GM, Chevrolet offer tips for young job hunters

Staying  On Trax: Job Finding Tips From Chevrolet. Chevrolet’s talent team provides job-finding advice and tips as well as ways to use your vehicle to help while searching for jobs.

Whether you’re a recent grad in pursuit of your first job, looking to make the next move in your career or searching for a way to change career paths, one thing is certain: job hunting takes some serious work! And while there are many tips out there that are important for success – we thought it would be interesting to explore an unexpected tool in your arsenal: your car.

Here are 5 tips from the talent team at Chevy to help you nail the job hunt –utilizing your job finding best friend – your car!

1. Keep hard copies or digital presentations of your resume and cover letter in your car. That way, you always have them on hand for any situation or last-minute opportunity.

• Bonus tips:
• Keep your resume traditional. Don’t use fancy artwork unless it’s an art or design portfolio. Use traditional resume paper.
• Study the job posting. The answers to your interview are all there in the job posting. Highlight what you have done that addresses that. Use their wording when describing those skills.

1. Keep a spare interview outfit. Keeping a spare interview outfit in your car can help alleviate the stress of unexpected spills or wrinkles and to help keep you looking polished if you need to head straight to an interview from your current job. Bonus tip:

• Dress code: Even though it might be a casual business setting, always wear business formal for an interview. Wear a suit and tie and no dark jeans. Make sure your suit is a dark color – navy, black or gray. Keep an extra shirt, pair of shoes or suit top in your trunk.

1. Organize your car into a remote office. Vehicles like the Chevrolet Trax now offer 4G LTE Wi-Fi, and affordable unlimited data plans ($20/month through AT&T) to help keep you connected, so you can stay on top of your search and emails no matter where you are. That means you can also send a thank you email immediately following your interview!Bonus tip:

• Ask for business cards and send thank you emails from your car following your interview when information is top of mind. Follow up with a personalized hand written note from home.

1. Listen to a power playlist, a podcast or set a reminder that you’re going to nail it. With AppleCarPlay/Android Auto available in the Chevy Trax, you can easily sync your phone to play a favorite power playlist or inspirational podcast to help get you energized and focused before an interview. You can set location alerts so when you arrive to your destination to remind you to spit out your gum, check your teeth and remind you you’re a rock star who’s going to nail this interview.
   • Bonus tip: Pay special attention to not using slang words during your interview. Realize that when you go into an interview, the interviewer is thinking about how you will represent yourself as a member of their company. While it’s important to be yourself, it’s critical to read a room and ensure you are mirroring those in the room.
2. Arrive on time. It’s critical to arrive to an interview early. Vehicles like the Chevy Trax, that have AppleCarPlay/Android Auto or OnStar navigation, allow you to program important destinations and integrate with apps like Waze to alert you of traffic back-ups and provide alternate routes to get you there on time.

In addition to the above, GM engineer, Alberto Rodriguez, provides additional tips to help you stand out during interviews:

1. Clean up your online presence. Use formal pictures, delete party pictures, bad language, etc.
2. Be confident but not overly confident. Be grateful. The interviewer has taken an hour out of their schedule to talk to you. Thank them and recognize their investment.
3. Mention your challenges but… don’t make them the focus of your interview. Are you a first-generation student? Were you raised in a single parent home? Have you overcome other major challenges? Indeed, mention them but do not use them as a pity point. You want to sound resilient but not like your struggles might hold you back.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

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