Issue - March 2009

Surviving and Thriving in a Tough Job Market

By Sherrie Gong Taguchi

Some candidates look fantastic on paper, only to disappoint in the interview. On the other hand, some people have a natural talent in interviewing. But interviewing is ultimately a learned skill.

Following are ten tips to help you be your best as you interview.

1. Research the industry and company beforehand; over-prepare. Use every resource to your advantage: fellow students, professors, career-center resources, informational interviews with alumni of your school, the company’s recruitment literature and website, WetFeet’s Insider Guides, and databases and websites such as LexisNexis, the U.S. Business Browser, and Hoovers. (More information on this point can be found in Surviving and Thriving in a Tough Job Market: Ten To-Dos to Be Your Best.)

2. Know what you’re looking for, what’s important to you, and why you are in the interview. What are your values, interests, preferences? What kinds of roles and responsibilities are stimulating to you? What are your top five criteria for choosing a company or accepting an offer? What drew you to interview with this company, for this job? Thinking through these issues will keep you focused in your interviews—and keep you from wasting time (yours and the interviewers) in interviews for jobs you aren’t truly interested in. (Again, you can find more information in Surviving and Thriving in a Tough Job Market: Ten To-Dos to Be Your Best.)

3. Understand what you have to offer: your skills, experience, education, talents, and strengths. What makes you unique? What are your points of difference? Understand how these make you a good fit for the opportunity the company is offering, so you can make the fact that you are a good fit clear to the interviewer.

4. Anticipate the questions you’ll be asked. Think about key points you would emphasize for each question you can imagine the interviewer asking. Additionally, prepare how you would handle any illegal, unfair, or politically incorrect questions in a firm but graceful manner. And remember: If it’s on your resume, it’s fair game.

5. Practice, refine, practice. Participate in mock interviews; practice on your own or with other students. Solicit honest feedback and work to improve. At a minimum, one practice interview is a must. (For case interviews, do two or more, since they can be quite complex. Check with your school’s consulting club and career center to see if they conduct mock case interviews.)

6. Be on time, enthusiastic, and professional in your interviews. When in doubt, dress more formally (most of the time, a suit and tie for men, a pantsuit or jacket and skirt for women). Don’t overdo the accessories (scarves, jewelry, perfume, makeup). Bring extra copies of your resume, just in case. Make sure pagers and mobile phones are turned off. Present a firm handshake and eye contact when you introduce yourself. Wait to sit until after the interviewer does, or until he or she offers you your chair. Don’t rush to fill in silence. Think before you speak; take time to form your thoughts. Tell the interviewer that you can be reached by phone or e-mail if there are any follow-up questions. Show enthusiasm modulated to the interviewer’s. Speak with clarity and confidence. Close the interview with a handshake and genuine thank you; make a positive last impression.

7. Develop questions (at least three) for each interview. Examples might include: What keeps you in the company or makes you most excited about working there? How do you think the new players x and y and recent merger activity between a and b will impact you? Can you give me some examples of what kinds of roles MBAs typically have at the company after two, five, or eight years?

8. If the interviewer does not discuss next steps and the timing of the recruiting process, ask about them. If you think you’ll be invited for a second-round, this will allow you to block out the time on your calendar so you can participate.

9. Follow up—quickly—with a written thank-you note. In this age of e-mails, an old-fashioned handwritten note can be a breath of fresh air. You don’t need fancy, personalized stationary; a simple note-card or nice paper will do. Try to personalize your thank-you’s if you are sending them to more than one person in a given company; assume they will be passed around. Saying the same thing to everyone shows you did not take the time to differentiate between your interviewers, which could be interpreted as meaning that you don’t care about the position, or bring into question your level of business sense.

10. After each interview, assess your performance. Understand what worked, and what didn’t. Keep learning and improving as you go on interviews. Ask yourself questions like: What do I need to do to perform better for next time? Should I get additional practice—such as a videotaped mock interview, or mock-interview feedback? Your career centers, the people you’ve interviewed with, and fellow students with whom you’ve participated in mock interviews can all be a source of excellent feedback.

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Sherrie Gong Taguchi is a leading expert and author on career management, recruiting, and executive coaching. She was VP of Global University Recruiting at Bank of America, Director of Corporate HR for Dole Packaged Foods, and, for the past seven years, Assistant Dean and Director of the Stanford Business School's MBA Career Management Center and Management Communication Program.

Sherrie's first book, "Hiring the Best and the Brightest," has been lauded as an incredible resource both for companies that recruit and develop top talent as well as MBAs in job searches who want preparation for interviews and a competitive advantage on the recruiting process.

How to Start a Business During the Recession

By Cindy Lynn Jacobs, eHow Member

The best time to start your new business might be during the recession.

Rate: (42 Ratings)

According to "USA Today," a recession may be the best time to start a new business. Many well-known businesses began during a recession, such as Disney and Microsoft. With a bit of research, careful planning and frugality, you might discover that now is the time for you to launch your dream.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step1

Write a thorough business plan. This document should include the focus of the business, marketing, revenue and other details. There are books and online resources available to help in this process. I've included some resources below.

Step2

Choose a business with low start-up costs. If possible, start your business in your home. Purchase second-hand or rent equipment or furniture. Investors are a more conservative in their investment opportunities during a recession, so you may not be able to find an investor for your business.

Step3

Do industry research. Check out your competition and try to determine what you can offer that will make customers choose you over the others. Follow market trends. If more people are staying home because of the price of gas, perhaps you can launch a business that helps them make this adjustment (entertainment, food, home services, etc.). Also, what is the success/fail rate for your type of industry in your area? These are all things to consider. Stay sharp and in-tune.

Step4

Market aggressively. Make customers think they need your product. Be sure to give your marketing strategy careful consideration for optimal results.

Step5

Network. Join your local Chamber of Commerce or local industry group. You will find both customers and peers that will benefit your business.

Step6

Treat your customers like royalty. Go the extra mile for your customers. Your customer relations will encourage people to come back and spread the word about your product.

Tips & Warnings

• The Small Business Administration offers many low-cost classes and loans for start-ups.
• Starting a business at any time carried some degree of risk. Be sure you have the positive attitude and time to put into this, and that your plan is well thought-out.

Reprinted Courtesy of www.ehow.com.

How To Manage the Perfect Project

By Susan M. Heathfield, About.com

Want to complete projects successfully? On-time, within budget, and involving the appropriate people to ensure integration? These project management steps will ensure you practice effective project management.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Depends on the project.

Here's How:

1. Select the project. Assemble the team that must own the project to create a positive implementation and integration.
2. Define the internal or external customer's requirements from the outcome or output of the project.
3. Define the scope of the project and the outcome desired. As part of this definition, determine where the project begins and ends. What is the first step? What is the last?
4. Define measurable goals that will enable you to know that the project is accomplished. Define your budget for the project. Determine the people and hours that are required to complete the project.
5. Determine how you will communicate progress and accomplishments, and gather input from organization members who are not on the team.
6. Flow chart the current process. Or, for a specific project, list the steps necessary to accomplish the project.
7. Measure how the current project is performing right now, if this is an ongoing project. Study the data to adjust your goals and expectations.
8. Determine whether additional information, resources or people are needed to complete the project. Bring the people and resources identified into the group.
9. Create an action plan to complete the project's steps. Assign the appropriate people to complete each step. Create a due date for when each step will be accomplished. Make sure people have the time needed allocated to the project.
10. Determine an ongoing method to track whether the steps are accomplished as planned. Hold weekly meetings, set up a centrally-located planning calendar, widely distribute meeting minutes, or list the steps on a public white board.
11. Implement the action plan. Document the methods used to accomplish each step. You will want to be able to share the steps and goals and duplicate the successful ones, if this is an ongoing or periodically repeated project.
12. Determine how the team will measure, record, and track the effectiveness of the project implementation and planning process for the future.
13. Using the data collected, evaluate results. How did the project meet expectations and satisfy planners and participants? If not, why not? Document for future projects.
14. Celebrate the accomplishments of the team.
15. Determine how the lessons learned and steps experienced during this project can be applied to projects in the future. Find a method for integrating "best practice" steps for project management.

Tips:

1. Involve the appropriate people who own the process and can make or break the success of your implementation and integration.
2. Document your steps so that the team that follows or implements your project next year has the appropriate information they need to duplicate your successful steps and planning process.
3. Keep any forms, flyers, advertisements, communication documents, team minutes, and all other data related to the project in a file that can be accessed for the next project planning.

What You Need:

• Computer
• White Board and Markers
• Printer Paper
• Printer
• P.M. Software (Possibly)

reprinted courtesy of www.about.com.

10 Ways to help your community in 30 minutes or less

by Hilary Hamblin

From waking up early to put in a first load of laundry to working all day and driving the mom taxi all afternoon, most women have little time to think about volunteering for community projects. But busy schedules do not mean we have to write off community involvement completely. In thirty minutes or less, anyone can make a difference in the community.

Check out the following ideas for ways to help your community in the midst of your everyday activities.

1. Take a garbage bag while walking through the neighborhood. Pick up any litter along the way. As a by-product, you can get some exercise built into your day.
   
2. Shop with locally owned businesses, saving time and money. Many locally owned businesses offer services like free gift-wrapping and delivery. And a percentage of your sales taxes go directly to the local community.
   
3. Find positive aspects of your community share with other people. A positive image encourages residents to shop locally, increases the chance new businesses will open in the area and promotes growth.
   
4. Attend a local festival or other event. Many have free admission and activities. Most festivals are actually fundraisers for non-profit organizations who make their money through sponsorships. Since sponsors look at attendance numbers to decide how much to give, your family can add to the number and help increase what businesses give next year.
   
5. Write a letter to local elected officials encouraging them for making good decisions for the community. People work harder when they know they are appreciated. And elected officials seldom hear enough encouraging words.
   
6. Put a potted plant on your front porch. When your home looks spruced up, it makes the whole neighborhood and the community to look better as well.
   
7. Take left over dinner to an elderly neighbor. If you have a family of four, cook enough dinner for five one night and deliver a plate to the widow next door. Your delivery helps you to get to know your neighbors better. And police promote knowing your neighbors as the best way to fight neighborhood crime.
   
8. Look for opportunities to give in your community. Many schools collect items, such as like canned foods, old coats, toys and eyeglasses, for less fortunate families.
   
9. Vote. While the Presidential election comes around only once every four years, elections happen every year. Check out the candidates for local and state elections.
   
10. Encourage your employer to sponsor local events, join a civic organization or allow employees to volunteer during work hours. Many businesses have volunteer programs to reward employees for volunteering. Local news media often cover large volunteer events and having employee representation gives businesses extra publicity.
    

By doing our part to contribute to the community, we add people to our circle of influence and gain opportunities to build relationships with our neighbours. We also demonstrate what it means to be a good citizen to our children.

~ Hilary Hamblin is a freelance writer from Baldwyn, Mississippi where she lives with her husband and works as Executive Director of the Baldwyn Area Chamber of Commerce/Main Street Association.

reprinted courtesy of www.womentodaymagazine.com.