Questions to ask in an interview

In every interview you are likely to be asked whether you have any questions for the interviewer.  Always be prepared to ask questions, as they show your genuine interest in the role and will set you apart from other candidates.  You will likely learn something about the role and people you will be working with which will help you make a decision about whether to accept the role, if offered.

• What is the biggest challenge facing the team today? 
• What are the biggest challenges faced by your team in the past six months?
• If I get hired, what do you expect of me in the first 30 to 60 days?
• Are there any measures in place by the company like continuous training to improve productivity and growth?
• If I get hired today, what is that one piece of advice you have for me that helps me succeed here?
• What does success look like when working here?
• What does life outside work look like for you?

Why I Won't Hire You

How to Win the interview

I think it's pretty simple. I look for a few traits in people I am going to hire. If you are missing even one, I'm probably going to pass you up for someone who doesn't. Do your best to show off these traits and you'll win. This is true in every case, from hiring a janitor to an executive.

• Show me you can get things done. This means you can accomplish challenging tasks quickly, come up to speed when necessary, go the extra mile if you have to, influence peers. You must be self-motivated.

• Show me you are intelligent. I will ask you questions that are designed to make you think. Show me you can. Don't confuse intelligence with education. I don't care what kind of schooling you had, if you can't think, no job. If you can think, and aren't educated, no problem in my book, though I'll probably look for more experience instead.

• Show me how I fit into your vision. Truthfully, we'll work best together if you think this job is the best place for you to be right now. I want to help you succeed in your career, let me.

• Be highly skilled. Unfortunately, I don't hire awesome people who don't have the right skill mix. But I do keep their information around for when I need their skill mix. I also tend to recommend these people to others who are hiring as strong candidates. The skill level required to be hired depends on the job and expectations. Entry level can get away with rough skill sets or classwork. Senior needs to be top of the field, regardless of years in the workforce.

• Be passionate. If you are bored working in a similar job somewhere else, you'll be bored with me. Period. I don't want any of that.

Full article here.

This Email Got One Stanford Student A Huge Job At Foursquare

Check out this link to see how passion, patience and perseverence can pay off in your search for that dream job.

10 Quick Steps to Find a Job

Here's a quick list to secure a job fast.

1. Job applications and interviews are NEVER the right places to be humorous. One man's meat is another man's offensive innuendo.

2. Build a network and reputation. Surveys have shown high percentage of job hunters find work through means other than responding to job advertisements. Let your network know you are looking.

3. Research any possible job to the point where you can accurately describe what you would be doing in the role hour by hour throughout a typical and an unusual day. Use newspapers, the web, your contacts, your contacts' contacts and contacts included in the ad.

4. Spend a week (yes a week) putting together a powerful CV. Ensure it includes a ratio of two achievements for each job responsibility listed. Include pithy/bullet point statements that explicitly tell a story of your achievements that increases the fit with the job requirements.

5. Write a series of stories "about a time when" that showcase your work-relevant achievements and aim to produce at least four such stories for each job requirement your research or the ad say are important. Include one or more on the CV and memorise the remainder for the interview.

6. Tailor each CV precisely to the job advertised. Follow my golden rules of fit: if it increases the fit between you and the job, include it on the CV and say it in the interview; if it decreases the fit, omit it from the CV and don't discuss it in the interview.

7. For the interview, dress one level smarter than the typical dress levels your research has shown is the norm in the workplace. Ensure hair, nails, odour, piercings and tattoos are under control/under wraps.

8. Ensure you know your CV inside out and have practised your stories. Listen carefully to questions asked in interviews and do not hesitate to ask for clarification. Make eye contact with all the people interviewing you. Always have a question to ask at the end of the interview. A real cheat is to ask, "You talked about X, can you tell me a little more about that please?"

9. Manage your referees by selecting only those who will support you. In turn, support them with an up-to-date CV and job description. Ask their permission and whether they'll be supportive before providing their details.

10. Be concerned about your reputation - it is your career. That means managing your public profile by limiting Facebook material to close friends or information you'd be happy for a boss to see. Get a LinkedIn profile. Put up a CV with MyCareer. Keep in touch and make yourself useful to people in your network. Continue to build your network.


Source www.bctips.co.cc

2011 Career Workshop and Self-Employment Workshop dates

Give yourself the best start for 2011 by attending a Career Workshop or Self-Employment Workshop at Doonside Chapel. Here are the dates and times for this year:

Feb: 7pm on the 18th and 8am on the 19th; Career Workshop

Mar: 7pm on the 11th and 7pm on the 18th; Self-Employment Workshop

Apr: 7pm on the 15th and 8am on the 16th; Career Workshop

May: 7pm on the 13th and 7pm on the 20th; Self-Employment Workshop

Jun: 7pm on the 17th and 8am on the 18th; Career Workshop

Jul: 7pm on the 8th and 7pm on the 15th; Self-Employment Workshop

Aug: 7pm on the 19th and 8am on the 20th; Career Workshop

Sep: 7pm on the 9th and 7pm on the 16th; Self-Employment Workshop

Oct: 7pm on the 14th and 8am on the 15th; Career Workshop

Nov: 7pm on the 18th and 7pm on the 25th; Self-Employment Workshop

Dec: 7pm on the 16th and 8am on the 17th; Career Workshop

Resume Boot Camp

On Saturday 24th April 2010 we will be holding a "Resume Boot Camp".

Experts will be on hand, each with years of experience and a computer, to give you real time, hands on, one-on-one assistance with applying for your dream job.

To take advantage of this amazing opportunity, you need to bring a softcopy of your current resume (on a USB memory stick) and the advertisement for the dream job you want to apply for.

You will walk away with a cover letter and your resume re-worked, ready to send off as you apply for that dream job.

This Boot Camp will be at 77 Lalor Rd, Quakers Hill at 10am.

2010 Career Workshop and Self-Employment Workshop dates

Give yourself the best start for 2010 by attending a Career Workshop or Self-Employment Workshop at Doonside Chapel. Here are the dates and times for this year:

Jan: 7pm on the 15th and 8am on the 16th; Career Workshop

Feb: 7pm on the 19th and 7pm on the 26th; Self-Employment Workshop

Mar: 7pm on the 19th and 8am on the 20th; Career Workshop

Apr: 7pm on the 9th and 7pm on the 16th; Self-Employment Workshop

May: 7pm on the 21st and 8am on the 22nd; Career Workshop

Jun: 7pm on the 11th and 7pm on the 18th; Self-Employment Workshop

Jul: 7pm on the 16th and 8am on the 17th; Career Workshop

Aug: 7pm on the 13th and 7pm on the 20th; Self-Employment Workshop

Sep: 7pm on the 17th and 8am on the 18th; Career Workshop

Oct: 7pm on the 8th and 7pm on the 15th; Self-Employment Workshop

Nov: 7pm on the 19th and 8am on the 20th; Career Workshop

Reinvention

Check out this link to read the transcript of a recent Insight show on SBS television, about people who have reinvented themselves, often from one job to their dream job.

New Job Boot Camp

On Saturday 18th July 2009 we will be holding a "New Job Boot Camp".

Experts will be on hand, each with years of experience and a computer, to give you real time, hands on, one-on-one assistance with applying for your dream job.

To take advantage of this amazing opportunity, you need to bring a softcopy of your current resume (on a USB memory stick) and the advertisement for the dream job you want to apply for.

You will walk away with a cover letter and your resume re-worked, ready to send off as you apply for that dream job.

This Boot Camp will be at 77 Lalor Rd, Quakers Hill at 10am.

2008 Career and Self-Employment Workshop Dates

Give yourself the best start for 2008 by attending a Career Workshop or Self-Employment Workshop at Hebersham Chapel. Here are the dates and times for this year:

Jan: 7pm on the 18th and 8am on the 19th; Career Workshop

Feb: 7pm on the 15th and 7pm on the 22nd; Self-Employment Workshop

Mar: 7pm on the 21st and 8am on the 22nd; Career Workshop

Apr: 7pm on the 18th and 7pm on the 25th; Self-Employment Workshop

May: 7pm on the 16th and 8am on the 17th; Career Workshop

Jun: 7pm on the 20th and 7pm on the 27th; Self-Employment Workshop

Jul: 7pm on the 18th and 8am on the 19th; Career Workshop

Aug: 7pm on the 15th and 7pm on the 22nd; Self-Employment Workshop

Sep: 7pm on the 19th and 8am on the 20th; Career Workshop

Oct: 7pm on the 17th and 7pm on the 24th; Self-Employment Workshop

Nov: 7pm on the 21st and 8am on the 22nd; Career Workshop

Dec: 7pm on the 12th and 7pm on the 19th; Self-Employment Workshop

What does Record Unemployment Mean to You?

As shown by the red line on the above graph, unemployment levels in Australia are at their lowest levels in thirty years. What does this mean to you?

It means demand for talent is high. Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to find good people to work for them. The mining boom in Western Australia and Queensland is drawing workers from elsewhere in Australia (and overseas), adding to the challenge faced by employers in Sydney.

So regardless of the type of work you do, and whether or not you are actively looking for work, now is a good time to find a better job. And chances are you will be paid more, due to this shortage.

Now is a perfect time to attend a Career Workshop or talk to your Ward Employment Specialist about what you should do to take advantages of today's opportunities.

Your Chance to be Famous

If you have had a positive experience with the knowledge you have learned by attending a Career Workshop or from your Ward Employment Specialist, we would like to hear from you!

Your experience can inspire others to improve their situation by attending a Career Workshop or seeking assistance in improving their job, attending a training course to enhance their skills or seeking new opportunities.

Press the "Comments" marker at the bottom of this post to send us your experiences. Please include your contact details so we can be in touch.

What is the Purpose of a Resume?

Your Resume has one purpose only: To get you an Interview!

Your Resume is your one chance to make an impression with a potential employer and should compel them to invite you to meet them for an interview.

Hebersham Stake and Ward Employment Specialists can help you polish your Resume so you experience great success with it. This is covered both in the Career Workshop and also a special one hour presentation on improving your Resume.

Here is just one example of how to better word your Resume . . . note the following outlines of job experience you might find in a Resume:

Example One:
Worked on the cash register at McDonald’s.

Example Two:
Provided superior customer service and increased sales while maintaining high level of cash control and reconciliation.

Both of these examples are for the same job; but clearly the for the first example it showed it was "just a job". However, the second example showed an employee who performed the same duties with far more passion! Which person do you think would be invited for an interview?

Check back shortly for a more detailed look at "How to Build a Better Resume".

Career Workshop testimonial

Brother Lee of Doonside Ward had this experience:

"The Career Workshop was crucial for me. Not only did I learn the best resume and interview technique, but also cultural knowledge which added confidence when seeking a new job.

"Now I know what to expect in an interview and how best to respond. I can anticipate the difficult questions I may be asked in an interview and learnt how best to answer them.

"The Power Statement I formulated from the Career Workshop helped me control the interview."

Why attend a Career Workshop?

Whether you are currently employed, at school or looking for work, a Career Workshop has something for everyone. Young or old!

The goal of the Career Workshop is to help you develop the skills you need to achieve your career objectives. It takes six hours in total (which we break up into two sessions, one on a Friday night and the next the following Saturday morning) and is taught in four units:

1. My Goals helps you evaluate your talents, interests and values; set goals; and develop a plan to achieve those goals. Your individual plan can include goals for employment, education or self-employment.


2. My Resources helps you learn how to identify and develop the resources you need to reach your goals. It teaches you how to find employment leads, educational and self-employment funding and other community services.


3. My Interaction with Resources helps you learn how to communicate with the resources you identified. It teaches you how to make powerful impressions in interviews and present yourself well in writing.


4. My Continued Success teaches you how to negotiate, grow in your new position and advance in your career.

Each participant is given their own Career Workshop workbook to document their goals and ideas.

You will enjoy the opportunity to participate in this forum rich with ideas which you can use straight away to make your life better.

The schedule of Stake run Career Workshops is shown in the column to the left, but if your Ward would like their own Career Workshop before then, just talk to your Ward Employment Specialist or Bishop and it can be arranged.

Welcome to your one stop Job resource

To assist you in finding a better job, or increasing your skills, this resource is targetted for the Saints in Hebersham Stake.

Keep checking back as it will be continuously updated with useful information, training dates and locations and first-hand testimonials from Stake members.

Your feedback and input is always welcome so feel free to contact your Ward Employment Specialist, the Stake Employment Specialist or leave a comment directly.

This site is not officially affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is voluntarily operated by the Sydney Hebersham Stake Employment Specialist.