Resume and Interview Tips

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Resume Tips

• Customize your resume for the position you are applying and seek to explain how your skills and abilities meet the key qualifications in the job profile.
• Highlight your strengths by explaining your accomplishments and achievements versus describing duties and responsibilities.
• Resist the temptation to copy and paste exact wording from the job profile.
• Avoid acronyms, abbreviations, or jargon.
• Do not include confidential information, such as photographs, your date of birth, marital status, or your social insurance number.
• Always tell the truth! Do not misrepresent or falsify any information on your resume.

Interview Tips

Before the Interview

• Research the position and the department / unit.
• Ensure that you ask for details about the position, location, hybrid work arrangement and the duration (if temporary position).
• Advise the Talent Acquisition representative if you require any accommodations to participate in the interview.
• Prepare and test your technology if your interview is being conducted online.
• Wear whatever makes you most comfortable.

During the Interview

• Interviews at Laurier are conducted in a panel format.
• Each panel member will take turns asking qualification related as well as situational and behavioural based questions.
• Panel members will be taking notes during the interview.
• Feel free to note down your thoughts before responding to any question.
• Asking for questions to be repeated or to provide an answer to a question later is perfectly acceptable.
• At the end of the interview, ask questions, make additional comments or ask when you will be notified of the interview results.

Remote Interview Tips for Candidates

Testing Technology and Improving Sound Quality

• A remote interview requires tools like a camera and microphone on your computer and a reliable internet connection. It is recommended at least a day before your remote interview that you double check all of your technology to ensure that it is still effectively working. If you’re using a laptop or tablet, check your Wi-Fi connection and ensure your equipment is charged and ready to go.
• To improve sound quality, it is best to use headphones with built in microphones (headphones that come with cell phones are ideal). Human Resources is happy to assist in testing technology and sound quality if you reach out prior to the interview, ideally 24 to 48 hours in advance.
• It is recommended that you test the technology 10 to 15 minutes before your interview.
  • Check your internet connection and sign in from the Microsoft Teams link that the HR representative has provided.
  • Turn on the sound and video to ensure everything is in working order in time for your conversation.
• If you experience issues please reach out to talent@wlu.ca and the team will follow up with further support.

Creating the Right Environment

• As much as possible, try to create an environment that is free from distractions. This includes switching off alerts and chats during the interview. Avoid having remote interviews in high-traffic areas of your house as having people and pets in your background can be a distraction.
• If you have an external webcam, experiment with the placement to get the best angle. Usually, that’s at the top center of your screen. If you’re using a laptop and built-in webcam, you don’t have a choice where the webcam is. You may need to prop your laptop up on some books to get the webcam at eye level or higher.

Dealing with a Poor Connection

No matter how many times you test your video interview software, problems can still occur. It’s important to lay out a plan ahead of time in the event of a poor internet connection. If this doesn’t help, try shutting off video and continue with voice only.