Here is yet another article with a list of interview don'ts, Seven stupid statements that can sabotage your job interview, this time posted on PayScale.com. First I find it fascinating how similar this list is to one I linked to in this previous post. Both lists contain seven things not to do/say in an interview. Four of the points are exactly the same (don't be late, don't lie, don't try to turn a weakness into a strength, and don't ask why they might not hire you). Additionally one point one each list is very similar (don't show up unprepared/don't come without questions).
I am reassured by these similarities. It is reassuring that the major sources of career/interviewing advice are in agreement. As someone who is still looking for employment it tells me I don't have to waste time trying to read every blog and article on such advice.
27 April, 2012
26 April, 2012
The group interview.
This piece from AOL Jobs offers one tip for acing the group interview. As the author alludes to, the group interview is becoming more popular so it is a good idea to be prepared. In the area of libraries, especially academic libraries this is a style I am used to... but it is now becoming common place in many industries.
I tend to agree that the group dynamic can be tricky, so try to incorporate each of the techniques mentioned here. The one thing I would add is that if possible it can be helpful to address each member of the team each time you answer their question. This can help cement the names in your mind, which is harder when there are many people in the room. Also you may want to try to summarize each question before answering it. This gives you a few seconds to order your thoughts and it allows them to redirect you if you may have miss heard. If you are unsure you can also ask after your summary if you that is indeed what they want you to answer. It is better to clarify than to answer the wrong question.
I hope that these tips help you all in your next interview.
I tend to agree that the group dynamic can be tricky, so try to incorporate each of the techniques mentioned here. The one thing I would add is that if possible it can be helpful to address each member of the team each time you answer their question. This can help cement the names in your mind, which is harder when there are many people in the room. Also you may want to try to summarize each question before answering it. This gives you a few seconds to order your thoughts and it allows them to redirect you if you may have miss heard. If you are unsure you can also ask after your summary if you that is indeed what they want you to answer. It is better to clarify than to answer the wrong question.
I hope that these tips help you all in your next interview.
25 April, 2012
Cover Letter Myths
Here is an article from AOL's jobs site that uncovers three cover letter myths. The first two are fairly straight forward, but the third deserves some discussion:
Explain what experience you have that proves you can do the job.
This seems contrary to most of the common advice, that is that the cover letter should explain how you meet the qualifications they are looking for. Provide more detail about your background and paint a fuller picture than a resume with its list of names, dates, and events. But the advice in this article yet again reenforces the importance of researching the company and position you are applying for. If you can learn more about them and their circumstance from your research you can paint a picture with your cover letter that explains how you can solve their need.
As a personal example I recently applied for a position as a manager of a small branch library. I have not had experience in a position exactly like this before, but I have had a position with the wonderfully descriptive title of Operations Coordinator. This position even though it had been a few years ago was the closest to what I was trying (still am) to become so I focused on it in my cover letter. I have not talked to the hiring committee since they are still making the decision, but if I don't get it for some reason I will inquire about this cover letter. It is my belief that the cover letter at the very least secured me the interview since I used it to relate the similarities between one of my past jobs and the role they are hoping to fill.
This seems contrary to most of the common advice, that is that the cover letter should explain how you meet the qualifications they are looking for. Provide more detail about your background and paint a fuller picture than a resume with its list of names, dates, and events. But the advice in this article yet again reenforces the importance of researching the company and position you are applying for. If you can learn more about them and their circumstance from your research you can paint a picture with your cover letter that explains how you can solve their need.
As a personal example I recently applied for a position as a manager of a small branch library. I have not had experience in a position exactly like this before, but I have had a position with the wonderfully descriptive title of Operations Coordinator. This position even though it had been a few years ago was the closest to what I was trying (still am) to become so I focused on it in my cover letter. I have not talked to the hiring committee since they are still making the decision, but if I don't get it for some reason I will inquire about this cover letter. It is my belief that the cover letter at the very least secured me the interview since I used it to relate the similarities between one of my past jobs and the role they are hoping to fill.
23 April, 2012
Secrets of Hiring Managers
This article appeared in Forbes last week with 11 secrets from hiring managers. This list of dirty little secrets will open eyes for its honesty. Many of them are not surprising for the pessimistic job hunter, but for those of us who still hang on to that last bit of optimism it is disheartening.
Have any of you faced these problems for sure? Do you suspect that you have?
Have any of you faced these problems for sure? Do you suspect that you have?
19 April, 2012
Why I tossed your resume
Here is a very interesting article about resumes/cover letters. It appears in the Chronicle of Higher Education, but all the advice seems to cross all industries. Like I have said before in these commentaries most of the advice seems familiar, but as always I have some thoughts.
The point about not speaking the language is code for doing your research, but the authors advice for using that research seems fresh. I have heard before of the importance of customizing the resume for each position, but I will admit I have had difficulty figuring out exactly how to pull this off. After all my experience doesn't change very often... so other than rearranging the order of things to emphasize certain things I have never done well at this step. I will be trying Mr. Miller's advice about placing keywords from the job ad into the resume as well as the cover letter.
The point that I don't 100% agree with is his first about only applying if you meet all the criteria. While I agree with his point about not using the "spray and pray" technique for applying. I have personally applied for positions that I have not 100% meet all the criteria and still made it to the final 3 or 4 for the face to face interview. In this case I had to make a well reasoned presentation with the resume and cover letter that my qualifications well exceeded their expectations in all other areas except the one that I lacked.
This worked to a point, but I did not get the job. Read the advice, do your research and keep your spirits up.
The point about not speaking the language is code for doing your research, but the authors advice for using that research seems fresh. I have heard before of the importance of customizing the resume for each position, but I will admit I have had difficulty figuring out exactly how to pull this off. After all my experience doesn't change very often... so other than rearranging the order of things to emphasize certain things I have never done well at this step. I will be trying Mr. Miller's advice about placing keywords from the job ad into the resume as well as the cover letter.
The point that I don't 100% agree with is his first about only applying if you meet all the criteria. While I agree with his point about not using the "spray and pray" technique for applying. I have personally applied for positions that I have not 100% meet all the criteria and still made it to the final 3 or 4 for the face to face interview. In this case I had to make a well reasoned presentation with the resume and cover letter that my qualifications well exceeded their expectations in all other areas except the one that I lacked.
This worked to a point, but I did not get the job. Read the advice, do your research and keep your spirits up.
16 April, 2012
Why you didn't get the interview.
The most common advice when you don't get an interview is to ask the company/HR executive for any feedback on your candidacy. I don't know about you, but I have only once ever gotten feedback from an employer. That said, you should still ask. Here is an advice column about three common interview mistakes.
The last mistake listed in this piece is not having questions, which boils down to not researching the company/position. You need to be prepared with enough knowledge of the company to prepare questions about the position.
Have you ever gotten positive feedback from an employer that you didn't get hired by?
The last mistake listed in this piece is not having questions, which boils down to not researching the company/position. You need to be prepared with enough knowledge of the company to prepare questions about the position.
Have you ever gotten positive feedback from an employer that you didn't get hired by?
15 April, 2012
Interviewing Don'ts
Here is a post from over at Business Insider with a list of Seven things you should never do during an interview. Yet again this column includes an important tip about why it is a problem to show up unprepared about the company you are interviewing with. So even though I feel like a broken record at times it is crucial to do all your homework and research them thoroughly. Check out my posts about research tips for some useful advice.
All the other tips seem solid, the one I have the hardest time with (like most people I would assume) is the "weakness" question. Finally the last tip about ending the interview I have heard both ways. Frankly I have never been able to get up the nerve to ask the blunt question to end the interview... so I am glad to hear this flip side of the coin.
In my last interview I was asked "What did you do to prepare for this interview?" This is the most direct way it has ever been asked to me in an interview setting, but it leads strength to most of my posts as well as the second tip from this column's list of don'ts.
All the other tips seem solid, the one I have the hardest time with (like most people I would assume) is the "weakness" question. Finally the last tip about ending the interview I have heard both ways. Frankly I have never been able to get up the nerve to ask the blunt question to end the interview... so I am glad to hear this flip side of the coin.
In my last interview I was asked "What did you do to prepare for this interview?" This is the most direct way it has ever been asked to me in an interview setting, but it leads strength to most of my posts as well as the second tip from this column's list of don'ts.
13 April, 2012
"Invaluable Websites" ??
First I'd like to say welcome back, and I hope my absence was not an inconvenience to anyone. On the plus side I have had two interviews since my last post, and will be writing about that soon. But today I wanted to share an advice piece I was pointed to recently and discuss it in depth. Over on the blog Careerealism, there was a pieces a few months back about web sites for career research: 15 Invaluable Websites for Job Research.
Don Goodman wrote the piece, and for the most part I agree with the list. He doesn't indicate if the list is ranked, but lets take a look at them:
I have not used ZoomInfo, Spoke, Jigsaw or FTT Research, but here are my thoughts based on Mr. Goodman's descriptions. ZoomInfo like Highbeam and Quintessential Careers can find article level info so while it is free online just remember your other options. The other three sound like directories, so Spoke and FTT Research might work well in combination with LinkedIn, but there are others and often times libraries have on line and print resources that can do the same things.
Jigsaw may be a cool site, but between LinkedIn and other free library resources I wouldn't pay for a web service to find contact type information. Finally I would like to address The Vault. The site Mr. Goodman describes is a small piece of what this company provides. And he mentions the 'small fee'. The full resources is most likely available from college libraries and/or career service departments... so if you have an alma mater I would contact them first. If they can't give you the full access... then Glassdoor also has a section for employees to rate and describe working for a company... so I would not pay for a subscription to The Vault as an individual.
Just my thoughts, hope these helps save you money as well as time.
Don Goodman wrote the piece, and for the most part I agree with the list. He doesn't indicate if the list is ranked, but lets take a look at them:
- Quintessential Careers
- Job-Hunt.org
- ZoomInfo
- Spoke
- Jigsaw
- FTT Research
- Highbeam
- Glassdoor
- The Vault
- Wet Feet
- Internship Programs
- Airs Job Board & Recruiting Technology Directory
- AnnualReports.com
- CEO Express
I have not used ZoomInfo, Spoke, Jigsaw or FTT Research, but here are my thoughts based on Mr. Goodman's descriptions. ZoomInfo like Highbeam and Quintessential Careers can find article level info so while it is free online just remember your other options. The other three sound like directories, so Spoke and FTT Research might work well in combination with LinkedIn, but there are others and often times libraries have on line and print resources that can do the same things.
Jigsaw may be a cool site, but between LinkedIn and other free library resources I wouldn't pay for a web service to find contact type information. Finally I would like to address The Vault. The site Mr. Goodman describes is a small piece of what this company provides. And he mentions the 'small fee'. The full resources is most likely available from college libraries and/or career service departments... so if you have an alma mater I would contact them first. If they can't give you the full access... then Glassdoor also has a section for employees to rate and describe working for a company... so I would not pay for a subscription to The Vault as an individual.
Just my thoughts, hope these helps save you money as well as time.
02 April, 2012
Salary requirements.
As my luck begins to change and I begin getting the opportunity for a few more interviews, I again have to think about the salary question. While this is never easy, this blog post has some good advice on the specific issues around when it is ok to ask about the range for the salary. I have not had the time to review the full archives, but the Ask A Manger blog is becoming a new favorite. Also Ms. Green's third point just strengthens my whole point about doing the proper research before going into any interview setting.
I think that this situation will vary greatly based on the personal situation and the industry involved, but these three approaches are well reasoned.
I think that this situation will vary greatly based on the personal situation and the industry involved, but these three approaches are well reasoned.
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