Truth in Interviews and Confessions

An important point to remember in an interview is to be truthful in responses to questions asked by the interviewer. As an interviewer at the North Dallas Shared Ministries, I ask clients many questions about their situations. Frequently, clients respond to my questions with answers they think I want to hear. In a recent case, I asked a client if she was working at the restaurant listed on her interview sheet. She said yes, but her work hours had been reduced so assistance was needed. One telephone call to the employer resulting in my learning that the client had failed to report to work as scheduled and was fired. The restaurant said the client was not eligible for rehire.

In another interview, the response to my question is this address correct, the client replied yes. A call to the apartment manager resulted in being told that the client had moved two weeks prior. Such responses to an interviewer’s questions can damage an applicant’s creditability. Please assume that all information provided in an interview or on a resume will be verified before a hiring decision is made.

On the other hand, an interview is not a confession session. I suggest that you reframe from making any negative comments about yourself, any person, or any organization.

Please comment in this blog about your interview experiences which may be helpful to job seekers. Thanks! Glyn

Making the Workplace Work for You

The September 13, 2009, issue of The Dallas Morning News, “MAKING THE WORKPLACE WORK FOR YOU” cites a new book The 2009 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work. This Guide describes leading organizations in creating workplaces that fit the need of the 21st century workforce and the challenges of a changing economy. You can find the link to download this book by entering “The 2009 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work” on http://www.google.com. The book can be downloaded in a PDF Adobe Reader format.

I suggest that job seekers download this Guide and consider contacting cited outstanding organizations. Please comment in this blog if you find information in this Guide helpful to your job search. Thanks! Glyn

"The Best Places to Launch a Career"

“The Best Places To Launch a Career” is an article in the September 14, 2009, issue of Business Week by Lindsey Gerdes that lists the “The Top 50” best organizations to launch a job. The top ten organizations are:

1. Deloitte & Touche
2. Ernst & Young
3. PricewaterhouseCoopers
4. KPMG
5. U.S. State Department
6. Goldman Sachs
7. Teach for America
8. Target
9. J.P. Morgan
10. IBM

Manufacturing organizations appear down the list. The author cautions that graduates lucky enough to land a job may find the prospects of responsibility and rapid advancement surprisingly strong, but they should not count on bigger salaries.

You might take a quick look at the complete list of these organizations in order to identify potential employers for your job search. Thanks! Glyn

15 Ways to Keep Your Job

In the Summer Issue 2009 of Texas Business Today an article “Ten – no, make that 15 ways to keep your job” by William T. Simmons, Legal Counsel to Chairman Tom Pauken, Chairman, Texas Workforce Commission, outlines 15 steps that an employee should take in order to keep his/her job. I think that these “15 Commandments of Keeping Your Job” are instructive for not only employees but also job seekers. I have summarized these commandments below:

1. Be on time, whether it is with showing up for work, returning from breaks, going to meetings, or turning in assignments.
2. Call your manager if you know you will be tardy or absent.
3. Try your best: always finish an assignment, no matter how much you would rather be doing something else.
4. Anticipate problems and needs of management.
5. Show a positive attitude.
6. Avoid backstabbing, office gossip, and spreading rumors.
7. Follow the rules.
8. Look for opportunities to serve customers and help coworkers.
9. Avoid the impulse to criticize your boss or the company.
10. Volunteer for training and new assignments.
11. Avoid the temptation to criticize your company, coworkers, or customers on the Internet.
12. Be a good team member.
13. Try to avoid every saying “that’s not my job.”
14. Show pride in yourself.
15. Distinguish yourself.

I suggest that all readers of this blog consider adhering to this list of commandants in their work environments.

Please share your personal experiences relative to your reaction to these commandments by posting a comment in this blog.

Thanks! Glyn

How to ace an interview

The September 6, 2009, issue of The Dallas Morning News, Parade Magazine insert has advice for a job interview titled “You Can Get A Job Now!” by Brad Dunn. The following are suggestions given in the “How to ace an interview” section:

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Know about the company you are interviewing and be able to discuss three examples of your accomplishments that illustrate your abilities to fill the job.
2. Keep answers short. The average American listens for 28 seconds before becoming distracted.
3. When in doubt, overdress. You never lose points by wearing formal business attire.
4. Be positive. Never say anything negative about anyone or any organization.
5. Ask for the job. Declare your interest in the job.
6. Follow up promptly. Within one or two business days send a brief thank you note to the interviewer. Add any comment that you feel that you should have made during the interview.

Please share your personal job interview experiences by leaving a comment on this blog. Thanks! Glyn

You Can Be A Consultant - Contact SCORE

I am a member of SCORE, Counselors for Small Business, a nonprofit organization sponsored by the Small Business Administration. SCORE provides free counseling in its offices throughout the United States and on the Internet using email. For anyone who has ever considered starting his/her small business, SCORE provides a wealth of information. Such information about starting a small business as well as locations of SCORE counseling centers is available on the Internet at www.score.org.

A recent client told me that after over a year of an unsuccessful job search he is tired of hearing that he is overqualified. I suggested to him that he register an assumed name (DBA) with the county and begin marketing his expertise as a consultant. Perhaps organizations that thought he was overqualified to be an employee would consider his value as a consultant with no long term commitment.

However, it is important to remember that as a consultant, you must deliver measurable positive results in a relative short period of time. Please share your personal experiences as a consultant with others by leaving a comment on this blog. Thanks! Glyn

What Works Best In Finding Jobs

An article in the Dallas Morning News on September 2, 2009, Section 2D, by Diane Stafford titled “What works best in finding jobs” lists the following advice to job seekers provided by Challenger, Gray & Christmas:

· Your time is best spent networking.
· Your time is least effectively spent attending job fairs.

Here is a list of effective activities suggested by CGC:

· Networking – (making personal contacts).
· Using social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
· Getting referrals from management recruiting firms.
· Posting resumes on Internet job boards such as CareerBuilder.com.
· Posting resumes directly on employers’ Web sites.
· Cold-calling employers and/or sending unsolicited resumes.

A job seeker’s full time job should include all of the above listed activities.

Please share any thoughts or experiences you may have about your successful job seeking activities. Glyn