Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Job-hunting tips from the August 27, 2001 issue of QuintZine.
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.
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.
