Suggestion #?? Always wear a suit and a tie to an interview, unless it's for a low wage job like being a cashier at Dairy Queen. Sure, the odds are excellent that you won't have to wear one to actually work at the job you're applying for, particularly in a city like Austin, where I live, so why do it? Because wearing a suit and tie to that interview shows the potential employer that you're serious. Seriously! I heard this numerous times over the years from various people in different industries. Heck, my significant other hires people every year, and she always expects them to wear a suit and tie to that initial interview, and every following interview until they nail the job. So they won't feel awkward during the interview, she says she also dresses up to talk to the potential employee. Obviously, I'm talking about dudes here with the suit and tie, but it also applies to chicks. They should wear something on the same "wardrobe" level as a suit and tie.
I second this. I once edged out other applicants for a job because I actually wore a suit and tie to the interview.
Job Search Tip of the Day July 14, 2013 Use USAJobs to find job opportunities with the federal government, as it is the official site for jobs across all federal government agencies (www.usajobs.gov).
Job Search Tip of the Day, #2! This is the link to Work in Texas.com, which can lead you to the job postings for employment with the State of Texas, Texas public universities, and so on. The state typically hires in the Fall, so now is not a bad time to look, in my opinion. Agencies can have a fairly decent turnover. Folks work for the state because it can often lead to good jobs in the private sector, and because of the benefits a state employee has. Sure, those benefits aren't what they once were, but they're still pretty good. Anyway, even with a tight state budget, agencies have to replace personel who've left for that private sector job, or due to retirement, so jobs still open up. https://wit.twc.state.tx.us/WORKINTEXAS/wtx?pageid=JS_POSTING_BROWSE_STATEAGNCY
Here's a question for experts and HR-types on the board. I have an interview coming up this week for a job that could be a game-changer for me professionally. I know someone who already works for the company and he says that the director who is going to be interviewing me loves when candidates ask a lot of questions. So, what would you say are the best questions to ask in an interview? I'm usually pretty good about forming a few questions so that I have something to ask when the interviewer asks if I have any questions, but it looks like I'm going to need more than just a few questions this time around.
Ask about benefits. Do they cover dental, as well as medical? What does it cost to add a family member (like your wife, if you're married, or your kid)? Can you? What about 401K's? Do they have a matching program? Some companies will match at least part of what you contribute. Some have really excellent matching programs. If you're young, put every dime that you can in that/those 401K(s). The earlier you start doing this, the sooner you can secure a comfortable retirement. It is worth it. What's the vacation policy? How long do you have to be with them to get that first week, two weeks? Is it a certain number of months? Years? Some places add vacation by the day, or even the number of hours. Many will give you two weeks right off the bat. At least one week. What are the opportunities for advancement? (always a good question... shows you're ambitious, which is a good thing) Is there travel? If so, how much? And what kind of a bump in salary do you get if you do travel? What's the per diem, if there is travel? That's a few things, off the top of my head. Don't know the field you're looking at, so can't add much there. Good luck!
Been getting bombarded with the interview offers through LinkedIn.. at least one a day. Tip? Get into a relevant industry.
I think he meant it tongue in cheek. He's saying that if you are in the right industry, it doesn't really matter if you're looking, the recruiters on LinkedIn will come find you. Which is definitely true. What industry are you in that you are having such a hard time finding working?
I think it's cause I am in one of the hottest industries in the most competitive city for what I do, user experience design. My LinkedIn profile is full of errors... but I guess it doesn't matter when I have a solid portfolio.
Good advice. I have a pretty decent record of getting accepted after interviews (I jump around a lot ) and I've never worn a suit/tie. However for those I did not get, I do believe that I could have done better had I "overdressed." One time there were like 5 of us who made it to the interview selection, none wore a suit/tie... then this one dude came in with one, looked really sharp. I'm sure he got it, despite me having a really good interview. Good thing he didn't last long (lol) and they called me after he's gone.
Job Search Tip of the Day July 15, 2013 Make sure to contact your references and get their OK before you use them as references. Some may not be able to serve as a reference for various reasons. Job Search Tip of the Day July 16, 2013 Create a Plain Text version of your resume (.txt) if you need to copy-paste your resume into online applications/forms. In MS Word, with your file open, go to File, Save As, Save as Type, and Plain Text- and give it a different name, like E-Resume or TXT-Resume.
Along those lines, choose carefully who you list as reference. I've had people who listed references that gave them bad references when called on.
Last Tuesday, I applied for a job through a friend of a friend who is an associate at the firm. I spoke to her for about an hour about the position and then she asked me to forward her my materials so that she could send it to the recruiting director and partners. I have not yet heard back from the firm. Should I contact the recruiting director regarding my application? If so, how much longer should I wait? Also, would it be better if i contact her or have the associate that submitted my materials reach out to her? Given the current legal market, I am sure they got over 200/300+ applications to shift through for the position so I just want to make sure my application doesnt fall through the cracks. Also, I have recently been receiving a lot of interest from recruiters contacting me regarding opportunities at other firms. I have heard conflicting theories on the benefits of recruiters. Some people, like the aforementioned associate, say it is better that I apply directly because the firm doesn't have to pay a hefty price to the recruiter should they hire me. However, others have told me that firms don't mind paying recruiters and that wouldn't affect the hiring decision. Any advice in this topic?
Bumping this in the hopes that dandorotik or one of the other human resources folks see my post above.
I don't even like doing that in IM. Instantaneous communication across the continent; especially in a professional context I don't know why one wouldn't take the opportunity to be as verbose, or at least grammatically and aesthetically correct as possible.
Great if they have leads on un-posted listings, but I've never been presented with an opportunity I didn't know of myself. Still valuable if they're truthful about having contacts in HR, or just very good at presenting candidates. Of course, they don't make money if the company already has your resume; so if you see a good posting, you need to inform the recruiter and let them handle it, rather than post yourself. And of course, since you and they are not exclusive, you should feel free to use several. Also, I would steer more towards local outfits rather than a Robert Half affiliate type; they have as many candidates as a large company would, and sometimes they post completely fake listings (of jobs they would hypothetically have) just to expand their resume database (which is what some of them market to companies anyways).
"What types of tasks or concepts do new (analysts) have the most difficulty with early on, and what skills or traits would you expect them to master or demonstrate after one or two years to ensure long term success?" Then your follow-up is to link their answers to your past experiences and current strengths, or to just repeat what they say with different verbiage. Ask about the biggest or most similar competitors, if there's a particularly busy time of year, what the biggest incident or toughest problem is that they've had to deal with and flesh out your particular position's role in that situation. Ask which departments your department or position would interact with the most, and what your biggest accountabilities are to each other. Maybe lead in with the (otherwise idiotic) term "internal customers."
