also be shared with your interviewer.

The bottom line is to be nice to everyone you see in a company when you are there for an interview.  Another thought, you may get a job with this company, and if you do, you want your first impression to be a good one!

Two Panera Bread items, including the Power Chicken Hummus Bowl, were certified by the Healthy 100 program.

Hospitals and national quick-serve chains may seem odd bedfellows, but a new program in Orlando is pairing the two in an effort to promote healthy meals.

The Healthy 100 program from Florida Hospital approves restaurant recipes that are low in fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar, and high in fiber and whole grains. Chains and independent restaurants submit their lighter, healthier recipes to the hospital’s team of dietitians, who review the dishes and the program guidelines. If the dish meets the eight-point criteria, the restaurant can promote it on the menuboard as a Healthy 100 item.

“If something doesn’t meet the criteria, we let them know what they can do to meet it,” says Sherri Flynt, manager of Florida Hospital’s Center for Nutritional Excellence. “For example, they can reduce the sodium and use a spice or herb to flavor the food. Overall, sodium is still one of the biggest challenges because, when you take fat content out, you lose some flavor.”

Menu items at Central Florida–based Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread restaurants were recently certified by Florida Hospital under the Healthy 100 program.

Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken nuggets were one of the Healthy 100–approved items. The nuggets, which are 97 percent whole-breast-meat chicken and 3 percent spice, debuted nationwide early last year. They’re one of the reasons the brand’s kids’ meal contains nearly 60 percent fewer calories and 85 percent less fat than most other quick-serve kids’ meals, says Cindy Coffman, Chick-fil-A’s Central Florida area marketing director.

I would like to officially welcome our Newest Franchisees that have joined Patrice & Associates since January!  Check out their Bios on their Webpages!

     Pam Glynn, Dallas TX

      Mashall Madni, Columbus OH

     Kendall Ware, Dallas TX

     Javier Burdman, Miami FL

     Heather Haas, Rockford, IL

     Barbara Haug, Long Island NY

     Cecily Anthony, Manassas VA

It’s the job seeker who interviews best who is getting job offers in this competitive market.  You may have the perfect credentials, but if you don’t ace the interview and click with the interviewer, chances are the job offer will go to someone else.  Too often, job seekers think it’s their lack of experience, salary, age, or too much experience that screens them out.

• If you lack experience, but appear confident, interested and you click with the interviewer – they will teach you what you don’t know
• If you are “open or negotiable” on salary, the only time salary will hold you back is if you don’t know how to verbalize your salary requirement during the interview
• If you think you are too young or too old for a job, often the way you “word” things in the interview will reveal that you have this concern
• If you have extensive experience, focus on the last 10 years and the impact that your accomplishments have had on your past employers and that is where the interviewer will focus

You not only have to interview well, the interviewer has to feel you will fit in with their current team and company culture.  You are not going to fit into 100% of the companies who interview you.  If you did get the job at a company where you did not align with the company culture, you probably would not be happy long term.  If you do not get a job offer, view the experience as an opportunity to learn and fine tune your ability to interview.  If you are not comfortable during a job interview – practice, practice and then practice some more!

To fine tune your interviewing skills focus on these four main areas:

1. Focus on the impact of your accomplishments on past employers
2. Show a high level of confidence in your ability to do the job
3. Display a high level of interest in working for them
4. Ask the best questions

If you master these four areas you will interview more effectively, which greatly enhances your chances of receiving a job offer.