QuintZine

A Career and Job-Hunting Newsletter

Volume 06, Issue 14

ISSN: 1528-9443

August 29, 2005

What You'll Find: Interviewing

Notes from the Editor Feature Article: Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Skills in the Interview Special Feature: Situational Interviews and Stress Interviews: What to Make of Them and How to Succeed in Them Bonus Feature: Using Career Success Stories in Interviews and Networking

Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions Quintessential Reading: QuintZine's Review of Career Books: Acing the Interview Tip Cards 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...

As we mentioned in our last issue, we plan to make a one-time exception to our policy of not using the QuintZine list for anything other than sending this newsletter to you. This one-time announcement of a fantastic offer for anyone purchasing a copy of a book that comes out on Aug. 30 will reach you later today, and this issue also carries a sneak preview. Look for the subject line, "A Must-Read For QuintZine Readers" in the e-mail coming later today. Trust me, the $4,000 in no-cost offers are outstanding. Want to show us some love? ... Give Quintessential Careers your write-in vote at the Business Week Best of the Web Survey in the jobs category or write us in for the "People's Choice" category -- or both!! Thanks! And in this issue, find some great advice on one of the topics we get the most questions about -- interviewing. We'll have a second interviewing issue on Oct. 24. Find jobs to interview for at our job portal. --Katharine Hansen, Master Resume Writer, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Electronic Career Coach, and editor at kathy@quintcareers.com

Feature Article: Problem-Solving Skills in the Interview

Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Skills in the Interview by Frank Traditi Succeeding at an interview is often more of an art than a science. While your experience, education, and other qualifications play a significant role in the hiring decision, the hire is still very much based on the personal opinion of the interviewer. He or she will make a decision about whether to hire you based not only on your qualifications, but also on whether your personality will fit in at his or her company. Often the interviewer's instinct decides who will get the job offer. Learn more in our full article.

Special Feature: Situational & Stress Interviews

Situational Interviews and Stress Interviews: What to Make of Them and How to Succeed in Them by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. The best job-seekers not only prepare answers to typical interview questions, but also prepare for the type of interview expected. There are all sorts of job interviews: screening, traditional, behavioral, telephone, case, and panel. And two of the trends in interviewing are the use of situational interviewing and stress interviewing. Find out more about these trends in our full article.

Bonus Feature: Success Stories in Interviewing

Using Career Success Stories in Interviews and Networking by Frank Traditi Companies hire you based on your ability to demonstrate what you can do for them and how you can solve their problems. While hiring managers expect you to have all of the functional skills necessary for the job, they are much more interested in how you can use your special abilities to handle the challenges given to you if you were in the job. The big question is how do you demonstrate this ability in an interview when they haven't seen you at work yet? The most effective method is to tell a story. To get the full story on telling stories in job hunting, see our article.

We Now Produce Two Job-Search Blogs!

Get the latest career, college, and job-search news you need! CHECK IT OUT.... The new Resume and Cover Letters Tips Blog. A new resume tip and cover-letter tip every day! And then there is the Quint Careers 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. Check out the Career and Job-Hunting Blog.

Quintessential Careers Site: BenefitsLink

BenefitsLink Those undergoing job interviews and receiving offers should benefit from BenefitsLink, a great collection of employee benefits resources, including the latest articles about benefits, a Q&A benefits column, benefits vendor listings, message boards, job and resume postings for benefits professionals, and more. While the target audience for the site is benefits professionals, it's a great place to learn what benefits are out there and what laws and regulations govern them. One section, Benefits Buzz, is the result of scanning the Web to find links to useful articles on employee benefit-plan compliance matters. No cost to job-seekers. See all our featured Quintessential Sites.

The Career Doctor Answers Your Questions

Got a career question? The Career Doctor is holding office hours! Joan writes: "I could not find anything specific to interviewing do's and don'ts on your site and would therefore recommend a tutorial on this subject. Can you help?" Career Doctor Randall S. Hansen responds to the question. Carole writes: "I have been job searching actively for three years and cannot find a job because I have an unusually diverse background that doesn't fit into a slot. I cover all facets of job searching. When networking I am usually told no jobs, but set a meeting anyway. I have had some interviews from answering ads and basically try to show I am specialized, or tailor myself to the ad. I am usually overqualified, or underqualified because I didn't work in the specific area all the time. How can I get someone to give me a chance? I do volunteer work and have also offered to work for free. Have you ever heard of this before?" See what the Career Doctor has to say.

Amy writes: "I have been on a lot of job interviews, but I am stumped because I have been told to expect an upcoming interview to be something called, I think, a situational interview. Is this a new kind of interview? What is involved, and how should I prepare for it?" See the Doc's opinion. Becca writes: "I interviewed with a panel of seven people for entrance into a radiology program. I have the name of the director of the program but not the other names of those in the panel. The panel interviewed me all at the same time. Is it acceptable to send one letter and address it as "Dear Mr. Ray and interview panel?" I'm afraid it is not feasible to get the names of the panel since they are students within the program. I interviewed on Monday and would like to send the letter today. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have." See the Career Doctor's response. Read more from the Career Doctor in the Career Doctor Archives. Send your career, job, or college questions to Dr. Hansen at: careerdr@quintcareers.com

Quintessential Reading: Books for College Students

Reviewed by Katharine Hansen Acing the Interview Tip Cards -- Answers to the Top 20 'Killer' Interview Questions PLUS Strategies For Handling Illegal And Trick Questions, by Mary Jeanne Vincent, 24 cards, 2004, $23.99. It's hard to imagine a resource much handier for cramming right before a job interview than a set of easy-to-hold, easy-to-carry cards that fit into a pocket or purse. Acing the Interview Tip Cards are such a resource. The cards come in a jewel case the size of a Zip-disk case, and as illustrated on the Workwise Web site of card author Mary Jeanne Vincent, you can even fashion the jewel case into a little easel on which you can stand the cards up and study them. Read our full review. Read all of our Quintessential Reading book reviews.

Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers

Now-Hiring.ca -- a Canadian job site for Calgary -- and growing to include all of Canada -- where job-seekers can browse job listings by industry or location as well as post your resume. No cost to job-seekers. Online Recruiters Directory -- a great site for job-seekers to find recruiters, executive search firms, headhunters, staffing firms, and other recruiting services. Job-seekers can search for recruiters by job category, type of agency, and location. No cost to job-seekers. TeenJobSection.com -- a new job and career site for teens. The site lists summer jobs, seasonal jobs, student jobs, non-profit jobs, and more -- in all fifty states. Includes a growing list of career resources for teens who are new to job-seeking. No cost to job-seekers. WesternMassWorks.com -- a great local job site for job-seekers seeking to work in Springfield, Pittsfield, the Berkshires, and other parts of western Massachusetts. Job-seekers can browse or search (by keyword, category) job listings as well as post your resume. 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

The screening interview is the first impression that rules your destiny. Here's how to make a good one -- and how to blow it (excerpted from WetFeet's Job Hunting From A to Z: Landing the Job You Want Insider Guide). First Impressions A GOOD PROSPECT: Arrives a few minutes early Neat, well groomed Good hygiene Dressed appropriately Polite, friendly to receptionist Good eye contact Firm handshake Good posture standing and seated Jaw used for speaking Confident manner of speaking Easy to hear but not loud Illustrates with facial expressions and responsiveness Good energy, but not boisterous Polite phrasing-please; thank you; I'd like that, if you don't mind In tune with the interviewer's pace, style of speech, degree of formality Answers questions directly or paraphrases well and then responds Ends interview with appreciation, enthusiasm, agreement on next steps FORGET ABOUT IT: Arrives late, especially without warning Sloppy, disheveled, out of breath Poor hygiene Way over- or underdressed, loud attire Impatient with receptionist Avoids eye contact Limp or overpowering handshake Slouching posture Jaw used for chewing Fumbles for words Inaudible, indistinct, or too loud Impassive, hard to read, difficult to converse with Dead batteries or hyperactive Curt phrasing, abrupt or condescending replies to questions Dissonant with interviewer's pace, style of speech, degree of formality Doesn't address questions or gives answers that are not credible Fades out of the interview The latest in job-interview techniques is really a bag full of tricks. These include spilling things on candidates, asking them to drive, checking to see if their shoes are polished, and noticing if they bite their nails, reports The Arizona Republic. All of these actions are designed to get a reaction out of the candidate so his or her real personality is exposed. How can you prepare for such tricks? You can't. And that's just the point. "They are trying to look beyond the obvious to really find out what is going on," Jane Lance, a career consultant with the Phoenix office of Right Management, told The Arizona Republic. "They are looking for subtle behavior reactions. You can tell a lot about a person from how they react." Perhaps this is the dirtiest trick of all: Some interviewers call candidates at home posing as a telemarketer. Whether the candidate is rude or polite to the annoying telemarketer tells the interviewer how the candidate might deal with an annoying client. Other tricks explained... The trick: Dropping a pen, usually equidistant between the interviewer and the candidate. The reason: People who are customer-oriented will be quick to pick up the pen. The trick: Spilling something on a candidate during a lunch or dinner meeting. The reason: The interviewer wants to see how the candidate handles such a difficult and potentially embarrassing situation. The real personality will be revealed. The trick: Asking the candidate to drive them both to a lunch meeting. The reason: The interviewer wants to see if the candidate is a hurried and aggressive driver or a courteous and careful driver. The trick: A last-minute change in the interview time or place. The reason: The interviewer can find out how well the candidate handles the change. The trick: Keep a candidate waiting for as long as an hour. The reason: Does the candidate find something to occupy the time during the wait or does he or she get anxious or angry at the delay? All of these tricks have one purpose in mind: "The intent isn't to frustrate them or make them angry; it's to see how they react when change happens," Lance explained to the Republic. "They are testing the person's behavior at the moment." Writing a thank-you letter after an interview doesn't just showcase a candidate's manners -- it can also make or break his or her chances of landing a job. Nearly 15 percent of hiring managers say they would not hire someone who failed to send a thank-you letter after the interview. Thirty-two percent say they would still consider the candidate, but would think less of him or her, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey. Results in a study by HR.BLR.com were even more dramatic. The online poll asked this question: "Are you more likely to hire someone who has sent you a post-interview thank-you note?" Fully 61 percent answered either "yes" or "perhaps," while 39 percent said either "no" or "probably not." With the competition for jobs so fierce these days, HR professionals are looking at more and more criteria to help them decide who has the edge. The right thank-you note can give a hiring manager additional insight on your intelligence, manners and communication skills, as well as your desire for the job. Although most hiring managers expect to receive a thank-you note, format preferences differ. One in four hiring managers prefer to receive a thank-you note in e-mail form only; 19 percent want the e-mail followed up with a hard copy; 21 percent want a typed hard copy only, and 23 percent prefer just a handwritten note. Twenty-six percent of hiring managers expect to have the letter in-hand two days after the interview, and 36 percent expect to have it within three to five days. Sending the letter quickly reinforces your enthusiasm for the job, and helps keep you top-of-mind for the interviewer." Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com offers the following tips to make the most of your thank-you letter: Stick to three paragraphs. In the first paragraph, thank the interviewer for the opportunity. Use the second to sell yourself by reminding the hiring manager of your qualifications. In the third paragraph, reiterate your interest in the position. Fill in the blanks. Thank-you notes are a great way to add in key information you forgot in the interview, clarify any points or try to ease any reservations the interviewer might have expressed. Proofread carefully. Double-check to be sure your note is free from typos and grammatical errors. Don't rely solely on your spell-checker. Be specific. Don't send out a generic correspondence. Instead, tailor your note to the specific job and the relationship you have established with the hiring manager. Get more information on CareerBuilder.com surveys. See all our entire collection of Q-Tips: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips.

We'd Love You to Link to Quintessential Careers!

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: * The Value of Internships Abroad and Study Abroad * 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 * MBA Career Portfolios * Trends/Tips in Career Portfolios * Pre-Hire Background/Credit Checks * Noncompete Clauses * Sticky Job Interview Situations * 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! To view back issues of QuintZine, check out the QuintZine Archive. 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? 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! Visit The Career Doctor. And for an economical online-only career-coaching alternative, visit The Career Clinic.

Quintessential Careers Advertisements

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Quintessential Careers is a member of the Career Masters Institute.

QuintZine A publication of Quintessential Careers Publisher:  Dr. Randall S. Hansen Editor:  Katharine Hansen ISSN:  1528-9443

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