The path towards financial freedom for many of us lies in getting a good (and relevant) education, pursuing a career and living within our means to generate the savings that will fund our future retirements.

Your career would be one of the most important areas you need to focus on besides living within your means, saving and investing as well as growing and protecting your means.

For those who are fresh graduates from ITE, polytechnic or university, being able to clinch your first job is the beginning of your journey towards financial freedom.

But how do you clinch that first job? I’ll share some of the insights based on my own experiences in career moves as well as my recent experiences in recruiting my staff.

5 Tips to Clinch That Job and Career

1. Be Punctual or Early

This is such a simple thing to get right and yet some people get it wrong. I have two candidates out of eleven whom I interviewed who were late. One underestimated the time required for the bus journey while the second went home to wear another outfit as a friend commented that her outfit was not suitable for interviews.

An interview is the first formal meeting between you and the organisation. If you mess up the first impression, it is hard to salvage unless you really have a good reason and you can do quick damage control.

So far, I’ve always been on time or early for interviews. Decide if you wish to pursue that job or career opportunity and give it your best shot. Half-hearted attempts do not work well.

2. Dress for Success

I’ve always worn a shirt and tie for interviews even if I know the culture of the organisation doesn’t require it. This is because I want to convey the impression that I’m serious and will do my best to look the best that I can and for guys it’s minimally a long sleeve shirt and tie and business pants and formal shoes unless you are going for an interview for a personal fitness trainer position. For ladies, formal business dressing is also important if it’s an office type of job.

My own sense is that it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed for the first impression. So come better dressed to project that professional image.

3. Customise your Resume

I’ve gone through scores of job applications in the past weeks and note that there are two main types of applicants. Some do not attach their resumes and leave you guessing about who or what they are like because application forms typically require basic information about particulars, job experiences, last drawn pay, education results etc but doesn’t ask for qualitative information such as what did they learn from their experiences in school/current job.

A resume helps to flesh out who you are and gives the recruiter a way to assess the more qualitative aspects. What did you achieve in your previous job. What skills did you learn and apply in your projects or work assignments. How did you feel about dealing with tough bosses, challenging customers and irritating colleagues. What are your aspirations?

All these add up to determine an important part of the selection criteria by the recruiter: is there a fit between you and the organisation and the job? Does your personality, attitude, skills and experiences fit with what the organisation and recruiter is looking for?

I’ve interview candidates who didn’t attach their resumes. While I do not immediately write-them off, I would need to ask more questions to flesh out the qualitative aspects not covered in the application form. I’ve also interviewed candidates who had resumes attached, but it was for roles not related to the job available.

If you want a decent shot at the job, you have to customise your resume either by having a cover letter explaining why you think there will be a fit between you, the job and the organisation. Saying you are looking for a human resource position while applying for a finance one doesn’t make a lot of sense as the recruiter will ask the magic question, “why are you applying for this specific position?”

4. Relax Yourself and Project Confidence

Before meeting the interviewer or recruiter, take a few cleansing breathes and remember to smile. Project confidence! First impressions last.

I remember when I was 17 and went for a scholarship interview. Then I was ignorant and naive so when the interviewers asked me which subject I was good at, I thought I had to be modest and claim I was just okay. The interviewer did me a favour by chiding me saying, “This is a scholarship interview, you must SELL yourself WHY we should award it to you!”

That lesson has been with me since and I can always recall back at age 17 how the interview is to some extent a sales pitch. Your educational qualifications and resume will get you shortlisted for an interview, but how you convince the recruiter(s) on your suitability can determine if you clinch that job (or not!)

5. Be Yourself

While leaving good impressions is important. It is also important not to fake it too much. The interviewers if they are more experienced and mature people will have seen all the many reasons people come up with why they are suitable for the job. Beyond that, they want to see some sincerity and genuine interest.

I’ve shortlisted candidates mainly because I felt they were being genuine. They didn’t oversell their skills and experiences and were relatively upfront about their aspirations and goals. Of course, one or two of the candidates exuded confidence and I’ve decided to give them a shot at the final interview.

Doing well in job interviews mean the difference between getting a good job or staying in a dead-end one. The days of lifelong employment by one employer is gone. Typically, many of us will go through several employers in our lifetime.

Being able to clinch that job that allows you to grow both in skills and experience as well as income is one key strategy towards financial freedom.

What are some of your interview stories and experiences you would like to share or ask Panzer? Do give your views in the comments section.

Be well and prosper.