Archive for July, 2008
The unchartered world of salary negotiation
Hands down, the scariest part of the job search, for me, is salary negotiation. Especially coming right out of school. With no comparable past experience (“Well… uh… I made $8/hour at my last internship…”), it’s difficult to know what’s a fair asking price. And since most employers don’t even talk money until after they make an offer, I know it can be quite nerve-wracking.
I just read this article on how to negotiate your salary on CNN.com/CareerBuilder.com and thought it was worth a read.
Resume Rehab Portfolio Updated
Check out the Resume Rehab portfolio to see new sample resumes.
While I’ve worked on a lot of recent college graduate resumes, I also have some samples of graduate school student and current college students looking for internships.
I’ve also been working on more young professional resumes, so stay tuned for more updates.
Top Interview Mistakes – Part 4
This is the fourth installation of commentary on the worst mistakes interviewees make. Please see parts one, two and three for more on how to become a better job candidate in the interview room.
Forty-eight percent of hiring managers cited that the worst thing a person can do in an interview is be disinterested. This bothers me. When I first read this, I though, “Now why would you interview when you’re not interested in the job?” But then I realized that often times people may come across as disinterested because they’re not adequately prepared for the interview and do not understand how to interact during the conversation.
Crazy interview questions
I just read this article on weird interview questions. When I was job hunting, I prepared for the typical, run-of-the-mill questions like “So, tell me about yourself,” “Do you prefer working alone or as a team member?” and “What is your greatest strength? Worst weakness?”
Apparently now some interviewers are asking out-of-the-ordinary questions to get a better idea of the applicant’s personality, including these gems:
- “What movie star do you think would make the best employee?” “
- What color describes your personality and why?”
- “Which character on ‘Seinfeld’ are you most like?”
- “Are you more like a placid pool of water or a running horse?”
- “If you were a fruit, what kind would you be and why?”
I was once asked if I had read some science fiction novel and when I replied no, my interviewer went on to explain the intense philosophical meaning of the book and offered to loan me a copy.
Anyone have good answers to these they’d like to share? I’d love to hear some other wacky questions people have been asked in interviews.
Resume Rehab by Colleen 