news
Interviewing
The Wall Street Journal
[Excerpts from] The Interview That'll Bag a Job
By Sarah Needham
April 14, 2009
In recent weeks, recruiters for Consolidated Container Co. have seen job candidates arrive up to an hour early for interviews. Other candidates have alluded to financial hardships while in the hot seat, and one person even distributed bound copies of documents describing projects he completed for past employers.
These sort of tactics aren't exactly winners.
In today's ultracompetitive job market, even getting an interview is a feat. Yet recruiters and hiring managers say many unemployed candidates blow the opportunity by appearing desperate or bitter about their situations — often without realizing it.
"People are becoming a lot more aggressive," says Julie Loubaton, director of recruiting and talent management for Atlanta-based Consolidated Container. "They often wind up hurting themselves."
At an interview, you want to stand out for the right reasons. To do so, you'll need to leave your baggage and anxiety at the door. For starters, wait until 10 minutes before your scheduled interview time to announce yourself. Arriving any sooner "shows that you're not respectful of the time the hiring manager put aside for you," says Ms. Loubaton, adding that a candidate who arrived an hour early made workers uncomfortable. "Companies really don't want someone camped out in their lobby."
Signal confidence by offering a firm handshake, adds Wendy Alfus Rothman, president of Wenroth Consulting Inc., an executive search coaching firm in New York. Focus your attention on the interviewer. Avoid looking around the room, tapping your fingers, or other nervous movements.
No matter how you're feeling, keep your personal woes out of the interview process, asserts Ms. Alfus Rothman. Instead, always exude an upbeat attitude. For example, if you were laid off, instead of lamenting the situation, you might say the experience prompted you to reassess your skills, and that’s what led you here. "You want to demonstrate resilience in the face of unpredictable obstacles," she says.
THE JOB MARKET
The Dallas News
[Excerpts from] College Grads-Growth Industries
By Jennifer La Fleur
April, 2009
If you're considering a career change or if you are new to the workforce, you may want to take a look at growth industries.
College students looking to focus on growth industries may want to check out the College Board's web site. The board, a nonprofit association of colleges, universities and other educational institutions, reports estimates of the fastest growing industries. In its most recent report, which looked at growth from 2006 to 2016 based on BLS data, it cited management, scientific, and technical consulting as the fastest growing industry, followed by services for the elderly and disabled.
According to the board's projections of occupations, teaching and nursing will see the most job openings from 2006 to 2016.
One thing that may alter these forecasts is the federal stimulus package, which is providing money to certain industries. So those industries, which include construction, energy and health care, may see more growth, at least while the stimulus money is flowing.
I should point out that some organizations have reported that the stimulus funding will actually decrease the number of jobs in some sectors in Texas. In an April report, the Texas Public Policy Foundation said that the stimulus package could mean that 170,000 jobs will not be created over the next 10 years that otherwise would have because "government spending crowds out private sector spending, diminishing the private economy's rate of growth."
The White House estimates that the stimulus package will create more than 260,000 jobs in Texas.