Boston Career Counselor Blog

While it’s obviously important to have good qualifications, good interview clothes and appearance, there are certain other things that make a job interview answer shine.  Listen carefully to the interview question and then focus on the following aspects.

1. Clarity.  Make sure to answer the question that’s actually being asked and to be very clear what your answer is.  The simplest way to do this is to restate the question in your answer.  So if the interviewer asks what your greatest strength is, you could simply start your answer with, “My greatest strength is…”  That way the interviewer will already be focused on what you want them to remember before you get too far into your answer.

2. Proof.  Once you’ve clearly stated the overall answer, it’s time to offer “proof.”  The best way to do this in a job interview is to tell a well thought out anecdotal story which demonstrates your answer.  If you’re saying that you’re a proactive problem solver, for instance, you might explain how you reorganized the patient filing system at a doctor’s office to reduce client waiting time (as charts were located more quickly).  That way you’re not just saying you’re a proactive problem solver, you’re telling a specific story which gives the interviewer a reason to believe you and stories are memorable.

3. Confidence and Enthusiasm.  While the content of your answer at a job interview certainly matters, it’s just as critical to give an impression of confidence in your abilities and enthusiasm for the job and company you’re interviewing for.  I know that most people are nervous at a job interview; so feel free to “fake it until you make it”!

4. End Your Answer.  There’s nothing worse than listening to someone talk, pause, talk, pause and never know when they’re finished.  It’s uncomfortable for the listener and it does not project an air of confidence on the part of the interviewee.  If you find yourself getting mired in details and realize you’ve been talking for longer than necessary, try to go back to the the original question you were answering.  Then you can restate the question as a way to signal to the interviewer that you’re finished answering.  For example, if the question was, “Why should I hire you?” you can end your answer by saying, “And it’s because of my proven ability to develop long term client relationships that you should hire me.”

5. Preparation.  Of course, your interview answer will be most effective if you’ve thought about it before hand.  This is NOT to say that you should memorize answers to specific interview questions.  That will likely just make you sound rehearsed and, worse, what happens if they ask a question you didn’t prepare for?  Instead, I recommend preparing a series of interview anecdotes or stories which you can use on the spot to demonstrate various strengths and qualifications that make you a great (enthusiastic and confident) candidate for the job at hand.  Good luck!

Changing careers can be a huge commitment in terms of time, money, risk and effort which makes it well worth it to do as much research as possible before taking the plunge.  The more thought and preparation you put in ahead of time, the more likely you are to end up a happy situation where you enjoy your job, make the salary you need and otherwise create the work/life that you want.  But what are the best ways to find out about a new career without actually jumping in and getting a new job?  Here are some places to start.

1. Online Career Sites and Books.  The easiest place to start is by reading online information about various careers.  Websites like Wetfeet.com which gives overall career and industry descriptions and Onet.org which is a government sponsored site which can help you browse related careers can be good jumping off points.  You might also simply use a search engine to find information on your prospective career.  If you’re someone who likes to read offline, there are also many books written on different careers as well.  But don’t stop there as this is really only the tip of the career iceberg!

2. Industry Groups and Events.  There are a myriad of professional organizations out there, many of which have local chapters, and they often have good information on their websites.  Even better, however, is that these industry groups often run networking events, happy hours or speakers which besides being informational on the surface are likely to be filled with people who have experience working in the career you’re considering.  People will be your greatest career research resource which brings me to the next point.

3. Informational Interviews.  As your greatest source of information about a new career will be the experience of people who’ve worked in that career, the venue for obtaining that information is the informational interview.  Find people at a networking event or on linkedin and invite them for a cup of coffee to pick their brain.

4. Talk to More People.  Since people are your greatest career resource, once you’ve done a couple of informational interviews, do a couple more!  While one person may hate certain aspects of their career, others may love the same parts.  The more perspective you can get, the better!

5. Volunteer, Job Shadow.  If you have the time and want even more information, you might try your hand at the career in question.  In some cases, you may be able to volunteer to get a taste of what the job is like.  Or you could ask your informational interview contacts to see if someone is willing to let you job shadow them for the day.

While a thoughtfully written thank you note is not enough to get you the job without solid qualifications, it helps to leave a positive impression in the mind of your interviewers.  And in a competitive job market, every little bit helps!  To make the most of your thank you notes after a job interview, remember the following.

1. Traditional Paper versus Email Thank You Notes.  The jury is still out on this one.  On the one hand, some hiring managers may enjoy the traditional thoughtfulness of a paper card, but I’ve heard that the promptness of emails is a definite advantage.  I’d conclude that either way you go, as long as you send a thank you note in some form you’re doing well.  Furthermore, consider the industry you’re in.  If you’re interviewing for a start up, perhaps email thank you notes make more sense!

2. Send Thank You Notes Promptly.  Whichever method you choose, send your thank you note the same day as your job interview, or at least by the end of the following day.  Don’t leave your interviewers hanging for longer than necessary.

3. Write a Separate Thank You Note for Each Interviewer.  It’s not uncommon these days for companies to have multiple people interview a candidate, especially a senior candidate.  This may include HR, your future boss, coworkers and others.  Ideally, you should make an effort to get each person’s individual contact information so that you can send separate (and different!) thank you notes to each one.

4. Refer Back to an Interview Topic or Use the Thank You Note to Clarify Something.  Besides saying thank you, reconnect with the interviewer by commenting on something you talked about.  It shows you care and that you were paying attention (and that you’re able to make an intelligent comment).  You might restate one reason you’re a great candidate for the job.  Also, just in case you felt like you gave a sub-par interview answer, the thank you note gives you a chance to (briefly) clarify what you wished you’d said.

5. Reiterate your Enthusiasm for the Job.  Employers want to hire people who are genuinely excited about their job and company.  Take the opportunity the thank you note gives you to continue to show how excited you are.

We’ve all been there, during a job search, when writing a paper, or just generally trying to get work done at home or in the office.  You know you have to get things done, but you just don’t feel like it.  From the outside, this may sound like a trivial problem.  Many people would say, “Too bad. Deal with it!” and this isn’t entirely wrong advice, but it’s not always easy to make ourselves act just because we know it’s good for us and necessary.  So, especially if you find yourself in an extended job search, here are some things to keep in mind to stay motivated and combat the internal, “I don’t wanna!”

1. Take a Break.  Sometimes taking an hour, a day, or even a week off can do wonders to get you moving forward again.  While taking too much time off can result in missing job opportunities, taking a little time to recharge can be just the thing.  Give yourself permission to chill out for a while, but set a time when you will get back to work!

2. Settle into an Effective Routine.  Can you commit to perusing job postings while you drink your morning coffee?  What if you know you aren’t done for the day until you’ve reached out to three people to set up informational interviews?  If you have routines and goals for each day and you force yourself to stick to them, sometimes that’s enough to convince yourself to just do it.

3. Remember the Goal.  The more effort you put in now, the sooner you’ll have the job you want and you won’t have to search anymore.  Keep the finish line in your sights as much as possible.

4. Find Support.  Join a supportive networking group like this one!  There you will find motivation, support, commiseration, new ideas and empathy.  Or find a job buddy.  You can help each other and be accountable to each other.

5. Change Something.  Perhaps your dwindling motivation comes from feeling like nothing you’re doing in your job search is helping you make progress.  In that case, try something new!  Ask a fellow job searcher or career counselor for advice, contact an old co-worker to reconnect, attend a new networking event, join and participate in linkedin groups.  Change your tactic, change the results and see your progress.

As a career counselor in Boston, I often give clients or groups advice on how to target their resume, tailor their cover letter or customize their elevator speech.  The question that almost inevitably comes up in each situation is, “But what if you’re applying for any job you can get?  How do you present yourself if you can’t be targeted?”

Since this seems to be a fairly common issue, let me lend some perspective.  My first and best answer is:

1. Don’t do that!  I know that many people are in a situation where they just need a source of income pronto and I respect that, but you’ll likely be more satisfied if you give your career choice some thought.  I realize that this is much easier said than done, but if it’s at all possible in your situation, it’s well worth the effort.  More than that, however, is that it’s difficult to run a targeted networking campaign, target good companies to work for, and target your own personal “hire me” sales pitch if you’re applying for just anything.

2. Be specific within your generality.  When giving your elevator speech to let people know what you’re looking for, at least try to give some specific examples.  It’s much easier for someone to help you if you’re looking for a job in “HR, marketing or advertising,” than “business.”  Also, regardless of how wide a range of jobs you’re applying for, tailor your resume and cover letter for each one!

3. Don’t spam companies with job applications.  Even if you’re applying for just about anything, that doesn’t mean you should literally do that.  There are jobs you’re in no way qualified for (no matter how awesome you are!).  There are other jobs you probably wouldn’t take even if they were offered.  Also keep in mind that large companies with online job application systems will know if you’ve applied for everything from administrative assistant to CEO and are less likely to take you seriously if you spam them!

4. Be enthusiastic (and knowledgeable) about each and every job.  Your cover letters and resume summaries should always reflect your sincere (or as sincere as possible) interest in and targeted presentation for every job.  There’s no point in applying for a teaching job with a cover letter that talks mostly about your skill with computer programming.  Even more importantly, in an interview, make sure you research and know what the job is you’re interviewing for and that you are enthusiastic about the one job specifically.

5. Stay positive, or at least act positive.  Similar to number four, hiring managers don’t want to hire someone just because they need a job.  They want to hire someone who’s going to be a positive, enthusiastic employee who’s knows what the job is and is excited to work for them (hopefully for the long term).  It’s perfectly understandable to be discouraged in your job search as it can be difficult and frustrating, but do your best to put on a positive face for the interview and other interactions.

The key to answering this question, either in an interview or a cover letter, is to give a concrete, non-generic answer that shows you know something about the company you say you’d like to work for!  The goal is to show that you’re not just applying for any job you might get.  After doing a little research on the company website, or talking to friends who work there, here are a few of the better reasons.

1. Company Culture.  Do you love the entrepreneurial culture of a startup environment?  Or does the fact that the company allows employees to volunteer for one day every month for a local charity really excite you?  The company culture is often something that makes a particular job appealing.  On the other hand, saying that you think they have a “good company culture” is not a good reason as it’s too generic and shows a lack of thought and knowledge.

2. Passion for the Cause or Business.  Are you passionate about the company’s dedication to green energy?  Can you think of nothing better than working for a company whose mission it is to help families get their finances in order?  The organization’s raison d’être is often a great reason to work there!

3. The Job is Perfect for You.  Was the job posting basically a description of your ideal job, down to the last job requirement?  Does the job combine two roles in exactly the right proportion?  The only caution on elaborating on how perfect the job is for you is if the job is exactly the same as the other 20 you applied to.  In that case, you risk coming across as insincere.

4. Your Friend who Works There Loves it.  If you know someone who works at the company and loves it there, this is a fantastic reason to give.  Not only does your friend give you special insight, but bringing up your inside contact reminds the hiring manager that you were referred!

5. Be Specific, But Sincere.  The key to giving a good answer to, “Why do you want to work here?” is to give a reason that shows you know something about the company in question and are not just applying to any job you might get, but also being sincere in your answer.  If you could care less about the company’s research into the frog’s genetic code, don’t use that as a reason!  Also, keep in mind that “Why should I hire you?” is an entirely different question, one which should lead you to explain what you can do for the company and not the other way around.  But that’s a question for another blog post!

The answer to this resume question, plain and simple, is: to get you an interview.  Hiring managers may go back to your resume after having interviewed you to double check your qualifications, but for the most part, the goal of a resume is to get enough attention and interest to be invited for an interview.

So how do you do that?  As a career counselor, here are the five things that help your resume achieve its goal: an interview!

1. A resume should show that you can solve the company’s problems and meet their needs.  The reason you have probably heard over and over again that you need to target your resume for each individual job you apply for is because a resume will get a hiring manager’s attention if it shows exactly how you’re the answer to their problems.  In particular, you can do this by writing a personalized and powerful Summary section that specifically calls out how your background and qualifications meet the needs of the job and company in question.

2. A resume should ideally show you’re a fast learner and will require minimum training to get up to speed on the job.  If it will take you six months to be able to do your new job well, that’s six additional months that the company’s needs aren’t filled while they are still in fact paying you.  Try to show on your resume, through your past accomplishments, that you can pick up new skills quickly and that you already have lots of experience doing what the new job would need you to do.

3. A resume should show you’re effective.  This may seem obvious, but a hiring manager wants to know not only that you have done certain things, but that you’ve done them well or better than most!  The way you demonstrate this on a resume is by quantifying your accomplishments whenever possible and by focusing on not only the tasks but how the tasks benefited the company.

4. A resume should show that you proactively work to improve things.  There are a number of people who can perform certain tasks, but a smaller number who can improve the system so that those tasks are more effective or take less time.  Attract a hiring manager’s attention by focusing on places where you’ve taken the initiative and made things better.

5. A resume should show you’re a good writer, and yes, that you have good attention to detail.  This comes up more often than not in the negative form.  If a hiring manager finds that you have misspellings or grammatical mistakes on your resume, or that the wording is awkward, you may be eliminated as a good interview or job candidate.  And if you’re applying for a job that actively requires writing, remember that your resume and cover letter are real examples of your work!  Of course, it’s important to prove you have good attention to detail with your resume, but that does not mean you have to list “attention to detail” on your resume.  In my opinion, listing fluffy skills like this is far inferior to proving them through your writing and experience.

Have you ever gotten one of those oddball interview questions that seems to come out of nowhere?  One of those questions you didn’t prepare for and are not sure how to deal with?  You might be asked: If you had a super power, what super power would you have?  What kind of animal would you be and why?  Or maybe: Why are pothole covers round?

Most of these questions, even including the last one, don’t have a clear answer and seem to be pretty far out in left field.  And WHAT do they have to do with you getting the job of marketing manager, teacher, financial analyst or sales person?

Here’s what these strange interview questions are really asking and how to handle them.

1. Stay cool; don’t let it shake you.  One reason job interviewers sometimes ask these types of questions is to see how you handle yourself under pressure or in unexpected situations.  Your best reaction to this is to keep your cool and give an answer.

2. Ask for a moment’s pause.  Once you’ve taken the interview question in stride without panicking, it’s reasonable to ask for a moment to think by saying something along the lines of, “That’s an interesting question.  Let me think of a good answer.”

3. There’s no right or wrong answer to this interview question.  Don’t worry about knowing you chose the absolute right answer; just pick something and explain yourself.  Even if you realize later that if you could be any animal you’d be a cheetah, the fact that you chose kangaroo isn’t likely to hurt your chance of getting the job as long as you gave a good reason for your answer.

4. Think out loud.  It depends on the question, but if you’re explaining, for example, how you might figure out how many people it would take to fill a football field holding hands, it’s unlikely the correct figure is the interviewer’s goal (unless you’re a stadium architect or something?).  What’s more important is that you show your logical thought process as you work on the problem.

5. Be enthusiastic and have fun!  Ultimately, part of what an interviewer looks for in a job candidate is someone who’s going to be a good cultural fit at their company.  So be excited and have fun with these odd questions.  Show them you’re not afraid to solve a novel problem and that you don’t have to take your job too seriously.

The most important thing about networking for job search is to get out there, attend events and meet new people.  Once you’ve done that, however, you can take your networking to an all new level by being willing and actively seeking to be the one who takes the first step.  Taking the initiative gives you more control over the outcome and is the best way to make things happen.

If you meet someone new and both agree that, “We should get together sometime and chat,” but no one says, “How about next Wednesday?” it’s likely you’ll never see them again.  Kick up your networking this holiday season by taking the first steps!

1. Have fun at holiday parties, but bring business cards!  Getting out of the house and having some fun during the holidays can be very therapeutic for job seekers, but it can also be a good networking opportunity.  It’s important not to harangue people about work-related topics while they’re enjoying their egg nog, but if the topic of jobs comes up and you make a good connection with someone, take the first step and exchange contact information.  Then you can follow up after the party is over.

2. Ask your friends for help.  After the holiday party is over, if you met someone who might be a good contact for you, don’t be afraid to take the first step and ask the host for their email or phone number.  It’s the season of helpful giving after all!

3. Invite that contact to coffee.  Is there someone you’ve been meaning to get to know better?  Take the initiative and ask them today to meet over coffee.  Someone has to be the one who asks; why not you?

4. Take help when it’s offered.  If you’re at a holiday party and someone says, “Why don’t you send me your resume?” in passing, take advantage of this!  Often times we hear someone offer to help, but don’t want to be a burden.  But if someone offers to help you out, show your appreciation and take them up on that offer!

5. Follow up.  If you haven’t heard back from someone regarding a request for an informational interview, a job application or networking opportunity, take the next step by following up with them.  Especially during the holiday season, the people you are waiting to hear from may not be ignoring you; they may just be busy.  You don’t want to drive the person crazy by calling them daily or anything, but being proactive and following up is how you make good things happen!

I can’t tell you how many times as a career counselor I’ve had new clients contact me and admit apologetically that they’re considering changing careers.  Why apologetically?  Because they’re embarrassed to admit that they want something else when what they have is NOT horrible.  Often these same clients have high paying stable careers that they don’t hate.  They’re basically stuck in a gilded cage.  It’s not really where they want to be, but it’s not so bad and shouldn’t they consider themselves lucky?

But there’s no reason to settle for a luke warm relationship with your career!  I’m not saying you should quit tomorrow, but I find it brave that clients are willing to take the initiative and seek out something better, for themselves and, because they’re be happier and more satisfied, for the people around them.  There are all sorts of legitimate reasons to consider a career change!

1. Boredom.  One of the more common reasons people seek to change careers, in my own anecdotal experience, is because they’re bored and/or they’re not being challenged in their current job.  Sometimes it’s the case that their job used to be challenging and now it’s not, or sometimes it was never satisfying.  Whatever the reason, it’s up to you to brainstorm and research the options and make the situation better (with your friendly career counselor’s help of course!).

2. No Promotion Potential.  Some careers have a limit to how far you can go without getting further education.  Others just don’t have a lot of opportunity for advancement in general.  Feeling stuck is a major reason some clients decide to change careers, or, in some cases, simply change jobs.

3. Pursuit of a Dream, New or Old.  Some people had a dream as a kid, a passion in their 20′s, or merely a “crazy” idea they thought of last year.  Whether your dream has existed for years or is a more recent preoccupation, it’s never too late to make it happen!

4. Outside Factors.  It’s not uncommon for some kind of external factor to jostle a person out of their status quo and make them consider that there might be a better career out there for them.  This might be a new boss whose personality is totally incompatible with yours (that’s the nice way to put it!) or perhaps the company is downsizing.  I’d had clients tell me that being laid off was one of the best things to happen to them in the long run.  This is, of course, not to trivialize the plight of those who’ve been laid off.

5. Can’t Put Your Finger On It.  Of course, it’s entirely possible you can’t quite put your finger on why you want to change careers, but you just know your current career isn’t satisfying.  Doing some self-analysis and thinking about what intrigues and challenges you can go a long way toward helping you change careers, change jobs, or just shift a little within your present career.

In any case, as long as you’re responsible about it and do your homework before jumping off, you shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting a more satisfying career.  Whatever the reason is, don’t settle; take the initiative today and don’t have any regrets tomorrow.