Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
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?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Interviewing is perhaps the most critical point in job-hunting,
where the job-seeker has to use persuasive communications skills to
show that s/he is the perfect candidate for the position. And we have
quite a lot of information and resources on interviewing. But, because
you asked, here are just a few of the most critical do’s and don’ts of interviewing:
Do your research and know the type of job interview you will be encountering.
And do prepare and practice for the interview, but don't memorize or over-rehearse your answers.
Do dress the part for the job, the company, the industry. And do err on the side
of conservatism.
Do plan to arrive about 10 minutes early. Late arrival for a job interview is never
excusable. If you are running late, do phone the company.
Do greet the receptionist or assistant with courtesy and respect. This is where
you make your first impression.
Do bring extra resumes to the interview. (Even better, if you have a career
portfolio, do bring that with you to the interview.)
Don't rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. No matter
how qualified you are for the position, you will need to sell yourself to the interviewer.
Do greet the interviewer(s) by title (Ms., Mr., Dr.) and last name if you are
sure of the pronunciation. (If you're not sure, do ask the receptionist about the pronunciation
before going into the interview.
Doshake hands firmly. Don't have a limp or clammy handshake!
Do have a high confidence and energy level, but don't be overly aggressive.
Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.
Don't say anything negative about former colleagues, supervisors, or employers.
Carole writes:
I cannot find an answer in your information on the Career Doctor site. I
have been job searching actively, for three years and cannot find a job
because I have an unusual 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?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
You are not alone in having this problem. Many job-seekers who have an
eclectic mix of job experiences often have a hard time finding a job.
But yours is a valuable lesson for all job-seekers. Please remember that you
are responsible for defining yourself as a job-seeker -- and then providing the
documentation to back it up. If you have no focus as a job-seeker, why would
an employer want to hire you?
Take some time for self-assessment and find a career focus. At that point, you
may need to do some temping or volunteering to get the experience to get your
foot in the door, but your current background may be enough -- as long as you
learn how to present it in a focused manner.
Once you find your focus and next career direction, remember that a resume
does not have to include every single job you have ever done -- it should focus
on the experiences and education you have for the job/career you are seeking.
And a reminder for older job-seekers: please remember to remove all old work
experience, even if in a relevant field -- anything older than 15 years should be
removed. (And take all dates off your education listing also.)
For more advice on improving your resume, read this article published on
Quintessential Careers: Avoid
These 10 Resume Mistakes.
Q:
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 I think called a situational interview.
Is this a new kind of interview? What is involved, and how should I prepare for it?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
In situational interviewing, job-seekers are asked to respond to a specific
situation they may face on the job, and some aspects of it are similar to
behavioral interviews. These types of questions are designed to draw out
more of your analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as how you handle
problems with short notice.
The key to preparation and success in situational interviews is simply to review
your past work experiences and review the steps you took to resolve problems
and make corrections. You should also have short stories of some of these
past experiences so you can also incorporate them into your answers to show
that you have experience handling similar situations.
For example, an interviewer might ask an applicant for a customer service
manager position: “How would you handle an angry customer who was promised
delivery of the product on a certain date, but because of manufacturing delays,
the company was not able to deliver on a timely basis? The customer is demanding
some kind of compensation for the unexpected delay.”
Or, for a management position, a job-seeker might be asked: “How do you handle
a disgruntled employee in your department who has made a habit of arriving late to
work and causing minor disruptions during the day, as well as a declining morale
among the rest of the staff?”
For more information on interviewing, don't forget all the tools and resources in this
section of Quintessential Careers:
Guide
to Job Interviewing Resources.
Q:
Becca writes:
I interviewed with a panel of 7 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.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
The most important thing you -- and any person -- can do after an interview
is to send a thank-you letter or note. It’s something that takes very little of
your time and can make a very big impact, especially if most others (as it
typically the case) do not send thank you letters.
In a job interviewing situation, I would always do everything I could to get
the names of all the panel members. I am one of those people who is very
bad at remembering names when people introduce themselves, especially
when I am in a stressful situation like a job interview. Typically, you can
call the organization and request the names from the panel. In your situation,
I would contact the director’s administrative assistant and get the names
of the students on the panel.
Are you also sure that the director is a “Mr.” and not a “Dr.”? Misspellings
of people's names, or using the incorrect titles, can be a major blow to
any attempt at gaining an advantage by writing the letter in the first place.
If you cannot get the names of the students, then simply address the letter
to the director, but in the first paragraph, mention that you want to express
your thanks to the entire panel of students.
To get more detailed advice about thank-you letters -- and see some
great samples -- read this article published on Quintessential Careers:
FAQs About Thank You Letters.
