A. No need to panic, Stumped! Start by dissecting the ad as if it were a frog in your high school science class. This will sharpen your focus.
Ask yourself what each individual point means. What does "friendly personality" signify? Probably that the company wants a receptionist/secretary even if that's not the job title. Watch out for a sexist environment. Ditto "must type at least 40 words per minute."
"Must be flexible" means that, professionally, if you're not an Olympic gymnast, you may not be able to contort as much as required. "Will support three sales reps" -- or any other type of worker -- tells you that you'll have a three-headed Medusa staring at you every day, with each head competing for your attention. "A job for an ambitious person" indicates that the company will console you with promises of advancement from this dead end. Don't wait for them to deliver.
Easy, huh? -- mlc
Q. INTERVIEWS I interview. Then nothing happens. What's wrong? Post-Mortem
A. Reinvent yourself, Post-Mortem! Pretend you're a super-sleuth. Investigate, investigate, investigate. Interview like no one they've seen before. Develop a list of questions. Use it. This isn't considered unprofessional. It makes you look prepared. Which you are. Here are some ideas:
- How long has this job needed to be filled, and why? (If it's a long time, ask if others have been offered the job. Get the reasons they rejected it. If it's a short time, ask what's made it difficult to fill.)
- What is the most important skill in this job? What percentage of a day's work will it require? (If it's 75 percent supporting sales people and only 25 percent selling when you want a SALES job, run in the opposite direction. Pronto.)
- What five or more personality traits are you looking for? (Start radiating those traits in the interview.)
- What's the worst thing a person could do in this job? (Keep the answer under wraps for future reference.)
- How long do you want a person to hold this job? (If it's a long time, kiss thoughts of being promoted good-bye.)
- How do you define and reward excellence in this job? (A response such as "We just expect it," translates into get outta there. Now.)
- If you can't come up with enough questions on your own, tour the careers section of your local bookstore, brick and mortar preferred. -- mlc
**blogTip**
If jobs you want prefer majors you don't have, don't give up yet. Read "How to Get Any Job with Any Major," by Donald Asher (Ten Speed, $14.95). Theater and college football don't have to be door-closers.
"Yes, It's All About You," Asher notes. Revel in the light that shines on you. Scrap the belief that majoring in X prepares you for Y. Michael Jordan majored in geography. (There's something to the perception that a basketball court is a piece of real estate, isn't there?) Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan majored in music. (Hear the clarion trumpets when he lowers the interest rate?) Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina majored in philosophy. (Who says a CEO can't be cerebral?)
Then ask yourself what the following phrases have in common: "the shelf life of a Twinkie" and "Cars. Fast cars. All cars really." They express values, according to Asher. Values you don't want conflicting with your next job.
Keep reading for more pithy, often humorous advice about how to make a case for your educational preparation in interviews. Take charge. Don't expect your placement office to find a job for you. "It's your job to get a job,"Asher announces, "and the career center is there only to help you do a good job of it."
(E-mail your job-hunting questions to syndicated columnist Dr. Mildred Culp at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2004 Passage Media.)
