Because interviewing is one of the topics we get
the most inquiries about, we're pleased
to bring you our annual INTERVIEWING ISSUE.
Those interested in interviewing resources
will especially want to watch for our big
Nov. 12 Quintessential Careers 5th Anniversary Issue
in which we'll unveil an exciting new interactive interviewing
tool and interviewing database.
If you're a business-school student -- at the
undergraduate or MBA level -- chances are you already
know something about how to handle a very specialized
kind of job interview -- the case interview. Many
business school courses revolve around case analysis,
and many business students have become pros at picking
business cases apart. Still, the thought of doing so
within a tight time-frame (usually 15-20 minutes) in
the already highly pressured situation of a job interview
can be daunting -- if not downright terrifying.
The case interview is employed primarily by
management consulting firms, as well as investment banking
companies, and is increasingly being used by other types
of corporations as at least part of the job-interviewing
process. Some firms use case interviews only for MBA-level
job
candidates, while others use them for undergraduates, as well.
Business students who are not totally comfortable with
case analysis and liberal-arts students with little or
no exposure to the case method can take comfort in knowing
that a vast collection of resources is available, both on
and off the Internet, to tell you everything you need to know
to succeed in a case interview. We'd be foolish to try to
reinvent any of that great resource material, but our feature
article gives you a brief overview of the
case-interview process.
For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage
Your Accomplishments
Has this ever happened to you? You've been instructed
to list your career accomplishments, and you can't think of
any. Or you're asked in a job interview, "What accomplishments
are you most proud of?" -- and you freeze up.
You know you have had accomplishments,
but you just can't dredge them up.
The inability to come up with accomplishments happens
to lots of jobseekers. We know because we ask our resume
and cover-letter clients to list accomplishments as part
of the process of preparing their job-search documents.
Although we stress that accomplishments are far more
important than duties and responsibilities, a surprising
number of clients are unable to articulate beyond the
day-to-day tasks they performed in their jobs.
Accomplishments are the points that really help sell you
to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties,
and you can leverage your accomplishments for job-search
success at all stages of the process: resume, cover letter,
interview, and more.
AboutMyJob.Com
-- this site is all about building a collection of stories from people talking about their jobs and careers.
Job-seekers can choose from a growing collection of job titles and read first-hand accounts of people who
are working -- or have worked -- in a particular job. Ranges from corrections officer to teacher to telemarketer. Free.
MilitaryHeadhunter.com
-- a great recruitment site that targets veterans and service members making the transition from the
military to the civilian workforce -- and your spouses. Services include: job searching by location and
job type, military-to-civilian pay calculator, a resume builder, resume and cover letter folder (where you
can store different versions to email to employers), a resume agent, and much more. Free to job-seekers.
ResumeTrader
-- a resume distribution service with a unique twist: not only will these professionals email your
resume to recruiters and employers interested in hiring people in your particular line of work, but they will
also post on 70 job boards. From the folks at CareerWeb.com, one of the top career and job sites. Fee-based.
Studentawards.com
-- a free scholarship search service devoted to helping high school seniors, university and college
students find information on scholarships, bursaries, grants and other forms of financial assistance.
The site also offers unique scholarships to student members that are only available on studentawards.com.
Students use search engine to find appropriate financial assistance. Free.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Lauren writes: "I am a second-year college student. I was
wondering if you could give me information on the various types of job
interviews -- like unstructured, structured, case/situational,
and panel/board job interviews."
Anonymous asks: "Is it appropriate to tell the person
interviewing you for a prospective job (when asked) that
you were basically asked to resign from the company you
previously work for?
For example, you were asked to resign
because new management will be replacing you."
Another Anonymous writes: "How is a short job stay (5 months)
addressed, or do you address this aspect of a job history?
I recently separated from the military to start a civilian
career after 13 years and obtaining my degree. I was enticed
by a job based on money and benefits offered. The company
could not come through with the benefits, so I resigned.
I feel like I am being overlooked by employers because of
this short stay. What do I do?"
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
We've contended more than once in this space that looking
at the job-hunting picture from the hiring company's perspective
can be very helpful. That principle applies to an article by
Miriam Berger on the HR.com Web site. Her article, Ten Critical
Questions to Ask When Conducting an Interview, is instructive for
job-seekers not just for the exposure it provides to possible
interview questions, but for its insights into what an interviewer
may be trying to get at by asking certain questions.
The article helps to put you inside the mind of a hiring manager and know how to
approach the questions. For example, one question Berger suggests is:
"Describe your particular style of management or the style of management you
would choose if you were a manager." The job-seeker's response to that
question can tell a lot about he or she will fit into the employer's
corporate culture, Berger notes.
Articles on HR.com are free, although registration is
required after you've accessed the site three times as a guest.
Go
to Berger's article or do a search based on the topic you're interested in or the author's
name.
When you're scheduling a job interview, should you try to be one
of the first people interviewed or one of the last? One of the last,
according to Dale Dauten and Kate Wendleton in their syndicated column.
"The more people hiring managers talk to, the clearer picture
interviewers have of the job and the ideal candidate," Wendleton
notes. "Thus, what they've learned from the 139 other candidates
will be captured in what they ask and say. The upshot is that the
last interviews will be better because the interviewer will be
more knowledgeable, and that will be reflected on you."
To prepare for an interview, practice at home until what
you want to say comes easily, advises Diana LeGere, of
Executive Final Copy. "You should be able to roll the
information off your tongue as easily as stating
your name. Certain questions you will want to prepare for
in advance. We all stumble on the question, 'Tell me a
little about yourself.' You will be surprised to know that
this is the easiest question of all. You know more about
yourself than anyone. Write down as much as you recall
about who you are. Your goals, dreams and ambitions.
Make sure you stick to career information as
much as possible. The interviewer does not care that
you came down with mumps twice as a child and suffered
a broken leg after being thrown from a horse in 1982.
Unless your story content can relate to how you reached
your current level, leave it out. Be enthusiastic
and include where you want to go. Type a sample response
to the 'tell me about yourself' query and read it, timing yourself
until you have 90 seconds worth of verbiage.
Practice with a
friend or career coach until you can confidently state the
information without reading from your script. Once you know
your script, you'll never have to learn it again. I
have used the same 90-second intro for years. The information
changes slightly, but the concept is the same. Most importantly, I
can say it as confidentially as I know my own name."
-- 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.
Job Boards: A Question for Our Readers
For a future article, we'd like to know:
What has been your experience with major
job boards, such as Monster.com?
Whether posting your resume on these boards or
responding to ads posted on them...
... have you had a good response? Did you
get interviews?
OR
... have you had very little response?
We'll quote you only anonymously or with your permission.
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* How to conduct a long-distance job search
* Maximize your Interent job search
* The importance of company culture
* Letters of recommendation and references
* Career portfolios
* How to handle a request for a salary history
* How to land an internship
* Should you get an MBA?
* Older workers and age discrimination
* The value of a college education
* Networking timetable for college students
* The biggest myths in job-hunting
* Using key marketing tools to positions yourself in the job market
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
We create resumes,
cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
such as salary histories and reference lists.
We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
your resume or cover letter. Credit cards accepted.
Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
remarks.
