Panel, Group and Committee Interviews

Interviewing takes many forms. I won’t ever forget the first time I walked into an office, scared enough about talking with one manager – and much to my surprise, saw four people armed with interview questions for me.

Why would an employer inflict such punishment on someone eager to work for them? Perhaps to enable them to make a better hiring decision, based on the opinions of several interviewers rather than just one.

Panel interviews are common with nonprofit organizations as well as in academia.  Panels may be made up of four to six people. The panel may include someone from human resources, department managers and even potential co-workers. Panel interviews may also be called group or committee interviews.   

Some tips for a panel interview include:

Interact with each person on the panel. But, direct your answer for each question to the person who asked it, maintaining eye contact with that person.

If you can, try to remember the name of each interviewer. Shake hands with each person as you leave the interview, thanking them and calling them by name.

Immediately after the interview, send an individual thank you note to each interviewer. If possible try to address some point each person made in your thank you note to him/her. If you are not able to get a business card for each interviewer, call the person who set up your interview and ask for that information.

Remember – Career Services offers mock interviews as one of its services. We’ll be happy to simulate a panel interview and send you off with more confidence for the real thing.

Study Abroad

Thinking about ways to make yourself stand out from other candidates?  Ever considered a study abroad experience?  Traveling to, and spending some time in another country demonstrates many skills and traits valued by employers at home as well as abroad. 

As our workplace continues to become more global, having the skill to communicate with diverse populations becomes more and more  important. Travelers must be adaptable and able to deal with stress, uncertainty and change. Journeying to another country shows courage, curiosity, and a sense of adventure. Resourcefulness and the ability to plan, manage time and solve problems.

Being able to describe your study abroad experience on your resume and in interviews and to focus on your accomplishments, achievements and the results of your study abroad experience can definitely set you apart from other candidates.  

Make an appointment with Career Services to learn more about how to use your study abroad experience to benefit you in your job search.

 

Job Search Takes Time

Students often come to us disappointed they have not had any response to their job search efforts. When we ask what steps they have taken in their job search, they may say they have applied on Monster and CareerBuilder. Or, that they applied for two jobs two weeks ago and haven’t heard anything back.

How long does it take to find a job? One estimate I found online is expect to job search to take one week for every $2000 of income you want – in other words, if you are looking for a $50,000 a year job, expect to spend 25 weeks (6 months) on your job search. Another source, said one month for every $20,000 of salary you want – for example, 2 months for a $40,000 a year job.

A job search takes time. How much time? “It depends”. It depends on the demand for the type of position you are applying for. It depends on how much competition you face. And, it depends on how hard you work at it.

I formerly worked with an outplacement company that urged clients to consider their job search a full time job. If you are a student, you already have one fulltime job. But, try to give your job search as much time as you can. Job search takes time. Work at it!

Interviewing

"Where do they get those questions and why do they ask them?" are questions you may have asked yourself the last time you had a job interview.

Why do employers ask the questions they do in interviews? I had opportunity to listen to engineering managers speak about interviewing yesterday. A favorite question of one of the gentleman is "Why are manhole covers round?" He asks this question, which on first thought may have little relationship to the job he is considering the interviewee for. Why? He wants to see the candidate's thought process.

Other questions he asks are to determine if the interviewee has experience working in and/or leading groups. And if he will "play nicely with others"; or, in otherwords, does the candidate have good interpersonal skills. "Tell me about a time you worked in a group and what your role was" and/or "Tell me about the most difficult person you've worked with" are questions you can expect to be asked the next time you have a job interview.

Interviewing is a skill. Pick up a copy of our "Ace the Interview Kit". Look it over and schedule a mock interview with our office. You will be glad you did!

Spring Job Fair

One of our big spring events is next week--the job fair. As a former recruiter, I am always excited about job fairs. In my recruiting days, any event that offered prime opportunities to get “face to face” with potential employees was a good event. I made notes about the most impressive students and went back to work the next day and talked with my managers about them. Sometimes we had opportunities to hire that semester. Sometimes we didn’t. If we didn’t have an appropriate opening for a promising student, I occasionally suggested the student contact a colleague of mine at a different company.

We hired for talent. Sometimes we didn’t have a job posted but met a student who gave all indications of being so talented that we decided to create a new position.

Job fairs are all about expectations. Don’t go expecting employers to be handing out jobs. Rather, attend grateful for the chance to talk with representatives of companies. If you submit your resume online, you are an electronic record. If you shake hands at a job fair, you become a real person.

So, get your suit cleaned. Iron your shirt. Shine your shoes. Print off several copies of your resume on bond resume paper. Make up business cards to offer employers who can’t accept resumes. And, come to Koch Arena Thursday, Feb. 28 between 4:00 and 6:30pm. Be ready to shake a few hands!

 

Making the World a Better Place

As a career counselor at WSU, I am privileged to work with a diverse population of students. Not only diverse in terms of race, socioeconomic status, gender. But, diverse in terms of who they are as individuals. Students juggling demanding class schedules, part time jobs and leadership in student organizations. Parents working full time, going to school part time, struggling to find time for their families. Single moms – or dads -- working while carrying a full load of classes, determined to give their kids every opportunity they can. Returning adults frustrated by limitations in their careers – or, who have just decided they want to give themselves the gift of a college education. International students studying in the U.S. hoping doing so will give them career advantages when they return home. All types of people wanting to make the world a better place. . .

Hats off to you. You are amazing. And, courageous. When you leave my office, you leave me with a sense that the world will be a better place because of you. "You are the people who are shaping a better world." ~ Dalai Lama

JOB FAIR – WHY SHOULD I ATTEND?

FACULTY

 If you are faculty, attending the job fair offers a way for you to meet representatives of the companies who will be hiring your students. The potential results of those meetings are many, including making contacts that could lead to research endeavors, talking with company representatives you might want to invite into your class for presentations to your students. And, not to be forgotten, often the employer representative who attends a job fair will be a graduate of our institution which of course means, you just might get to talk with former students.

Job fairs are expensive for employers to attend. They keep a close eye on their results to determine which schools they will continue to recruit at. Therefore, we ask you to attend and strongly encourage your students to attend. A small amount of your time could yield large results for your current and future students. 

STUDENTS

If you are a student who is, or ever will be looking for a job, I cannot imagine why you wouldn’t attend the job fair—an event which allows you the rare opportunity to get face to face with a multitude of employers, within a short time period and in one location. If you’re a junior or senior it is crucial that you meet as many prospective employers as possible. Even as a freshman or sophomore, it is important to develop and build relationships with employers to enhance your possibility of getting the job you want when you graduate. Plus, a job fair gives you the chance to learn about the types of employment available within different industries and among various employers.