Posts tagged ‘research’
Interviewing the Interviewer
One the worst mistakes I’ve seen otherwise perfect candidates make during their interviews is to not have any questions for the interviewer. It’s important to strike the right balance with your questions. Obviously, you don’t want to come in, get a chance to ask questions and then shrug your shoulders. You also don’t want to ask dumb questions about the company that you should know from doing basic research before the interview. Another “don’t” that comes to mind is to avoid asking inappropriate questions about salary too early on in the interviewing process.
Now that some of the “don’ts” are out of the way, I’d like to recommend this article that a friend sent to me, with a list of great questions that you can ask the interviewer in your next interview: http://www.cenedella.com/job-search/its-not-about-me-its-about-you-the-20-questions-you-need-to-ask-in-a-job-interview/
The next time you’re headed into an interview, after you’d researched the position, the company, and, if possible, the interviewer, take a look at his list and see if you can jot down a couple that could be pertinent to your situation.
Tips for a Successful Phone Interview
It’s getting harder than ever to get your foot in the door. Often times, employers and recruiters use phone interviews as their first line of defense to weed out unqualified candidates.
I recommend reading this article from Talent Zoo, which includes lots of helpful tips on how to improve your chances getting past the gatekeeper so you can score an in-person interview.
Some of my favorites are:
- Do your research about the company AND THE INTERVIEWER ahead of time
- Write out your answers to common interview questions, as well as your top selling points you want to make sure you get across to the interviewer no matter want
- Draft up a list of questions and make sure you ask at least a few during the call if given the opportunity
Top Job Search Faux Pas from NPR
* Not having an updated profile, with recommendations, on sites like LinkedIn or similar sites relating to your line of work
* Having a husband-and-wife e-mail address
* Having an AOL address. Some executives say those are very outdated.
* Not doing extensive research about the company, its culture and the position you’re applying for
* Not filing your resume digitally, even if you bring paper backups
* “Cold” e-mailing executives with whom you’ve never made a prior connection, either online or in person
* Asking an executive you’re hoping will hire you to be your “friend” on Facebook
Read the entire article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105483848
Advice on making a job switch in a tough market
Read Amy Hoover’s latest article “Salary and Title Expectations” on her Talent Zoo “Career Oxygen” blog for some great advice on how to make a job switch in a tough market.
I have a lot of friends that have been out of school for about 2 years now that are ready to make a move to a second job, but aren’t sure about what to do in an unstable market. Hoover’s article explains what to expect from the process, including moves that can help or hurt your career in the long term.
Advice to college students
Earlier this month I visited an Integrated Communications Campaign class taught by my former boss at SLU. She asked me to talk to the class of college juniors and seniors… telling them about my college experience, job search and job. After telling my story (and probably boring the poor kids for 30 minutes), I offered a couple bits of advice:
If I could offer you some advice, I’d tell you to do something that you love. Something that you don’t mind getting there early to do or staying late. Don’t know what you want to do? You need to get out there! Intern. Job shadow. Go on informational interviews. Volunteer. You’ll learn best by doing.
When at all possible, work with people that you respect and will make you a better person. I have been extremely fortunate to work with people like this.
Your personal brand is important. Who you know and what you’ve done… that’s who you are. Network. And never burn bridges.
If you’re interested in getting into interactive marketing, do it. Our generation is naturally more tech savvy because we’ve grown up doing it. Read blogs. Check out web sites. Talk to people in the business.
Keep idea books. Bookmark web sites you like or articles that have good ideas in them. Part of what makes people successful in marketing is knowing what’s already been done… and how you can apply similar principles to your clients and innovate by improving on what’s already out there.
Then, to my surprise, I came across an article today: 10 job hunting tips for this year’s college graduates. In his blog post, Edward Boches, Chief Creative Officer of Mullen, offers some very similar tips for how to get hired in advertising right out of school.
Beating around the bush
Salary negotiation can be scary. And with the latest job market – where people are getting laid off left and right – it’s even scarier right now.
Lots of people are being passed up for raises. Companies are in “hiring freezes” and often times the higher people are paid, the quicker they are to let go of you. It’s hard to tip-toe around numbers when it comes time for a job offer.
If you ever wondered what to do when someone asks you your salary requirements, please read this article by Penelope Trunk.
She does a great job of providing alternate responses to the dreaded question of “How much?”
Top Interview Mistakes – Part 2
Continuing my series on the worst mistakes people make during interviews, here’s number #5 – Insufficient answers.
Did you know that 30 percent of hiring managers think that interviewees do not provide sufficient answers to questions during interviews? The best way to prevent insufficient answers in your own interviews is to prepare for difficult questions ahead of time.
Resume Rehab by Colleen 