Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Straight From the Horse’s Mouth


Important interview pending? Here's some advice straight from the horse's recruiter's mouth. UC Berkley's Career Center took a survey of recruiters that frequent their school to get an answer to the $64 question:

"What are you looking for?"

Their responses overwhelmingly pointed out the importance of research, communication skills and a positive, professional demeanor.

Here's a few of their takeaways:

"...Does the person look at me when I am talking? We look for complete
sentences, not 'yes' (or worse, 'yeah') or "no.'"

"...Stay away from standard responses like 'I'm a team player.' If you are
a team player, tell the employer specific examples of your team work.

"...Someone who continually asks about pay and about what is in it for
him/her just shows me what type of employee they will be down the road - needy,
selfish, and not too loyal."

"If you are really interested in a company find out who they consider their
competitors, read the latest news releases, etc. Write down your questions -
this shows that you took the time to prepare and in case you get nervous you'll
have them as a reference."

"Candidates who can express themselves with confidence and make good eye
contact stand out from the rest."

Ok, I understand this isn't rocket science. But it seems that interviewees continue to make the same mistakes time and again.

Don't leave the interview results to chance. Be prepared and practice, practice, practice.

Dennis Smith
T-Mobile Recruiting

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