Interview Preparation: It’s Pronounced “Du-Moss”
A hilarious A&W Root Beer commercial from the early 90s is also a cautionary tale. The commercial begins with a smiling, confident young man being interviewed for a job saying, “Mr. Dumbass, I can bring a lot to Dumbass and Dumbass. I’m a go-getter. Dumbass material all the way. So, am I your man Mr. Dumbass?” The look on his face is priceless as the interviewer states, “The name is Dumass [pronounced Du-Moss].” The commercial ends with the candidate leaving the office quickly past an admin with Mr. Dumass stating in disgust, “What a dumb ass!” Underscoring the commercial’s humor is the simple fact that the candidate didn’t properly prepare for the interview. There was an admin right there, he could have easily asked before the interview, “How do you pronounce Mr. Dumass’ last name?” A missed opportunity, but how many of us have interview stories in which we were not properly prepared? We either stumbled on questions about ourselves or didn’t have proper knowledge about the role or the company, and/or at the end of the interview, we said we had no questions, which is always a big red flag to the interviewer. There are 3 “Knows” that every candidate should have prepared before the interview: know yourself, know the company, and know what to ask. The A&W commercial was originally filmed in 1990 before the advent of the internet. Today, with the wealth of information available to candidates, there are simply no excuses. Know Yourself “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ~ Benjamin Franklin The dreaded self-awareness questions. There are a few obligatory questions that are a part of nearly every interview. They may be phrased differently, or are asked in relation to company values, and often inserted and repeated in some way shape or form throughout the interview, but these are the ones you can usually expect (and are often used as ice breakers)… Tell me about yourself. This usually means “Why are you qualified for this job?” Prepare 1-2 minutes of your qualifications, and also discuss some of your passions to keep it real. Keep your answers concise and avoid any negativity about previous work experiences. What are your strengths? Modesty or humility is a great quality in a person, but generally has no place on a resume or in an interview. Think of abstract qualities that define you. For example, willing to work hard, loyal, and strong technical skills to name a few. What are your weaknesses? This question can often be intimidating, but be transparent (and don’t say you are a perfectionist, or you care too much— both are overused). Present your weaknesses in terms of professional strengths, for example, “Often I will work too hard and get too deep into a project to make sure it is done correctly and on time.” Evaluate yourself in terms of the position that is available. A good way to prepare for this type of question is to answer it by asking yourself the question: “Why should they offer me the job?” Can you see yourself resigning from your current job? It is a candidate’s market, and counteroffers are also increasing since companies are desperately trying to retain their people and limit turnover. Interviewers know this and will probe deeper to find out your intentions and to make sure you are not using it as a negotiating tool with your current employer. Be clear, concise and do not hesitate when asked the question, “Why do you wish to leave your current position?” What do you do during your non-work time? Use this as an opportunity to present yourself as a well-rounded person. If your answer is “work-work-work,” that could be a negative since workaholics are not always the best employees. Name hobbies, passions, and those things you like to do in your spare time. We have seen even successful sales and marketing professionals, with years of product and service sales experience, stumble on these very questions because they are the product. Thus, be prepared and know the answers to these questions before they are asked. Write them out to further craft and remember your responses. Know the Company There is nothing more irritating to an interviewer than a candidate who has not done advance research on their company. It is flat-out lazy and usually disqualifying. The days of interviewers taking time to explain their business and history to the candidate in the interview are long gone or severely limited because everything can now be found online. The interviewer, interview team, and recruiter will be doing due diligence on you, so you need to do your due diligence in researching the company. Company websites, annual reports, trade magazines, newspaper articles, Google, LinkedIn, Glassdoor (which can also provide insight into the company’s interview process), and more all offer a wealth of company information and industry statistics. Reach out to current employees (and connect with them on LinkedIn), talk to customers, and, if appropriate, competitors. Sometimes you will find information and intelligence that can go a long way in the interview. Know What to Ask We sometimes forget that interviews should be two-way conversations. It is important for the candidate to take an active role in the interview. Asking questions demonstrates your depth of experience in the field, your concern for the company, and your desire for the position, and can lead to a more positive overall interview experience. We have seen people nail the interview itself but when it comes time for the interviewer to ask them if they have any questions, they simply say “Nope. I’m good.” Big mistake. Many questions you can ask could be from the research you have done on the company in preparing for the interview. Questions could be on the future of the company (growth plans, vision, 5-year plan and goals); the position in relation to the company (why was the position created, why is it now empty, is this role critical to the success of the company, why
The Graduate’s 5-Step Guide to Landing Your First Internship or Professional Job
As an intern at BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group, and as a student at Indiana University, I have experienced a wide range of career courses, internships, resume workshops, and interview processes. The following is a guide and helpful tips to use when navigating the post-graduation world with a focus on entering the professional sector. Colleges have many resources available to their students for career-specific use including workshops, cover letter help sessions, mock interviews and more. At Indiana University, students like myself are required to take career courses before they can graduate. As one goes through this process, which can be seen as a waste of time by many, one thing that becomes apparent is that you are in competition with thousands of your fellow classmates. However, this competition should not be seen as a barrier but added motivation to take your game to the next level. It is important for students and newly minted professionals to hit the ground running. The current economic market is in need of young professionals, especially with unemployment at historic lows. Although many companies send recruiters to universities, there are countless other options to pursue. Time should not be wasted contemplating. Rather, it should be spent with “boots on the ground” strategies to begin searching, applying, and interviewing for positions. Although intimidating, the professional world offers immediate feedback. It is ultimately up to you to use your knowledge and skills to find a position that fits your needs and the needs of the company. Step 1: Prepare for the Search As a new college graduate, it is important to make sure you are up to date. This entails having your resume ready to tailor to any position with your latest experience, skills, and related information presented appropriately (See our post on Resume Writing). Young graduates should also make sure to leave their sweatpants in the dorm and make sure they are fully stocked with professional clothing (a nice interview suit at the very least). These seemingly small preparations can make the job search process much less intimidating. LinkedIn also plays a key role in young professional lives. As graduates enter this new world, their names are a blank canvas. There is often little to no knowledge on a young professional, other than what is listed on their resume or social media (and it is important to keep your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other media clean). LinkedIn provides employers an excellent resource to find more background information on a potential job candidate. Thus, new graduates need to have their information current on LinkedIn, along with a relevant professional picture (head shot) to post on the profile. If you can afford it, look into LinkedIn Premium and start building connections. Being up-to-date on LinkedIn is important for employers since it is often the first place they look for more information and is also a critical first impression outside of your resume. Step 2: The Search Initial searches can be done on your school’s career center website, via Google, Indeed, and other search sources, or via your network that you have built through connections. A wonderful source of job postings is available on LinkedIn, where you can easily apply for jobs as your information is already up to date. Throughout my search I had specific roles and organizations in mind. I never ruled any position or organization out of the realm of possibilities, but this can be challenging and extremely time consuming. It is important to keep the competitive motivating factors fresh in your mind to keep you moving through the entire search and open your mind to opportunities you may not have previously considered. Do your due-diligence on researching a company, not only on the job post, but also the company’s website and its employees. As discussed in a previous post, websites such as, Glassdoor.com, Careerbliss.com and Vault.com are excellent resources to use when examining a company, its culture, its interview process, structure and background. By examining companies as a whole, I was able to sift through hundreds of postings to narrow my list of interesting internships to ten. After that, I had to delve deeper into the companies to find what was ultimately the right fit for me. Step 3: Communicate It is common for young professionals to hit a wall when trying to decide which of these positions to apply for. I could have applied to all ten positions. However, I would risk being overwhelmed by multiple hiring processes, which would lead to the creation of generic cover letters and other bad habits in the application and interview process. Instead, I focused and began reaching out to my shortlist of companies and organizations in search of who was hiring the specific position I was interested in. At the very minimum, I would get a name to address my cover letter to, and with further digging, I would be able to open a line of communication with the person who had the power to potentially hire me for the position. It is vital to open a line of communication and begin a relationship with the company of interest to get a better feel for how they operate. Doing this made it easy for me to construct a tailor-made cover letter, which is becoming a lost art, specific to the organization or individual I had been interacting with. I could also alter my resume specific to the position and the company after I had spoken with someone inside the organization. In my case, the communications and personalization of my documents were convincing enough to get my foot in the door and obtain an interview, which is really the purpose of a resume and cover letter. Step 4: The Interview After steps one through three, you are either one of two things: exhausted or excited. If exhausted, now is the time where it becomes important to draw on those past college experiences to gain motivation and recall those ho-hum mock interviews, which was rare practical knowledge
For People Who Want to Write Resumes Good
Writing a resume or CV today can be frustrating and time-consuming, especially for those who are out of practice or starting from scratch. As our tongue-in-cheek title suggests, it is easy to stumble in this area. We have seen brilliant marketers and salespeople struggle for days to put together a one or 2-page sheet of their own career experiences and qualifications, which is essentially about selling themselves. They are not alone. There are thousands of articles and tip sheets on how to write a resume, and more are written every day. Our goal here is to provide you with a recruiter’s perspective on resume writing, which has evolved significantly from the traditional career objective to the experience and education model of 20 years ago. A resume has one primary purpose: to highlight your qualifications and experiences sufficiently to secure an interview and initiate the process of securing your next position. Thus, your resume needs to be focused, clear, consistent, and impactful. It also needs to be true and real. Who could forget Darryl the Paper Warehouse Foreman on the TV show “The Office,” when he put on his resume, “Coordinated and implemented receipt, storage, and delivery of 2.5 billion units of inventory.” When questioned about what the units were, his sheepish response was, “pieces of paper.” Hilarious, but also an example of what not to do on resumes. For most recruiters today, candidate resumes are “parsed,” meaning imported into an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), which extracts the key data in a way that makes sense to them and allows for better organization and matching to an open position. Thus, resumes today need to be more keyword-driven and focused on qualifications and behaviors that align with the position that is being sought. There is no longer a need for that opening “Objective” paragraph (we know what your objective is—to get the job), nor is there a need for descriptive detail about the company you used to work at (that can be easily found online). Resumes today need to be less about your responsibilities and more about the impact you made. The Basics There are two primary types of resumes that we typically encounter: chronological and functional. A chronological resume is the typical “chronological” order of experiences that build on each other and is consistent with a candidate seeking a position in their current field. A functional resume is a great choice for those seeking a career change, as it focuses more on demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those wishing to access different channels. For our purposes, we will focus on chronological resumes since they are the most common. The chronological resume layout we recommend includes: Font and Size: We recommend a clear, sans-serif typeface that is easily readable and legible (for example, Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica). A good rule of thumb on font size is 10-11 pt. Possibly 12 pt. for a smaller one. For your name and section headlines, consider using a serif font, such as Times New Roman. Maintain consistent font and sizing throughout the document. Heading and Address Information: The heading is your name. Then follow it on the next line with your home address (city and state only are fine), mobile number, personal email address (not your work email), and a link to your LinkedIn profile (especially if you have a more common name). LinkedIn is a valuable tool used by most recruiters, and it should also highlight the key aspects of your resume. Profile: If you are a Director of IT who manages people, then your profile headline should read, “Professional IT Executive & Business Leader” (Note that we said “leader” and not manager). Then follow with three bullets that focus on what the prospective recruiter or employer is seeking in the position and how you would be a good fit. NOTE: This section is about what you will contribute to the company, not your personal objective. Save that for the interview. Summary of Qualifications: Although often considered optional, we prefer to see this section because it allows you to focus on specific keywords. State in bullet-point form the abilities, skills, and qualifications that would make you ideal for the position. Experience: The most important section! (See Below) Skills: If the position you are applying to requires necessary skills (for example, proficiency in MS Office and CRM programs or various other software programs), then include this section. However, for many sales and middle to upper management positions, these skills may be commonplace and, therefore, not necessary to include since they are assumed. Education: List degrees earned, with the most recent degree first. For those new to the workforce, more details (such as GPA, Dean’s List, and Awards) will be necessary, as you may have more education than experience. For those who have more experience, simply state the school, location, and degree earned. High school is not necessary. Continuing Education, Professional Designations, and/or Certifications: Important to show any certifications, especially if critical to the position, and that you’re a continual learner. Awards & Accomplishments: Recognition for your achievements is always important, and your resume is not a place for you to be modest. This section can often make a big difference if two candidates are similar in qualifications and skill set. Volunteer Work: Many recruiters and employers will say this section is not that important, and we disagree. Be it volunteer work in your community, school, or church, we find this to say a lot about a candidate’s character and helpful in assessing a candidate’s honesty, integrity, and giving nature. We also recommend you take the time to research resumes and review examples. There are hundreds of thousands of examples and templates online, and many are targeted for the position you are seeking. These samples will provide you with a good guideline of what type of information to include. Also, and this is very important, do not submit a Word file of your resume (unless specifically requested) because you never know how it