Types of Interviews

Here's an idea of what different interviews you may encounter on your way to the top. The source that these are from, which is an OPE(?) source, only has three listed. (This was also given to me from Idonas). I think this is more geared towards people trying to get a job on a College campus, but it can still be translated into other fields as well.

Conference Interviews
Initial interview(s) which are used to screen. The goal is to get an offer to come to the campus (business). The interview usually lasts around 30 minutes and will take place at a small table (or room), with 1-2 representatives from the school. Could be in a large ballroom with up to 100 tables in one section, where other interviews are also being conducted just a few feet away.

Telephone Interviews
May proceed, replace, or follow-up a conference interview. This may be a conference call with 3-5 staff members from the office in which you hope to work. These can be as short as 20 minutes or over an hour depending on the search process.

Campus Interviews
Can last all day. You may be getting evaluated during meals and travel to/from the airport/bus/train. The process will usually consist of a series of interviews with different individuals or groups throughout the day. Students, staff and people from other offices may interview you. You may be asked to make a presentation. (If the interview is out-of-town, you want to arrange to arrive a day early or stay an extra day if possible to get a chance to explore the area and campus.)

One type not mentioned in this source is a Group Interview. Same concept as the Conference Interview, except a group of people will be interviewed for the same position, at the same time, by the same people as you.

Each type of interview is a little different, but requires similar preparation.

Be well organized and be prepared to sell yourself and your skills. Be confident in what you know and make sure that it shows. It's very difficult to stand out from the crowd and selling your best assets is one of the ways to make your possible future employer notice you.

Resume/Application Bloopers Part 2

This blog is continuing from a couple posts ago. Here is more bloopers to enjoy:

Special Requests & Job Objectives
-Please call me after 5:30 because I am self-employed and my employer does not know I am looking for another job.
-My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I have no training in meteorology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage.
-I procrastinate - especially when the task is unpleasant.
- Don't take the comments of my former employer too seriously, they were unappreciative beggars and slave drivers.
-It's best for employers that I not work with people.
-You will want me to be Head Honcho in no time.

Small Typos that can Change the Meaning
-Education: College, August 1880-May 1984.
-Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain operation.
-Cover letter: "Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!"
-Received a plague for salesperson of the year.
-Reason for leaving last job: Maturity leave.
-As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments.

Personally my favorite is the first one listed about the self-employed guy.

I hope everyone is having a good week. Not too much longer before the weekend :)

A Couple of Sites

Here's a couple of sites that are more geared towards College students. JobWeb offers career and job-search advice for new college graduates. A service of the National Association of Colleges and Employers:

http://www.jobweb.org/


Then this site lists more sites for students to look through. Most of these places are actually looking for new graduates.

http://www.careerprep.com/Job%20Info%20Resources/Index.htm

Hopefully those will be of some help to everyone

The Ligher Side

Leaving the serious side of job hunting for a bit. Idonas had also passed on to me some funny quips about job searching stuff. I'm not sure what the source of these quips are, but if I find out I'll credit it properly. So take a minute, relax, and laugh at these other peoples mistakes and hope you don't make similar or worse ones.

Resume/Application Bloopers Part 1

Reasons for Leaving the Last Job:
-Responsibility makes me nervous
-They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. Couldn't work under those conditions.
-Was met with a string of broken promises and lies as well as cockroaches.
-I was working for my mom until she decided to move
-The department made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers.
-Note: Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I have never quit a job

Special Abilities:
-I was proud to win the Gregg Typting Award.
-Exposure to German for two years, but many words are not appropriate for business.
-Proven ability to track down and correct erors.
-Qualifications: No education or experience.
-Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions.
-Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.

There is plenty more 2 pages printed worth so I'll be putting these up inbetween other more useful posts. Job hunting can be harsh and very unfunny, so I hope this gave you bit of a laugh today.

Keys to Successful Interviewing Part 3

So you were lucky enough to land an interview, you did all the right things. Now you're waiting and chewing your nails waiting for them to call you back..

Keys to Successful Interviewing (Info compiled by John Denio, Bryant University '04)

After the Interview
Follow-Up: Your Personal Assessment
-How do you think the interview went?
-What did you forget to ask?
-What do you want to stress next time?
-What did you learn about the employer?

Follow-Up With the Interviewer
-Send a note of thanks
-Express your interest in the position and the organization
-Reiterate your hope to hear from his/her organization soon
-Contact the interviewer again if there is no response within the agreed time
-Persistence pays off, but don't be a pest

Be on top of things. It's important to keep yourself in the employer's mind, especially if you're one of the first interviewees and there's a lot of candidates.

Don't give up hope. It's a very tough process. It's pretty disappointing if you even make it to a 2nd interview and end up with a "No." Just keep trying.

Another tip: If you don't get the job you can try calling the interviewer and asking them what they thought of the interview and what you could improve on for your next interviews. They'll know why they didn't hire you and be able to give you some pointers.