Career Cube Blog

Why are you looking for a new job?

This is one of those job interview questions that will be asked by the savviest of interviewers. Although it’s positively heart-stopping to be on the answering end of this question, if you were the employer, wouldn’t you want to know how this seemingly fabulous person ended up on the job market? It’s similar to meeting an interesting, attractive person of the opposite sex, or finding a used car that’s only got 1000 miles on it and is 3 years old. Just a little too good to be true, and you can’t believe that no one else has discovered this amazing find.

Basically they’re trying to figure out what is wrong with you, and suspect they will get a clue by looking at your relationship with your last job.

So your task is to not give them any ammunition to rule you out of the game.

1. Never, ever, ever speak ill of your current employer, or any former employers for that matter. Everyone knows that one reason for this is because your interviewer will envision you badmouthing them when you decide to leave, and nobody wants to think about bad rumors about themselves traveling through the industry. Another reason to avoid dissing your past employer is that in this very small world, they could be a friend, relative or even your potential client at this new job. No person works on an island and you must always be conscious of the seemingly invisible threads that connect so many people.
2. Another never is to speak ill of the tasks you were asked to perform at your past or current job. ANY tasks. You may think that this new job would provide a blissful escape from the tedium of your last one, and so gleefully explain to an interviewer all of the mind-numbing things you were asked to do. However, your interviewer is thinking about the similar (but different) mind-numbing tasks of this position, and decides that you would quit after the first month. There’s no reason to hire you if you’ve already given them a reason for you to quit.
3. Also, you don’t want to speak ill of your co-workers. Those were or are your teammates, and the same rule holds true as reason #1. This world is too small, and good jobs are too few to take the chance.

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Popularity: 18% [?]

It’s easy to start to panic about the job search process. You’re sending out resumes, not getting any callbacks, going on interviews, not getting any callbacks. It all seems like such a hopeless endeavor.

Then you read an article about standing out from the crowd. And you think-yeah, I need to do that–what can I do that will be different than everyone else?

Then you start to send “gifts.”

One of my good friends is a HR Director and she called me this week eager to tell me about a candidate’s latest attempt to stand out.

During the interview, the candidate directly compared their workstyle to a superhero cartoon. It was a memorable analogy, I would have recommended that he talk about a specific work instance where he demonstrated that quality that he used the superhero to illustrate, but it’s impossible to land every answer. It would have been OK if the candidate just left it at that.

However, instead of letting it go, the candidate sent my friend a thank you note in the form of an e-card featuring an animated superhero. Ouch! E-cards are NEVER professional. They’re what you send your friends when you forgot to put a card in the mail. They’re a cute pick-me-up to send to someone who is going through a rough time. They are never, under any circumstances, appropriate to send to a manager. NEVER!!! Read more

Popularity: 19% [?]

No matter how secure you are in your current job, or how many job interviews you’re getting, everyone is concerned about how the current or pending recession will affect them. This week I attended an event where an economist from the Connecticut state government brought up some interesting points about how the changes in the economy could affect a job hunt.
First, consider the industry that you’re looking to work in. If there is a recession, think about things that people will always spend money on, vs. what is a “luxury”, and avoid the “luxury” industries. So as an example, people will always need to eat, and the government-at least in the short term-will continue to spend on defense. However, people may delay purchasing new cars, homes, or make upgrades on their homes. So when you’re trying to identify your target companies, focus on those who are logically more likely to either maintain or grow based on the products they produce. Should you apply to an iffy company? Absolutely-it costs you nothing to send in your resume and cover letter. But in the interview you should definitely ask them how sales have been and their opinion of the economy. You may not get a completely honest answer, but definitely watch their body language to see how genuinely confident they are about the company’s prospects.
Second, look at where you live. Considering that different companies will have different prospects during a recession, it’s natural that the major employers in your area are going to have an effect on all other companies in an area. You may not want to hear it, but if you’re looking for a particular opportunity, you may need to move to another part of the country where that industry is booming because it’s surrounded by other profitable companies. Read more

Popularity: 10% [?]