Listen During the Job Interview

Record yourself during interview practice and hear how others perceive you.  (Photo credit: smiling_da_vinci)

The habit of listening is essential during the interview process.  Carefully listening to the interviewer often revels nuggets of information on the job opening and on the type of person the interviewer is actually seeking for the position.  Job hunters must pay attention to these clues to increase their chances of hire. 

For example, if the interviewer uses the phrase "team player" during the position description phase of the interview, you can stress the projects and team building experiences you've had in your career. If the interviewer goes off topic listen to what the interviewers is telling you and marry up your responses to compliment their statements.  Try to make a positive connection to the interview.  Most hiring managers hire people they like. 

Making sure to listen during an interview is difficult. Performance anxiety and the desire to obtain a job often causes people to make mistakes but by practicing common interview questions before you interview can help you to provide confident and friendly responses.  


Practicing interview questions can help you to avoid the following bad habits and opportunity killers. 

Talking too much in your response - The more you talk the more unedited information you provide to your interviewer.  Make sure your responses are friendly, informative of the information you really want to provide and brief.

Interrupting to make a point -  Who likes to be interrupted?  If you interrupt too much you come off as a non-team player.

Discarding information which doesn't match what you want to hear or what you don't like - Instead ask clarification questions to understand what is really being said

Just remember when you interview for a job during your job hunt it is important to practice your interview questions and learn to listen before answering.



For more tips and information on how to increase your chances when job hunting read my book Get Hired! A Recruiter's Inside Guide to Getting a Job.

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Job Spring Cleaning - Resume Update Time

As the robins begin to nest and the trees begin to green, it also becomes the time that many people think of spring housecleaning. Unfortunately, few think to also update their resumes with their achievements or training that has taken place since the last time they updated their resume.

A healthy job hunting habit is to update your resume every spring around the same time you take out your patio furniture.  Review your work year and make sure to update your resume with your achievements, awards and your performance reviews.  For example, " Rated exceeds expectations on all work performance reviews for four performance reviews during 2012"  or " 2012 corporate award winner of excellence recipient. 

Resume formats and styles also change so make sure your resume's printed format is consistent with the preferred resume format style in your specific job category and industry.  Once you have your resume updated you may want to network with others in your industry to "keep in touch" as another spring cleaning ritual.


For more tips and information on how to increase your chances when job hunting read my book Get Hired! A Recruiter's Inside Guide to Getting a Job. 

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A Government Intern Job for Students and Veterans

the U.S. Department of State Internship Experience Program (IEP) is selecting student trainees 
for Passport (GS-999, Grade 4) Student Trainees.

Students and veterans must be US Citizens to apply!

Visit USAJobs to start the online application process and to search for the following student trainee vacancy announcement numbers:

1. HRSC/PATH-2013-0040 -  ATLANTA, GA (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
2. HRSC/PATH-2013-0041 - AURORA, CO (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
3. HRSC/PATH-2013-0042 -  BOSTON, MA (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
4. HRSC/PATH-2013-0043 - BUFFALO, NY (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
5. HRSC/PATH-2013-0044 - CHARLESTON, SC (First 100 applications will be accepted) 
6. HRSC/PATH-2013-0045 - CHICAGO, IL (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
7. HRSC/PATH-2013-0046 - DALLAS, TX (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
8. HRSC/PATH-2013-0047 - DETROIT, MI (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
9. HRSC/PATH-2013-0048 - EL PASO, TX (First 50 applications will be accepted) 
10. HRSC/PATH-2013-0049 - HONOLULU, HI (First 50 applications will be accepted)

The Internship Experience Program (IEP) allows for non-temporary appointments that are expected to last the length of the academic program for which the intern is enrolled. IEP participants, while in the program, are eligible for noncompetitive promotions.

The IEP allows for noncompetitive conversion into the competitive service following successful completion of all program requirements.

Veteran’s Preference Applies! So consider a Pathways internship with the U.S. Department of State, witnessing and participating in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy, working closely with the U.S. diplomats and civil servants who carry out America’s foreign policy initiatives.
We appreciate your interest in a career with the U.S. Department of State.

Work Image - What Kind of Employee Are You?

What type of image do you present to employers. Believe it or not every job opening you see does not require a superstar matter what the employer leads you to believe. 95% of the jobs in the US require nothing more than a worker bee. However, when you read their job ads and listen to their employment manager you'll find that they are asking for a creative self-motivated upwardly mobile dedicated champion employee.  Employers always want a star!

When I was recruiting, I found that most of my candidates fall into four specific categories.  I often ranked my incoming resumes along these lines in order to seek out the best and the brightest for my clients.

The question is which category do you fall in?

Comers - These types of employees have a high potential for advancement. Most potential employees that fall in this category are usually new to the job market. These entry-level people often have a college education but little in terms of actual work experience. Many comers work below their skill levels because employers are reticent to higher these individuals for more advanced job positions. Since, most employers seek stars, I highly recommend career related internships for all college students so they have some work experience prior to entering the job market. 

STARS - These individuals perform outstanding work. Most people who are considered STARS have sparkling resumes and excellent job references. Their accomplishments can be marked with awards, special recognition and excellent references. This category of employee is the one all employers wish to hire. In order to become a STAR, individuals must continually network, seek recognition and improve work skills throughout their career.

Solid Citizens - These Individuals have outstanding work experience and perform satisfactorily for their employers. Solid Citizens often are near the peak of the career but have little or no awards, special career recognition or excellent references. Solid Citizens have often worked at the same level in their career for years at a time. Though these people aren't important asset to a business they are solid work performance in the same position can mark them as deadwood should they need to find a new job.  That is why I recommend that solid citizens volunteer for work projects and network with colleagues the most.

Deadwood - Individuals considered deadwood by possible employers either work below their expected work experience level, have been unemployed for over a year (employers wonder why they haven't been able to find job yet); or they've been fired for cause such as theft. Individuals marked as deadwood have the most difficult time of finding a new job and should talk to a career specialist to get them back on track. Most recruiters will not promote you and employers can discriminate against the unemployed by stating on their job requirement ads " Will not considered unemployed applicants for this position."

For more tips and information on how to increase your chances when job hunting read my book Get Hired! A Recruiter's Inside Guide to Getting a Job. 

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Government Nursing Opportunity

The U.S. State Department is accepting applications for the following Foreign Service Medical/Health positions.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 59 and able to qualify for a top secret security clearance. Applicants must also be willing to serve worldwide.

• Foreign Service Health Practitioner: Deadline to submit completed applications is March 13, 2013.
• Foreign Service Regional Medical Technologist/MLS: Deadline to submit completed applications is March 13, 2013.

Click on the link to read about these position at careers.state.gov and to learn more about qualifications and requirements.

Make Sure to read the vacancy announcements very carefully for all qualifications, certifications and requirements are your application will be ignored!!!

A Government Internship Program with the U.S. State Department

Internship programs are an excellent way to acquire work experience with resume flagship organizations and companies. The U.S. Department of State2013 Fall Student Internship Program is an unpaid opportunity for college students to participate in a 10-week program. It may be an unpaid internship but it provides an intensive educational and professional experience within the environment of America’s principle foreign affairs agency. That is a plus for anyone's resume.

These unpaid internships are available at many over 265 U.S. embassies, consulates and missions to international organizations around the world, as well as at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. The U.S. intern participants will gain first-hand, hands-on experience, and learn the realities of working in and with foreign and civil service professionals.  

As an unpaid intern, you may have the opportunity to participate in meetings with senior level U.S. government or foreign government officials; draft, edit, or contribute to cables, reports, communications, talking points used by policy makers. In addition to helping organize and support events, including international, multilateral and conferences meetings on critical global issues.  

The internship is for the Fall 2013 with the U.S. Department of State and you may even earn educational credit depending upon your college.  

To find out about this intern position and other government jobs, visit USAJobs. You will need to complete the application gateway and please note that the deadline to submit completed intern applications is March 1, 2013.

New Government Grant Workforce Recruitment Program for the Disabled

I was recently notified of this new Employment Grant called Workforce Recruitment from the US Office of Disability Employment Policy.  This grant program offers a government recruitment database to employers so if you are disabled and signup for this program today. Here it is in its entirety.
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 Ask the owner of any thriving business to share the secrets to their success and they’ll likely cite a mix of hard work, tenacity and even luck.  But most will also acknowledge other people—individuals who encouraged them to set and achieve their goals.  Whether a relative, teacher or former boss who believed in their potential, someone positively influenced them along the way.

For many, an early work experience may have played a pivotal role in propelling them forward.  Internships and other short-term employment arrangements offer young people a valuable opportunity to gain skills and learn about their employment options through first-hand experience and trusted relationships with seasoned professionals.  At the same time, they offer employers an easy and effective way to evaluate potential employees and cultivate a pipeline of talent for the future. 

Now, assistance is available for employers interested in recruiting talented interns—and helping to nurture the nation’s future workforce.  The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) offers employers of all sizes access to a database of more than 2,000 qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking internships or permanent employment.  Participants are selected for the WRP by professional recruiters following an extensive application and interview process at colleges nationwide.

If someone made a positive difference early in your career, the WRP offers an opportunity to pay it forward.  Because as employers, small businesses have the power to play a big role in the expectations young people, including young people with disabilities, set for themselves.

Use of the WRP is free for all employers and facilitated through the Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN), a service of the National Employer Technical Assistance Center funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.  To learn more, visit the WRP webpage or call EARN at 1-855-AskEARN (1-855-275-3276) (Voice/TTY).

Do not forget to sign up for additional news and resources through the sign up for ODEP's e-mail updates.
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