As some of you may know I used to work at Purdue University as an academic librarian. I had the privilege to work with the staff of the Center for Career Opportunities. The staff in this office worked closely with the companies that came to interview students and had many great insights to help students. The following is a post on their blog about some of these insights from the company perspective about interviewing.
My first observation is that if you have attended/graduated from a school don't forget your career center. They usually have services for alumni as well as current students. These can be very valuable for your job search.
My second observation is that here is another voice mentioning the importance of preparing and researching the company you are about to interview with. I can not stress enough the importance of this step, and here is the voice of the company telling you that it is important!
So use your former college(s), local public library, the internet (social networking like LinkedIn) and any other place you can think of to find information on your perspective employer.
-Good Luck!
21 March, 2012
18 March, 2012
Six Questions to Ask?
Here is an advice column about what to ask during the interview. It appeared in a recent edition of Fortune online, and it reiterates many of the things I have said on this blog.
1) You must do your homework on the company you interview with.
2) You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.
3) In order to stand out in the crowd, showcase your talents and make a positive impression.
Getting the interview is good, nailing the interview is better!
-Good Luck All.
1) You must do your homework on the company you interview with.
2) You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.
3) In order to stand out in the crowd, showcase your talents and make a positive impression.
Getting the interview is good, nailing the interview is better!
-Good Luck All.
14 March, 2012
Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 (part 2)
As I stated in my first post about this book, the authors have an interesting take on many aspects on the job search. One area they have absolutely correct is Chapter 4 on the importance of research. They do a good job of presenting all the reasons for the importance of research, many of which we have discussed in previous posts (company research 1 & 2). I also give them major props for recommending the use of your local public library to find the things you are having trouble finding on line!
The one area that they don't connect the dots is that many of the free online resources that they mention by name (Hoovers, Lexis Nexis, D&B Million Dollar database, etc.) have subscription versions that provide even more in-depth information. Many libraries have subscriptions to these or similar resources, so while they give props to libraries, they could have made a stronger case. In my company research part 2 piece I provide links to the state-wide resources available in 49 of the 50 states that should have these or other very valuable subscription resources for performing this research.
I have found this book to be a good read. The advice and tips may seem a bit aggressive, but in this job searching environment aggressive may be necessary.
The one area that they don't connect the dots is that many of the free online resources that they mention by name (Hoovers, Lexis Nexis, D&B Million Dollar database, etc.) have subscription versions that provide even more in-depth information. Many libraries have subscriptions to these or similar resources, so while they give props to libraries, they could have made a stronger case. In my company research part 2 piece I provide links to the state-wide resources available in 49 of the 50 states that should have these or other very valuable subscription resources for performing this research.
I have found this book to be a good read. The advice and tips may seem a bit aggressive, but in this job searching environment aggressive may be necessary.
12 March, 2012
Interviewing - STAR technique
Here is and advice column I found recently detailing the STAR technique of answering behavioral interview questions. The column is a bit old, but the content seems very relevant. STAR stand for:
so it seems obvious that when you answer the questions using this style you address the situations you have encountered in your career, tasks you have completed, actions you have taken and the results that were achieved. This blog column provides good tips and advice for preparing for this style of interview.
I am certain that I have been interviewed using this technique, though I wasn't aware of it at the time. I now feel more prepared, hopefully you will be as well.
-Good Luck!
- Situation
- Task
- Action
- Results
so it seems obvious that when you answer the questions using this style you address the situations you have encountered in your career, tasks you have completed, actions you have taken and the results that were achieved. This blog column provides good tips and advice for preparing for this style of interview.
I am certain that I have been interviewed using this technique, though I wasn't aware of it at the time. I now feel more prepared, hopefully you will be as well.
-Good Luck!
06 March, 2012
Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0/3.0
I am reading through this very interesting book by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry. The second edition is very good, with practical advice. As the authors mention early on in the book there are many such advice texts on the market, but few are written by a marketing experts and an executive head hunter.
Now admittedly the book is written for a decidedly corporate audience, but some of the advice is universal. For example where many books would talk about analyzing your strengths and interests and focusing a job search on careers that highlight these... the Guerrilla method (as they call it) has the reader write down all these personal interests and professional strengths and compare the lists. Find the intersections of these lists and concentrate on them.
They also advocate researching the companies you are targeting and the industry(ies) that these companies fall within. As a librarian that preaches a similar message and teaches those skills I am very much in favor.
As a public servant I realize the importance of marketing ones skills and self, but I find it difficult. I will post more thoughts about the book as I continue to read through it. In the meantime how are all of you dealing with marketing yourselves? I welcome the comments.
Now admittedly the book is written for a decidedly corporate audience, but some of the advice is universal. For example where many books would talk about analyzing your strengths and interests and focusing a job search on careers that highlight these... the Guerrilla method (as they call it) has the reader write down all these personal interests and professional strengths and compare the lists. Find the intersections of these lists and concentrate on them.
They also advocate researching the companies you are targeting and the industry(ies) that these companies fall within. As a librarian that preaches a similar message and teaches those skills I am very much in favor.
As a public servant I realize the importance of marketing ones skills and self, but I find it difficult. I will post more thoughts about the book as I continue to read through it. In the meantime how are all of you dealing with marketing yourselves? I welcome the comments.
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