Job interview do’s and don’ts

DEAR READERS >>

As we’re turning the corner on COVID-19 and the economy recovers, you may find yourself interviewing for a new job or promotion. You need to talk during the interview, of course, to sell yourself, but what are some things you should NOT say? Let’s take a look:

• Never say: “I’m the greatest in my department.” Boastfulness can be off-putting. Instead, say, “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

• Never say bad things about a past supervisor. If you’re talking bad about him or her, you’ll talk bad about your new boss. You can say what you’ve learned, but keep it professional.

• Don’t let on that you like to work alone. Whether it’s your thing or not, you’ll probably have group projects at some point. You must be a team player.

• Never state that you are desperate for a job. The employer wants to know what skills you can add to the position. Research the company and talk about that and what your contributions can be.

Specific examples of how you grew your previous department would be helpful.

• Always ask questions about the position and what the expectations and goals are. The one question NOT to ask: What is the salary? The employer wants to know what you can bring to the company before they offer you a compensation package.

Good luck in your job search. Let your confidence and your verbal skills shine, but just be careful not to say the wrong things.

DEAR READERS >> We’ve probably all deposited a check remotely at this point by taking a picture of the check on the financial institution’s app. But did you know you can pay bills the same way?

It’s called Picture Pay, and it’s easy. First, take a picture of the billing statement. Then, in your bank’s app, confirm the amount to be paid and submit the payment. Your bank uses technology called optical character recognition (OCR). OCR reads the information from your bill and, with built-in analytics, the bill gets paid.

You don’t have to enter your account number or the name of the company either. The computer software does all of that. Check it out.

DEAR HELOISE >> My friend lost her son tragically to distracted driving. He was shooting video with his phone while driving and took his eyes off the road for just five seconds. That was enough for him to lose control of the car, and he crashed.

My friend wants you to know: Distracted driving is, yes, fussing with your phone, but it is also putting on makeup, fiddling with the radio, eating while driving — anything that takes your focus and eyes off the road. — Marisol R. in Texas

DEAR MARISOL >> I’m so sorry about your friend’s son. Readers: you must concentrate on driving when you are behind the wheel.