If You Are Looking for a Job

New Shores

I love my job. Of course I love my job.

But we are doing the “big move” (more on that in the next articles) and so I have to take another look at a job market somewhere and of course, that means stress and interviews and begging (but trying not to look it) to get hired.

(hubby is doing the business route, that is, setting up a business of his own – in the niche of emergency preparedness, or manufacture of outdoor products, or knife making, oh my genius husband – and I will be doing the employment route – but that has always been our deal – dang)

Can’t help but wax nostalgic about my very first job.  It was long ago and far away.  I graduated from college but dabbled in Miss Saigon (the musical), in training, and in theatre, and having the time of my life.  But then my brother told me that my mother said I should start helping out in the house (and she did not mean wash the dishes).  So I squashed my dreams and got in touch with classmates and people I knew and got hired at the number one broadcasting station, where I also had the time of my life (thankfully).

Have you been hired on the basis of whom you knew?  This was always the case with me, except for one job, I think.  That one took guts and luck – met her at a seminar, asked about her company (she was VP), liked the picture she painted, asked if they were hiring, got interviewed, got hired – and she became one of my bestfriends.  But I had to move on (she understood, I think).

In the book Congratulations… You’re Hired by Patricia D. Sadar, SPHR, CHRE, MBA, the job-seeker is encouraged to do a SWOT analysis.  That stands for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats, and even provides a table:

Okay, okay, I’m analyzing, and thinking, and weighing.

I also started looking at how interview questions are shaped now.  And here is what I found in – of all things – Glimpses of Canada: A Pre-departure Guide for Migrants to Canada (a clue! a clue!).  Let’s see you take a crack at these interview questions:

1.  Do you consider yourself successful?
2.  What do co-workers say about you?
3.  Are you applying for other jobs?
4.  How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
5.  Tell me about your dream job.

Thankfully, the guide gives suggested answers (whew):

1.  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.

2.  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 worker she had ever known.  It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

3.  Are you applying for other jobs?

Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area.  Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization.  Anything else is a distraction.

4.  How long would you expect to work for us if hired?

Specifics here are not good.  Something like this should work: “I would like it to be a long time.  Or as long as we both feel I’m doing a good job.”

5.  Tell me about your dream job.

Stay away from a specific job.  You cannot win.  If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility.  If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired.  The best is to stay generic and say something like: “A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and cannot wait to get to work.”

Really?  Really?  Obviously, I have a lot of work to do.  And if you are in the same boat, good luck to you too.

Article by Issa.  Art by Danvic. Copyright 2009-2011.
Website: www.YouWantToBeRich.com
Email: issa@youwanttoberich.com

[ad name=”HTML-2 Blogher Before Comment”]

[ad name=”HTML Truly Rich Box”]

[ad name=”HTML-1 MoneyDoctors”]