17 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Mike Breslin
Good ol’ WSJ is back with an article that has some very interesting nuggets about interviewing.
Some highlights:
- Don’t dress like you’re auditioning for a porn film
- Related, don’t be overly familiar
- Don’t ask certain questions too soon (salary, benefits, work from home options, etc.)
- Don’t use cliches. (I love this one. Nothing reveals your lack of original thought like a nice, trite cliche.)
The article also mentions that fewer managers are checking your social media profiles. Please note, I am NOT saying you should now feel free to put up that picture of your kegstand from Halloween weekend.
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02 November 2009 | Uncategorized | Mike Breslin
Love this article from CNN.com. It touches on the performance aspect of the job interview. As I’ve said to many students, “When I go to an interview, I am not bringing the Mike who sits in his boxers on the couch and plays videogames.” You need to perform in an interview. The part you play is the ideal version of yourself for that job.
The article also touches on dealing with nervousness and blabbermouthism (look it up) using acting techniques. I had never heard of bringing yourself back to the moment by concentrating on something physical, such as your feet on the floor or hands on the table. If anyone has done this, let me know.
One part that I loved is the physical confidence that participating in athletics provides. I certainly do not regularly compete at anything but I gain an awesome sense of confidence and self-worth from a great workout. I have accessed that confidence in other situations when I needed to.
All of this said, don’t forget to be (some version of) yourself. Don’t act so much that you get into a job that a great fit for the person you pretended to be but a horrible fit for the person you actually are.
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28 October 2009 | Uncategorized | Mike Breslin
Until my face turns blue, I will stress networking. The benefits to your job search are endless and becoming good at it will make you a better candidate.
Consider the case I found in a (you guessed it) Wall Street Journal article. After fruitlessly searching the internet for job leads, leads which never amounted to anything, this particular job seeker started exploiting his network. He did an informational interview set up by someone he had not been in contact with for two years. He kept informed about the field enough to know the firm where he did the informational interview had secured a large client. He sent a note of congratulations to the person who interviewed him and inquired about new openings related to the new client. BOOM…job.
Networking works! It works better than internet job searches and newspaper job searches. Those are too passive in a tight job market. You need to be of a mindset that someone else is out there looking for the same type of job you are. What are you going to do to gain an advantage?
The strength of your network will always be an advantage that is unique to you and you alone. No one else knows the exact same combination of people that you do. Learn to use them as the fellow above did.
The final point of the article is vital as well. Your application materials must be beyond reproach. No errors of grammar or spelling. Perfect formatting. Every bullet lined up. The tight job market and the glut of applicants allow the hiring folks to be extremely picky.
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