YOUR

JOURNEY TO

JOB

READINESSPRESENTED BY: COLBIE BROWNMONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2006

CS 490.001: COMPUTER SCIENCE INTERNSHIP

DR. GLORIA CARTER LOVE

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSTABLE OF SLIDES

o INTRODUCTIONo RESUME READINESS QUIZo JOB CANDIDATE MISTAKESo WHAT INTERVIEWERS REMEMBERo ANATOMY OF AN INTERVIEWo 15 TIPS FOR A GREAT INTERVIEWo PREPARING FOR THE PRE-INTERVIEWo THE ACTUAL INTERVIEWo THE HOME RUNo THE S.W.I.S.S. FACTORo THE POST-INTERVIEWo A SAMPLE THANK YOU LETTERo SUMMARYo REFERENCES

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSINTRODUCTION

IN THIS PRESENTATION I WILL DISCUSS TIPS ON RESUMES, PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS, HOW TO ANSWER SOME OF THE MAIN QUESTIONS IN THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW, AND WHAT TO DO TO FOLLOW UP THE INTERVIEW.

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSRESUME READINESS QUIZ

1. MY CURRENT RESUME IS:

A. MORE THAN TWO PAGES

B. TWO PAGES

C. ONE PAGE

2. REGARDING TYPOS AND OTHER ERRORS, I’VE:

A. USED THE SPELL-CHECKER ON MY WORD-PROCESSING PROGRAM

B. REVIEWED IT MYSELF SEVERAL TIMES TO CHECK FOR ERRORS

C. HAD MY RESUME READ BY AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE TO PICK UP ERRORS I MAY NOT HAVE FOUND MYSELF

3. REGARDING KEYWORDS:

A. I DIDN’T THINK/KNOW ABOUT ADDING KEYWORDS TO MY RESUME

B. I’VE ADDED INDUSTRY JARGON TO MY RESUME

C. I’VE INCORPORATED INDUSTRY BUZZWORDS AND CHECKED JOB ADS FOR FREQUENTLY USED TERMS IN MY FIELD TO ADD TO MY RESUME

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

4. UPON FIRST GLANCE, MY RESUME:A. HAS LITTLE WHITE/BLANK SPACE. I HAVE WRITTEN IT IN PARAGRAPHS

INSTEAD OF BULLETSB. HAS SOME WHITE SPACE. YOU CAN TELL THAT I’VE ADJUSTED THE MARGINS

AND FONT TO FIT A LOT OF INFORMATION ONTO THE PAGEC. HAS A GOOD BALANCE OF TEXT AND WHITE SPACE. I’VE USED BULLETS,

CLEARLY DISTINGUISHED CATEGORY HEADINGS, AND HAVE REASONABLE MARGINS AND FONT SIZE

5. WHEN IT COMES TO SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS, MY RESUME:A. DOES NOT HAVE ONEB. HAS A GENERAL OBJECTIVE STATEMENT SO I CAN KEEP MY OPTIONS OPEN

AND NOT TIE MYSELF TO ANY ONE POSITION. THIS WAY, I CAN USE IT TO APPLY TO A VARIETY OF JOBS

C. HAS AN OBJECTIVE STATEMENT THAT IS TARGETED TO MY CAREER GOAL AND INCLUDES THE SPECIFIC JOB TITLE I’M APPLYING FOR. IT MAY CHANGE EACH TIME I SEND IT OUT.

6. MY EMPLOYMENT HISTORY PROVIDES:A. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES OF PAST JOBS/POSITIONS THAT I’VE HADB. SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PAST JOB/POSITIONS THAT

I’VE HADC. A COMBINATION OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES AND SPECIFIC

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF JOBS/POSITIONS THAT I’VE HAD

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

7. REGARDING PERSONAL INFORMATION, MY RESUME:A. DOES NOT HAVE A SKILLS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, INTERESTS OR ADDITIONAL

INFORMATION SECTIONB. HAS A SKILLS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, INTERESTS, OR ADDITIONAL

INFORMATION SECTION THAT LISTS SOME OF MY HOBBIES, AWARDS AND VOLUNTEER WORK

C. HAS A SKILLS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, INTERESTS, OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SECTION THAT STRATEGICALLY LISTS HOBBIES, AWARDS, AND VOLUNTEER WORK THAT DEMONSTRATE CHARACTERISTICS/SKILLS DELINEATED IN THE JOB POSTING

8. REGARDING PERSONAL PRONOUNS SUCH AS “I,” “MY,” AND “ME,” MY RESUME:A. CONTAINS THEM THROUGHOUT B. ONLY CONTAINS THEM IN MY OBJECTIVE STATEMENTC. DOES NOT CONTAIN THEM AT ALL

9. MY RESUME IS SAVED:A. IN A WORD-PROCESSING PROGRAM THAT IS NOT MICROSOFT WORDB. IN MICROSOFT WORDC. IN AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT FORMATS (MS WORD, PDF, ASCII ETC.)

10. MY RESUME:A. HAS NOT GENERATED INTERVIEWSB. HAS GENERATED A FEW LEADS AND/OR INTERVIEWSC. HAS GENERATED SEVERAL/MANY LEADS AND/OR INTERVIEWS

THE ANSWER TO ALL QUESTIONS IS “C”

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

JOBCANDIDATEMISTAKES INTERVIEW

32%

RESUME21%

COVERLETTER

9%REFERENCE

CHECKS9%

INTERVIEWFOLLOW-UP

7%

SCREENING CALL6%

OTHER2%

DON’T KNOW14%

JOB CANDIDATE MISTAKES: IN WHICH JOB-APPLICATION AREAS DO CANDIDATES MAKE THE MOST MISTAKES?

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

WHAT INTERVIEWERS

REMEMBER

7%OUR ACTUAL

WORDS SPOKEN (VERBAL)

38%WHAT THEY

HEAR (VOCALS)

55%WHAT THEY

SEE (VISUALS)

= 100%

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

THE PRE-

INTERVIEW

THE ACTUAL

INTERVIEW

THE POST

INTERVIEW

THEANATOMY OF AN INTERVIEW

THE ANATOMY OF AN INTERVIEW

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

1) RESEARCH THE EMPLOYER: FIND OUT ABOUT THEIR HISTORY, PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, BUSINESS METHOD, PHILOSOPHY, LOCATIONS ETC.

2) WRITE DOWN YOUR QUESTION – YOU SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE JOB AND THE ORGANIZATION FROM YOUR RESEARCH.

3) REHEARSE YOUR ANSWERS-NOW THAT YOU HAVE A SENSE OF THE KIND OF QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT BE ASKED, REHEARSE ANSWERS WITH A FAMILY MEMBER, FRIEND OR TAPE RECORDER – OR IN FRONT OF A MIRROR.

4) DRESS PROPERLY – DRESS PROFESSIONALLY. DON’T WEAR TRENDY CLOTHING, FLASHY JEWELRY OR STRONG PERFUME/COLOGNE.

5) BE ON TIME – BE SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO GET TO THE INTERVIEW. ARRIVE 10 MINUTES EARLY.

6) BE FRIENDLY – GREET THE INTERVIEWER BY NAME. SMILE AND GIVE A FIRM HANDSHAKE. TREAT EVERYONE YOU TALK TO IN A POLITE, PROFESSIONAL MANNER.

7) MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT – EYE CONTACT IS KEY IN BUILDING TRUST IN A RELATIONSHIP.

15 TIPS FROM A GREAT INTERVIEW

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

8) BE POSITIVE – DON’T PUT DOWN PAST EMPLOYERS, TEACHERS OR CO-WORKERS TO MAKE YOURSELF LOOK GOOD.

9) BE AWARE OF BODY LANGUAGE – YOUR TONE OF VOICE, POSTURE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ALL GIVE CLUES ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS AND ATTITUDES. BE SENSITIVE TO THESE SIGNALS IN YOURSELF AND IN OTHERS.

10) BE A GOOD LISTENER – BE ALERT TO NONVERBAL CUES INDICATING WHEN YOU SHOULD START OR STOP TALKING.

11) BE ASSERTIVE – BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITIES. THERE IS A REASON THEY DECIDED TO INTERVIEW YOU.

12) AVOID SALARY DISCUSSIONS – DON’T DISCUSS SALARY, BONUSES OR BENEFITS UNLESS ASKED BY THE INTERVIEWER.

13) AVOID PERSONAL ISSUES – DON’T DISCUSS FAMILY, PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.

14) BE YOURSELF – DON’T TRY TO CHANGE YOUR PERSONALITY. GIVE THE INTERVIEWER A CHANCE TO FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE.

15) THANK THE INTERVIEWER – AFTER THE INTERVIEW, SEND YOUR INTERVIEWER A THANK YOU NOTE, THANKING THEM FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW FOR THE POSITION.

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

HAVE A PROFESSIONAL VOICEMAIL MESSAGE

HAVE AN APPROPRIATE EMAIL ADDRESS

LEAVE APPROPRIATE RETURN MESSAGES FOR THE INTERVIEWER

BE “ON-TIME” FOR THE INTERVIEW

UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE INTERVIEWING WITH

DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR THE INTERVIEW

HAVE A STRONG GREETING

PREPARING FOR THE PRE-INTERVIEW

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

POSITIVE QUALITIES

JOB HISTORY

HOBBIES EDUCATION / ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I AM… I HAVE…

I ENJOY… I AM PROUD OF…

THEIR JOBI AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR…

MY I-COMMERCIAL: THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION “TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF?”

THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSTHE HOME RUN: TO ANSWER THE QUESTION “WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?”

…AND I’M CONFIDENT THAT…

HOW/WHAT…?

WHEN/ WHERE…?

AS A…

I AM…

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS

STRENGTH

SOLUTION

STRENGTH

WEAKNESS

IMPACT

THE

S.W.I.S.S.

FACTOR

THE S.W.I.S.S. FACTOR: THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION “WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?”

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSTHE POST INTERVIEW: THANK YOU LETTER OUTLINEDATE: ___________________________________ ____

MANAGER’S NAME: _____________________________

NAME OF COMPANY: ____________________________

ADDRESS: ____________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP: ______________________________

DEAR:

WHAT ARE YOU THANKING THEM FOR AND WHAT IS THE POSITION YOU ARE APPLYING FOR? ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WHY WOULD YOU BE A GOOD POSITION FOR THIS JOB?

____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CLOSE, THANK THEM AGAIN: ___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SINCERELY,

______________________________

YOUR NAME: ______________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP: __________________________________

PHONE NUMBER:___________________________________

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSSAMPLE THANK YOU LETTER

MARCH 27, 2007

JANE DOETHE INTELLECTUAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY2601 GENTILLY BOULEVARDNEW ORLEANS, LA 70122

DEAR MS. DOE:

IT WAS A PLEASURE TO VISIT YOU AND TO MEET THE MEMBERS OF YOUR STAFF. I WAS PLEASED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE INTELLECTUAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY AND TO HEAR OF THE MANY VENTURES BEING UNDERTAKEN.

IN REVIEWING THE INTERVIEW, I FEEL THAT I DID NOT ACCURATELY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT TRAVEL, SCHEDULE REQUIREMENTS, ETC. I MAY HAVE CONVEYED HESITANCY ABOUT TRAVEL, OR EXTRA WORKING HOURS OR OTHER SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS. YOUR SUBSEQUENT EXPLANATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE JOB HELPED ME REALIZE THAT I WOULD FIND THE SITUATIONS MENTIONED TO BE ACCEPTABLE.

AS I UNDERSTAND, YOU WILL CONTACT ME WITHIN A MONTH REGARDING FURTHER CONSIDERATION. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SOON. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW FOR THIS POSITION.

SINCERELY,(HANDWRITTEN SIGNATURE)BEVERLY JOHNSON1234 ORLEANS AVENUENEW ORLEANS, LA 70130

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSSUMMARY

I HAVE PRESENTED CHARTS TO SHOW WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR WHEN CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW AND ALSO GAVE AN EXAMPLE OF A SAMPLE THANK YOU LETTER. THIS PRESENTATION SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THE AUDIENCE VERY HELPFUL INFORMATION ON LIFE AFTER COLLEGE…”THE JOURNEY TO JOB READINESS.”

YOUR JOURNEY TO JOB READINESSREFERENCES

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