Tag Archives: Job interview

How to Handle Being Late to an Interview

Not everything always goes as planned. When it comes to interviews everyone always puts the emphasis on how you need to be on time and the importance of showing up in the right outfit with the right attitude. Unfortunately, life happens. Whether it’s that you wake up sick or your car doesn’t start, things come up that could hinder getting to or even showing up to your interview. Like I have mentioned before, these blogs are here to help interns everywhere succeed throughout their professional career. While I would always want everything to go perfectly, that is just not how it happens.

Relax

The first thing you need to remember is that you aren’t the first person to have to miss an interview or show up late. Just relax and know that most of the time the people you are interviewing with will be flexible as long as you are …

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How to Succeed in a Phone Interview

Last week I gave the best advice I had for an in-person interview. If you missed it or need a refresher you can read it here. While I know that not everyone will have to experience a phone interview, they are becoming more popular and I want to make sure that if you have one, you’re as prepared as possible.

Preparation

Just because you aren’t going into an office doesn’t mean that you can just go into it without any preparation. Like any interview, you should be researching the company and starting to get familiar with what the company does, who works for the company, and who is going to be interviewing you. Knowing some of these key elements and mentioning them in your interview could really set you apart from other candidates. You can even use being in a remote location to your advantage and keep a page of …

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How to Succeed in an In-Person Interview

When starting off your professional career, interviews are going to become a lot more common than you would hope for. Preparing for an interview and knowing how to set yourself up for success isn’t as easy as everyone makes it out to be. Here are some steps to take when preparing for an interview. 

A few days before 

Interview preparation should start as soon as possible. You should start with researching the company. This is a great way to get ideas about what the company is doing and where they are headed. Bringing up some key elements during the interview will really help set you apart from other candidates. Start with the company’s website. Learn about the goals, missions, and future plans for the company, which will help you get an idea of what you could be getting involved in. Now is also a good time to prepare for how …

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How to Ace a Phone Interview

As I searched for a job after I graduated college, I was navigating a new kind of hiring process. In my previous experiences, I would receive a request for a face-to-face interview, and they either hired me or they didn’t. I became used to excelling in those types of interviews, and thought my job search would be easy. It wasn’t. For the first time in my life, employers were requesting a phone interview instead of in-person. This meant all my face-to-face skills were worthless, as my interviewer couldn’t see my body language or facial expressions. A phone interview is structured differently from an in-person interview. So here’s what you need to know to ace one.

Set up the ideal environment.

If you’ve never had a phone interview, it’s exactly what it sounds like. You schedule a specific time for a phone call, and the interviewer asks you questions over the …

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Top 5 Interview Horrors

It’s that time of year again. Leaves are starting to fall and there’s a cold bite in the morning air. The sunny days are dwindling as our nights get longer and darker. While your friends are looking for a costume of Harley Quinn and that girl from Stranger Things (where’s my Eggo?), you are spending Halloween alone at home preparing for a job interview. What a terrifying sight! But don’t you fear, we’ve mapped out the top five interview horrors to avoid and come out of the interview alive (and employed)!

1. Surely you thought making a pit stop at McDonalds before your interview was a great idea, but now your pressed shirt is covered in ketchup. Or is that blood?

2. You got lost in the company building and can’t find where you’re supposed to go. The email said room 666 in Building B, but you’re only seeing rooms …

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Interview Preparedness Guide

An interview can cause stress and panic. You may spend hours on Google searching for what to wear, what to ask during the interview or what to do after the interview. Here’s a guide to help you prepare for an interview and reduce your stress level.

By preparing your interview outfit in advance, you can help ease the morning stress of worrying about what you’re going to wear. Also, this gives you the opportunity to iron, hem, sew on buttons or lint roll your outfit. What you’re wearing to the interview should correlate with the organization you’re interviewing at. A corporate law firm is going to have a very professional dress code and you should wear a neat suit. However, for a more relaxed organization you may consider losing the tie. If you’re unsure about what the company dress code is, do some research on its web site …

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Thank you very much!

The importance of a simple thank you – it may seem nominal, but the more I read about job interview follow ups, the more I understand why it is essential.

There are a lot of people that take time out of their schedules for interviewing purposes: the person that has to filter through the resumes, the person that conducts the phone interviews and the people that conduct the actual interview, and don’t forget the individual that you may have networked with to learn of the open position. The least we can do is say thanks.

Thanking the interview team

The general rule of thumb is to send a thank you note within 24 hours after your interview. The thank you note could be a simple thank you, but it could also be used to reiterate your interest in the company and position, remind the interviewer who you are or mention …

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Who are you? Who? Who? Who? Who?

Stop and think for a moment.  When a potential employer is browsing your resume, what impression are they forming about you? What about in person, in the interview?

We all know first impressions mean a lot and developing your personal brand can help achieve a good, and hopefully lasting, impression. According to Forbes, “Your personal brand is all about who you are and what you want to be known for.” Personal branding is an ongoing process of forming an image about you.

Let’s discover how to develop your brand so that you can be assured what you have to offer shines.

Define who you are and who you want to be.

You know yourself and where you want to end up in life better than anyone. Remember those things during an interview and when you are networking. Let yourself and your passions shine!

What makes you unique?

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Quiet but Mighty, Part II

Modesty and Marketability: Can they co-exist?

This is Part II in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

Ever find yourself thinking: “I want a good job, but how can I showcase my abilities when I’m not comfortable tooting my own horn?”

You’re not alone. Modesty is a hallmark characteristic of the introvert population and one that is much-admired; however, it is often considered counterproductive in the competitive job market.

One piece of career advice that I struggle with is “selling yourself.” This concept tends to invoke fear in those of us who try to avoid the spotlight.

The simple truth is people don’t like solicitors. Solicitors sensationalize and feign enthusiasm in order to sell a product for the sole purpose of advancing their own self interests. People do, however, like teammates – those …

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Quiet but Mighty, Part I

NetWORK: ‘doing’ rather than ‘talking’

This is Part I in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.

May I be frank? I hate the word “networking.”

Especially as an introvert, and especially as someone who is easily frustrated by the formalities of corporate America. Not to mention, I’m flat-out bad at what most people consider “networking.”

There are a lot of great tips from career counselors you should employ. But have you ever noticed that career advice is often geared toward the extroverted population – networking advice in particular? So, this post (and this entire series) is designed to serve as an alternative voice for those quiet, task-oriented worker bees thirsting for customized and workable career-building ideas. As we go through the week, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Look Beyond Résumé to Predict Hiring Success

This article is from the Indiana Business Journal titled, “Look Beyond RĂ©sumĂ© to Predict Hiring Success” by Jenny Vance, President of LeadJen.

Here is some insight into the mind of an employer. It is important to remember that although your rĂ©sumĂ© may not have a lot of relevant experience to a job you are applying for, companies still look for transferable skills and qualities. Don’t get discouraged when applying for jobs or internships because your background doesn’t necessarily reflect the description. Instead, try to highlight other qualifications that might show the company why you would make a great fit. See Indiana INTERNnet’s blog where other Indiana employers provide intern tidbits: Take it from the internship supervisors.

I hate resumes. Okay, “hate” may be a little strong, but I do think resumes are overrated. They tend to put prospective hires into a box and possibly limit companies from hiring outstanding employees. …

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Reconnecting With Your Internship Network

This guest post is from Jennifer Weinmann, Student Employment Consultant at IUPUI.

In recent weeks, I have been helping my sister (who will soon be graduating) implement strategies for her upcoming job search.  In my recent conversations with her, networking has come up time and again.  As many of us are aware, networking today most often consists of LinkedIn and other electronic sources of reaching out to individuals.  Striking up a conversation with an old contact sometimes seems hard to do in an online environment.

 That is the question I wanted to help answer:

How do I reach out to my internship network for help with my job search?

In my sister’s final years of her undergraduate degree, she completed two internships and two immersive learning projects.  All of which have left her with a great deal of knowledge and an excellent group of contacts in her LinkedIn profile.  …

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Got a Minute? Reflect on your Internship!

As you wrap-up your internship, you may find that you have a few treasured weeks of summer left. What are going to do during this time? Maybe you’ll vacation, eat pizza, catch up on the latest blockbusters, relax, or prepare your dorm room or apartment. While these are all great ideas, if you do have a few spare minutes, you should consider utilizing the time to work on documenting your professional experiences.

Here at the Freddie Factor, I’m hoping for an upcoming school year packed with interviews for full-time employment. During those interviews, recruiters and other interviewers will want to hear about your internship, personal, and academic accomplishments. They also want to see and hear that you’ve prepared for the interview by researching the company, the position, and tailoring your answers accordingly.

Now is the time to update your resume—demonstrating what you did during your internships and results that …

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The Interview

This past weekend, I went to the theaters and saw the big blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon. One part that got me thinking (not a major spoiler alert) was when Sam, a character from the movie, had to interview for jobs. He graduated from college and has no job, and his dad makes fun of him while chauffeuring him to job interviews all around the city. Each boss asks Sam different questions, and he answers them in a way that is opposite what the employer is looking for. It got me thinking about my interview experiences and what I have learned thus far. So, I thought I would share with you some advice I have about interviewing for a job or internship.

Interviews occur for employers to evaluate potential employees for prospective employment. Each company may have a slightly different way of conducting interviews. The basics of each …

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What is Branding, and Why Do I Need It?

Branding, branding, branding. It’s a popular buzzword in the college, internship, and job worlds, but what exactly is it?

Yes, branding can refer to “It’s so easy a caveman can do it”— thank you, GEICO. The branding to which I am referring is personal branding. This type of branding has many different definitions, but simply put, it is the personal identity you wish to convey to schools and employers. Your “brand” can involve many aspects of your life—from your appearance, your knowledge, and your resume, to your online presence with Facebook and LinkedIn. All of these elements are visible to potential schools or employers, and knowing how to create and manage your personal brand is important to future success.

So, how do you create a brand and manage it? In creating a brand, you first need to identify your goals. If you are trying to snag a specific job, …

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