Questions Asked by the Interviewer

An article in the Dallas Morning News January 30, 2011, on page 1J “Don’t Make These Mistakes When Interviewing” by Amy Winter of Creators Syndicate lists examples of common mistakes made by the interviewees.  The examples in the article seem a bit extreme to me.  A person making the mistakes listed in the article probably does not want a job anyway.

On the other hand, there are number websites that provide good interviewing advice for job seekers.  Here are some of the sites that I found:

http://www.best-interview-strategies.com/questions.html

http://www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/mastering-the-interview/ten-tough-interview-questions-and-ten-great-answers/

http://interviewquestionsandanswers.net/

http://www.totalinterviewquestions.com/

http://www.xinterview.com/

Please share with job seekers additional helpful websites you have found.   What is your experience in responding to questions from a serious interviewer?  Did you get the job?

Thanks!  Glyn    

You Can Become a Virtual Assistant (VA)!

 Bells Are Ringing, a musical opened in 1956 followed by a motion picture in 1960, depicts an answering service for organizations and individuals.  I thought of this answering service which found itself in financial problems when I read about a virtual assistant in the January 23, 2011, edition of The Dallas Morning News on page 1J. 

I remember in Bells Are Ringing that booking bets was a major service.  The News article by Christine Durst and Michael Haaren of Creators Syndicate suggests that “virtual assistants” should provide their services to small business and sole professional using e-mail, telephone, courier, and the Internet. The article suggests that VAs provide word processing, transcription service, daily schedules, correspondence, concierge services, social-networking, and perhaps order taking (not bets).

While the cost of establishing a VA home-based business can be less than $1,000, the article provides these admonitions:

1.    Do the necessary self-assessment – Operating your own business is not like being an employee.  You are your own boss and have to actually run a business rather than taking orders from a supervisor.

2.    Make sure your family is on board - Working at home means working not just being a dad or mom and watching TV.

3.    Be prepared to market your business - My experience in sales is that you have to market your products and services.  Waiting for someone to call in an order may be a long wait and lonely time.

 Please share your feelings about becoming a VA in this blog.  I would like to read some success stories.       

Thanks!  Glyn    

The Company Men – The Movie

My wife and I went to see the movie The Company Men starring Ben Afflect, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Rosemarie Dewitt, Craig T. Nelson, and Tommy Lee Jones.  The movie depicts the interactions of employees and their families who worked for a large organization in the 1990s that laid-off many employees because of the recession.

Having going through a similar experience myself, we were able to relate to the feelings and frustrations of the characters. Loss of a job is like losing part of your life.  Dealing with such situation is a serious challenge.  The movie depicts how an individual with job loss is supported or not supported by his family and friends. The movie ends with good and bad news, but it is very intense and worth your time to view.

For those of you weary of job seeking, perhaps the movie will let you know that your emotions are shared by many in similar situations.  I think that the support of family and friends is critical to your being able to deal with the circumstances and hopefully lead to a happy ending.

 Please share your feelings about your job loss and the support you have received with readers of this blog.       

Thanks!  Glyn    

Should you change the Focus of Your Job Search from Profession Jobs to Trade and Craft Jobs?

An article on the front page in the January 16, 2011, issue of The Dallas Morning News by Brendan Case “Longtime Workers Struggle with Long-term Joblessness” describes a number of situations in which professionals have been laid off from relatively highly compensated jobs after years of service to an organization.  These situations are heartfelt, and these individuals are having a difficult time replacing their income with similar positions.

I am thinking that perhaps these individuals should consider moving from seeking professional employment to seeking trade and craft base positions.  For example, I found this ad with only a cursory search using Google:

Schneider has 2,000 immediate openings for Over-the-Road drivers in multiple areas of the country.

I recognize that changing careers and vocations is not easy; however, when it is rainy and stormy perhaps you should not spend a great deal of time seeking a specific type of shelter. 

Please share your ideas about changing your job focus with other readers of this blog.       

Thanks!  Glyn    

New Year’s Resolutions

The key objective once you have found a job is to keep!  An article in the January 9, 2011, issue of The Dallas Morning News by Amy Winters of Creators Syndicate Bulletin Board quotes John Challenger tips for workers hoping to keep their jobs in 2011:

1.    Look for more responsibility. Take on challenging duties and keep a take-charge attitude.

2.     Become part of a company committee. Build new relationships by being more involved in the company.

3.    Find and/or become a mentor. Serving as a mentor or having one can help develop and achieve workplace goals.

4.    Look for opportunities to save money. Seek out options that will increase efficiency while reducing cost for your company.

5.    Focus on mastering a topic in your field. You want to be the “go-to” person for a certain subject at the office.

I am thinking that these suggestions could be answers to an interview’s question when he/she asks you how you would be an asset to the organization.

Please share your 2011 job seeking resolutions with readers of this blog.       

Thanks!  Glyn    

Fill Your Funnel!

I remember while attending sales school, the instructor asked the student salespersons to learn how to fill their funnels.  As you know, a typical funnel is very large at the top and slopes to a small opening at its bottom.  The idea is that you identify as many sales suspects as possible, and you qualify the suspects, converting them to prospects.  The objective is to focus on these prospects and hopefully close the orders. You certainly do not want to waste time and effort on suspects who cannot afford or have no need for your product or service.

I am thinking that job seekers should begin filling their funnels with job suspects early in 2011.  Job seekers can qualify a job prospect by determining if an organization has open positions that meet his/her experience and skills. With identified prospects, it is time to develop marketing strategies to win a job offer. We have discussed job seeking marketing strategies in previous blogs which include tailored resumes, cover letters and follow-up techniques.      

Please share your successes in filling your funnel and winning a job!       

Thanks!  Glyn