Career Building • Mercer County, WV • 3 / 4

Finding Jobs and Acing Interviews • Mercer County, WV

Use job boards, networking, workforce centers, and STAR responses to improve your results.

Mercer County Job Search Support

• WorkForce WV has an office in Princeton that helps with free job search support and training.

• Online: Indeed.com, LinkedIn.com, state workforce sites.
• Networking: Tell friends, family, and former coworkers you are looking. Attend job fairs. Join local clubs or groups.
• Know that the hidden job market exists. These “hidden jobs” are jobs filled through networking before they are posted publicly. You should try to maintain strong professional relationships.

• When you answer interview questions, use the STAR method, which stands for: Situation (what was happening), Task (what was your job), Action (what did you do), Result (what happened because of your action).
• Example question: "Tell me about a time you solved a problem." Your answer: "At my last job at Walmart (Situation), we had angry customers waiting a long time to check out (Task). I created a faster checkout process (Action). Wait times dropped 50% (Result)."

• "What are your biggest strengths and areas of improvement?" Answer: Name a strength you are proud of! Name a real weakness, but one you are fixing. "I was not good with technology, so I took a course and now I use Excel confidently."
• "Tell me about a gap in your employment." Be honest, brief, and focus on what you bring to this job now: "I took time off to care for my family. Now I am ready to return and bring my experience in my previous job and my strengths as a caretaker to this role."
• “Your qualifications suggest you might not have a lot of experience in this field, can you tell me about how your skills align to this role?” Answer: Highlight transferable skills. "Though I have not worked in retail, I have customer service, cash handling, and teamwork skills from my last position…."

• Research the employer/company before the interview. Read their website, mission, and recent news. Know what the job actually does. This research shows you are serious and prepared.
• Have a trusted friend, colleague, or family member practice doing an interview with you.
• Review your resume, cover letter, the job description, and the company website before the interview.
• If the interview is in person, arrive 10 minutes early. If it is virtual, make sure to check your internet connection, camera, and audio 5 minutes before the interview.
• Listen carefully. Answer the question asked, not a different one. Have a notebook to write down the question and to gather your thoughts if that helps!
• Ask questions at the end of the interview.
• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Brief and professional. "Thank you for your time. I am excited about this opportunity..."

• Practice the STAR method. Write out answers to five common interview questions. Practice saying them out loud. Ask a friend to do a mock interview with you.