The skinny on why you may not be getting an offer...

Hats off to Heather Huhman!  She puts her finger right on a problem that some interviewers face - themselves!  The problem is that they either don't know this or are in complete denial.

Managing your career works!  The difference between you and similarly qualified candidate may boil down to to preparedness.  You must have a polished resume, a customized cover letter, and a professional appearance and demeanor. You should have your elevator speech so polished that it just automatically rolls off your tongue with sincerity. You should have carefully researched the company and the industry.  Finally, you should know how to interview and have practiced potential interview questions.

College career centers employ career experts to assist students in preparing for their careers.  The really good career centers teach students about the world of work, lead students through various career and personality assessments and train students on lifelong career management skills.  If you are not in college, there are still a number of resources available to assist you.

Interestingly, some people are blind to their need for career assistance.  They may believe that their degree or experience is enough.  Some have connections that they are relying upon, including parents or friends. Unfortunately for them, their competition is getting prepared.

Take a moment to read Heather Huhman's article Why You're Always the Interviewee and Never Hired on Talent Culture.  Excerpt:

I am convinced — as I have been for a long time — that many more people would be employed if they just took a closer look at what they might be doing “wrong” during their job search. 

More Interviews Gone Wrong!

Oh my!

Interview Humor

Sometime learning what NOT to do can be useful.  Don't follow this interview advice!

Your posture and the interview...

It is important to cultivate an awareness of your body prior to an interview.  You don't want to build an incorrect perception based upon how you carry and position yourself.  Read Power Postures for the Job Interview on jobacle.com and then take a look at this earlier Career Conduit post, Body Language During the Interview. 

Job Seeking..? Have you considered informational interviews?

You have surfed the web for weeks and applied for every position that met your criteria.  Not one application has resulted in a contact.  What should you do?

Elizabeth Garone of the Wall Street Journal writes, "In this tight job market, an informational interview can give you the edge you need to get hired by establishing a good connection at a prospective firm." 

Read: Seeking Information, Not Employment. 

David Hahn of LinkedIn provides this advice:  Don't wait for a job post. A lot of young people think a job post has to be up before they can start a conversation with a company...My recommended approach and how I approached things in Washington many years ago, is to put together a list of companies you really want to work with and find out who works there that you can talk to.

Read: LinkedIn's David Hahn on Becoming a VP at 31

Virtual Interview Preparedness

Traditionally, companies would interview candidates face-to-face.  But, with new interviewing technology and increased cost cutting, companies may moving more toward online interviews - at least for screening.

Companies like InterviewStream, Ovia, Hirevue and others offer alternatives to Skype where the candidates do not necessarily have to be online at the same time as interviewers, allowing even greater interviewing flexibility.  Recruiters no longer have to incur travel costs or time away from the office.

As a job candidate, you should prepare yourself ahead of time for the possibility of a virtual interview.  Virtual interviews have a different "atmosphere," so you must become comfortable with the online format before the interview day.  Review Monster's Job Interviews:  Tips for the Virtual Interview.

Would YOU pass this test?

Friday funny... How would you like to have this interviewer? 

Why wasn't I hired?

There's no way to escape the emotions.  You thought you had the job.  You didn't.  So, how do you feel?  Do you blame yourself?  Do you begin to second guess your qualifications or interview performance?  Do you get angry at the recruiter or the company?  Do you blame them for leading you on?  According to the "Evil HR Lady," you don't have to feel either way.   

Suzanne Lucas outlines a myriad of very good reasons why a job could slip through your fingers.  Most often, there was nothing that you could have done differently.  Read her article Why You Weren't Hired (Even Though You're Fabulous) on BNET. 

Should he get the job or the straight jacket?

This candidate is certainly inventive.  But - please - don't try this!

Which companies have the toughest interviews?

According to Glassdoor, the following companies have the toughest interviews:

1. McKinsey & Co.

2. Jane Street Capital

3. Cree

4. Bain & Co.

5. Boston Consulting

6. Palantir Technologies

7. Teach for America

8. A.T. Kearney

9. Red Ventures

10. BP

11. ZS Associates

12. Procter & Gamble

13. Salesforce.com

14. Altria

15. Oliver Wyman

16. Bridgewater Associates

17. Stryker

18. Amazon.com

19. eBay

20. Gallup

When job hunting, treat the gate keepers with respect.

We've all seen it - the receptionist, secretary or personal assistant who gets verbally hammered by an irate person who is venting frustration or, unfortunately, is incorrigibly rude.  Apparently people who do this feel that the gate keeper is helpless and harmless.  Not so! 

We should all abide that lovely golden rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - as a matter of practice.  That is a matter of civility and good manners.  However, those who tend to be the pushier or more abrasive sort, would do well to remember that gate keepers can slam the door shut in your face and possibly catch a limb in there while doing so. 

FINS Sales and Marketing just released a piece on this subject entitled "Ten Reasons to Be Nice to Receptionists." 

You straighten your tie and check your teeth for lettuce before the big interview with your potential boss, but there's another interview you should be prepared for -- that with the company's receptionist. He or she is the first person you meet when you arrive at a prospective employer and the last person you see before you leave. Here are ten things receptionists would tell you if they could.  Read more...

Monty Python Job Interview

We have all had interviews that did not go as anticipated.  This poor chap is about to have one bizarre interview. 

Tell us about your worst interview. 

Business Insider Article: The Right Way To Answer "Tell Me About Yourself"

Business Insider tackles the tough interview questions.

There are a couple questions that everyone dreads in an interview.

"What is your greatest weakness?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?" and "Tell me about yourself." It's the default question (and the first) in most interviews, and to many candidates, it can feel like a trap.

Read More

Body Language During the Interview

This video is rather lengthy but full of important information.  It is entertaining as well.

Avid Careerist: The Wickedly Effective On-Line Job Search Guide

Avid Careerist cites her readers’ favorite posts on resumes, cover letters, networking and social media, interviewing, reference checking, job offers, job search tools, and life design.

Read more here.

Vault: Interview Dos and Don'ts / Dress for Success

Glassdoor.com: Interview Q&A Feature

Have you ever wished that you had some idea about what questions you would be asked during an interview so that you could better prepare?   Now you can, thanks to Glassdoor.com. 


Go To Glassdoor's Interview Q&A Feature

Three-Part YouTern Webinar Series

Free Webinars! 

Register for 5/11 webinar:  Balance: The Social Networking Job Search – Build, Engage, Find

 

Register for 5/18 webinar:  Strength: Identify Your Strengths – Then Tell Your Story

 

Register for 5/25 webinar:  Momentum: Jump Into Action… and Then Keep Going!

 

Illegal interview questions and legal alternatives

There are questions that an interviewer cannot legally ask.  But, are you ready for the questions that probe for the same information?

Focus - In every job interview, the goal is to obtain important information while building a friendly rapport with the candidate. But some questions are just a little too friendly. Protect yourself and your company from legal trouble and embarrassment by avoiding the wrong questions while still getting to the root of the concern behind the question. More...

Microsoft's JobsBlog: What do you ask when interviewing a company?

I think we can all agree that interviewing is a two way street. Though maybe a little more heavily weighted towards the employer, we also get to ask questions to determine whether the company is a place where we want to either start or continue to develop our careers.  More...