Career Tips and Resources

• Research the company/position for which you are applying.
  • Go to company web site
  • Call alumni
  • Attend information sessions if offered
  • Use Handshake, LinkedIn or similar resources
• Know yourself
  • Your strengths
  • Your story and career goals
  • Your needed areas of development
  • Your accomplishments
  • Why you should be hired
• Based on your research and knowledge of yourself, prepare to communicate “your fit” with the company.
• Prepare to ask and answer questions using specific examples.
• Prepare appropriate outfit: a suit.
• Practice initial greeting and handshake.
• Bring extra copies of your resume.
• Prepare to give references and to release transcript information if requested.
• Determine travel time. “On time” is around 15 minutes early.
• Practice! Schedule a mock interview for a formal “dress rehearsal” with Career Services.

• Obtain a business card from each interviewer
• State your interest in the position and ask for the job
• Write thank you letters immediately after interviews

Listen carefully to all questions during the interview. Relax as much as possible and think in terms of “what is this recruiter really asking me?” Do not overanalyze, but listen carefully and think a moment before responding.

Demonstrate company research to the recruiter to prove sincere interest.

Share that you possess the most important position-related strength. Don’t offer an off-the-wall strength that doesn’t relate to the position.

Don’t focus on a “deal breaker” negative such as “I’m never on time,” but do be sincere and somewhat transparent. Demonstrate self-awareness in areas of needed growth or how you have grown from past mistakes. Avoid generic answers: “I can’t say no.” or “I’m a perfectionist.”

• Presentation – Are you professional and dressed appropriately? Did you make eye contact and use open body language? Was your handshake confident and firm? Do you appear to be a fit with the image of their company?
• Preparation – Do you demonstrate company knowledge and an understanding of the job expectations? Did you demonstrate preparedness for the job? Did you ask pertinent questions? Did you share related work and academic experiences?
• Verbal Communication – Are you persuasive/passionate in presenting ideas? Do you quickly grasp concepts? Do you respond directly to questions? Do you use correct grammar and vocabulary? Do you present ideas logically?
• Direction – Do you have personal and professional goals? Do you show confidence in your abilities? Are you proactive and self-motivated? Do you demonstrate diligence and the ability to produce quality results in timely fashion?
• Leadership – Do you hold leadership roles and responsibilities? Do you demonstrate the ability to move others to action? Do you demonstrate sound judgment? Are you self-reliant? Do you set goals and follow through?
• Sincerity – Do you communicate a genuine attitude? Are you honest and sincere?
• Interpersonal Skills – Are you enthusiastic, energetic, motivated and mature? Are you comfortable around many personality types? Do you have an open, engaging and candid demeanor? Do you demonstrate listening skills and empathy?
• Flexibility – Do you achieve goals in face of adversity? Are you easily discouraged or do you strive under pressure? Do you develop effective alternatives to achieve goals?
• Problem Solving – Do you resolve problems with a logical approach and come to reasonable conclusions? Do you demonstrate problem solving? Do you show common sense?
• Productivity – Do you thrive under high pressure? Are you successful in managing multiple priorities? Do you have a history of high productivity?
• Teamwork – Do you work well on a team? Do you effectively inform, inspire and influence others?

Employers want to know if you have developed the following competencies to ensure that you are prepared to successfully transition into the workforce:

• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
• Oral/Written Communications
• Teamwork/Collaboration
• Leadership
• Professionalism/Work Ethic

Resource: Career Readiness Competencies

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

You do not need a lot of clothes for interviewing, but what you have should be of good quality, properly fitted, clean and well pressed, and reflective of current business styles.

• Bring a folder/portfolio to hold resume copies and a pen.
• Have clean, well-manicured fingernails.
• Don’t wear cologne/perfume.
• Wear shoes that are well maintained.
• Iron/steam your clothing.
• Give yourself five minutes in front of a mirror to ensure hair is neat, shirt is tucked, tie is knotted properly, etc.
• Dress for the job you want, not the one you have!

Employers want to know if you have the skill set needed to perform successfully on the job and contribute positively to their company/organization. Understanding the job description gives you insight into what type of questions you might hear. If the description is lacking, search for related job titles on O*Net (onetonline.org) to brainstorm typical skills sought.

Before you begin interviewing, review the following questions, rehearse possible responses, and discuss them with a career counselor. Practice to be sure you are able to communicate clear, unrehearsed answers to interviewers.

Personal

• Tell me about yourself.
• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• Why did you choose to interview with our organization?
• Describe your ideal job.
• What can you offer us?
• What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
• How do you think your friends would describe you?
• Define success. Failure.
• What is your biggest failure? What did you learn from it?
• Of which accomplishments are you most proud?
• Who are your role models? Why?
• How does your college education/experience relate to this job?
• What motivates you most in a job?
• How have you handled getting along with a difficult former professor/supervisor/co-worker?
• Have you ever spoken before a group of people? How large?
• Why should we hire you rather than another candidate?
• What do you know about our organization (products/services)?
• Where do you want to be in five years? Ten years?
• Do you plan to further your education?

Education

• Why did you choose your major?
• Why did you choose to attend your university?
• Do you think you received a good education? In what ways?
• In which campus activities did you participate? Tell me about your leadership skills.
• Which classes in your major did you like best? Least? Why?
• If you started over, how would you change your education?
• Which elective classes did you like best? Least? Why?
• Do your grades accurately reflect your ability? Why or why not?

Experience

• What job-related skills have you developed?
• In what positions did you work while in school?
• What did you learn from these work experiences?
• What did you enjoy most about your last employment? Least?
• Have you ever quit a job? Why?
• Give an example of a situation in which you provided a solution to an employer.
• Share a time when you worked under deadline pressure.
• Have you ever done any volunteer work?
• How would a former supervisor/coworker describe your work?

Career Goals

• What kind of boss do you prefer?
• Would you be successful working with a team?
• Do you prefer large or small organizations? Why?
• What other types of positions are you considering?
• How do you feel about working in a structured environment?
• Are you able to work on several assignments at once?
• How do you feel about working overtime? Flextime?
• How do you feel about travel?
• How do you feel about the possibility of relocating?

General

• Why are you interested in our company?
• What are your goals? Where will you be in 5 years?
• What do you consider your strengths?
• What personal weaknesses would you like to improve?
• What experience in your past do you believe has prepared you for your future?

Behavioral Interview Questions

Recruiters use behavioral-based questions to probe your past behavior in jobs, classrooms, group projects and activities. Listen to the question to identify what quality or skill they are evaluating.

• STAR Method
  • The STAR Method is an effective strategy to answer behavioral based questions. When asked this type of question, utilize the following steps:
• Situation: Briefly outline background information to frame the situation.
• Task: Briefly narrate what you were trying to accomplish.
• Action: Give example of how you utilized relevant skills and qualities to resolve the situation/achieve goal/task.
• Result: Briefly summarize the positive outcome.

Below are sample questions by category of what skill the recruiter might be evaluating you.

• Problem Solving
  • Which classes gave you the most trouble?
  • What are the biggest challenges encountered in college?
  • Give an example of when you refused to give up.
• Adaptability
  • How was your transition from high school to college?
  • When your priorities are changed by someone else, how do you adjust to such situations?
• Time Management
  • How do you manage priorities?
  • Tell me about a time when you planned an event and what steps you took to make sure everything went well.
  • Tell me about your method for personal organization and time management.
  • Tell me about a time you were faced with conflicting priorities. How did you determine your course of action?
  • Tell me about a time that managed multiple responsibilities. How did you organize the work you needed to do?
• Leadership
  • Tell me about a time you helped someone else be successful.
  • Tell me about a time you were suddenly called on or forced to be a leader.
  • Tell me about a time you experienced initial failure in convincing someone else to do something. What ultimately happened? What did you learn?
  • Share a time when you recruited someone to help you with a project.
  • Give a specific example of something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others.
  • Give me an example of a time you had to persuade other people to take action. Were you successful?
  • Tell me about a time you inspired someone toward some goal achievement.
  • Tell me about a time when you were dissatisfied with the performance of someone who worked with you on a project. What did you do? How did they react?
• Communication
  • Describe a time a presentation went extremely well. How did you know it went well?
• Interpersonal
  • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. How did you handle the situation?
• Teamwork
  • Tell me about a time where you had to work with a difficult manager, classmate or peer.
• Decision Making
  • Give me an example of a time you had to make an important decision. How did you make the decision?
  • Tell me the most unpopular decision you had to make and why you chose to make it. What was the outcome?
• Stress Management
  • Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude.

Below are sample questions with suggested strategies to answer the questions:

• Briefly tell me about the highlights of your educational and work experiences that are relevant to this job.
  • Share a related educational, work or life experiences when you prioritized your time and completed tasks with “too much to do in too little time.”
• Imagine that you are on a team with a person whose behavioral style is different from yours. You find it hard to work together because you disagree about how things should be done. How would you handle this situation?
  • Share a time when you were in this situation, dealt with it directly and successfully.
• Share a time when you sacrificed or put your personal goals aside to achieve an overall goal for the group.
  • Share what it means to be part of a whole and how you do and do not contribute to that group.
• Tell me about a time when you took on a significant new challenge at school or a job in order to achieve personal or professional growth.
  • Share an example that pushed you outside your comfort zone where you can note growth.

Various federal, state and local laws regulate the questions a prospective employer can ask you. An employer’s questions, whether on the job application, in the interview or during the testing process, must relate to the job you are seeking. For the employer, the focus must be: “What do I need to know to decide whether this person can perform the functions of this job?”

If asked an illegal question, you have three options:

1. Answer the question, if you wish. However, remember you are giving information that isn’t related to the job, and you may be giving the “wrong” answer, which could harm your chances of getting the job.

2. Refuse to answer the question, which is well within your rights. Unfortunately, depending on how you phrase your refusal, you run the risk of appearing uncooperative or confrontational, hardly words an employer would use to describe the “ideal” candidate.

3. Examine the question for its intent and respond with an answer as it might apply to the job. Here are two examples:

                Q: Are you a U.S. citizen?

A: I am authorized to work in the United States.

Q: Who is going to take care of your children when you have to travel for the job?

A: I can meet the travel and work schedule that this job requires.

Resource: jobweb.com/resources/library/Interviews/Handling_Illegal_46_02.htm

It is typical in an interview for the recruiter to ask, “Do you have any questions for me?” You should have questions. These questions demonstrate a sincere interest and awareness of the company and position. Here are sample questions:

• I’m excited about the job, are there any additional expectations not outlined in the job description?
• What kinds of assignments might I expect the first six months on the job?
• Does your company encourage further education?
• What products are in the developmental stage now?
• What are your growth projections for next year?
• In what ways is a career with your company better than one with your competitors?
• What is the largest single problem facing your staff?
• What do you like best about your job/company?
• Once the probation period is completed, how much authority will I have over decisions?
• What qualities are you looking for in the candidate who fills this position?
• What skills are really important for this position?
• Is there a lot of team/project work?
• Will I have the opportunity to work on special projects?
• How much travel is involved in this position?
• What is the next course of action? When should I expect to hear from you or should I contact you?

What NOT to Ask Employers

Avoid questions asking about flextime.

Do NOT ask salary questions during initial interview.

Header

Consider creating a “letterhead” that matches your resume, setting margins, and typing to check so you present a packet of information that goes together. Please note that some people may prefer a traditional business letter format.

Salutation

Ideally, address your letter to a person. Call and ask to whom to address the letter; ask for correct spelling and title or research on CareerShift (e.g., Dear Mr./Ms./Mx./Dr. LastName). Address to “Hiring Manager for [name of position]:” if you cannot identify a specific person. Avoid “To whom it may concern,” and do not use “Sir/Madam.”

First paragraph should include…

• The job for which you are applying
• How you learned about the position/company
• Attention getting summary of your personal traits and skills that make you a fit for the position and organization
• If a senior, include education and graduation date
• If applicable, include the name of a person who referred you

Consider including a company fact if it is something you have been following, or mention how their mission or value statement is significant to you. However, do not use space to educate them on their organization or position.

Second paragraph should include…

• Three (just a suggestion) skills are listed in the job description.
• Examples of how you have demonstrated selected skills in the past through previous work, volunteer or leadership positions
• Focus on your past successes and outcomes.

This section should expand on what is listed on your resume, so refrain from reiterating your resume or directing them to your resume. They know it’s there.

The third paragraph should include…

• Appreciation of the reader’s time and attention
•  What do you want the next step to be: 1) How and when you will follow up or 2) Your hopes for them to follow-up
• If applicable, share your availability and flexibility in geographic location

Closing

• End the letter with Sincerely, three spaces, and your name. Don’t worry about signatures if you are submitting them online.
•  Have someone else (family, friend, advisor, faculty member, or Career Services staff member) review your cover letter. Computer spell/grammar checks only catch some things. Remember, potential employers take cover letters very seriously.

Many of your communications with potential employers will likely be via email. To utilize email to its full potential, do the following:

• Type the position title in the subject line.
• Check to make sure attachments are attached before sending.
• Don’t include the email address, date, or employer’s address in the email body, as that is transmitted electronically.
• Don’t leave spaces between the closing and the typed name, as there will be no signature.
• Follow-up initial email with a brief email asking if attachments were transmitted and readable. Gracefully let the employer know that you will resend attachments if there is a glitch in the transmission.

• Sending a resume without a cover letter
• Appearing lazy, failing to address the letter to a specific person
• Focusing on what you want from the employer instead of what you can do for them
• Appearing generic, not tailoring how your skills/experience match the specific needs of the job/company
• Allowing misspellings or incorrect grammar/punctuation
• Rehashing your resume
• Rambling, focusing on your whole story instead of just the relevant part—you have the interview to expand
• Use qualifiers such as “I feel” or “I believe,”—and confidently state your skills and what you offer
• Leaving the ball in the employer’s court—say that you will follow up if possible

Use straightforward sentence structure, but avoid starting every sentence with “I” or “my.” The reader should reach the end of your letter thinking, “This person fits the job!” because you used the language from the job description and confidently told them that you are the match.

• Answer the Question: If the application asks you to state why you are applying to a particular academic program or company, do not spend the entire letter discussing your qualifications. Instead, talk about what attracted you to the program.
• Consider The “I” Problem: This letter is about you. It is okay to use the first person; it keeps your writing more active and concise. However, do not start every sentence with “I.”
• Avoid Unnecessary Duplication: Refrain from reiterating information already seen elsewhere in your application, resume, or transcript. If the reader can access your transcript, you do not need to list your grades and course titles. You can be more general in mentioning these topics. For example: “I was on the Dean’s List” or “I have taken numerous courses in the field of nutrition,” and then discuss appropriate experiences in more detail.
• Make Your Statement Distinctive: To make your letter unique, include at least one detailed example specific to your experience. For example, describe how a critical family member or personal moment influenced your decision to pursue a particular career or degree.
• Be wary of using humor to connect with the reader. Most of us are not very good at making someone whom we have never met laugh. The safe option is to avoid “funny business” unless you are sure it will work.
• Keep It Brief: To keep your essay brief, write concisely yet detailed. Essays are typically limited to 250–500 words or one typed page. Focus each paragraph on a single idea (e.g., one paragraph on the program’s strengths, one on your research experience, one on your extracurricular activities) to keep the essay from becoming too long.
• Use a dictionary and thesaurus to provide more word variation and to avoid repetition. However, be careful not to be overly zealous in your use of vocabulary. “I endeavor to pursue my doctorate in the field of cognitive psychology because I believe human thought permeates all facets of human behavior, from exam-taking to abhorrent aggression, and I believe that, as a cognitive psychologist, I would find the profession fulfilling to such a degree that I would be ecstatic regarding my chosen profession,” would sound more sincere like this: “I want to pursue my Ph.D. in cognitive psychology because I think it is an intriguing field, and I know I would be happy working in it.”

• Requirements for personal statements differ, but generally, a personal statement includes certain information and can follow.
• the format below:
• Introduction: Gain the reader’s attention by starting with a catchy opening, such as a distinctive personal example. Then, connect the example to the actual program/position for which you are applying. Mention the specific name of the program, as well as the title of the position or degree you are seeking. Be straightforward and avoid using clichés, egotism, and famous quotes.
• Detailed Supporting Paragraphs: These paragraphs should address specific questions from the application. Each paragraph should be specifically focused and support a topic sentence. You may address your qualifications, your interest in the program, etc. Keep your examples relevant to support your qualifications.
• Conclusion: Tie together the various examples and claims you have raised in the essay, and reiterate your interest in this specific program or position. You might also mention how this job or degree is a step towards a long-term goal.
• General Suggestions: In applying to multiple graduate schools, have at least one paragraph that you change so your essay will sound individualized. For graduate schools, specify that you have similar research interests that match faculty interests at that institution.

Because this document is designed to either get you an interview or a place in a graduate school program, you must allow yourself enough time to revise it thoroughly. When revising, check both the content (Did I address the question? Is there enough detail?) and for technical errors (Is the writing clear? Are mechanics and punctuation correct?). Spell and grammar checks are helpful during revision but do not rely on them exclusively. Have others read through the essay (professors, career counselors, writing center staff, parents, supervisors), and you should also review it.

Spelling and grammar checked

The opening paragraph includes distinctive personal experience

Genuine interest is shown in the kind of work to be done

The tone is upbeat and presents a Win/Win scenario

Printed on one side of resume quality paper (when applicable)

All text is left justified

There are spaces between paragraphs

Content is positioned on the page well

Only one font is used, and the margins are balanced

If mailing, use a paperclip; do not staple