Interview Workshop and Professional Dress

Hi everyone, 

There was a big turnout at Ellen's CSC Interview Workshop and the information was relevant for all of us undergraduates so I thought I would share some of the highlights. 

The interview process can be really stressful and many students avoid applying to jobs for fear of the interview. It doesn't have to be so scary however, if you follow the advice Ellen gives. First, be on time, have a good handshake, smile and make eye contact. All of these things may seem obvious but they make a huge impression. There are a list of interview questions you can find on our website here. You should go through these and write out answers for each one in the days before your interview because you could be asked any of them. Ellen taught us the STAR system, situation, task, action and result. In your responses give specific examples of your experience and use these 4 points as a guideline, addressing each.

Professional dress was one part of Ellen's presentation that I believe it would be important to highlight here because after the career fair it seems obvious many people are not aware of how to dress professionally. To me, professional dress seems daunting and to be honest I don't have much professional apparel at the moment. I'm planning on going downtown to buy some things to be prepared for my summer internship interviews. Some stores for professional clothes are H&M, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx and Macy's. You can find some great professional clothes, even on a budget. All of these stores also sell the opposite of professional clothes so be very careful in your selections, keep it conservative and don't show a lot of skin. My boss said to our office last week, "the more skin you show, the more you're viewed according to your gender, not as a professional." Professional dress may be a very sexist institution but in order to succeed you need to dress as much like a man as you can without seeming androgynous/we need to play this to our advantage and use dress to benefit us, not have it work against us. Your rule of thumb should be: if you would wear it out, it's not professional. A mistake many young women make is wearing high heels.Heels should be no more than 1-2 inches, keep it kitten. Men, you have it easy, a classy suit is all you need to worry about having. You can go here for a prezi on how to dress professionally. You can also find the video of Ellen's workshop here. 

 

Kelleen 

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed winter break but set some time aside to do some career searching and informational interviews. This break I got a chance to talk to a few people regarding careers and grad schools. One person in particular was David. He is Executive Vice President at Bank of Hawaii and has worked in many different industries, located in places including California, New York and Hawaii. Through talking with him he gave me a lot of insight on career paths and grad school options. But most important he gave me two things that that stood out in my mind. 

1. Make sure your decisions align with your life. 

- This sounds like the normal thing to do but when you think about it most people do not. David stated that your decisions should align with your career goals, life, family, friends, wants, needs, happiness and even religion. He also believes that your first real boss after your undergraduate degree is going to make the largest impact on you, good or bad. 

2. Write your goals down. 

- This is another thing most people think they do, but most cases not true. People have goals in their mind but never write them down. David stated that when you write it down the “magic happens,” he believes you should keep these goals in your wallet and once a year reflect on them, than set new ones for the following year. 

After meeting with David, I took his advice to heart. I wrote my goals down and looked at what the future may have in store for me. I also started to prepare for the decisions I will have to make, to be happy.

So if you did or did not get a chance to do some informational interviews this winter break take the time this semester to reach out to a few people that may interest you. Although your education is important now your network is important for your future. 

Questions regarding informational interviews stop by our office on the UC 5floor for drop in hours. 

Aloha, 

Nate

Interviewing: What NOT to do!

I read this article recently, "Blowing the Job Interview: A How-To Guide" and thought it may be helpful for those of you who have interviews lined up, or already had an interview but it didn't go so well. I will summarize everything the article says not to do.

1. Arriving Late: Pretty self explanatory. You need to give yourself enough cushion time for any possible mishap along the way and be sure to arrive EARLY.
2. Being rude to the receptionist or assistant: Don't do it. 6 out of 10 executives seriously consider the opinion of their assistants in the hiring process and if you have been rude or condescending to them, they will tell on you.
3. Acting like you're the only person there: You very well may be the only person in the room at the moment, but you never know who is listening or how thick the walls actually are. If you get an incoming call, I would suggest to ignore it or answer and let them know you are busy and will call back later. 
4. (Which brings up another point not mentioned in the article but which I think is important to mention... make sure your phone is on SILENT! Last thing you want is your phone to go off with your Lil Wayne ringtone in a quiet waiting room or worse yet...the actual interview!)
5. Going into the interview unprepared: Do your research on the organization you are interviewing for beforehand.
6. Appearing arrogant: There is a distinct difference between confidence and arrogance. Stay humble.
7. Not asking questions: You want to ask at least 2 or 3 questions. The questions should go beyond basic information you can find on their website during your research.  A good question may be "What does a typical day in this position look like?"
8. Not following up: Send your thank you letter right after the interview. Send your thank you letter right after the interview. Send your thank you letter right after the interview. I cannot stress how important this step is! More than half of the employers consider this in the hiring process as well.
   
   

Interviewing can be scary, I understand, but practicing will also help. The Career Services Center offers great Mock Interview options just for this exact purpose. Give it a try!

Rosie

Don't Forget Your Manners...

A common theme has been arising in drop ins lately: SUMMER INTERNSHIPS.

It is great to see that many students are actively searching and applying for summer internships that will add to their resume experience! Many students are coming in for a resume review for that ideal summer internship, some are coming in for a cover letter review, a few for interviewing tips, and one student came in for a review on his THANK YOU LETTER!

Thank you letters are a small detail but a very important part of your job search process, nonetheless. Unfortunately, following up with a thank you letter does not get done as often as it should. It is imperative that you send a thank you letter soon after every interview, especially if you want to be remembered in a more positive way. In fact, many employers have stated that they will hire the person who sent the thank you letter over the person who did not.

The preferred method to send a thank you letter is as a greeting-card style in your own hand writing sent via snail mail. A thank you e-mail may be acceptable in certain situations though, when your handwriting is not legible or it simply slipped your mind to send the card and more than a week has passed.

Here is a sample on what to include in a thank you letter.

And as always, you are more than welcome to come in to a drop in for us to help you review your thank you letter.

Good Luck!
 ~ Rosie ~

SOCIAL MEDIA

How important is Social Media? 
Social Media is progressively getting more important in this growing futuristic changing world. There are many different ways Social Media can be utilized and exploited when finding a job.
1. Landing a job (there are more and more Careers/Jobs in Social Media due to the new demand)
2. Great Networking Tools (For example adding people you might have meet/worked with on Facebook and updating you statues or giving updates make them know or feel like they still know you or what you have been doing- is a great way to keep the big boss looking at your progress just in case they know someone that knows someone)
3. A way to be approached for jobs (Linkedin has many employers looking and searching for the ideal candidate for a job opening they have)
4. Searching tool for jobs (Linkedin has a section where employers post jobs looking for future employees) 

5. Information/news (updates that might help you have a successful interview or networking opportunity) 
+ More!!!! 

Things are changing on the fly and it is important to stay ahead of the curve so attend the Careers in Social Media Panel! 

Aloha,
Nate

CAREERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Panelists (including Twitter & Zynga) share their work experiences and provide tips for students
Thursday, April 26th, 5:30-7 PM, Fromm Hall - Berman Room

A panel of professionals from Twitter, Zynga, IBM, and Viator will provide insight into the world of social media by sharing their experiences in their line of work. Other topics that will be addressed include: Trends in social media, important skills to gain to become prominent in the field, and challenges and successes on the job.

Priscilla A. Scotlan Career Center
University of San Francisco
 2130 Fulton Street, UC 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
415-422-6216
www.usfca.edu/career

SKYPE INTERVIEWS

Skype Interviews???? Is this really happening??? We are moving into the future and things are changing rapidly and the use of technology is growing. Skype interviews are becoming more and more popular. I recently had a Skype interview with a company back home in Hawaii for a summer internship. It was my second Skype interview and still difficult to master. Skype interviews seem to be the in-between interview of phone interviews and in-person interviews, but in my opinion are more difficult than both.

First off, in a phone interview you do not need to see the person you are talking with and you can take the interview where ever you please, unlike a Skype interview. Because they get to see you, you need to hold this interview in a professional atmosphere, making it extremely difficult. Second, it is harder than an in-person interview because of the difficulty of connecting with the person sitting on the other side of the screen, due to lag time and physical connection.

Although I find Skype interviews to be very difficult, it gives hopeful employees an opportunity to apply and receive an interview even if they are thousands of miles away.  Skype interviews can be scary and tricky, but there are opportunities to excel and improve your Skype interviewing skills. So stop by drop in hours to talk about Skype interviews or interviews in general!


Aloha, Nate

"What would you do?"

Aloha Everyone,

I hope everyone had a great winter break. Today I wanted to talk to you guys about an interesting question I received during drop-ins. That question was, “What would you do if in the middle of your interview, you didn't want the job anymore?” This is a tough question and could reasonably happen to anyone.
It could happen for many reasons, including deciding you don’t like the company, believing you have a better offer, or even having a revelation of not wanting to work in the industry.
A good way to deal with this, “What would you do?” question would be to finish the rest of the interview just as you normally would. It is important to be respectful and end on a positive note. By finishing the interview you have a fair chance to fully think over whether you want to further the interview process. When you’ve made your decision, you should write a letter or email regarding interview process withdrawal, basically stating that you are no longer interested or available to meet the qualification that the job demands.  It is important to write this letter or email and to be professional, because you never know what may happen in the future.
I hope this may help you!
So “What would you do if you were in the middle of your interview and didn't want the job anymore?”
-Aloha Nate

Interviewing Questions

Hi Guys,

I know "On Campus Interviews" have begun and everyone is trying to prepare but I wanted to share an article I just read on Yahoo YAHOO ARTICLE . This article could possibly help you out and give you insight on some questions you might be asked during an interview. The article title is "10 Companies with the Toughest Interview Questions" and it talks about what companies are known for their extremely hard questions.

For example at Red Ventures they ask their interviewees questions like "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?" or even "Tell me a joke."  There are also companies like Bain that ask questions like "What is the revenue of an inner city Sydney gym?" for an associate consultant position. Its a really interesting article that takes interviewing to a new level so take a look! If you need any help with interview preparation or just want to talk about interviewing, you know where to come the CAREER SERVICE CENTER on the UC 5th floor for drop in hours 11am - 2pm Monday through Friday. Also check out the new tab on your USF Connect account called “My Career Plan” for some interesting internships and hot jobs!!

Aloha,

Nate

Should I? Should I not?

People always ask, when do you send in a cover letter? or Do you need to send a cover letter in even if they didn't ask for one? The answer is yes, yes, yes. Always send a cover letter no matter what, unless the job description says "please do not send in cover letter" or if the company’s website doesn't allow you to post a cover letter. It is always better to send a cover letter even if not stated because most employers think it is expected and it looks really good, showing your research and knowledge. It also looks bad when you do not send one in and another applicant sends their cover letter in.

A cover letter is also a great way to introduce yourself and show how you can contribute to the company you're applying to and why you're not only the best candidate but you have the experience and knowledge they are looking for. So the best thing to do is try your best and get a cover letter done and send both the resume and cover letter, but do not forget to stop by the USF Career Services Center located on the UC 5th floor, so we can take a look at it and help you. Our drop in hours are Monday through Friday 11am- 2pm. 

-Aloha Nate

THANK YOU LETTERS!!!

Thank you letters! How important do you think they are? To be honest, they are extremely important and believe it or not most people never think of writing a thank you letter after an interview. There are a couple of reasons why they are so important. First, it is a great way to show gratitude and thank the employer/recruiter for taking the time out of his or her day to meet with you. Second, which is the most important reason, is a thank you letter puts your name and face back into their minds when they are trying to make a decision on who to choose for the vacant position. Third, it shows you want the job while giving you a last chance to say a few things that you might not have mentioned in the interview. Lastly, if the position comes down to two people that have the same qualifications and one wrote a thank you letter and the other did not, most times than none the applicant with the thank you letter will receive the job.  

When writing a thank you letter you want to write it as soon as possible after your interview. It might also be smart to send them a thank you email as well the day after the interview just in case your letter gets lost. In the thank you letter you want to include when your interview was, what you talked about, something you never mentioned, and that you are still interested in the position. 

After thinking about what you need in your thank you letter, the question now becomes should I hand write it or type it. This is a very controversial issue. It honestly depends on the employer and what they like. I personally will always send hand written thank you cards because it is more personal and that’s who I want them to remember me by. For me the hand written thank you letter has helped me numerous of times in getting jobs and internships because the employer liked how personal I made them. But on the other hand some people like the professional thank you letter, typed and printed on resume paper. So when it comes down to it, it is ultimately up to you unless you are in KO's Hospitality class where it is required to type your professional thank you letters for the class. So ultimately decide depending on the situation you are in and no matter what you choose your thoughts and considerations in writing the thank you letter is more than enough! If you need some help writing them or want us to look over your thank you letters bring them in to drop in hours Monday-Friday 11am-2pm located on the 5th floor! 

Aloha- Nate

ELEVATOR PITCH!!!

Have you ever wanted to approach someone and talk to them at a career fair, group networking event, or even at a random venue like an elevator but did not know what to say? Or even what to do? Do not worry you're not the only one; this is one of the toughest things to do. Everyone has some kind of problem when they are trying to pull words out of thin air, while feeling comfortable when introducing and talking to their ideal employer or business partner. The perfect way to solve this problem is to create an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is normally a 15 to 30 second speech or pitch of who you are, what you do, why you're the best, and your call to action. This short summary speech of who you are will help break the ice and start communication in the lines of a possible job opportunity or future business endeavors.

The elevator pitch got its name because individuals who were seeking a job or future business endeavors would try and get into an elevator with a executive. In doing so they had a opportunity to talk to the executive from the first floor to the ideal top floor with no interruptions and no possible way for the executive to get out of the conversation. The elevator pitch can be used whenever you are meeting anyone but was ideally to get your foot in the door and land yourself a job. It is a great way to introduce yourself and give a summary of who you are. So if want to create one but do not know where to begin, this website will help. It is a basic template where you answer questions and it formats your elevator pitch for you. Website: http://www.15secondpitch.com/new/index.asp But it is essential to be prepared before attending an event and you should practice your elevator pitch now because you never know when it might become useful. So if you need any help creating your specialized elevator pitch, come into our office on the UC 5th floor during drop in hours which are 11am to 2pm Monday through Friday. Your elevator pitch could possibly land you a job that you could never imagine! 

Aloha- Nate

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS!!!

Hi All, 

I know its midterm week and everyone has test, papers, and projects due before spring breaks hits. But it is also a great time to prepare and set up some INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS with people to gain information about something you're interested in or even expand your networking for future endeavors. I will be going back to Hawaii for spring break and have set up a few informational interviews with professionals in financial based occupations. Its quite easy to set one up and can be done with any free time you have, not just only over breaks. All you need to do is search for members of professional associations in the industries your interested in or network and contact a family friend that is in interest field of work. You can basically contact everyone and anyone that might interest you. 

So you might ask why set up a informational interview? There are a lot of reasons, including learning firsthand what it is like to do a particular kind of work at a particular organization, or to develop contacts in key positions with people who hire or who make recommendations, or to even find out about jobs and career paths you did not know exist. 

Once you have found a possible informational interview contact them and tell your contact that you are in the process of making some decisions about your career, and you want to learn more about his or her field. In particular, you want to learn whether, and how, someone with your background might enter and succeed in that field. But always remember you are not yet in a job search! After giving your contact some background information and a brief summary of what you want to know. Ask the professional to meet either in their office or over Starbucks or Jamba Juice. 

Once you have set the informational interview, prepare questions but remember that you are NOT asking this person for a job. An example question would be: In the position you now hold, what do you do in a typical day? But for more information come into CSC to check out some handouts for possible questions on Informational interviews on the UC 5th Floor or check out the PDF on our website: http://usfca.edu/uploadedFiles/Destinations/Offices_and_Services/CSC/docs/Informational%20Interviews.pdf. Also don't forget to offer to pay for Starbucks or Jamba Juice because your contact did take time out of his or her day to meet with you and don't forget thank you card, thank you card, send a hand written thank you card, thanking them for taking time out of their day to talk to you. Let them know you want to keep in touch. 

So set those INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS UP!

Aloha- Nate

How to Succeed in a Phone Interview

While it's hard to imagine that a phone interview is just like any other interview, it essentially is.  There isn't much of a difference, except that interviewers and interviewees can't view each other.  Here are a couple things to remember to help ensure that you'll ace that phone interview, along with any other interview for that matter.

• Personality: A couple of attributes that make any interviewee a joy to interview is being personable.  That means smiling- and yes, people can hear you smile over the phone.  It's not about slapping a smile on your face just so that your voice sounds different over the phone.  Just try to relax, be yourself, be calm, and be honest (but not self-deprecating) and don't make too many jokes.
• Promptness: It is just as important to be on-time and ready to go during a phone interview as it is for an in-person interview.  That being said, if you have a phone interview in the morning, wake up plenty of time before the phone interview, because just like people can see sleep-crust in your eyes, they can hear morning-grog in your voice when you just wake up (which is just as unpleasant to encounter).
• Clarity: In any interview, it's imperative to be clear, but brief, when answering any questions, while making sure to give some interesting detail.  However, when interviewing over the phone, the importance of being clear doubles because 1) it's usually easier for people to understand what you're saying when they can also see your facial expressions and 2) it's more difficult for the interviewer to gain clarity from asking you follow-up questions because they can't see you pause or stop talking (aka, they don't want to interrupt!).  The best thing for you to do is, at the end of answering a question, to ask, "Did that answer your question?"  Also, it's okay to pause, but don't be quiet for an eternity.  You can say something like, "Hmm, let me think about that for a second" if you need to gather your thoughts before answering a question.  It's totally okay to take a minute to answer a question thoughtfully and clearly.  If you're nervous, that's okay, it's normal.  If you start stuttering or rambling, just try to laugh it off while literally apologizing and acknowledging that you're nervous.  Stop, take a breath, and think before you say anything! 

I hope that helped!  Best of luck with your interviews!
-Seghel

Interesting Interview Tips

Hey all,

So a friend of mine showed me this link the other day that I found very fascinating (and quite accurate, I might add).

In this article, the Wall Street Journal gives a thorough run-down of the do’s and don’ts in the interview world, an especially poignant article given the times. Some things that stuck in my mind were: don’t appear desperate (e.g. don’t show up to your interview any more or less than 10 minutes before hand), be confident in your skills, don’t complain about your financial/job situation (leave your anxiety and your baggage at home), and make sure that you customize yourself (e.g. be specific with your stories, and make yourself memorable).

Anyway, those were just the few that stuck out in my mind. Check out the article for the rest!

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/106924/The-Interview-That-Will-Bag-a-Job

-Sarah

p.s. we’re having an issue with our comment system, so until we get it fixed if you have any questions or comments please feel free to e-mail both Seghel and myself at careerplanningpeer@usfca.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.