Career Marketplace Blog

U.S. News & World Report article, 25 Qualities Job Interviewers Look For, Karen Burns describes specific qualities employers are looking for during an interview.

Below is an excerpt from Burns’ article. Read Full Article

When you’re job hunting, you need the right skills, education, and experience. But that’s not all you need. Employers are also looking for a host of other qualities.

For some examples, take a look at the following list. Don’t be freaked out by the length. Read through it. Think about how you rate on each item and how you could improve. It could be the best thing you ever do for your job hunt.

1. Energy. Humans are drawn to energetic people because energy is contagious and an upper. Job interviewers are human.

2. Good manners. Dressing appropriately, sitting erect, maintaining eye contact, waiting to sit until your interviewer is seated—these things all show respect for the person and the situation.

3. Maturity. Mature people know how to focus on the needs of others. Immature people are just wrapped up in themselves. Employers really prefer the first one.

4. Judgment. When interviewers start questions with “tell me about a time when you,” that’s your opening to bring up examples of when you showed excellent judgment.

5. Problem-solving skills. The “tell me about a time” question is also an opportunity to talk about how you effectively approach problems.

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U.S. News & World Report article, In a Job Interview, How to Explain You Were Fired, Alison Green tells readers how to explain getting fired during a job interview.

Below is an excerpt from Green’s article. Read Full Article

If you were fired from a recent job, you’re probably dreading being asked about it in an interview. Is there any way to tell the truth without killing your chances of getting the job?Fortunately, yes. There are five keys to handling this well:

1. First, before you can formulate a good answer for why you were fired, you need to be honest with yourself about what really happened. Try to detach your ego from the firing and ask yourself what really went wrong. Don’t feel defensive or ashamed; try to see it objectively. Do you understand why your boss let you go? Were you even partially at fault?

If you haven’t already, now is the time to take responsibility for what your role was in what happened–even if your employer was also at fault. You need to get genuinely comfortable with this because when you’re comfortable with what happened, you’ll give an answer that will make your interviewer more comfortable, too.

2. Formulate an answer that speaks to how you ended up in that situation, what you’ve learned from it, and what you do differently now as a result.

3. Make sure your answer is brief and to the point. Most interviewers will only be looking for a couple of sentences and won’t expect you to present a detailed account. Definitely no rambling or defensive diatribes.

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Wall Street Journal article, When Job-Interview Questions Become Too Personal, Sue Shellenbarger gives examples of job interview questions employers should not ask you.

Below is an excerpt from Shellenbarger’s article. Read Full Article Here

Prepping for job interviews is the subject of plenty of coaching and advice. But when job interviews turn to juggle-related topics, some questions can catch interviewees completely unprepared.

Some women readers say they have been asked, “What are your child-care arrangements?” or “Do you plan to have a family any time soon?” Author Bob Rosner identifies other “toxic questions” in his book,“The Boss’s Survival Guide”:  “I love your accent; where are you from?” (This one suggests ethnic or racial discrimination.) “When did you graduate from high school?” (This one smacks of age discrimination.) “Are you currently using birth control?” (Again, implies pregnancy discrimination.)

To avoid appearing to discriminate based on sex, bosses should stick strictly to job-related queries. Employers with 15 or more employees are covered by federal anti-discrimination law, which makes sex and pregnancy discrimination illegal; a few states, including New York, New Jersey and California, have anti-bias laws covering smaller employers.

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U.S. News and World report article, The 10 Best Questions to Ask at a Job Interview, Karen Burns gives readers sample questions they should ask during the interview process.

Below is an excerpt from Burns’ article. Click here to read full article.

You’re interviewing for a job. After 20 or 30 minutes, you’re asked: “Do you have any questions?”

The worst thing you can do is ask, “What is it your company does?” (Hey, it has happened.) The next worst thing you can do is say, “Um, nope, I don’t have any questions.”

You need to ask some questions! Asking questions shows your interest in a company and makes you look smarter (smart people tend to be inquisitive). Asking questions gives interviewers a chance to talk about themselves, a thing most people love. And—this is important—asking questions is a way to find out if you really want to work for these people.

Bottom line: Don’t make the interviewer do all the heavy lifting. Take an active role in the interview process and improve your chances of landing a job.

So what should you ask? Here are 10 suggestions:

1. “Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?” If your interviewer appears to be nervous or ill at ease, a non-abstract question like this is a good way to get the ball rolling.

2. “Could you talk about the history of this position?” Specifically, what you’re trying to find out is how long the position has existed, how many people have held it, and why it is now available.

3. “What were the major strengths and weaknesses of the last person who held this job?” Or in other words, what kind of act would you have to follow. This is also a chance to find out what happened to your would-be predecessor. How this question is answered will tell you a lot about the dynamics and expectations of this workplace.

4. “What are this position’s biggest challenges?” You’re naturally curious about the downsides of the job. But find out in a way that makes you look confident and unafraid to tackle problems.

5. “In what area could your team use some improvement?” Do you get an honest-sounding answer? This is important. It’s also an opportunity to talk some more about how your skills specifically match this company’s needs.

6. “What are the prospects for advancement?” Asking this demonstrates that you have ambition, and makes you look like a big picture person.

Read On

Check out this U.S. News and World Report slideshow, 21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew from Alison Green.

View Slideshow

Tips from this slideshow include:

• We actually want you to be honest
• We want you to ask questions
• We need to know your real weaknesses
• You should address being overqualified in your cover letter
• The phone interview is not a casual chat
• We want you to talk in the interview, but be concise

Read full article

In her article for U.S. News and World Report, How the Jobless Can Find Support in a Job Club, Karen Burns highlights Job Clubs and how they can help job seekers improve their job search.

Below is an excerpt from Burn’s article. Click here to read article.

You’re out of work and looking for a job. Is it a good idea to spend time hanging out with other people in the same boat?

If by “hanging out” you mean joining an active and effective job club, the answer may well be “yes.”

Job clubs can be not only great networking venues, but also amazing sources of support and encouragement—not to mention accountability, feedback, training, strategy, contacts, and even friendship. You can find job clubs in your area by conducting an Internet search for “job or career clubs” and then the name of your city.

How can you tell if a group is a good one? Here are the main things to look for:

Networking potential. Some job clubs are aimed at a particular industry; some consist of folks from many different lines of work. Either way, look for members in your general income range but with a breadth of experience a bit deeper than your own. Ideally, these will be people with contacts you don’t already have, and vice versa. You also want members to be people who are good at what they do and have clear goals.

Stability. Ask how long the group has been active, how many members it has (around 30 is a good number), how it recruits new members, and how often it meets (two to four times a month is usual).

Confidentiality. What goes on in job club should stay in job club. You want to be able to openly share your strategies, ideas, and frustrations. You need to be able to trust your job club colleagues—so go to a meeting or two and use your common sense.

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The Business Insider shares 15 Ways to Blow Your Job Interview*courtesy of  ”John Q. Recruiter” at CBS Moneywatch. Don’t try any of these cringe-worthy mistakes at your next interview.

Bad First Impression
“Giving attitude to the receptionist? Not such a good idea. She works for us too.”

A Little Too Friendly
“I may in fact be ‘hot’ or ‘smoking, ‘ but sharing that with me in the interview is kind of a negative.”

Exaggerated Experience
“Attending a meeting is not the same as ‘co-leading team events’ or ‘serving as part of project brain trust.”

Too Much Information
“Telling me about the girl you’re dating at work that you need to get away from isn’t a good answer to why you want a new job”

Do Your Homework Before the Interview
“our website has 100 pages of content and we’re in the press daily. So how is it you know absolutely nothing about what we do?”

Want to see more job seeker mistakes, read more of “John Q. Recruiter’s” comments.

*Click link to read full article

About.com Guide, Alison Doyle gives you helpful advice about how to follow up after a job interview.

Stand out from other applicants through careful follow up tasks:

The Career Services office at the University of Tennessee ask employers, “What qualities are you looking for in potential employees”?

What qualities do employers look for?

Universal qualities employers are looking for:

Enthusiasm
Strong Work Ethic
Well Rounded Experience

Sarah E. Needleman of the Wall Street Journal shows us Big Blunders Job Hunters Make*. Needleman speaks with human resource professionals who reveal startling mistakes job seekers have made during the interview process.

Avoid making these mistakes at your next interview:

From Pamela J. Sampel, PopCap Games Inc. – Candidate asked if she could take him out to lunch stating, “He was a poor student and that I could just write it off.”

John Campagnino of Accenture Ltd. recounts, a candidate “unwrapped a sandwich during an interview and asked the hiring manager if he could eat it since it was lunchtime”.

Executive Recruiter with East Wing Search Group, Russ Riendeau recalls, a candidate “told the interviewer he was worried about how his saltwater fish would get fed while he was away”. The candidate was interviewing for a senior sales position that involved travel.

Other mistakes mentioned in this article:

Candidate sends the recruiter a gift – this is a huge no-no. Recruiters cannot accept gifts and will likely take you out of consideration.

Applicant’s  parents attend the interview – Employers expect that you will handle your job search yourself.

Remember to use your best judgement and stand out in a positive way. Read on to find more embarrassing interview mistakes you should avoid.

*Click Link to Read Full Article