Day: November 6, 2016

In What Ways Has College Prepared You for This Job? | No BS Job Search Advice

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Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter discusses how to answer this question easily and effectively.

interview

[spp-transcript]

Here is another 1 of those tough interview, asked of graduates more than experienced people.  Sometimes it may be asked to junior people because the employer is trying to differentiate between one person and another, they’ve run out of questions, stuff along those lines.  However, it tends to be asked of recent graduates.

“In what ways has your college experience prepared you for your career?”

It’s a good question that requires that you think past the surface, but you have to also give them the surface answer.

“The obvious answer to me is that it gave me an understanding of the fundamentals that are important in my career. A knowledge of the subject, and knowledge of the history of this.”  Something along these lines where you appear to be contemplative by pausing and thinking, inflecting in certain ways.  So, again, to repeat that part of the answer, “It kind of gave me an understanding of the fundamentals. I don’t want to say give me complete knowledge because it obviously hasn’t. I have a lot to learn. Yet.  However, it gave me an understanding of the fundamentals that we need for this career.”

You continue on by saying, “While I was in school, I carried a pretty heavy workload and learn the importance of prioritizing things.  I worked in teams with people so I learned how to work with others and I had an opportunity to practice leadership skills– how do you motivate people who say they want to do it but just aren’t doing it.  At the same time, at my university (if this isn’t the case for you, don’t say it). They require that I carry 2 extra courses along the way. In my major.  As a result, I am used to carrying a pretty heavy load.“

So, start with the fundamentals (prioritizing things, being a team player and/or leadership) and how to carry a pretty heavy workload and prioritize my way through it.

That’s how you would answer that question.  I would encourage you to frame it in your way with your language, but those of the fundamentals I would work with.

[/spp-transcript]

 

Do you think employers are trying to help you?

You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell you as much as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.

The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com changes that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn

You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle for $.99 and receive free Kindle versions of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.”

What Are You Known For?

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[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPPFLqkY5_w[/svp]
When people develop their careers, they often abdicate their career planning to employers and take advice from friends and family who are well intentioned but want you to be “safe . . . ” whatever that means these days.

Instead, in this video, I offer one thing you need to do to advantage you for opportunities within your firm AND outside your firm.

personalbrand

[spp-transcript]

In talking with you today, I want to give you a metaphor for using a restaurant, for example. Have you ever bee n to a restaurant that you never been to before, walked in, and asked the waiter, “What is it that this restaurant is really known for? What is your signature dish?”  You can see the smile appear on the waiter or waitress his face as they describe this dish that they think is spectacular.

Have you ever been to a resort to a particular part of the world. And, before booking the trip, ask yourself, “What am I going to do here?  What is this part of the world really known for?”  Isn’t known for diving?  Isn’t known for great theater? Whatever it is, you are looking for the signature item for that location.

As a career professional, you are mapping your career.  When you are thinking of joining the next organization, you need to be prepared to talk about that thing that you are known for, the quality that you really excel at, the thing that when your boss is talking to their boss, they can say, “What Jeff is really good at is…” They can answer it.

When you’re going on the interview, there is something that you did, I can call it a “hero story,”where you stepped into a situation and you really stood out from everyone else.

If you are just going to recite a litany of roles, responsibilities and the whole bunch of stuff that you’ve done, you are going to come across as being ordinary.

However, if there is that one thing that you have invested blood, and guts, and effort for, that you are known for in your organization, where your boss will go to bat for you internally, where the next organization is going to think, “Hmm. We really need someone like this,” you will have a way of standing out from all the other people who are saying, “Sure.  Bring it on!“

Invariably, what gives you an advantage in job hunting is your branding.  This is a form of branding.  Where, through time and effort, you can stand out from anyone else.

Catch that.

Where you can stand out from anyone else.

I want to remind you that most people make the mistake of keeping their heads down and doing a great job and forgetting to tell people about it.  They try to do the “cool approach.”  They tried to use false modesty in what they talk about but you have to go “big” with this.

I’m not saying to take out a billboard somewhere, but you have to make sure that everyone knows what you have accomplished– what you set out to do, the challenges that she faced, and how you went about persevering and succeeding.  If no one knows, what’s the point?  People need to know.

What advantages you is the signature dish, where people think to themselves, “Ahhhh!  The beef Wellington.”  “The vegetarian (fill in the blank).”  Whatever it is, it is extraordinary and you have done fabulous work .  You have testimonials on LinkedIn profile and you can reference this.  You have done this in an organization. We helped turn it around or gotten into a strategic role with this firm where the money was invested in growing this line of business.

The administrative stuff like the accounts receivable system, is boring.  You are a commodity.  No one cares.

Look for situations where you can turn around something or join an organization or lead an organization where money is invested because they are growing something significant.

[/spp-transcript]

 

Do you think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell you as much as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.

The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com changes that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn

You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle for $.99 and receive free Kindle versions of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.”