Special Feature: Career Fairs: Your Shortcut to Job Interviews
Bonus Feature: The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
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...
Our HEARTfelt Valentine to readers is this issue with loads of information
about how to make the most of career fairs.
Regular contributors Maureen Crawford Hentz and Deborah Walker offer terrific articles with
great ideas. Publisher Dr. Randall S. Hansen has created a career-fair checklist, and
yours truly weighs in with an article and two sidebars on the elevator speech, which can be used
at career fairs and many other venues.
After you've absorbed all those goodies, park your Valentine box of chocolates in front of your
computer and munch away as you check out the many job listings and other resources available in
our job portal.
Happy Valentine's Day, readers! Will you be our Valentine?
--Katharine Hansen, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Electronic Career Coach,
and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Are you planning to attend a career fair soon? Are you searching for pointers to help you succeed
at the career fair? Do you know the activities job-seekers should perform before, during,
and after the career fair?
Plan your next career-fair experience by reading Dr. Randall Hansen's
Career Fair
Checklist.
Special Feature: Career Fair Rules
Career Fairs: Your Shortcut to Job Interviews
by Deborah Walker
In many cities and local communities, spring is career-fair season. While these events
sometimes prove disappointing, job-seekers who understand how to "work" career fairs use these
events as powerful networking sessions leading to interviews with future employers. If you are
considering attending a job fair soon, you'll get more out of the event by
following
the three rules outlined in our article.
Bonus Feature: Elevator Speeches
The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools
by Katharine Hansen
By now the Elevator Speech is a fairly well-known tool, not only for job-seekers
but for organizations and individuals with products and services to sell. Authors of
numerous Internet articles on the Elevator Speech offer speculations on the origin of the term --
ranging from the notion that we often run into important people in elevators to the more common
explanation that the Elevator Speech is a clear, concise bit of communication that can be delivered
in the time it takes folks to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator.
Then read: Fantastic Formulas for Composing Elevator Speeches
While many Elevator Speeches are written by sales reps to pitch products and services,
the formulas from which the speeches derive can be easily adapted to situations in which
the product is you, the job-seeker.
This roundup of elevator speech formulas
suggested by experts should provide food for thought for the method that works best for you in planning
and outlining your Elevator Speech.
And finally, read our Elevator Speech Do's and Don'ts.
Our article
provides keys to successfully developing and using an elevator speech in your job-search. Follow these
simple rules, and you should achieve success with this important tool of job-hunting.
You Should be Reading Our Career Blog!
Get the latest career, college, and job-search news you need!
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.
Women For Hire produces 20 one-day career events annually in 10 major markets, including Atlanta,
Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.,
pairing recruiters from a mix of Fortune 500 companies, medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations,
and government agencies with women in all fields.
Since Oct. 1999, Women For Hire events have enabled America's leading employers
across all lines of business to meet one-on-one with a coveted pool of talent in all disciplines.
Women For Hire's premise is that the best companies value workplace diversity as key to achieving a
competitive edge in a global economy. Their greatest challenge lies with identifying and securing top talent.
Women For Hire has been recognized as a ground-breaking venue attracting the brightest group of diverse women,
including today's emerging talent and leaders of tomorrow.
The site contains specific information about each event, the opportunity to join the fee-based
Women For Hire Network, a store, the opportunity to subscribe to a a no-cost magazine, a blog-like
journal from the organization's CEO, extra tips on making the most of the Women for Hire
events,a place to post your resume, as well as tips and templates for resumes, cover letters, and other
career-marketing correspondence.
Susie writes: "I'm attending a career fair next week and really want to know the best
way to prepare as this is my first one, and I want to be successful at it."
Craig writes: "I am a 21-year-old African-American, and I am in my senior year of college. This year,
I will start interviewing for jobs in the field of electrical engineering. My hair is in a braided fashion,
and I am wondering if it would be to my benefit to cut my hair off or leave it as it is?"
Josette writes: "I've read many articles that networking is the most effective job-search tool.
I really want to change careers, but I don't know how to go about networking. I've been stuck in
low-end, low-paying jobs because I don't know how to network. I want to get out of the dead-end rut
badly. Currently I'm a temporary clerical worker.
I want to network badly, but it's hard for me because I'm not a very outgoing person. Where do I start?
What's the best way for a person who's not very outgoing to start a network?"
Karen writes: "I had an interview yesterday, and during the interview I was told they would be calling
some applicants back for a second interview next week. When I was told the pay range of my position, I did not
speak up then that I felt the range was too low for my skills and ask if the pay was negotiable. If I am called back
for the second interview, or they just call to offer the position to me, how do I handle this issue? The pay range
was between $8 and $10. I believe I'm worth at least $12 an hour starting out. What should I do?"
Ad: Could You Benefit from a Professional Resume Writer?
An Assessment for Job-seekers
Are you thinking about engaging the services of a professional writer
for your resume, CV, cover letter, thank-you letter, or other career-marketing
correspondence? Before you take this step, consider how a professional resume writer
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Jobsearchlive.com --
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You can also register for an email job matching service. No cost to job-seekers.
Nursetown.com --
a job site for nursing professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada, where job-seekers can browse
job listings by location, find helpful nursing-related articles, and join nursing-related
discussion boards. Also includes free nursing newsletter. No cost to job-seekers.
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
In an interview, clear communication outweighs even tardiness. Fifty-seven percent of hiring
managers said they are turned off by poor communication skills -- which includes providing inarticulate answers
or vague information about past experience -- according to Development Dimensions International's (DDI) The Selection
Forecast: Recruiting and Hiring Talent. This figure represents more than three times the number of respondents
who were turned off by candidates who were late to the interview or who lacked knowledge about the company.
"Hiring managers don't want to train people to communicate," said Scott Erker, senior vice president of selection solutions
for DDI. "If candidates are vague communicators in the interview, chances are they will be vague communicators
in their jobs, as well. It also indicates that they may be trying to hide something about past performance."
Other findings of the survey of human-resources professionals and hiring managers in 13 countries include:
Non-management employees need about three months and managers four months to be fully productive.
One in five new hiring decisions is a bad one.
89 percent of organizations conduct exit interviews to learn why employees leave.
68 percent of hiring managers expect new employees to stay at least five years.
Besides pay and benefits, employees' biggest priorities are advancement, job stability and work/life balance,
according to hiring managers.
75 percent of hiring managers interview four or more candidates for a job.
Hiring managers believe that only 23 percent of candidates provided by human resources are
high-quality.
53 percent of management positions are filled internally. In 1999, 44 percent were.
83 percent of organizations use a pre-employment test.
According to the Herman Trend Alert, "People are taking back control of the management of their careers.
People also want more control over other aspects of their lives and we see signs that consumers are becoming more
demanding. As individuals step back into the driver's seat, corporations will be forced to become more responsive
to both employees and customers.
A principal driving force is the upward trend in the economy. There are two important factors here. First
is that the economy is improving in many ways and in many places. Most of the places that have not felt the
influence of the economic growth will experience positive change soon. The second factor is people's perceptions
that conditions are getting better. Corporate leaders are responding with more positive strategies, energizing
the growth."
-- From The Herman Trend Alert,
by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists.
The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc.
While hiring managers frequently are inundated with resumes for open positions, a new survey shows
only a handful of applicants actually make it to the interview stage. Executives polled said that, on average,
they interview six candidates for each job opening.
The survey, developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm, includes responses from
150 executives -- including those from human-resources, finance, marketing, information technology and operations
departments -- with the nation's 1,000 largest companies.
Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam, offered these tips for a successful interview:
Put yourself in the hiring manager's chair. He or she is looking for a strong work ethic, motivation
and a positive attitude. Be sure to emphasize these qualities during the discussion.
Know how to handle tough interview questions. No matter how prepared you are, you may get a curveball
or two. Take your time and keep your responses to these questions concise.
Be yourself. Don't pretend to be someone you're not. It benefits both you and the hiring manager to present
an accurate picture of your skills and work style so you can ensure the right match.
Focus on your value to the company. What makes you a good fit for the job? By discussing experiences and
accomplishments that relate directly to the open position, you demonstrate your ability to
become an immediate contributor.
Identify your unique selling proposition. What distinguishes you from the five or so others who are vying for the job?
Know your strengths and emphasize those aspects of your skills and experience that make you a standout.
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.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Underemployed Women
* Job Burnout Quiz
* Job Burnout Remedies
* The Value of Internships Abroad and Study Abroad
* Quarter-Life Career Issues
* Career Success is Within Your Reach
* Tips of Liberal-Arts Grads
* Top 10 Fears of Job-seekers
* For Job-hunting Success, Develop a Detailed Job-Search Plan
* How to Build a Personal Advisory Board
* Keep Your Career Dreams Alive
* College-Prep Summer Camps
* 10 Teen Summer-Job Tips
* MBA Career Portfolios
* Trends/Tips in Career Portfolios
* Pre-Hire Background/Credit Checks
* Noncompete Clauses
* Entrepreneurs
* Get a Job in Sales/Pharmaceutical Sales
* Critical Elements of the Job Search
* Managing Job Stress
* Telecommuting Ranks High
* Sticky Job Interview Situations
* Situational Interviews
* 10 Resume Tips
* Why Hire a Resume Writer?
* Is Your Resume Lost in the Internet Void?
* Career Activist Quiz
* Practice Career Management to Avoid Career Crisis
* The Changing Landscape of College Admissions
* Offbeat Ways to Pay for College
* Financial Aid/Scholarship Timetable
* Build Confidence and Avoid Insecurity in Job Interviews
* Empty Nest Job-seekers
* Baby Boomers Beware
* Are You Sabotaging Your Job-Search/Career?
* Quiz: Marketing Yourself
* Marketing Yourself with internal/External Promotions
* Lifelong Networking
* Networking for the Shy
* Converting a Seasonal Job to a Permanent Position
* Working Night Shifts/Odd Hours
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Career, College, and Job-Search 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.
Ad: Quintessential Careers Career Coaching Services
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?
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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,
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And for an economical online-only career-coaching alternative,
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Quintessential Careers Advertisements
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Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
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