Special Feature: Avoid These 10 Interview Bloopers
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
Quintessential Reading: QuintZine's Review of Career Books
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
What's New on Quintessential Careers: Latest Additions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
Interviewing is not only one of the topics we get asked about the most
but one about which that we have a lot to say.
We have so much to say, in fact, that we are dividing this year's Interviewing Issue
into two parts. Look for Part II in our Aug. 16 issue.
In the meantime, this issue offers a feature in interview damage control
by regular contributor Maureen Crawford Hentz, another on 10
interviewing mistakes by Deborah Walker, and a review of Carole Martin's two
interviewing books.
Once again, we must thank our readers and visitors for their wonderful support:
Quintessential Careers enjoyed 1.6 million unique visitors in the second quarter of 2004
compared to 1.2 million in 2003, a 32 percent increase. We also had 5.1 million page impressions
in the second quarter of 2004 compared to 4.2 million in 2003, a 23 percent increase.
We had 3.2 million unique visitors in the first half of 2004 compared to 2.4 million in 2003, a 34 percent increase.
And, you gave us 10.6 million page impressions in the first half of 2004 compared to 8.5 million
in 2003, a 25 percent increase. All these details (and lots more) can be found here:
Quintessential Careers Visitor Stats.
--Katharine Hansen, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Electronic Career Coach,
and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Feature Article: Job Interview Damage Control
by Maureen Crawford Hentz
Don't blow it! Sometimes, interviews tank. Perhaps the interviewer thinks you are too good looking for
the job, or that red ties should be worn only on Tuesdays. There's very little you can do to salvage an interview under
these conditions. However, arriving late, having a huge run in your stockings, and calling the employer
by the wrong name are all recoverable errors.
Stay calm, don't panic, and read our article.
Special Feature: Avoid These 10 Interview Bloopers
by Deborah Walker
We've all heard stories of job candidates who looked great on paper but who were absolute
disasters in person. With fewer and fewer interview opportunities available in this
competitive market, it's essential to make the best possible first impression. You can
learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the top 10 worst interview blunders,
detailed in our article.
One of the few sites devoted to interviewing, AceTheInterview.com, provides
an excellent collection of information about interviewing -- and more. The only
caveat is that the interviewing info is very much geared to technical/IT types.
The Where to Start section offers information on finding
job opportunities online and through newspapers, career fairs, and networking.
The Resume section boasts sub-sections on writing the resume, sample resumes,
writing the cover letter, and sample cover letters.
Interview sections include Interview Questions, After the Interview, Tips and References, and
Top 100 Interview Q&A.
Readers have the opportunity to submit sample interview questions and answers.
I have to admit I was skeptical about the format of Carole Martin's
Boost Your Interview I.Q. at first. More than two-thirds of the
book, 118 pages, consists of a lengthy quiz testing the reader's
knowledge of the best answers to 25 general, traditional interview
questions and 25 behavioral questions. For each question, three
choices are offered: one that turns out to be the weakest answer, one
that is the mediocre answer, and, of course, the strongest answer.
The format grew on me, however, because the three levels of answers
show common problems in responding to interview questions. The
variety of answers also helps illustrate what the interviewer is
really getting at with each question. And seeing responses of varying
qualities demonstrates to the reader the difference between an
adequate interview response and one that will really wow the
interviewer.
Look for an article by Martin on how to close a job interview in the upcoming Part II
of our Interviewing issue on Aug. 16.
Read all of our Quintessential Reading book reviews.
Are You Reading Our Career Blog?
Have you read the Quint Careers Weblog (Blog)?
It consists of career and job-search news, trends,
and scoops for job-seekers, compiled by the staff
of Quintessential Careers.
The blog is a great way to stay posted on the most
recent events occurring in the career and employment fields.
Christina writes: I had an interview in the middle of June, and it went very well. I left the interview with
the employer telling me that he and the company would miss a great opportunity if they don't hire me.
I had contact with the employer at the end of June and was told that my background check is clear,
references checked out fine, and my application is waiting for a stamp of approval.
My question is that since then I have not heard anything yet as of early July, I'm wondering if
a follow-up is necessary or should I just wait for the employer to contact me. What is your advice?
Carol writes: "I graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting and did quite well in my classes; however,
the job market is not very good right now, and there are rarely any entry-level positions. Although I do have some
experience in basic bookkeeping and general-ledger postings, it doesn't seem like that is enough. In all of my interviews
I do fine when it comes to transferable skills, as I am an assistant bank manager and have leadership and
organizational skills.
However, when it comes to the question, 'Name some areas in which you used analytical
skills,' I seem to come to a halt and start stumbling.
I would really appreciate any feedback that you could give me on this issue since it seems to be a major
drawback in my interviews. I have been to seven interviews this summer and have heard nothing, not even a letter of denial!!"
Amy writes: "I am writing my first resume, and I am using your Web site for information in doing so. I have seven years
of experience and three employers on this resume. I was at my first job for five years and had three positions while I was
there. I know my whole date of employment with that employer, but I don't know the exact dates that I went from one position
to another. I have only estimated dates. How do I put estimated dates on a resume? I have been looking at sample resumes, and
I haven't seen any with my situation. All of this will make my resume about 1.5 pages. Is that too long? I tried to cram it
on one page, but the only way was to crowd it and put the type as small as 9 pt., and it was hard too read at 9 pt.
Please give me your feedback."
friendsand.com -- an online networking site where you
can build relationships with people who have similar interests, with their connections then becoming
your connections in an ever-growing community. They claim they are dedicated to building the largest network of friends in the world.
Free registration is required before you can begin searching the profiles of existing members to build your network.
International Pharmajobs.com -- for life sciences
professionals in Europe and the U.S., where you can search job listings (by keywords, field of interest, and location),
post your resume/CV, and register for a job-search agent. Also publishes free industry newsletter
(PharmaTalk). Free to job-seekers.
Portronics.com -- a portfolio development site
for job-seekers, where you can develop an online career portfolio using one of a wide variety of
company-supplied templates. You can include accomplishments such as research papers, studies, blueprints,
compositions, art, videos, music and any other resources that provide evidence of claims made in your resume. Three levels of
membership available, including a very basic free service. Fee-based.
StudentsReview.com -- a great site
for students seeking information about undergraduate and graduate colleges and universities, where
you can read the uncensored reviews of current students and alumni (about 20,000 in total)
of about 4,500 institutions. Also includes other useful college-bound resources and information.
Free.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Of 585 recruiters recently polled, 36 percent chose "arriving poorly dressed or groomed" as the "worst interview
sin," reported Kevin Flood, editor of HRnext. But nearly as many -- 35 percent -- voted for "arriving late."
"Being preoccupied with money" got 16 percent of the vote, while the remaining 13 percent said "knowing nothing about
the company" is the worst interview sin.
For more about what NOT to do, read the war stories posted
under the discussion question, "What's the worst job interview
you've ever conducted?" in
HR Pros Recount Their Worst Interviews.
Beta Research Corporation, on behalf of The New York Times Job Market, conducted telephone interviews in late 2003
with 250 hiring managers and 200 New York metro area job-seekers, defined as those who were currently looking
or planned to look for a new job in the next six months.
As part of the survey, hiring managers, and job seekers were asked to rate the following traits and behaviors
they consider most and least appealing during a job interview:
Appealing Traits and Behaviors
Hiring Managers
Job Seekers
Positive attitude/enthusiasm
84%
96%
Confidence
79%
95%
Being articulate
78%
93%
Honesty
76%
93%
Timeliness
75%
91%
Good listening skills
74%
93%
Eye contact
71%
93%
Good body language
68%
88%
Firm handshake
59%
83%
Traditional business attire
46%
83%
Unappealing Traits and Behaviors
Hiring Managers
Job Seekers
Negative attitude
83%
88%
Tardiness
79%
86%
Poor listening skills
76%
86%
Being inarticulate
69%
85%
Arrogance
64%
73%
Inappropriate body language
63%
75%
Poor eye contact
60%
71%
Lacking confidence
59%
83%
Focus on salary/benefits at initial interview
51%
63%
Revealing too much personal information
50%
72%
Casual attire
31%
64%
Job-seekers who land morning interviews may have an advantage in the hiring process, suggests a recent survey by
Accountemps, a temporary staffing service for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.
More than two-thirds -- 69 percent -- of financial executives polled said the most productive time for meeting
with applicants is between 9 and 11 a.m.
Asked "Which of the following times of day do you believe is the most productive for conducting hiring
interviews?" responses from 1,400 chief financial officers from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies
with more than 20 employees were:
Before 9 a.m. -- 11 percent
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. -- 69 percent
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- 4 percent
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. -- 8 percent
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. -- 3 percent
After 5 p.m. -- 2 percent
Don't know -- 3 percent
Among other tips that Accountemps suggests
for a successful interview:
Practice. An interview is like an audition, so make time to rehearse with a friend or family member standing
in as the interviewer. Audio- or videotaping these sessions can provide additional insight.
Be prepared. Have a clear idea of what the company does and how you can contribute to the organization. The more
thoroughly you prepare, the higher your confidence level during the interview.
Arrive on time. Showing up late always creates a bad impression -- even if you have a good excuse. Find out
in advance exactly how to get to the interview location and if you've never been there before, plan a trial run.
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
Ad: Electronic Versions of Documents Included Free
Electronic versions now included with all resume and cover
letter products at Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters at
no extra cost!
An electronic version of your resume for sending via e-mail and posting to Internet job boards
is an absolute must these days because 80 percent of resumes are now placed directly into keyword-searchable databases.
Read more here.
That's why electronic versions are now included at NO EXTRA COST with all our resume and cover letter
products!
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Dining etiquette
* Career Focus Quiz
* Pre-Employment Testing
* Mastering Second (and Subsequent) Interviews
* Exude Confidence in Interviews
* Job Satisfaction Quiz
* Job-search Time-Management Skills
* Reinvent Your Career at Midlife
* Working Beyond Retirement
* Workaholic Quiz
* Building Your Brand
* Pros and Cons of Nontraditional Careers
* Nontraditional Career Paths for Men and Women
* Make Your College Application Shine
* Changing Landscape of College Admissions
* College Admissions Annual Report/Panel Discussion
* Internet Jobhunting Annual Report
* Top 5 Networking Strategies
* 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.
Quintessential Careers Announces Career Coaching
We now offer two types of career-coaching services!
Are you...
feeling stuck in an unsatisfying job?
facing a major change in career or job status?
searching for your ideal career or job?
seeking help in developing a job-search plan?
looking for a solution to job-search obstacles?
desiring to bounce ideas off of a career expert?
trying to discover the keys to career success?
Let Dr. Randall S. Hansen, The Career Doctor, help you work through all your college, career, and job-search concerns,
issues, and problems. He has helped hundreds of teens, college students, and experienced job-seekers identify obstacles, develop
action plans, and achieve success -- and he can help you!
And for an economical online-only career-coaching alternative,
visit The Career Clinic.
Quintessential Careers Advertisements
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