Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters (Part 3 of 10)

Currently the Director of University Relations, Cindy Gallerani has been a recruiter for over 25 years and her wealth of knowledge is reflected in her list of "do's and don'ts" for job seekers.

Top 10 job search strategies:

1. Utilize campus career centers.
2. Join social networking sites.
3. Take a class—how to interview, how to sell yourself, how to write a winning résumé.
4. Practice interviewing, get feedback, and revise your interview strategy.
5. Talk with your favorite professor to get leads.
6. Develop an elevator pitch to use at career fairs.
7. Research companies and put a short list together.
8. Find out who the “key” contacts are at companies where you have an interest and reach out to them.
9. Leverage your internship into a full-time position.
10. Network, network, network.

Top 3 common mistakes that job seekers make:

1. Being unprepared—interviews, career fairs, poor résumé.
2. Sharing too much or getting too comfortable in an interview.
3. Misrepresenting yourself on your résumé or in the interview.

For more valuable tips from Cindy, as well as other Fortune 500 recuiters, be sure to check out "100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters.

Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters (Part 2 of 10)

Thomas Murray has been a recruiter for over 12 years. Check out his "do's and don'ts" for today's job seekers.

Top 10 job search strategies:

1. Network, network, and then network some more.
2. Research companies inside and out before you interview.
3. Become an expert in social networking.
4. If you know someone who works at a company you are interviewing with, spend some time with them before you interview.
5. Get to know the top search professionals in your area.
6. Have informational meetings with people you know in the industry.
7. Join professional and industry organizations.
8. Learn as much as you can about the interviewer before the interview and prepare questions before the meeting.
9. Send follow-up thank-you notes to everyone you meet with.
10. Dress professionally and act professionally. Remember, everything counts!

Top 3 common mistakes that job seekers make:

1. Being under-prepared for an interview. If someone has not researched EMC and the business they are interviewing for, they will likely not get by the initial screen.
2. Being too comfortable, especially when the candidate knows the interviewer.
3. Showing up late.

For more valuable tips from Thomas, as well as other Fortune 500 recuiters, be sure to check out "100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters.

How to contact a recruiter

It's very often that you send out your resume or application to a potential employer, but after that, nothing happens. You are feeling desperate and frustrated. A hundred thoughts are crossing your mind. So what can we do?

Keep waiting?
Waiting is probably not a good idea under this circumstance. You would never want to sit there and do nothing if you have been waiting for around two weeks. Your application is one of many and it is very necessary to take an active strategy. So how can you take some actions without acting like a pest?

Send an email. It is possibly the most common way to contact the recruiters. However, don't ask questions like “Did you receive my application?” Instead, try to say something like “I am writing to verify that my application/resume was received.” After that, follow with an action request like “I am looking forward to interviewing with your team.”

Call the recruiter. If you are looking for a faster and more straight-forward way to contact the recruiter, you can try to make a phone call. Usually, the number can be found on the company’s website or in the job description. However, keep the conversation simple and concise. You don't want to be annoying.

Reevaluate resume and job searching approach
If the situation doesn't work out for you, do not be discouraged. Try to reevaluate your resume and change your job searching approach. For instance, networking or employer referral can sometimes be more effective than dropping resume.

AskUCSO - Interview Differences and Preparation

by Taylor Exline, UCSO Help Desk Assistant

It’s recruiting season once again! Interviews are spewing around, and you may find yourself wondering how to prepare for those first and second round interviews. The company is investing in you and they are using this time to decide whether or not you will be a wise investment.

First round interviews can be filled with tension and anxiety...but relax! The fact that you got an interview is a big accomplishment in itself. Typically, the first round is more of an informational and behavioral questioning session. The company you are interviewing with wants to get to know you and begin to see if you will be a good fit for the position and their culture.

The focus for second round interviews tends to be the perception of fit for you and the company. They often assess your skills with more technical questions, a case, or even a test. It’s also common that you will talk to more people and be interviewed for a longer period of time. It is also extremely important research the company for second round interviews (even moreso than you did for the first round). Research the company’s core values, strategies, and competitors. Find and read articles about your company and the market trends surrounding it. Yahoo! Finance is a great source.

Lucky for you, there are several resources to help you with interview preparation right at your fingertips! Make an appointment with a UCSO career coach and practice answering questions and thinking through scenarios. These trained professionals will help you be on top of your game and ready to show your authentic self to the companies! To schedule your appointment, click the link above or go to the student portal on the UCSO website and select the blue "Request a Career Coach" tab.

Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters (Part 1 of 10)

After having spent the last 19 years as a recruiter, Steve Kimball - a Fortune 500 recruiter - has some "do's and don'ts" to help you with your job search.

Top 10 job search strategies:

1. Network, network, network.
2. Strong résumé.
3. Have a clear idea why you are looking and what your short-term goals are.
4. Clearly understand your long-term goals. Do they make sense with your short-term goals?
5. Don’t be negative. The interview process is slow and frustrating. Don’t let this shake you up.
6. Don’t be a name dropper.
7. Listen and engage: Don’t just talk in the interview.
8. Smile—be yourself.
9. Be honest. Don’t try to answer interview question with the answers you think the interviewer wants to hear. Be yourself and be honest. Don’t exaggerate.
10. Close the interview: Are there objections that need to be overcome?

Top 3 common mistakes that job seekers make:

1. Poor networking: Don’t wait to look for a job until you need to.
2. Not prepared for an interview: Research the company.
3. Behavioral-based interview model: Need to have real examples of accomplishments. Many candidates are unprepared for this type of interviewing style.

For more valuable tips from Steve, as well as other Fortune 500 recuiters, be sure to check out "100 Job Search Tips from FORTUNE 500 Recruiters.

Make a STRONG Impression in a Behavioral-Based Interview

By Stephanie Wynder, Human Capital Manager, enVista

The spring recruiting period is upon us and many of you have scheduled on-campus interviews with prospective employers. As such, I thought some interview preparation advice would be pertinent. With more companies realizing the benefits of behavioral-based interview questions, it’s safe to assume you won’t be asked many traditional interview questions. Instead you should expect to be asked about how you behaved in real situations in your academic and work history to assess whether or not you have demonstrated a particular competency that relates to the job you are interviewing for. A competency is a group of related knowledge, skills, attitudes, and traits that is correlated with high performance in a particular job. Organizations operationally define competencies with the behaviors that are expected of someone who possesses the competency in question. The best way to prepare for this style of interview is to take some time to catalog successes and failures you’ve experienced during school projects, volunteer work, or part-time work and determine how these experiences are applicable to your desired job.

Use the Job Description to Deduce the Competencies Required for the Job
At least one week before an interview you should review the job description or advertisement and attempt to identify the competencies the interviewer will be rating you on. The job duties and requirements included in the job description will provide you with clues about what criteria the interviewer will evaluate you on. For example, the job description may read:

• Understand and agree upon the project goals and objectives, then work with other team members toward the successful achievement of these goals and objectives.
• Communicate to clients clearly and concisely in both written and oral formats

From these statements you could infer that the interviewer will ask about your experiences working in groups and situations that demonstrate your ability to successfully relay information. Therefore, it would be beneficial to spend some time recalling relevant stories and examples you can use to validate your teamwork and communication skills in the interview. When you prepare for interviews in this manner you will be more confident and relaxed because you won’t have to frantically search for a suitable story to tell.

Practice Responding to the Expected Behavior-based Questions
To build your comfort level with behavior-based interviews, you should also practice responses to the questions you expect to be asked. You may be familiar with the acronym STAR, which signifies responses to interview questions that include a description of the Situation you were faced with, the Tasks the situation requires, the specific Actions you took to accomplish the task, and the Result or outcome you enjoyed. The interviewer will be assessing the completeness of your answer on these four dimensions and may even probe for additional details if you don’t offer them up. When you give a complete STAR response you are perceived as a candidate who is aware of his or her achievements. I would suggest including a fifth element to your interview responses- the element of your natural talents and strengths. In other words, you should not only explain the situation, what you did, and what happened. You should also be able to articulate what is unique about you that enabled you to react in that manner and experience success. After all, your intention in each interview should be to validate that you are the best candidate by giving answers that eliminate any concern about your ability to make an impact and be successful in the job.

AskUCSO - The Zen of the Senior Job Search

by John Carroll, UCSO Help Desk Assistant

While some seniors may be scrambling to find jobs I find I am very Zen about the whole process. You see, my story is a bit different from most seniors. Up until recently, I knew that I wanted to go into the Peace Corps. I had my nomination in hand, vaccines completed, and my wide eyes set on the horizon; then I began digging. I started talking to returned volunteers who worked in my designated program and

heard both positive and negative stories. At that point, my dreams of Peace Corpsing were up for reconsideration. Ultimately, I made the decision that I had to take off my rose-colored glasses and see my childhood dream in the reality of the present day. I knew I could no longer do Peace Corps.

Come January I finally began my full-time career search. I will say, I am a little late to the party (not in a fashionable way) but there truly is no rush. I am about to blow your mind, debunk a myth you have always held true, give you a baby-bit of peace of mind. You don’t need to have a job by graduation. The most important thing when starting your career is that you are starting the right career not just any career. This means that your ideal job might not be in the hallowed halls of the Undergraduate Career Services Office.

Is the career search much easier with the UCSO resources at your disposal? Yes. Is the UCSO your one and only resource for careers? No. Is there life beyond Kelley? Of course there is.

Having known beyond any reasonable doubt that I wanted to do the Peace Corps has brought a stronger magnifying glass to my job search. I now look at all of the things I should have been looking at, location, job type, growth potential, and company culture. The absolute most important thing is FIT. How well does that position fit with my personal values and requirements.

What should you take away from this blog? There is no time limit on the job search. Come May, you aren’t going to explode into a pile of dust like a vampire in the sights of an Audi headlight. Your search continues beyond the interview rooms, beyond the hall of honor, beyond Bloomington. Your career search is perpetual. Know what you’re looking for and know how to ask for it.

The Art of Apartment Hunting

As a second semester senior, the thought of living on your own and actually leaving college in a few months seems far away. But the fact is that graduation is fast approaching, and thinking about where you are going to live in the next few months is a smart idea. This past weekend I did something I had never done before—I went apartment hunting. I am lucky that I know where I’m moving and I have a roommate, but it was exhausting, overwhelming, but still a little fun. Here are a few tips I have on how to find your perfect place.

1. Create a budget and stick to it. Whether you have a job or are still looking, find a range that you are willing to spend on rent—and don’t go above it. But you have to be realistic. For example, in New York City you have may have to spend a larger percent of your salary on housing than if you were moving to Indianapolis, so you will have to factor that in. If you are still looking for a job, you can visit the UCSO website and look at the average salary statistics per major and per location so you have a better idea of what you are working with.

2. Do research. And lots of it. Whether you can visit apartments months before you start your job, or you have to start searching when you arrive, research is key. There are many different websites to help you out, and you can type in the city and the word “apartments” and many options show up. Also ask friends, fellow interns, or anyone who has lived in the city where you are moving to get advice on where to live, how much apartments cost, etc.
3. Create a plan. Before we arrived at our first apartment, my roommate and I both had a spreadsheet to fill out important information for each apartment like cost, parking, deposit information, lease type, etc. Many of the leasing agents were impressed with our spreadsheet, and it made it easy to compare the apartments. We also called ahead and created a schedule and found out the location of every apartment, so that we did not get lost or fall behind. Being organized makes the apartment hunting easier and less stressful.
4. Have fun! Finding out where you are going to live after you graduate college is fun and exciting! This is the place where you will be starting the next stage of your life, and finding the right place is important.

Good luck and happy apartment hunting!

Tips on How Best to Close the Interview

The first AND last impression are both important to the job interview process, so I want to share with you proven tips on how to effectively close the interview. You need to leave the interviewer with the impression that you are the right candidate for the job.

There are a number of ways to conduct your closing. How you choose to close will depend on your personal style and that of the interviewer.

The best ways to end the interview all follow these basic closing guidelines, adapted from best-job-interview.com:

Ask your Questions
Make sure you have gone through all your “Questions to Ask the Interviewer” about the job, company and management. Ask any questions that may have resulted from the information exchanged during the interview. This is the last opportunity to get your answers, so it is recommended that you ask something along the lines of,"Can I ask you a couple more questions before we close the interview?"

Reinforce the Positive
Once you have had an opportunity to ask your questions, the interviewer will probably say something like, "If you have nothing else, that will be all. Thank you for your time." This is the time to make a positive closing statement by highlighting why you are the best job candidate, refer to your strengths and how they make you a good fit for the position. Restate the skills and experience you can bring to the position. Use your knowledge about the company to offer up insightful reasons for your suitability.

When preparing this statement think of four or five solid reasons why you should get the job. An example is,

"This certainly is an exciting opportunity and I believe that I am the right candidate for this position. My experience as a team member will add value to the creation of this new sales team, my knowledge of the customer base and the area will help grow your business and my sales performance shows my commitment to achieving targets. I have also implemented a number of strategies that could be successfully used in this position."

Make Sure you have Addressed the Interviewers Concerns
You want to be sure that all the issues have been dealt with. Try an approach such as,"As you can see, I believe I have the qualities you are looking for in this position. What additional information or examples could I provide that can help you make a decision?”

Ask if there is anything else you should provide to support your application, such as references, work samples etc. Make time to deliver these personally if required.

Express your Enthusiasm for the Position
End your job interview on an enthusiastic but not aggressive note. Emphasize your interest in the position and company but avoid sounding desperate or over the top. State how exciting and challenging the position sounds. You can use your background research and the information you collected during the interview to prepare a few flattering comments about the company.

Find Out the Next Step in the Hiring Process
Unless it has clearly stated this, you need to know exactly what happens next in the hiring process - a second interview, assessments, etc. Try to establish the time frame for a hiring decision to be made and who you should get in touch with to follow up the status of your application. Should you phone or email?. Our job interview advice is to approach it like this,"I would like to know what the next step is and when you will be making a final decision so that I can follow up."

Clarifying this information not only lets you know what is happening but also shows the interviewer that you are professional and organized.

Thank the Interviewer

Thank the interviewer graciously and sincerely for the time spent with you. Give a firm handshake and make confident eye contact when doing this.

The best advice is to practice your closing. Rehearsing your closing statements will help you leave the impression of a confident, organized candidate.

It's your turn!

During the interview process, the interviewee may usually be the one who dominates the conversation, but overall, interview is a process of interaction. While the recruiters are trying to determine whether you are the best fit for the job, it is also your chance to assess if it is the job that you are looking for. Ask recruiters sophisticated and well thought-out questions are essential and necessary to succeed in an interview. It is an opportunity to stand out among all the candidates and leave a positive impression to the recruiters that you are passionate about the job and you know the organization. Prepare a list of questions, so you know what to do when the recruiter asks “Do you have any questions?”

In the article The Best Questions to Ask in the Interview, Kate Lorenz lists some questions Wyman Companies suggests interviewees to ask. Below is an excerpt of those questions.

• What do you see ahead for your company in the next five years?
• How do you see the future for this industry?
• What do you consider to be your firm's most important assets?
• What can you tell me about your new product or plans for growth?

AskUCSO - There’s Nothing Here For Me: The Low-Down on Off-Campus Job Hunts

by Margaret Li, UCSO Help Desk Assistant

There comes a point when you realize that there’s really nothing interesting going on in the Career Center. Once exciting job postings are now boring. Landing an interview on campus is okay. Your job hunt became an endless monotonous search for something to do with the rest of your life. Students often assume they are limited to just the companies that recruit on campus, but that is simply not the case! Thousands of companies in the United States do not hire at Indiana University. You can easily contact or send your resume to any of them. Off-campus job hunts are harder than staying on campus, but if it means working at a more exciting company in your ideal location, why not do it?

The first step to your off-campus job hunt is conducting research. . . lots of it, and early on. Stay organized by compiling a list in Excel of companies you are interested in, their contact information (emails and phone numbers) and any application deadlines. Reach out to alumni to learn more about the industry and any potential contacts they have. This gives you a better sense of what specific positions or functions you want to pursue. Depending on the competitiveness of the industry you are hunting in, you should have an appropriate amount of companies. More competitive industries like advertising are much harder to break into, so you may want around 30-40 companies on your list.

The second step is even more research. Visit company websites and really read into it. What is the corporate culture like? What kind of people work there? What does the company value? Keep track of these things for when you start sending resumes and cover letters – you can tailor and customize them to each company. Remember, you don’t want to look like a generic candidate. Companies hire people who “fit” the organization so give them a reason to hire you.

Now that you’ve compiled all this information, it is time to create your attack plan. Because you are doing all of this on your own and not relying on the Career Center, you need to plan out when you are going to contact all of your companies. Make a schedule of tasks you must complete each day – call Company X, email Company Y, etc. Check each task as off as you complete them and keep track of the results of your efforts – Company A responded to email, Company B scheduled an interview, etc.

The last and final step is to follow through. Classwork and extracurriculars can get in the way sometimes, so make sure you stay on track. When you start getting interviews with companies, make sure you ace them and prove to them why you are the best fit. Cheers to future job offers!

Tips for Following Up With a Recruiter

You may have recently attended the spring career fair, a company presentation or just finished an interview. How do you follow up with a company representative after meeting him/her? After any of these types of events, sending a note to thank the recruiter for the time spent on campus and to say that you enjoyed meeting him/her is a great way to follow up. Keep the correspondence short and mention a point or two from your conversation to help jog the recruiter’s memory.

A recurring theme in questions students have about networking is how to follow-up to stay in contact and how to build that professional relationship over the long term. This is where this topic is more of an art rather than a science. It’s hard to provide a recipe of exactly when you should send a note, how often and what you should say, because it all depends on context and the situation. However, below are some guidelines to help.

• Follow-up accordingly based on what you learned about next steps. For example, if a company said that they would get back to you about their hiring decisions in 3 weeks, 4 weeks have passed, and you have not heard back, it is perfectly acceptable to send the recruiter a follow-up note to reiterate your interest and check in to see where they are in their process.
• Practice giving without taking. Another example: you talked to Suzy Q. recruiter from Chicago, developed a good rapport, and you learned about her love for Cuban food during the course of your conversation. Three months later, you happen to read an article about a new Cuban restaurant that is opening in Chicago. By all means send the article to her with a “Saw this and thought you might be interested” note. You don’t have to ask any questions or request additional information about the company or position. Convey sincerity and practice giving with no strings attached.
• Have a reason for your follow-up. Don’t just send a note to send a note because you want to get your name out in front of the recruiter one more time before they turn in their interview preference list. If you have an actual question, to which you can’t find the answer through the UCSO, the company website, or anywhere else, go ahead and send the recruiter a note. The key is to be genuine.
• Start a networking log or database. After you have met with an alumnus or recruiter, jot down any information you learned about the individual and company. This will be very helpful for any future interview opportunities and correspondence, both personal and professional.
• Come see a UCSO coach. Building relationships takes time so the earlier you can start the better. Going through the recruiting process for an internship or full-time job is stressful and can sometimes be tricky. If you ever encounter a situation you’re unsure of, don’t hesitate to make an appointment to see a career coach. We are here to help!

AskUCSO - Sophomores, Our Time has Come!

by Chandlar Smith, UCSO Help Desk Assistant

If you’re like me, you left the fall career fair feeling discouraged and inexperienced. You spent first semester dropping your resume on the CSJ every week and finding the ever pleasant “You did not meet the employer's Grad Date requirements for the position” message in your inbox two days later. Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Here are some of things sophomores should watch for this spring to have a leg up in next fall’s recruiting or even land a great internship this summer.

Spring Job Shadow Programs

Companies in all areas of business are inviting sophomores to see what it’s like in the ‘real’ world. These spring break programs take place on-site and allow sophomores to see first hand what’s in store after graduation. Spring break job shadowing is a great way to evaluate your major decision without the commitment of a 10-week internship. Plus, being in the office for a week will allow you to network with TONS of employees and think of how impressed they’ll be that you chose to dress up and visit them instead of lay on the beach.

Sophomore Exposure Days
Want to learn about great companies without leaving Kelley? Sophomore exposure days allow sophomores to learn about companies and network with recruiters with no travel. Companies who host exposure days really want to get to know you’ll want to interview with them in the fall. Get to know some great companies while they’re here!

Leadership Conferences
For those of you interested in accounting, many firms host weekend or full week sophomore leadership conferences. These conferences allow you to get to know different firms while gaining valuable professionalism skills. Plus, many firms end up offering junior internships to students who attend their conferences.

Networking...It’s Never Too Early
Whether you’re hungry for free food, want to watch the IU game, or just want chill with recruiters, this spring’s networking events are for you! Companies are planning all sorts of fun events allowing you to learn about them in an informal setting. You can never give a recruiter your resume too many times, so if you know who you want to intern with as a junior you should start attending their events now! You’ll learn valuable information you can bring up at career fairs and interviews in the fall!

Internships...It’s Not Too Late
Last but not least, it’s not too late to get a rockin internship for this summer! Several great companies are coming back to campus this spring and they’re more inclined to consider sophomores. Some companies have even changed their internship qualifications to include sophomores. If you’re passionate about a summer internship stop by the UCSO to learn about the bidding process and meet with a career coach.

I know classes are overwhelming but next fall will be here before you know it. Get a head start on networking now and help recruiters get excited about hiring the class of 2014!