Career Cube Blog

Ever been offered a job with a company you thought had a great reputation, was well respected, and for which you’d be proud to work? And you accepted the offer and began working - only to say to yourself a few weeks later, “Hey, wait a minute. This isn’t what I want! This company has some problems!”? But it’s only been a few weeks, so you stick around. Two months later, not only are your feelings the same, they’ve intensified.

But you think quitting so soon may be a rash move. How would you explain it on your resume? Since you just started and you don-t want to go through the find-a-job process again so soon, you passively stuff the feelings inside saying, “It’s a paycheck.”

Very soon, you hate your job, you’re not proud to be associated with the company, and you’re troubled by what you’ve learned since you began working there. What went wrong? Clearly, it’s not your perfect job. You thought it was a reputable company, and it’s not. But part of finding your perfect job not only means knowing you want a reputable company, it means knowing what your definition of a reputable company is.

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1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.
2. Why did you leave your last job?
Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, ou will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.
3. What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
4. Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.
5. What do co-workers say about you?
Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

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Many times people delay looking for a job because they’ve got a week-long vacation planned or they have to have some minor surgery that will require them to miss a week or two. They think that employers will be so turned off by this, that they’re better off waiting to even start their search. Lemme give you an inside tip….

Employers are people too!

Yes, it’s true, they really are.

Let’s say you start applying for jobs, but your vacation is within the next month. Put your cell phone on your resume and make sure you bring it with you on vacation. If you will not have access to your email on vacation, you can include a sentence in your cover letter that indicates the dates that you’ll be out of town, and that it would be better to contact you by cell phone. You don’t need to say that you’re going on vacation (it’s none of their business), but providing them information about your whereabouts helps them plan. What you don’t want to have happen is for them to send you an email request for an interview, and they take your silence to mean that you’re not interested in the position.

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