CHAPTER 7 Chapter 7 Structure Communicating for Employment Choosing a Career Finding Job Openings Preparing Employment Documents Preparing for Interviews Preparing i Follow‐up ll Letters and d Recommendation d i Documents ocu e ts Negotiating and Accepting Employment Offers Choosing a Career 10 1. 2. 3. 4. Questions to ask when choosing a career . . . Am I interested in this field? Could I use my natural abilities and talents in this field? Would I enjoy doing this type of work day after day for many years? Do I have the money and time to complete the education needed for this career? 5. Would I have opportunities to learn and progress throughout my career? 6. Is there adequate short- and long-term demand for this type of worker? 7. Would my salary be high enough for my needs? 8. Would this career enable me to live and travel where I would like? 9. Would I enjoy working with my colleagues in this career? 10. Would this career give me appropriate work-life balance? Finding Job Openings Other Options: • • • • Your school’s Career Services Office Career fairs Electronic networks (Linkedin, Facebook, etc.) Other contacts (family, friends, impromptu Create a Self-Promotion Speech Examples “Hi, I’m (give your name) and I’m a senior graduating in accounting from ABC University. I was president of our accounting club at ABC, and I completed an internship last summer with Grant Thornton. I also have a 3.89 GPA. I’d like to work in the Northwest for a CPA firm, with an emphasis in tax. If you know of any openings in a regional or national firm, I would appreciate hearing about them. Here’s my card with my contact information. I’d appreciate anything you can do to help.” “I am (give your name) and I’m looking for a position as a full-time web developer. I’ll be receiving a bachelor’s degree in computer science in May and have put myself through four years of school by programming websites for several clients. I also speak and write Spanish, so I’m comfortable working with clients in a multicultural setting. Do you know anyone who might be looking for someone with my skills?” Preparing Employment Documents Purpose Audience Analysis Context Analysis Strategy Application Letters Company connection Opening Agenda Paragraph Headings Body Closing Application Letters Credibility building Bullets Request for interview Traditional Resume Bold headings Bullets Quantification of results Focus on results Community service Inclusive dates Functional Resume Objective Structured around “skills” Brief list of employment Strong Action Verbs Preparing to Be Interviewed 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Do your homework—learn about the organization. Be prepared and be on time. Dress appropriately. Be sensitive to body language. Speak confidently and clearly. Be honest. Tie your answers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the job. 8. Strengthen your content—use PAR stories in answers. 9. Have questions for the interviewer. 10. Expect surprise questions. PAR Stories Problem: “Our systems analysis department had an old project that should have been completed six months earlier, but the analyst assigned to the project just hadn’t delivered. So my boss asked me to take it on.” Action: “I first went to the client to make sure I knew what he wanted. I then went to my boss and requested the full-time service of another analyst for three months. Next, I gathered all the data we needed for the project. Then the other analyst and I went to work.” Result: “We finished the project in three months, and the client and my boss were very happy with the results.” Question Types Closed Questions Open Questions Can be answered with “yes” or “no” or other short answer. Require no explanation. Cannot be answered with “yes” or “no” or other short answer. Require greater explanation. • • • • Could you begin employment by next Monday? Do you speak Spanish? How many years did you live in Costa Rica? • • How much experience have you had with project management? How would you recommend that we improve sales of product X? What did you like best about your previous job? Sample Interview Questions Question Types Samples Personal Characteristics Tell me about yourself. Experience What did you like best about your last job? Relationships What types of people frustrate you? Education Why did you choose the finance major? Career Plans Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Problem-solving Ability How would you use a marketing budget of $30,000? Behavioral Questions Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with your manager? Preparing to Interview 1. Prepare well 2. Take good notes and record your impressions right after the interview. 3. Start out with a brief warm‐up phase. 4. Be a good listener. 5. Use closed and open questions effectively. 6. Use probing questions appropriately. 7. Use behavioral questions appropriately. Express thanks Refer to the interview Reaffirm your interest in the job Subject line (Simplified format) Background information Agenda Body paragraphs Closing summary 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Make sure the job offer is in writing and explains your job responsibilities, financial aspects, start date, and deadline for accepting/rejecting the offer. Think about your job responsibilities and consider whether they will give you the experience you need. Examine the complete financial package. Examine the salary in light of the cost of living in the area. Negotiate for improvements wherever the offer is not what you feel comfortable with.
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