Busy Week!

Not-So-Common-Sense Interview Strategies

By Scott Shrum
Perhaps the only thing that stokes anxiety in young job-seekers more than the fear of being jobless is the anticipation of walking into an interview for a coveted job. While applicants have been spoon-fed such mundane advice such as what responses to prepare (hint: skip the obvious questions) and how early to arrive at one’s appointment (another hint: very early is more annoying than impressive), there are some bigger-picture interview best practices that many young job-seekers seem to have overlooked.
While the following strategies may appear to fall into the bucket of “common-sense interview tips,” too many applicants fall short on these basic ideas, suggesting that they must not be all that common. Remembering these key points— and practicing them as much as possible—will go a long way toward making a strong impression with a hiring manager:
• Project confidence without arrogance. Generation Y notoriously confuses projecting confidence with projecting arrogance. How to strike a balance between the two? Practice, practice, practice—
ideally in a live setting, with someone you don’t know well (such as a friend of a friend). You will quickly gain a better sense of which jokes are a bit too much, when to push back vs. when to agree, and whether you’re sending the wrong signals to an interviewer. Practice speaking with your interviewer as a peer, rather than as a superior. If you can get comfortable with that, you will be in great shape.
• Keep your answers succinct. As a hiring manager, I find nothing worse than watching an interviewee ramble through his or her answers. If you find yourself doing this often, it probably means that you weren’t prepared for the question, or you have an answer but haven’t practiced how to present it in a brief, coherent way. Your answers should be conversational, but should always have a clear beginning, middle and end, and should take no more than a minute or two each. For answers to questions that you know will be longer (such as “Why do you want this job?”), give the interviewer a verbal indication of the length of your answer by saying something like “Well, the three main reasons are… ” and then count them off on your fingers: “One …”
• Go in with a short list of things you absolutely must cover. It’s your job to get these critical themes out on the table. For example, if you know an employer particularly values time-management skills, it is imperative that you emphasize that as a strength before the interview concludes. If your time is up and the interviewer never asked you about it, then it’s your fault, not theirs. Many job interviews start off with “Walk me through your resume,” or “Tell me about yourself.” This is your chance to address your key themes right away.
• Remember that a good interview is a two-way conversation. Interviewers will vary greatly in their style, but you ideally won’t do all of the talking during your interview. As objective as they mean to be, interviewers are more likely to remember the candidate who told interesting stories or pleasantly surprised them in some way. Comments such as “That’s interesting, tell me more,” and “That’s pretty impressive,” are good signs that you’re getting through to your interviewer. Blank stares and curt “wrap up”-type comments are signs that the two-way dialogue isn’t taking root.
• But … it’s still an interview. Ideally, you will be able to strike a smart balance between having an enjoyable conversation and still maintaining the structure of the interview, making sure that your key themes are covered and that the interviewer has answered all of their questions. After all, when the interview is done, the interviewer needs to answer some questions about you, and they can’t do that if you’ve just spent 45 minutes talking about politics and football. Make it enjoyable, but remember that it’s still an interview!

Something New Called Focus 2!

Focus 2 is a new program here with Career Services! We are very excited about it.

It helps you decide what your major should be!

OR if you have a job you want it tells you what major would be best!

FOCUS-2 is a self-guided, online career and education planning tool for use by college students.  It will enable you to assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and aspirations as they relate to careers and college majors.  FOCUS-2 is designed to help you choose the best major for you and explore occupations that match your profile.  Students who use FOCUS-2 make better decisions about their goals and plans and learn how to manage their careers.

Be sure to check it out today!

Etiquette Tip of the Week:

Some people can talk like it is an Olympic sport. When someone repeatedly drops by your office or cubicle and talks non-stop, it can feel like hostage situation, because it ties you up and prevents you from completing business. What can you do?

Smile and say, "I am sorry to interrupt, but I have to focus on this project" or "I need to get back to work." You may add, "Thank you for stopping by." Then continue with your work.  If the person is sitting, stand up, look that person in the eye and play the broken record, "I need to get back to work now."

As you know, it’s polite to give credit where credit is due. Thus these tips are from www.cultureandmanners.com

Events for the Week:

11/15	AAF-KC Career Day
	Uptown Theater 8-5
11/17	Air Force Opportunities
	Union 10-2
11/30	Career Mentor Program Reception
	Yates Dining Hall 5:30-7