Rouse's Recruiting Roundtable

Picture yourself in this scenario:

You just got back to your computer and are anxiously trying to get into your e-mail to see if you've received feedback yet from the company you interviewed with last week.  As soon as you login the company's e-mail address instantly jumps out at you and you cannot click on the message fast enough to see what it says.  You begin reading the words, "We enjoyed meeting with you and learning about your career path...."  You then read a little further and you see, "...but at this time we have decided to pursue other avenues."  You're not just devastated, you are mad.  You can't understand why they didn't pick you.  This is natural...we all want to understand why weren't picked for something we were so excited about.  However, it is important that you not let the situation get you so down that you lose your confidence. Instead use this as a learning opportunity.   Below, I have outlined for you some of the Do's and Don'ts of how to respond after receiving a rejection letter or phone call. 

• DON'T instantly pick up the phone and call the hiring manager to demand an explanation for not being selected for the job opening.
   
• DON'T call all of your friends and tell them what a bad company XYZ company is because they didn't hire you for your dream job.
   
• DON'T try to replay the entire interview back in your head and analyze every answer you provided.
   
• DO ask politely for further feedback on your interview.  Even if the company decided not to fill the position they may still be able to provide you with valuable feedback that you can transfer to future interviews as you continue your Indianapolis job search.
   
• DO ask where other candidates more closely hit the mark and you maybe fell a little short.  Maybe it is the computer skills needed for the position and you can easily take a couple of online courses to improve your skills and knowledge.  Maybe other candidates had a certification that you do not, but have been contemplating going after.  Not only will this help you further develop yourself for future opportunities, but it will also give you an idea of hiring trends in your industry. 
   
• DO write down the good answers that you provided to  questions, along with those that you could have worded a little differently.  This will help in your preparation for your next interview.  Also, if you are working with an Indianapolis staffing firm, ask them if you can run some answers past them to get more feedback. 

One of the most popular interview questions asked of candidates in the job search has to be "Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses."  Answering the first part of that question is somewhat easy for most people to answer, but very few people answer the second half of that question effectively.  They either give the standard, generic answers (e.g. "I work too hard",  "I'm a perfectionist", etc.) or they give a weakness that has nothing to do with their performance on the job.  In my last position I asked someone to tell me something that they are working on from a professional standpoint (a.k.a. their weakness) and they answered simply with, "Gardening.  My husband keeps telling me that I need to plant some flowers."  Let's just say that I was less than amused and ended the interview as quickly as possible.  That response had nothing to do with her quest for a new position.

A more effective way to answer that question is to reflect back on your most recent position and create a list of skills that you were not able to further develop or improve.  Keep it positive.  Keep it relevant.  Most importantly make sure you explain in a clear and concise manner as to how developing those skills can be an asset to your future employer.  I also recommend giving a little bit of detail on how you were able to improve that certain aspect even the slightest bit in the last position.  If you can explain yourself effectively, a potential employer is going to appreciate that you have recognized a genuine need for improvement in a certain area and that you have also already taken the time and energy to analyze how you could work on that area. 

Just remember, practice makes perfect so solid preparation for this answer will drastically improve the eloquence of your response.

1.  Review the logs on file through the career center websites that list types positions held by alumnus in your field of study.  Write down a few of the top positions that are of interest to you and do some research in order to get a better feel for where your strengths and interests would be best suited. 

2. Schedule an informational interview.  Talk to your friends and family to see if anyone can help you get an informal, informational interview with a company that has positions similar to the ones on which you have targeted your search.   

3. Job shadow: This is very similar to the informational interview but a little more in depth.  This is a great way to really see "A day in the life of______".  There is no better way to figure out if a position is fit for you than to actually see the work first hand. 

4. Give your resume some TLC and spend some time beefing it up a little bit.  A good way to start is by translating your educational experince into relevant "work" experience.  Add any organizational involvement onto your resume and detail out any skills that are utilized in the work you perform for those organizations.  (If you aren't involved with any organizations, you better get involved quickly!)  I would also recommend having a few HR Professionals or headhunters review it so that you can get the perspectives of a few different people within various industries.  These conversations might also lead to potential Indianapolis job openings!

• "No pain.  No gain."  Wise words from Benjamin Franklin that we still use today.  Throughout our professional career, we are all going to have to do things that are painful for some reason or another.  However, it's important to remember that doing these painful things will usually end in some sort of personal and/or professional gain.  If you ask anyone in an executive position, they are going to tell you that they endured a great amount of pain in order to excel in the early stages of their careers and "move up the corporate ladder" to get to the position they're in.  And don't forget, how you handle the "pain" in any professional situation will serve as a gauge to your manager as to how you would handle tough, stressful situations in the future.  Don't let a little pain keep you from the potential of substantial gain in the future.  
• "A little dirt never hurt anyone."    Growing up on a farm made this statement all the more true for me.  However, I am thankful that my parents made me try things that were out of my comfort zone because it forced me to learn what I could handle.  Besides learning how a successful self-employed farmer operates, I learned that I was mentally and physically stronger than I realized.  This really helped me in my first job out of college because I would take on the "junk jobs" that nobody else wanted and it always yielded a positive result in terms of my career.  Granted, I wasn't always jumping for joy during these tasks, but I knew that getting my hands dirty proved that I was willing to take on the not-so-glamorous tasks if that is what the department and the company needed at the time.   This is also helpful advice to remember when you are looking for new Indianapolis job openings.  If you can prove to a company that you are willing to do what it takes - even if that means doing things that are beyond the normal scope of your position - they are going to see you as a strong contributor and know that you are going to have the company's best interests at heart.    

• "It builds character."  This piece of advice is especially important to remember during a performance review or any time that you may be receiving feedback from someone.  Although it's hard to hear when someone thought you could've had a stronger performance, it's important to remember that the feedback is not only going to help you develop as a professional, but as a person as well.  You can use that feedback to continue to develop your capabilities and prove to your manager and your team that you are accountable to your performance and results.  

• "The squeaky wheel always gets the grease."  My mom actually just reminded me of this saying last week.  So often it seems that those people (family, friends, coworkers, etc.) who make the most noise (typically not in a good way) get the most attention from others.  In the professional setting it can be frustrating at times to see those that are constantly complaining and wreaking havoc get catered to and little attention is given or input is sought from those that are not nearly as vocal or demanding in their concerns.  Although I am a strong believer in standing up for yourself and what you believe in, I also feel just as strongly that there comes a point when you back down for the sake of your reputation and the situation.  In situations like this, I've always told myself that as long as I continue to take the professional route, it will be apparent to my manager that I am not a complainer and eventually my professional attitude and demeanor will win out over those that feel a need to constantly voice concerns and demand for things to go their way.   

• "Winners never quit and quitters never win."  My parents were firm believers that anything worth doing is worth doing 100%.  In our household, that meant that if you were ever going to give up on something it better be because you have exhausted all efforts and avenues for being successful.  We were taught not to just throw your hands up and walk away from something just because it was the slightest bit difficult.  This allowed us to prove to ourselves and others that with smart thinking, hard work and collaboration, what once seemed like a daunting task could oftentimes be easily accomplished.  The same is true in a professional setting.  If you are that person that is always "quitting" and giving up on a project before you've truly given it good effort, you will quickly lose credibility with your team and your manager.

• "Suck it up and tough it out, and be the best you can." (from John Mellencamp's "Minutes to Memories")  Life isn't easy.  Work isn't easy.  But the worst thing you can do is give up and start pouting about how life isn't fair.  You also don't want to act like my brothers and I did when we were younger and run out of the room, slam the door, yell "that's not fair", and start pouting.  Side story: My youngest brother, Russ, would even yell into the other room to tell my parents that he was still pouting.  Just in case they had forgotten!  Anyway, back on track.  How you perform in stressful, difficult situations will not only be a true test of your character, but also a great learning opportunity for you to use in future situations.  Your response can also be a perfect example for your manager to use in future performance reviews.  What do you want their feedback to be to you?  That you sucked it up, struggled through, and made the best of the situation, or that you folded like a cheap suit and hid in the cracks until the storm was over? 

• "You don't always have to have the last word."  If you asked my husband, he would tell you that this lesson hasn't fully sunk in with me yet.  When discussing a topic that I am passionate about, I sometimes have difficulty with not making the last statement.  However, I have learned that you sometimes just have to let a conversation end with someone else's comment, even if you disagree.  If you have made your point and stated your case in an effective manner, it shouldn't matter who has the last word.  It is not worth ruining a relationship or desired outcome over a few words.  What is more important is that you maintain a high level of professionalism and maturity and end the conversation in as positive a manner as possible. 

Typically, when the title "Time Management" is used for a blog, one might think they are going to get some tried and true techniques on how to better manage their personal and professional schedule throughout the day/week/month.  However, that's not what I am going to talk about.  What I'm talking about is how to make sure you are effectively managing the time you are spending with a recruiter or Indianapolis Staffing firm.  This is important for a couple of reasons.  First, you don't want to use more time in a recruiter's day than they have allowed for you.  Second, you want to make sure that the time you are spending with them is relevant and impactful.

I had a situation a few weeks ago where both of these items became an issue.  In my verbal and e-mail confirmations to a candidate I had told him to be prepared for a 1 hour initial interview with me.  That interview ended up lasting 2.5 hours.  Needless to say I was a tad frustrated when I walked out of the meeting and the rest of my day had been derailed by this 1.5 hour blunder.  I made every attempt possible, including blatantly interrupting him (which I hate doing), to try to get him back on track.  Nothing was working.   For the most part his answers to the questions were good once he got to the point, but it took forever for him to get there.  This person could have been a strong candidate for an opening for which I was recruiting, but all of the good answers were drowned out by fluff and irrelevant information that essentially lead to his demise.  At the end of the interview I was not only mad at him for not following time guidelines that I had set forth from the intitial conversation, but I also didn't have as solid of an understanding of his expereince and capabalities as I could have if he would have kept his answers on track.

So what can you do to avoid this issue if you are in an Indianapolis job search?  

1.   Ask the recruiter interviewing you how much time to allocate for the entire interview process.  You will need this for your own planning purposes, as well as for ensuring that you are respectful of the time of the people involved in the interview process.
    
2. If you run out of time in an intervew and aren't able to discuss everything you would've liked, don't try to cram everything in during the last five mintues.  Instead, wrap up the conversation effectively, then afterwards follow up with the recruiter to ask for an additional phone conversation as a follow up.  That way you will have had time to gather your thoughts and cover any pertinent information that wasn't covered in the interview in a clear, concise manner.  It's also a good way to make another good impression on them.  However, don't make the conversation all about you.  Make sure to ask a couple of questions pertaining to the company and/or position as another way to show your interest in continuing in the proccess for their Indianapolis job opening.
    
3. If you are in an interview and you realize that you are running close on time, you can (if the timing is right) bring that up to the recruiter so they have the option of continuing the interview or scheduling a time to finish up.  You can say something as simple as, "I am very much enjoying our conversation, but I also know we are probably running close to the end of the time that you had alotted for the interview and I want to be respectful of your time.  I am fine to continue, but just didn't want to throw off your schedule." 

• Dust off your resume.  Do a thorough review of your resume to look for ways that you can spruce it up a bit.  Specifically spend some time on what you have listed as key responsibilities and accomplishments in your current (or most recent) position.  You may have something new to add that would be appealing to potential employers.
• Clean up your LinkedIn page.  If you're like me, you may have created a LinkedIn account a few years ago, got your profile as close to 100% complete as possible, but you have not done much to update it since then.  The quality of the information that you have listed on your LinkedIn page is growing ever more important as hiring trends continue to move towards social media being a key resource for Indianapolis recruiters to find great talent.  If you want some suggestions on how to update your LinkedIn page, check out another blog of mine.  This post was geared towards college students, but can definitely be just as applicable for everyone in the job search.
• Set new goals.  Sit down and type out what your short and long term goals are in your personal and professional life.  Are they the same as they were when you started your search?  Make sure that you tie this back to the types of positions, companies and industries that you are targeting in your search to ensure you're still on the right path in your search.  Look back at these goals on a regular basis as a way to constantly remind yourself what Indianapolis job search activities are going to help you meet those goals.

If you are currently in an Indianapolis job search or will be in the future, you have probably thought about attending some sort of career fair.  To most people a career fair is easy: you show up, you bring a few copies of your resume, gather some business cards and other goodies, then head home and hope to hear back from someone regarding their Indianapolis job opening(s).  However, there is much more thought and preparation that should go into being properly prepared for a career fair and to make the experience a success.  Below I have listed several tips to help you make sure you are putting your best foot forward when attending a career fair.

 

• Bring many copies of your resume to submit to employers.   Also make sure to provide a copy of your resume at the registration table. Most career fairs scan in those resumes and send out a database to all employers. 
• Come prepared--do your homework. Make sure you know who is going to be there and gather information about the companies that you intend to target specifically so you can have intelligent interactions with them. Before the fair, you can review the online directory of employers and their Indianapolis job opportunities.  If you spend a little time getting some background information organization, then you can ask very focused and specific questions.  This will impress the recruiters because it shows a genuine interest in their company.
• Dress appropriately. First impressions are important.   VERY important!  Appropriate attire for any type of career fair is Business Professional…no exceptions! 
• Respect employers' materials/sample items.  Some employers bring large quantities of print materials or "give aways" clearly intended for job seekers to take.  Other employers bring a few copies of print materials, sample products, etc. as displays at their tables.  Always check with employers before taking materials from their tables and don't take materials still packed in boxes. Do not ask if you can take some goodies home for your friends or kids. Some employers come to multiple days of fairs and plan to have enough materials for all days.
• Prioritize the employers you're most interested in. If your schedule allows, you may find it easiest to start with the employers that are least likely to have a position in your area of expertise, but are still companies of interest to you. This will allow you to hone your approach and to be most confident when you approach the employers you're especially excited about. Assume that you will need to wait to speak with some employers.
• Be flexible. Thecareer fair web directory usually provides a brief summary of employers' opportunities. This information is not always submitted by the same people who attend the career fair.  Some positions may no longer be available and other openings may have just emerged.  No single employer representative is knowledgable about all positions available, especially in a large organization.  Some reps attending fairs are there to share their experiences working at the organization and may not be involved in the hiring process. If the employer rep at the fair does not know specifics about jobs/internships of interest to you, ask how they recommend that you obtain that information.
• Introduce yourself. Extend your hand, say "hello" and state your name. Have your resume ready to give to the employer.  
• Take notes when you inquire about next steps and the possibility of talking with additional representatives. The representative at the fair may not be able to answer all of your questions or know specifics about your job interests. Write down the names, telephone numbers, etc. of other staff in the organization whom you can contact later.
• Ask the representative for his/her card.  Having the business card of the representative you have just spoken with serves three purposes. First, you have a direct contact within the organization, including the proper spelling of the representative's name, direct telephone line, etc. Second, a brief thank-you note acknowledges the help they gave you and the time they took to speak with you. Third, sending thank-you notes is a good professional habit.
• Be courteous! In addition to representing yourself, you also represent the organizations to which you belong. Demonstrate sensitivity to other job seekers waiting to speak with employers by keeping your questions brief and offering to continue your conversation at a later time. Enjoy the fair and your interaction with the employers. Let your positive attitude show!
• Allow yourself adequate time. Come as early as possible. Typically, fairs are less crowded in early hours and are busiest during the lunch hour.  Fairs close promptly at publicized ending times to accommodate employers'  travel arrangements, so don't expect them to stick around.
• Don’t complain. About anything! The length of time you had to wait in line. The temperature in the room. The economy. Your past employer.   Employers are excited to hear how you may be a great asset to their company and not about how well you can complain about things. 
• Be prepared to answer the question “What are looking for?” with something more unique than just, “I am just looking for any kind of job right now.” 
• Don't overlook the importance of staffing agencies.  Obviously the majority of job seekers are looking for a full time position.  However, Indianapolis Staffing companies may have contract or part time Indianapolis job openings in your area of expertise and with the companies you would love to work for.  As hiring trends continue to show Indianapolis openings being filled by contract or contract to hire staff, you could be missing out on a number of opportunities by not keeping your mind open to contract positions.

• Kelley Career Fair - February 23rd
• Collegiate Career Expo - February 24th
• Just In Time Career Fair - March 30th

As my colleague, Amber Crosby, mentioned in one of her blog posts, the campus recruiting fun is in full swing!  We typically participate in everything from job fairs to classroom presentations, resume reviews and mock interviews in order to assist college students in preparation for their Indianapolis job search.  All of the aforementioned activities are extremely important for students to engage in, but I personally think the most important would be the mock interviews.  You can attend as many job fairs as you want and make as many contacts as you want, but if you can't follow through with an effective interview, your efforts can be nearly worthless. 

In the past, I have assisted with mock interviews at the IUPUI Kelley School of Business and I have to admit I was a little disappointed when my list of students only consisted of Seniors.  Obviously it makes sense that the largest majority of students participating in mock interviews are the ones that are getting ready to graduate and start their Indianapolis job search; however, I think the value that mock interviews can provide to  Sophomores and Juniors is too often overlooked. 

Mock interviews are the perfect setting for getting interview practice followed by valuable advice and feedback.  People underestimate how scary an interview can be when you are getting drilled with questions by an interviewer (or possibly multiple interviewers).  This can lead to short, non-detailed answers or long-winded, rambling answers...both of which are frowned upon by interviewers.  By going through a few mock interviews with different types of interviewing styles you can learn how to tailor your answers and adjust your answering style to meet the needs of the questions asked. 

Mock interviews are also helpful for learning how your educational experience can be translated into strong examples during an interview.  The strongest collegiate interviewees are effective at taking school projects and experiences and translating those into life and business lessons.  Recruiters understand that you might not have a lot of relevant work experience, but we want to know that you can reflect back on past experiences, learn from them, and apply those learnings to future situations. 

If you are going to particpate in mock interviews or if you have already, make sure you are getting feedback afterwards.  Recruiters are going to be able to give you valuable feedback on how your answers match up with current hiring trends in your field of study and advice on how to tweek those answers moving forward.    

• Kelley Career Fair - February 23rd
• Collegiate Career Expo - February 24th
• Just In Time Career Fair - March 30th

• Your Profile: Make sure that your profile is as close to 100% complete as possible. If you are simply listing your name, the university you are attending and your major, you're not doing yourself justice. Make sure to list relevant school activities and organizations that you are involved with to prove that you have been doing more than attending class, eating and sleeping.  Have a couple of other people review your profile for completeness and grammatical errors. 
• Profile Picture: If you are going to post a profile picture, make sure that it is extremely professional. Remember, this is not Facebook, it is a much more professional social media outlet. Don't post a casual picture with you in a Purdue t-shirt (which, as a Boiler fan, is hard for me to say) and jeans outside of your apartment. You need to be in a business suit with a professional backdrop. Ideally it would be best if you can post a headshot picture taken by a professional; however, we do understand that not everyone has that at their disposal. 
• Invitations to connect:  The majority of our time was spent on this topic and how most students mistakenly leave a bad impression by simply sending the general LinkedIn message of, “I would like to connect with you on LinkedIn”. This is especially bad when you are trying to make a contact within a company you’re targeting in your search and that person doesn’t even know you.  As employers and professionals, we consider that spam. In addition to that, why would they want to make an effort to give you additional information or even offer an informational interview with their company if you can’t take the time to send a well thought out, tailored message?   
• Recommendations: Make sure that you are getting recommendations from reputable sources that can speak intelligently about you as a working professional. For example, if you are part of an on campus organization, don't have your group's president write a recommendation about your work as the secretary. It is going to carry much more weight if you have a recommendation from the faculty advisor of your group. This is someone that is in a professional role and can truly attest to your capabilities from more of a “management" perspective. A side note to that is that you should not just send random, blanket e-mails to your connections asking for a recommendation. Either reach out to the person(s) you would like a recommendation from via a phone call or a separate personal e-mail, not sent through LinkedIn.   You want them to know that you would really value their individual recommendation. 

I know a lot of this can sound like basic common sense, but overlooking any of the above items can put a stop to any strong connection you may be attempting to get. When used appropriately, LinkedIn can be one of the best tools for anyone in the Indianapolis job search.

• Spend time on your resume.  Add detail to your recent activities and remove any information that is no longer relevant. 
• Find someone in your ideal profession(s) to job shadow.  What better way to learn whether or not you are going to even like doing that work day to day?  
• Review the logs on file in your career center.  The types of positions that alumnus are now holding may have changed slightly since you (hopefully) reviewed it in December.  
• Clean up your social networking sites and make them as private as possible.  There is no question that employers will be looking out there for dirt, so don't give them the opportunity to find something.