Interviewing is our focus this
issue, especially behavioral interviewing.
Behavioral interviews are tough because
the questions are not run-of-the-mill
Frequently Asked Interview Questions.
And behavior-based interviews are increasingly common.
Quick visits to two company Web sites -- Deloitte
& Touche and Dell Computers -- revealed that
these firms are among the many who use
behavior-based interviewing to uncover the
competencies they seek in would-be employees.
Read more about this kind of interviewing in
this issue.
Once at the tutorial's opening page, you can choose
between two tracks, one for students, and one
for established jobseekers/career changers.
If you're new to job-hunting on the Internet,
you'll get a solid introduction to what you need
to know about using the 'Net for career development,
career planning, and finding a job.
Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of
job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture
(the former Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral
interviewing for about 15 years now, and because increasing
numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods
to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this
interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.
Find out what you need to succeed at behavioral interviewing
in our feature article.
Editor's In-Box: QuintZine Letter to the Editor
What can the older worker do to overcome
age discrimination in job interviews? We hear
from many older workers who are struggling
to get the fair shake they deserve in the job market.
We plan to address this topic in a future issue
of QuintZine. In the meantime, reader "Gail H."
tells her disturbing tale. Anyone have advice for Gail?
In this issue, we have QuintZine's Q&A with TWO Career Experts:
Doris Flaherty, director of the Career Planning
Office at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL.
Andrea Dine, assistant director and technology
coordinator at the University of Cincinnati
Career Development Center.
For our behavioral interviewing
issue, we have a special
bonus Q&A with TWO career experts, both college
career counselors who know a lot about behavioral interviewing
and refute the idea that behavioral interviews are
impossible to prepare for. They also give their
thoughts on job-hunting trends, myths, and secrets.
While researching our revamped Jobhunting on
the Internet tutorial, we revisited some
Web sites that are terrific for jobseekers.
One is the well-known Vault.com, which is
fabulous for researching companies when you are
beginning to make a list of employers to target
in your job search, and equally helpful later when
you need to study companies to prepare for job
interviews.
Called by Fortune magazine "The best place on the Web
to prepare for a job search," Vault.com provides inside
company information, advice, and career management services.
Vault's career content and services include:
Carefully researched and continually updated "insider"
information on more than 3,000 companies and 70 industries.
The Electronic WaterCooler, a collection of company-specific
message boards employees.
Career features, such as "Am I Worthy?", where professionals
get "rated" and discover their earning potential.
An extensive free job board with hundreds of thousands
of top job openings.
Detailed, targeted, and free e-newsletters with
breaking news and exclusive stories.
Job-Interview.net
-- a truly great resource for job-seekers looking for assistance with job interviews. Great lists of possible
interview questions, organized by type and profession. Also includes links to just about
every interviewing site on the Web. Mostly free to job-seekers, though there is a fee-based course.
EntertainmentCareers.net
-- a great resource for job-seekers looking for jobs or internships in just about any type of occupation
in the entertainment industry. You can search by location or by type of job. Free to job-seekers.
RecruiterSeek.com
-- a place for employers and recruiting professionals to connect with each other online, where employers can
post open contract and full-time recruiting positions, and recruiting professionals can post your resumes, profiles,
and availability. Free.
SeasonalJobs.net
-- where job-seekers looking for seasonal employment can search for jobs (by position or location)
and post your resume. Also includes additional seasonal employment resources. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
This issue's selection marks the Career Doctor's 50th column!
Rod writes: I was told by a friend of mine that during
a recent interview he was asked 'Who do you admire most and
why?' Can you tell me what the interviewer was trying to
determine from that question and my friends' answer? I
understand there is no "right" answer. Still, some must
be better than others?
Anonymous, who is an 18-year-old high school grad, writes:
I need a job badly that doesn't pay badly. I have experience
working with children, but I would love to have experience
in other things, and no one is willing to hire you unless
you already have the experience.
Another Anonymous writes: I am a recent graduate with
a degree in economics from a major university and a 3.4 GPA.
I am trying to find an entry-level analyst position,
but I am running into problems with lack of experience.
I worked odd jobs through my college career to be able
to afford tuition, but I can't seem to find a job because
I could not afford to do any internships. I was wondering
what advice you could give me. I am really at a loss,
and I am beginning to get frustrated.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Want an insider's look at behavioral interviewing --
from the employer's point of view? See this article at WetFeet.com
that tells employers the advantages of conducting behavioral
interviews. It's enlightening to view the world of
behavioral interviewing from the other side of the desk.
Read the article.
Interviewing of a different nature -- informational
interviewing -- is the subject of an article by QuintZine
editor Katharine Hansen at a new Web site called YourCareerChange.com.
The article explains how informational interviews can
benefit career-changers. Check it out.
In an interview, believe in yourself and be proud
of what you know, says Diana LeGere, of Executive Final Copy.
"That sounds like a simple statement. Many people say,
'Of course I believe in myself.' However, do they? If in doubt,
ask yourself some questions. Where do I excel? Why should
I be offered this job? If you can answer quickly without
any reservation, you probably do believe in yourself.
If you hesitate and are not quite sure of the
answers, it's time to think about that for a while.
After all, if you do not believe in yourself, why should
an employer?"
-- This Q Tip courtesy of Diana C. LeGere
president of Executive Final Copy
and the employment coordinator for
Greenbacks Bringing Hope Foundation in Salt Lake City, UT.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Case-based and behavior-based interviews
* Phone etiquette in the job hunt
* Guide to the company visit
* Researching your next job
* Letters of recommendation and references
* How to handle a request for a salary history
* Completing a job application
* How to land an internship
* How to get a promotion
* Should you go to grad school/get an MBA?
* 10 easy ways to improve your resume
* Temping
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
. . . and much, much more!
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters is up and running,
providing quality job-search correspondence at some of
the lowest prices on the Web.
We create resumes,
cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
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and Cover Letters!
QuintZine
A publication of
Quintessential Careers
Publisher: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Editor: Katharine Hansen
ISSN: 1528-9443
