Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Ten Dumb Things Said During Job Interviews

My best interviews are when I am totally relaxed and talking to the interviewer like they are a personal friend while still maintaing some degree of formality.

Thw worst interview I have ever had was held at a sushi restaurant in Denver! I kid you not! Who goes to Denver for sushi!First of all, I fly in from Seattle, meet with two people and the third person decides to take me out to lunch at a sushi restaurant. I did not want to smell fishy for the fourth and last interview so I decided to order something other than sushi which tuned out to be garlicky! It was just miserable! Needless to say, the rest of the day went downhill from there. I didn't get the job offer but had absolutely no desire to move to Denver any way. Now whenever I think of Denver I think about sushi and what not to do in an interview!

Career Advice Mar 12 2012

Ten Dumb Things Said During Job Interviews

By kelly eggers
We've all experienced it. That sinking feeling that occurs when the job interview that was going so well suddenly goes off track. Maybe it's the expression on the hiring manager's face, or the awkward pause that ensues, but there is little doubt when it happens

Common interview mistakes, of course, include bad mouthing your former employer, failing to adequately research the company or the position and just plain talking too much. Careerbuilder.com, a job posting site, publishes an annual list of 10 interview blunders, including asking the hiring manager for a ride home or flushing the toilet during a phone interview.

Thanks to the rise of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, dumb interview moves are taking on a new character. The urge to share everything about one's life with friends and strangers via cyberspace is invading the very private atmosphere of the recruiter's office. Moreover, the need to stand out in the information cacophony of the Web has increased the pressure to seem unique and special.
"We've been socialized to assume that we have to stand out in some way, and we're encouraged to be bold," says Roy Cohen, author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide" and a New York City-based career coach. "But that is not necessarily what people are looking for in candidates to bring on board. They want people who fit in."

Oversharing has now become an occupational hazard of the job hunt. Here are 10 examples of when too much information was, well, really too much information:

"My apologies for being late, my husband and I were fighting. It happens all the time."
"One individual arrived 20 minutes late for her interview," says Lisa Chenofsky Singer, an executive and career management coach based in New Jersey. While the pair walked to grab the candidate a cup of water, Chenofsky Singer asked how the commute had been. "She in turn told me that her commute was horrid, and she and her husband had fought on who was responsible for dropping their child off at day care," she explains. "I followed up with 'Is this a typical morning?' She replied that this is why she lost her last job, and continued on to tell me that the company had no respect for families."

Not only has the candidate revealed that she's having persistent marital problems, but before she's even sat down for her initial interview, she's indicated that those issues impact her ability to arrive on time to the office, and she expects the employer to be tolerant of it. "You get so much out of a candidate in that short walk to the coffee station. People talk much more informally then," Chenofsky Singer says. "She had such a great resume," but knowing that her client was already frantic, "I knew I couldn't bring more chaos into his life, I had to make it simpler."

Source -- read more: http://www.fins.com/Finance/Articles/SBB0001424052970204781804577272044012778530/Ten-Dumb-Things-People-Have-Said-During-Job-Interviews?link=FINS_mostpop_CS_careerpage&Type=3

The Ten Worst Things to Put in Your Cover Letter

Some recruiters are of the opinion that cover letters are not necessary. However, if you are going to use a cover letter be sure to do it right. Sindhu Sundar of Career Advice has put together a list of of "What Not to Do in Your Cover Letter", if you are going to use one.

Career Advice Aug 08 2011

The Ten Worst Things to Put in Your Cover Letter

By sindhu sundar

It's never too early to make a bad impression.
A cover letter or introductory email is often the first thing a potential employer sees when reviewing a job applicant. It's the first opportunity to impress recruiters and hiring managers and, therefore, the first opportunity to disappoint them. Everything from copy mistakes to inappropriate jokes in a cover letter could derail an application.
Here are the top ten worst things to put on a cover letter:


1. Next to Nothing

While writing something that's too long is a common cover letter mistake, what can be even more damaging is a cover letter that's too short.

Bruce Hurwitz, President of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, Ltd., a New York-based staffing firm recalls a cover letter he received a few months ago for an entry-level IT sales position. It read simply, "Here's my resume. Call me. [Phone number]."

"I cracked up," Hurwitz says. "This person had only just graduated with a Bachelor's degree. It was ridiculous."

A good cover letter should be somewhere between 200 to 250 words, Hurwitz says, and should answer the question of why a recruiter should look at the resume. "The key is to highlight one success," Hurwitz says. "For example, 'I successfully increased sales 500% over two years, resulting in increased, sustained revenue of $25 million.' Once I read that, I look at the resume."


2. Criticism of a Prospective Employer

Thumbtack.com, a San Francisco-based site that connects customers with small business services, asked potential employees to submit in their cover letters feedback about their website. One candidate, a contender for an entry-level position in April, didn't pull any punches.
"The engineering of your site looks lazy and ineffective," the applicant wrote, proceeding to describe the color scheme of the site as "disconcerting to my eyes."

Needless to say, he was not considered for the position, though not before the hiring manager got in some laughs around the water cooler at his expense.

"We forwarded the cover letter to our managers sort of as a joke," says Sander Daniels, co-founder of the site. "It was the most caustic feedback we received. But we responded kindly to him -- we didn't suggest any improvements to him in approaching other employers. We don't see it as our role to counsel failed candidates."

Daniels observed that while many strong candidates turn in well-written cover letters, some have let the demand for engineers get to their heads, as Silicon Valley romances them with six-figure salaries and other job perks.

"Maybe they think they can get away with it -- but in our company, culture is a very important factor." Daniels says. "Even if Facebook's best engineer came to us, we wouldn't hire him if he was a jerk."


3. Personal Stories

While employers are sometimes interested in personal stories, especially if they give some idea about work ethic, it's best to save these stories for the interview, says Lindsay Olson of New York-based Paradigm Staffing, who specializes in recruiting communications and marketing professionals.

"I think my favorite of all time was the salesperson who poetically told me about how he decided to run a marathon, climbed to reach glaciers to have a taste of pure water, ran at heights of 5,000 meters in Peru, and biked down the world's most dangerous road and survived (over 300,000 have not)," says Olson, of a candidate who was applying for a business development position at a recruiting firm in June last year. "All this in his opening paragraph."

If you are asked in an interview about your hobbies and adventures, be prepared with a strong answer, says Olson. "What a [job candidate] likes to do outside of work might show how they are in their job," she says. "As a hiring manager, what you don't like to hear is, 'I just like to sit around at home and read books all day.'"


4. Awkward Language

Rachel Levy, director of marketing at Just Military Loans, a Wilmington, Del.-based personal loan service for military personnel, got a letter last week from a candidate who seemed to be expressing lukewarm interest in an IT analyst position.

"My name is xxx. I am pretty interested in the IT analyst position at Just Military Loans," the letter began.

Levy says she sees many applications, especially for IT jobs, to have grammatical and other language flaws. "What I've noticed is that there are a lot of people applying to these jobs, for whom English is a second language," Levy says. "So the connotations of certain words and phrases may not be clear to them. Which is fine, but they should get someone to help word their intentions correctly."

In this case, Levy thinks the applicant meant "very" instead of "pretty," but she'll never know because that applicant didn't get an interview.

Source - Read more:  http://www.fins.com/Finance/Articles/SB131281414544931041/The-Ten-Worst-Things-to-Put-in-Your-Cover-Letter?link=FINS_mostpop_CS_careerpage&Type=3

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Intelligence Is Overrated: What You Really Need To Succeed - Forbes

Intelligence Is Overrated: What You Really Need To Succeed - Forbes

10 Things You Need To Do While You're Unemployed - Forbes

10 Things You Need To Do While You're Unemployed - Forbes

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Improve Your Job Performance, Attitude, and Ratings

Improve Your Job Performance, Attitude, and Ratings

Friday, November 19, 2010

9 Insider Secrets to Getting Hired

Click on the link to to scroll through the website to read the 9 Insider Secrets to Getting Hired.

50 Buzzwords You Shouldn't Use on Your Resume

, On Wednesday November 17, 2010, 10:08 am EST

You've written your resume. You poured a lot of effort into the page that will represent you, and you can't wait to distribute it far and wide.

Not so fast. Before you send that puppy out, check it for buzzwords. Like "team player." Or "detail-oriented." Or "accustomed to fast-paced environments."

Here's why you should avoid them: They're vague. They make your resume look like everyone else's. They're probably not among the keywords employers search for. They take up space on your resume that could be used for strong, concrete, specific examples of what you've accomplished, the work you've produced, and how hiring you would benefit your potential employer. Buzzwords are tired and overused, cliches that have lost their meaning over time.
Most importantly, every buzzword is a lost opportunity.

You want your resume to stand out. The best way to sell yourself is to show, don't tell. Explain your accomplishments rather than spouting them off in trite ways.

So check your resume for these boilerplate words and phrases. If you find them, replace them--or at the very least, elaborate upon them--with real-life, specific examples.

1. Team player
2. Detailed-oriented
3. Proven track record of success
4. Experienced
5. Excellent communication skills
6. Leadership skills
7. Go-to person
8. Managed cross-functional teams
9. Exceptional organizational skills
10. Self-starter
11. Results-oriented professional
12. Bottom-line orientated
13. Works well with customers
14. Strong negotiation skills
15. Goal-oriented
16. People-person
17. Dynamic
18. Innovative
19. Proven ability
20. Top-flight
21. Motivated
22. Bottom-line focused
23. Responsible for
24. Assisted with
25. Skilled problem solver
26. Accustomed to fast-paced environments
27. Strong work ethic
28. Works well with all levels of staff
29. Met (or exceeded) expectations
30. Savvy business professional
31. Strong presentation skills
32. Looking for a challenging opportunity
33. Cutting-edge
34. Multi-tasker
35. Proactive
36. Seasoned professional
37. Perfectionist
38. Highly skilled
39. Functioned as
40. Duties included
41. Actions encompassed
42. Best-in-class
43. Strategic thinker
44. Trustworthy
[For more career advice, visit U.S. News Careers.]
45. Flexible
46. Works well under pressure
47. Quick learner
48. Partnered with others
49. Results-focused
50. Out-of-the-box thinker
Finally, here's one more phrase you don't need to include on your resume: "References furnished upon request." It's assumed that you'll offer references if the employer asks, so don't clutter your resume with those unnecessary words.

Karen Burns is the author of the illustrated career advice book The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use, recently released by Running Press. She blogs at www.karenburnsworkinggirl.com.