The interview process can be stressful enough, no matter what type of interview you find yourself up against, and it helps if you don’t add to your own misery by making an avoidable faux pas.  We can all probably remember an embarrassing interview moment or two, but with practice (failing to do this is actually one of the mistakes) you can improve your performance and eliminate potentially costly errors.

Here is a brief list of some of the most common interview mistakes and ideas on avoiding them:

• Arriving late:  This is a simple one to avoid.  Don’t be late!  Punctuality is a basic tenet of proper interview form.
• Dressing inappropriately:  Also another basic rule, and one that everyone should know.  One hiring manager reported a most memorable candidate who arrived in a business suit…and flip-flops.  Don’t be that individual.  Appropriate attire for an interview shouldn’t be something that you really have to think about.
• Speaking ill of a former employer:  Saying negative things about a previous employer is a big no-no and can certainly convey the wrong impression to the interviewer.  If you must talk about a former employer and cannot be exactly positive then try to be as honest and neutral as possible.
• Displaying a lack of interest:  This should be a no-brainer too as what happens in the interview can and should be of great interest to you and your future.
• Arrogance:  This is a big turn-off.  You may be convinced of your ultimate greatness, but try to tone it down a bit during the interview with your potential future boss.  Play up your strengths and downplay your weaknesses.  Keep it clean and honest.
• Answering a cell phone or texting:  This doesn’t even bear commenting on really.  One anecdote from this article tells of a candidate taking a call during an interview and having the nerve to ask the interviewer to leave his office due to the private nature of the call.
• Not asking good questions, or no questions at all:  Your interview should be a two-way conversation.  Not asking questions about the job, about the company, or the work environment can come across as a lack of interest (see above) on your part, and that is not good.  Prepare some intelligent questions ahead of time and be ready to ask them at the right moments.
• Vagueness:  Be as specific as possible when answering the questions asked of you during your interview as not doing so can make it seem as though you’re not truly familiar with a particular area of knowledge, ability, or situation in question.
• Displaying little or no knowledge of the potential employer:  Mentioned in ourprevious post , you should always do some research on the company to which you are applying.  Learn about what the company does, what technologies or methods they use, and familiarize yourself with the corporate culture and what they stand for.

A little preparation and some common sense can help you to avoid these potentially game losing errors.  Be calm, be cool, and above all, be ready.  Feel free to share with us some stories of embarrassing interview mistakes you’ve made!

Back in September we posted a little collection of workplace bloopers and pranks as a way of showing it’s OK to be silly every once in a while.  Many times we can take ourselves way too seriously, and it’s times like these that it’s good to take a few steps back for some perspective on work, and life.  No matter what your work situation, it never hurts to laugh a little.  This article has some hilarious suggestions for injecting some humor into the workplace, though you might not want to implement all of them(or any of them for that matter, but it never hurts to be creative does it?).

So presented here for your viewing pleasure are 10 more videos showcasing some nasty(and funny) workplace stress and general shenanigans.  No matter what your work situation, it never hurts to laugh a little.  Enjoy!

The Basics

A job interview is a chance for you and your potential employer to become acquainted.  Both the employer and the interviewee are trying to determine if the other is going to be a good fit.  It goes without saying that the interview process can be stressful, and you should do your homework on the industry and the potential employer well ahead of time, but it can also help to be aware of the types of interviews you might encounter.

The Interview

There are aspects common to all types of interviews, however, and a smart job hunter will be prepared ahead of time.  Do you’re research on the position you’re applying for and find out as much as you can on the potential employer prior to the interview.  You may be asked about the company and it’s mission and you will likely win some points if you can show that you have some knowledge on what the company is all about. Not only does it show initiative, it proves that you know where to find information.

There are several standard questions that tend to show up in interviews across the board, and plenty of books on the market that help interviewees prepare for them, you might want to check one out.  Try to be ready for those questions, do practice interviews at home with a spouse or a friend.  Ask questions yourself.   Don’t let your interview turn into a one way conversation, you’ll find that most interviews go smoother when you have several well placed questions for the interviewer.

And as discussed in this post, be sure to follow up with the potential employer by writing thank you letters.  Not only does it show that you are courteous, it proves that you can follow through.

Some Job Interview Types

1. The Traditional Interview – this is probably what everyone first thinks of when they are going for a job interview.  Generally the interviewee meets with one individual and the interview is conducted one-on-one.  Generally a broad range of questions will be asked, and success or failure will depend on one’s ability to communicate, and an impression of how they would fit into the work environment.
2. Panel or Committee Interviews – these are also relatively common.  The candidate meets with several individuals associated with the potential position either in series, or all at once. Probably slightly more difficult than a one-one-one interview in that one will encounter several different personalities during the course of the interview.
3. Behavioral Interviews – during a behavioral interview a candidate will likely be asked to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities using specific examples and/or stories from their past in order to gauge how the candidate responds to certain situations and how they handle themselves in general.
4. Stress Interviews – are aggressive and confrontational.  Perhaps designed to see how applicants perform under pressure and to gauge character.   One should tread carefully if they are subjected to an interview of this type and ask themselves if this type of company would be an environment in which they could work.
5. Screening Interview – an initial meeting or possibly the first segment in a traditional interview is usually quicker and can be used by the employer to eliminate as many candidates as possible.

Further Reading

This is just a handful of the several types of job interviews you might come across.   Read more here and here.   If you have an interesting interview story to relate, share it with us in the comments section!

Working for a Living

Last time we discussed the necessity – or lack thereof -  in getting a college degree and this time I thought we might take a look at a few career fields that do not require one.  There are career choices out there that fit the bill, but according to this article in Forbes there aren’t many compared to the degree-required type.

Stress is a common thread running among many of these career choices and 50-60 hour work weeks are also common.  To reach top earner status in many of these fields you’ll probably have to get several years of experience under your belt, but fear not – it can be done.

To whet your appetite, here’s a list of just a few jobs listed in an article featured on Careerbuilder:

• Real Estate Broker
• Fashion Designer
• Plumber
• Radiation Therapist
• Court Reporter
• Funeral Director
• Industrial Production Manager
• Computer Specialist

It goes without saying that many of these careers require some form of certification or licensing, as in the case of real estate broker, and/or some form of apprenticeship as perhaps with plumbers.  You’ll also find careers like construction manager that previously have relied solely on experience that are now being offered as full-fledged degree programs in many universities now.

It should also be noted, as it states in the Forbes article that many of the top earners (e.g. over $100, 000) will predominantly be degree-holders regardless. However, many of these career choices offer ways for one to get a foot in the door  so to speak, and work up to the level you desire where the only limitation is your level of commitment.  Most larger companies today also have tuition assistance programs for their employees who wish to further their education in their chosen fields and will cover most(in some few cases, all) education expenses involved.

In the end it seems that the answer to our original question – whether you really need a college degree – would be “not necessarily.”  It all depends on which direction you want to go and determining how best to get there.  If that involves the hallowed halls of higher education then so be it, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker in today’s world.

What about you and your career?  Was it necessary for you chosen field, or did you decide college wasn’t for you?  Did you forge your own path? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

We’ve heard it for years, we grew up with it being pounded into our heads: Education, education, education.  Stay in school, go to college so you can get a degree and get a good job.  These were the words from our youth, and they can still be heard today.  The world is changing at a fast pace thanks to technology so the question remains: do you really need a college degree?

Historically, those with more education have seen less unemployment. According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, unemployment rates for individuals with a college education has ranged from 2% to about 5% since 2008, compared to a range of 4.7% to 11% for those with only a high school diploma.  However, this trend has worsened in the current job market. According to this article published last summer, only about 19.7% who graduated from college were able to find a job, down from a whopping 51% in 2007.

Common sense dictates that, no you do not always need a college degree to get a good, well-paying job, or to be considered successful.  And not everyone is cut out for college.  Check out this list of 100 entrepreneurs who, for one reason or another did not receive a college degree.  Some very successful, and influential names—past and present—can be found there.

The people listed above followed their hearts, seemingly abandoning the conventional wisdom, and look where that got them. Author Ray Bradbury, in Zen in the Art of Writing, counsels a person to “look to his zest, to see his gusto…” in order to “rush him along the road to where he wants to go…”. Though he was speaking to writers, it is sound advice to anyone seeking real fulfillment in life instead of simply a paycheck.

Throughout human history it has often been those individuals who buck the trends that leave the deepest impressions on the future. At the end of the day if one is following their heart, who is to say they are on the wrong path?

Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.

Hasidic Saying

Like cover letters, thank you notes are another often overlooked aspect of an effective job search. According to 15-Minute Cover Letter, an incredibly handy little book by Michael Farr and Louise Kurskmark, follow-up thank you notes can fill several roles and set you apart from the pack.

Thank you notes provide a perfect opportunity to follow up on subjects that came up in the interview that you may not have answered as thoroughly as you could have, or were perhaps hampered from answering thoroughly by time limits.  A good thank you note can create a positive impression and demonstrate your follow-up skills as well as your good manners.  Also, a note my help to keep your name in the employers consciousness, which is a good thing in this tight economy and tough job market.  If you can keep your name fresh in the mind of the hiring manager it just might help to return your resume to the top of pile!

Thank you notes aren’t just for post-interviews anymore; on the networking side don’t forget to send a little note of thanks to anyone and everyone who has aided you in your search.  You may have made a new contact through a friend which led to a job lead, or perhaps someone in your network gave you a referral – you should thank them.  Once again it’s not only good manners, but in this case it could  do wonders in your future networking game.

One can send thank you notes via snail mail and/or email, but don’t let the informal manner of email lull you into sloppiness and complacency: be professional.  Still, keep the note slightly informal and friendly, like having a conversation with a professional colleague—which is exactly what it is.  If you send a thank you through snail mail, be sure to use high-quality paper and envelopes – much the same as your resumes and cover letters.  Neatness counts – unless your handwriting is excellent, consider typing out the note.  If you go the route of typing out the note, be sure to sign it and perhaps add an extra personal little touch to your correspondence.

So remember to say thank you: like so much of the job search and interviewing process, it’s all about making the best impression you can!

Cover letters can be almost as important as a resume when it comes to landing you that job you’ve been searching for. Often they are overlooked, but a well crafted cover letter can set you and your resume apart from the hundreds of other applicants you’re competing with.

Just like a good story, cover letters should start with a bang, hooking your reader and reeling them in, making them want to read on to see what you have to offer. Then, as quickly as possible, get to the point of the letter, why you’re writing, and what position you’re interested in.

Plainly present your qualifications for the position. Here’s where you can really shine by speaking directly to the qualifications specific to the position advertised. You should be specific and, if possible, list some cold hard facts and/or  figures that back up your claims. You say you’re good at coming in under budget? Tell them how you saved your company(past or present) that one million dollars last quarter. But don’t tell them everything, you want to make sure they pick up your resume so they can find out what happens next in the story of you.

End with a thank you for the reader’s time and always include a statement on the time frame in which you will contact the reader to follow up, or even better, to discuss the possibility of setting up an interview.

As with your resume, your cover letter should be flawless and presented in a format that is easy on the eyes and also similar to your resume. Using the same font and/or layout and headers can really tie the two documents together and lend your correspondence a certain cohesion, and it might just be one more way to make you and your resume stand out.

Our jobs, or whatever it is we call what we do to make a living, take up a great portion of our lives; we would be wise to ensure that this is something we enjoy. We spend eight hours or more a day at work, and if this work does not engage us or fulfill us, it can significantly affect all aspects of our lives in a negative and potentially unhealthy way. According to several studies cited in US News and World Report, happier people live longer and get sick less often.

An article from cnn.com earlier this week reported an all-time low in happiness for workers in the UK. And an article posted yesterday in The Wall Street Journal’s blog section cites a survey which indicates job satisfaction is at a 22-year low. This is a tough economy, and unemployment rates are high, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we must settle for less when it comes to employment. It may not be wise–or even realistically possible– to leave your present job, but by realizing your situation is not permanent you can begin taking steps to improve your employment situation. Here is a  piece that presents 12 steps to improving your outlook and relationship to your present job should you find it unrealistic to make a switch at this point in your career.

If you do find yourself unable to make a change for the better as quickly as you’d like, do not despair. It’s important to keep a positive outlook, even in the face of severe dissatisfaction, unhappiness at your present plight, or, as discussed in this post, misfortune.

A  little work and a lot of soul-searching can take you far in your quest to find more enjoyable employment, or maybe even the job you’ve always dreamed of. Contrary to popular opinion, work and happiness are not mutually exclusive. If you set your mind to making a positive change, you can have your cake—and ice cream for that matter—and eat it too.

Most job-hunters who fail to find their dream job, fail not because they lack information about the job-market, but because they lack information about themselves.

—Richard N. Bolles

That’s quite a statement, and to borrow from Stephen Colbert, you can see the truthiness of it. Can’t you? How many times have you been in the market for a new job and told yourself that this time it would be different, this time you would find work you could love? And that’s the trick isn’t it? To get paid to do something you actually enjoy doing. Many people scoff at the idea, saying that work isn’t meant to be fun, it’s work.

Bolles disagrees, he feels that a person can find work they actually enjoy; call it your life’s mission, your purpose, your dream job, it doesn’t really matter what name it goes by, it’s your life and it’s time to start living it they way you want to live it.¹ The entire second part of Parachute is devoted to examining yourself, finding out what it is you really want from life and applying that knowledge in finding your next job, work that is exciting and enticing instead of numbing and boring.

Be warned, The Parachute Workbook is one of the more thorough personal inventories to be found in a mere job hunting book, and you should be prepared to do some serious soul searching. Various areas of the self are examined, including the tried and true, such as transferable skills and what kind of work you prefer. But Parachute goes a step or two further: what kind of people do you prefer working with, where would you really like to live, who are you and what skills do you really prefer to use and what are you really good at?  Even if the whole exercise doesn’t help you find your life’s work, the information you gain about yourself will be invaluable in the future, drawing you ever closer to that dream job you’ve envisioned.

There are many books on the market that claim they’ll help you find your next job, and they may work swimmingly for you or someone you know, but if you’ve found the plethora of job hunting titles somewhat lacking and impersonal, you owe it to yourself to check out Richard Bolles’ What Color is Your Parachute; used in conjunction with the vast job hunting resources of the web, like 360jobinterview.com, you just might stumble upon the work you’ve always dreamed of.

In our last post we were introduced to the classic job hunting guide, What Color is Your Parachute, and discussed how it can be an invaluable tool in your search for new employment when utilized in conjunction with other job search methods. Now, let’s continue our exploration of this handy title.

The Job Search

The methods discussed in Parachute resemble a multi-front attack on the specter of unemployment, involving more than just updating your old resume and posting on a job site such as Monster or Careerbuilder. Bolles cautions that your resume’s primary purpose is to land you that interview, but it can’t do that job by itself. Your resume may be flawless but it can also give you a false sense of security — a feeling that you’re doing all you can do to find a job at the moment — and all that’s required is to sit back and wait. ¹

By all means, make sure you have a great resume; there are many online resources that can help you with polishing your present resume, or writing a shiny new one. But while you have your resume out there doing its small bit, you can help your cause along by hitting the streets, resume in hand, talking to businesses and leaving a copy of your shiny one-pager behind. Do your research! Something many job hunters fail to do enough of. Find out as much as you can about the company you’re looking at — sound advice in anybody’s book — and, if possible, find out who has the power to hire you. Then find a way to talk to that very person.²

Networking, networking, networking. It seems to be the watchword of the day. Expanding your pool of contacts not only has the potential to expand your base of friends but can most certainly lead to potential job opportunities. Bolles praises the virtues of exploring and expanding your network of contacts and using them, which is another tactic even experienced job hunters under-utilize.³ Talk to people you know, then talk to the people they know; find out if anyone can help you get your foot in the door.

Parachute not only covers the basics of job hunting, it also takes those hard, fast rules and concepts we’ve all heard time and time again — some of which we’ve discussed here, and in our first post on this subject — then expands upon them, adding twists and fresh new ways of looking at the job hunting process and how to go about it. If you still doubt this book is a must have for every savvy job seeker, keep an eye out for our next post in this series, where we’ll be discussing how Parachute really shines: in helping you figure out what kind of work you really want to do, work you may even love.

Notes

1.  Bolles, Richard N., What Color is Your Parachute (Berkeley, New York: Ten Speed Press, 2010), 52-53.

2.  Ibid., 53.

3.  Ibid., 63-62.