Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Job-hunting tips from the June 10, 2002 issue of
QuintZine.
A recent survey reveals that a lack of company knowledge is -- by far -- the most frequent interview faux pas.
The chances are great in any given interview that you will be asked some variation of the question,
"What do you know about our company?" The question could be "What attracted to you to our company" or
"Why do you want to work for our company?" or one of a number of other variations. Employers
want to see that you've done your homework; in fact, 44 percent of executives recently surveyed by Accountemps
said the most common interview pitfall for today's candidates is insufficient company research.
Executives' responses to the question "Which do you think is the most common mistake candidates
make during job interviews?" were as follows:
44% -- Little or no knowledge of the company
23% -- Unprepared to discuss career plans and goals
16% -- Limited enthusiasm
5% -- Lack of eye contact
3% -- Unprepared to discuss skills and experience
2% -- Late arrival
4% -- Other
3% -- Don't know/no answer
Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of
Managing Your Career For Dummies® (Hungry Minds, Inc.)
points out that prospective employees should be able to
answer the following key questions before the first meeting with a hiring manager:
What business is the company in?
What products and services does it sell?
Who are its primary competitors?
What current industry issues or events are of interest to the firm?
What are the company's mission, vision, and values?
How much time should you spend job-hunting? "If you're employed, you must average at least
15 hours a week, or you won't get any momentum going," advises Kate Wendleton in the syndicated
career column she writes with Dale Dauten. "Once that starts to pay off, you switch into high follow-up
mode. For example, we were working with a woman who wanted a high-level job and did not have the 'on target'
background the company was looking for. She met with 25 people during the interview process. She took notes
during each of those 25 meetings, and then sent issue-oriented notes to each person, each one
different. But they ended up passing around her notes at the company and offering her the job,"
Wendleton relates.
We've reported on some some predicted longer-term job-market trends, but what about the near future?
Here's how human resource consulting firm Drake Beam Morin sees it:
Family matters: Job seekers to shift priorities -- In a post-Sept. 11 era, job seekers and workers
will continue to place higher value on working less and spending more time with family and friends,
making life choices over career choices.
Companies to tune in to workers' needs -- Companies will be more open to accommodating
workers' preferences and needs; retention to be a top company concern.
Transferable skills = more choices -- In today's competitive labor market, job seekers will be doing
more to market themselves to a wider range of industries; encouragingly, one in two job seekers change industry or
job function successfully.
Hiring managers to stick with whom they know -- Sept. 11 and the slow economy have prompted hiring
managers to stay close to home in filling positions; 90 percent prefer to find candidates within their own
companies or through networking.
Experience counts: Older workers to enjoy greater opportunity -- With companies cutting so deeply, the
playing field between older workers and Gen X-ers is becoming more level; older workers bring much needed
experience and demonstrate flexibility.
A recent survey reveals that a lack of company knowledge is -- by far -- the most frequent interview faux pas.
The chances are great in any given interview that you will be asked some variation of the question,
"What do you know about our company?" The question could be "What attracted to you to our company" or
"Why do you want to work for our company?" or one of a number of other variations. Employers
want to see that you've done your homework; in fact, 44 percent of executives recently surveyed by Accountemps
said the most common interview pitfall for today's candidates is insufficient company research.
Executives' responses to the question "Which do you think is the most common mistake candidates
make during job interviews?" were as follows:
