Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Burning Bridges -- Don't Do It

It is an amazingly small world. People remember more than we may want them to. Things you say or do may come back to hurt you years later. This is true in the job world as well as in your personal life. You’re on your own regarding your personal life. It’s the job world I’ll talk about today.

Receive an invitation on Hire A Shocker to interview with an organization you’re not really interested in? So you just ignore the invitation, not bothering to say “thank you, but I’m not interested at this time.” Or, don’t feel like going to the job interview today, that you agreed to last week? So you just blow it off. Well, guess what. . . the interviewer you ignored or ‘stood up’ today may one day work for a company you really really want to work for. And, guess what else. . .that person may be the one to make the decision whether or not you are considered a candidate for employment.

Have a career panel to learn from in one of your classes? But, you’re tired from staying up late the night before. So, you catch a few winks. Bad idea. Anytime you can get in front of an employer is a potentially valuable experience if you make a good impression. Not valuable if you're sleeping. Sleep while I’m talking to you and I’ll remember your face for a long time, and not in a good way.

Something else to think about --the interview question “Why did you leave your last job?” is not an opportunity to 'bad mouth'a supervisor or company you previously worked for. Use it as such and you may find yourself considered a non-candidate for a job you really want. No manager wants to think that one day you might be talking about him, or his organization, negatively.

Remember your manners. Don’t destroy relationships. They are too hard to build—just like bridges.

~jan

Monday, November 8, 2010

Employer Expectations of New Grads

I had opportunity to meet with a group of engineering employers this afternoon. They discussed what they look for, in addition to technical skills, when considering new graduates for employment.

Communication was given as the number one skill--both written and oral. In the words of one of these hiring managers, "Employees must be able to concisely disseminate information." In addition, he spoke of the necessity to write professional emails, memos and. . .even letters! And, get this--he also expects correct spelling and grammar. This poses the question: is it time to give up the convenience of "text" language and go back to the practice of actually spelling words out correctly, less we lose our ability to spell?

Leadership skills came in a close second. Project management was repeated more than once as important. Fortunately, these skills can be developed as a student. Join organizations. Work as a volunteer for organizations you're devoted to. Take on leadership roles.

Interpersonal skills--the ability to work as part of a team and to get along with other people is also an expectation of candidates. Managers want to know they are hiring someone they will want to work with and who will get along well with other employees. Kinda makes all those team projects worth it, doesn't it?

Let me point out that what I heard today doesn't apply only to engineering students. Today this information was coming from the mouths of engineering managers, but it applies to all students. Listen up -- this is great information to know. It can make all the difference in whether or not you land that job you want when you graduate.

~jan