Hints from Heloise

Job interview

Dear Readers: As we’re turning the corner on COVID and the economy recovers, you may find yourself inter viewing 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. — Heloise

Tech talk Tuesday

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. — Heloise

Hair care

Dear Readers: Protecting your hair from chlorine in the pool is smart. Coat dry hair with a tiny glom of hair conditioner especially made for swimmers; it’s a good barrier from chlorine. — Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.