Must-Ask interview questions

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

Another in Monster.com’s “Stand Out from the Crowd series focuses on six important questions. Copyright prevents me from including the entiore article. Do not hesitate to link to http://career-advice.monster.com.

Here is the “tease” from Joe Turner’s in today’s The Philadelphia Inquirer Page D8:

Interviewing can be a gut-wrenching process. Most books on how to interview list hundreds of questions you need to be ready to answer. but few talk about questions you need to ask.

Take more control at your next interview by asking some pointed questions of your own. Here are six must-ask questions and why you should know the answers (the whys are on the link). Also, be sure to check out Numbers 30 and 23 under Handouts on www.larrylitwin.com.

1. What happened to the person who previously did this job? (If a new position: How has this job been performed in the past?)

2. Why did you choose to work here? What keeps you here?

3. What is the first problem the person you hire must attend to?

4. What can you tell me about the individual to whom I would report?

5. What are the company’s five-year sales and profit projections?

6. What’s our next step?

As Turner says, “As a job seeker, the key to a good interview is to find out as much about your potential employer as possible.”

He says that asking these six questions will make you appear more committed as a candidate and give you better insight into both challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead for you.

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com}

 

 

 

Do your research before a job interview – YOU can stand out from the crowd

[To comment: larry@larrylitwn.com]

Once again, because of copyright laws, we can’t print the entire column on job interviews and “standing out from the crowd.” Here, though is the link from Monster.Com.

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-preparation/interview-company-research/article.aspx

The highlights are these:

Do your research. How many times have my students heard that phrase?

Some bullet points. For details visit the site:

  • The Company’s Mission
  • Recent Company Achievements
  • Your Interviewers
  • What to Wear
  • The Industry
  • People on the Inside
  • Research Yourself (How many times have I urged my students to Google themselves, periodically

[To comment: larry@larrylitwn.com]

 

 

Al Neuharth: Can ‘old’ newspapers remain relevant?

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USA TODAY celebrates its 30th birthday anniversary this weekend (Sept. 15, 2012). The Nation’s Newspaper first was published on Sept. 15, 1982, in the Washington, D.C., market.

Most media critics brushed us off quickly. Linda Ellerbee, then a popular late-night news commentator on NBC, paraphrased our “non-smudge” ink promotion with this sarcastic comment: “USA TODAY doesn’t rub off on your hands or your mind.” Many critics compared us to McDonald’s, as the “fast food of journalism.”

But the farther west of the Hudson and west of the Potomac we went, the more popular we became. When our certified circulation topped more than 1 million in just six months, most observers decided the guessing game was over. Some critics began adopting some of our news features. As Taylor Buckley, then editor of USA TODAY’s Money section, told a California editors’ conference in the spring of 1983: “The same newspaper editors who called us McPaper now are stealing some of our McNuggets.”

Just as there was widespread conjecture about USA TODAY 30 years ago, there is rampant speculation about newspapers in general today. The daily circulation for the top three:

• The Wall Street Journal 2,118,315 (1,566,027 print and 552,288 digital)

• USA TODAY 1,817,446 (1,701,777 print and 115,669 digital)

• The New York Times 1,586,757 (779,731 print and 807,026 digital)

The fact is more people across the USA and around the world want more news and information today than ever before. They also want it in different ways — in print, on the air, on the Web.

As long as news providers give it to them when they want it, where they want it and how they want it, they not only will survive but also thrive. That includes newspapers, if they also adapt to new ways of distributing the news, which they generally gather more professionally than any other media.

Feedback

“Al is right. No other media equal newspapers in gathering news, professionally and fulsomely. That has always been the industry’s main strength, and always will be.”
John Morton, newspaper analyst“Al has a right to crow. His baby was much ridiculed, but it not only thrived; it had wide influence. It will be fascinating to watch USA TODAY evolve under digitally savvy leadership.”
Rem Rieder, editor, American Journalism Review

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

From EZ Texting dot com

To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com

http://www.eztexting.com offers these statistics on SMS (texting). Contact info is: SMS Marketing Specialist: (800) 753-5732.

  • 95 – 98% of text messages are read within minutes of receipt.*
  • 86% of consumers send or receive a text message every week.
  • 30% of consumers interact with a brand via text message.
  • 2.12 Trillion text messages are sent every year! (Summer 2011)
  • There are over 320 Million wireless subscribers in the US (Summer 2011).
  • Nearly 30% of US households no longer own a landline (Summer 2011).
  • Only 40% of consumers own smartphones (Fall 2011).
  • Text messaging is still the largest mobile marketing channel by revenue (2011).
  • Mobile coupons are ten times more likely to be redeemed than traditional coupons.
  • 72% of consumers say they have seen a QR code, but nearly 30% do not know what it is.
  • Only 5% of American adults actively scan QR Codes (this number rises to double digits for younger groups).

It wasn’t too long ago that Ball State University reported:

  • nearly 100 percent of all college students text.
  • fewer than 30 percent email
  • far fewer than 25 percent i.m.

To comment: larry@larrylitwn.com

 

 

From “The Philadelphia Inquirer” — Voters sum up the issues in just six simple words

[To comment: larrylitwin.com]

The following appeared on the “Opinion” page of the Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012  “The Philadelphia Inquirer.” It is worth repeating.

A sample of the six-word stump speeches, part of an exhibit sponsored by Smith Magazine and the National Constitution Center (in Philadelphia).

1. It’s all about the Supreme Court.

2. Change begins in our local communities.

3. Education is key to our future.

4. Believing isn’t the problem. Take action.

5. Preserve benefits for our wounded warriors.

6. Fight for jobs and middle class.

7. Stop making it difficult to vote.

8. Paging Dr.Drew, government needs rehab.

9. Take care of our senior citizens.

10. Regulate the Second Amendment for everyone.

11. Youth need to be more aware.

12. Equality. Equal pay for equal work.

13. Constitutional voting rights are under attack.

14. We the people need more jobs.

15. Great leaders come from great moms.

16. To the world, America is hope.

17. The world is changing. Respect everybody.

18. Let’s try competence for a change.

19. Stop blaming others. Let’s solve problems.

20. Respect the religious beliefs of others.

21. Every child deserves a quality education.

22. Abortion takes away a constitutional right.

23. Americans are equal, homosexual or straight.

24. We did build that, Mr. President.

25. Get out and see your country.

26. A new president equals new jobs.

27. American “Idle” – cast a real vote.

28. Let’s bring our old values back.

29. Can’t we all just get along?

30. Let’s take care of our homeless.

31. Freedom comes with a great responsibility.

32. Change the economy. Equal rights now.

33. Let’s get rid of the litter.

34. Politicians should go far, far away.

35. Everyday Americans can be heroes, too.

36. America needs a broader world perspective.

37. Just chill, America. We got this.

[To comment: larrylitwin.com]

He has some questions he’d ask if he were on the debate panel

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

Gannett’s Bob Ingle is senior political columnist for New Jersey Press Media. [Email him at bingle@njpressmedia.com.] [Find him on Twitter at @bobingle99.]

If he were asking questions on Wednesday evening (Oct. 3, 2012),  here’s what he would ask Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney:

• If you believe in America, why don’t you keep your money in American banks?

• Specifically, what steps would you take to right the economy and get people back to work?

• Is how you governed Massachusetts an indication of how you would run the country?

And for President Obama:

• It is said that your lack of making personal contacts among world leaders and leaders of Congress has contributed to your political problems, would that change in a second administration?

• For four years the deficit each year has been above $1 trillion but the economy remains weak. Do you plan to continue borrowing or take another path?

• How would you react to an “Arab Spring” revolution in Saudi Arabia?

 [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

Take on an internship

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.]

From the pages of “The Philadelphia Inquirer” comes this tip from “The Inky Tip Jar”:

Internships are excellent opportunities for students, recent graduates and jobseekers looking to test their skills in the real world, gain first-hand experience and insight into a company or career, and netowk with professionals in their field.

Internships vary in length, but most are a three-month (120 hour) commitment and at Rowan University that would be worth three credits.

While many are unpaid — in fact, most — students not only receive academic credit, but can parlay that experience into their first professional job. Some internships come with travel and/or housing stipends and/or job placement following the intership period, according to “The Inquirer.”

Look for internships at www.philly.com/jobs. Enter keyword “internship” in the “Find a New Job” search tool.

If you are a Rowan student, be certain to follow procedures by first visit No. 73 on www.larrylitwin.com>student resources>handouts.

Good luck.

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.]

 

 

 

 

The all important “Thank You Note” — After the job/internship interview, a sincere note helps you shine.

[To comment:larry@larrylitwin.com]
also, check out: CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, TheWorkBuzz.com
CareerBuilder recently ran a column on Thank You notes. It appeared in the August 19, 2012 Courier-Post. This blog carries many of Susan Ricker’s suggestions, plus those in “The Public Relations Practitioner’s Book” (from Chapter 15.) Both are must reads.

Susan Ricker’s article begins:  When a job interview is winding down, thanking the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you shouldn’t be your last interaction before the hiring decision is made.

You still have an opportunity to tell the hiring manager that you’re the right person for the position, that you appreciate his/her time and that you’re very interested

in being hired – and it all comes in the form of a thank-you note. It’s a tool job seekers don’t always put much thought into, but it’s one that can make a big impression on potential employers.

Why send a thank-you note?

Beyond the  sentiment of thanking the interviewer, sending a note after an interview gives you another chance to prove you’re right for the position.

“The best thank-you notes forward the discussion you started in the interview,” says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, career expert and co-founder of career-coaching firm SixFigureStart. “Personalize the note around what you specifically discussed. Reiterate the points that landed well during the interview. Add to the points where you felt you didn’t have  a clear enough example.”

How to say “thank you”

In the note, refer to your interview and highlight your interaction with the company. Remember that this is a note

from one person to another – it’s not a mechanical, automated response.

“Make it real and authentic,” says Danielle Beauparlant Moser, career strategist and co-author of “FOCUS: Creating Career & Brand Clarity.”

“A genuinely sincere thank-you for the person’s time comes through in the writing. Don’t go online looking for canned language. lf the person were standing in front of you, what would you say?”

Write a short note that expresses thanks for the interviewer’s time, highlights the best points of the interview

and confirms that you’re still interested in the job and that you look forward to hearing back from the company.

Email vs. handwritten “thank you”

As CareerBuilder says in its blog, a common question is whether you should send an email or mailed letter. Either way, you’re taking the time to follow up with the interviewer, which is a positive gesture. When deciding which format to use, consider the personality of the company and the amount of time between your interview and the hiring decision.

“If you’re sending.an email, the night of (the interview) or the next day is usually a good time,” says Elizabeth Kazda,

recruiter al biotechnology company Amyris Inc. “If you’re sending a thank-you note through the mail, remember it takes a few days, so your best bet is to mail it the night of the interview.”

Also show that you understand the company’s culture .lf you’re applying to an Internet company, a thank-you email may be most appropriate, However, if you’re being considered for a senior position at a law firm, a handwritten

note may be more suitable.

Other times to say “thank you”

lf you’re not currently looking for a job, you’re at the beginning of your career or you’re simply trying to extend

your network, sending a thank-you note after an interaction builds relationships and makes you memorable.

“In a meeting last week with a group of employers, one commented on how impressed she was to receive thank-you notes from students after a networking event,” says Lynne Sarikas, director of Northeastern University’s MBA Career Center in Boston. “Every employer in the room agreed that the notes make a very positive impression and help the students stand out from the competition.”

Thanks, but no thanks 

You may decide that the company or the position isn’t the right fit for you. Don’t be too quick to cut ties. Sending

a note can still be appropriate.

“Even if don’t want the Job, do write a thank-you note anyway,” says Corinne Gregory, author of “It’s Not

Who You Know, It’s How You Treat Them.”

“Thank the interviewer for his/her time, mention the company positively (and) compliment them on their process or mission. You never know if or when you will cross paths with either the organization or the individual again, so leave a positive last impression.

In today’s Internet age, you never really leave anybody in your professional life behind, so maintaining good relationships can lead to job opportunities in the future.

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

Check out: Susan Ricker — and her blog: TheWorkBuzz.com
        

14 Ways to Get Ahead in Your Internship — From Kim Ciesla

[To comment:larry@larrylitwin.com]

Was surfing the Web this a.m. and ran into this incredible advice from Rowan University public relations graduate and Gold Medallion recipient Kim Ciesla, now with Anne Klein Communications Group. Heed Kimmie’s advice. It will serve you well. Let’s call this a “long” retweet.

(Originally written Tuesday, October 13, 2009)

Before you get there:

1. Know the dress code: There’s nothing more embarrassing than showing up in tights when the company’s policy is no tights. And showing up business casual when the dress is really more corporate business attire? Not fun. So do your homework–send your supervisor a quick email asking for a copy of the dress code.

2. Be prepared for research: A lot of interns are required to do research. If you work for an agency, your first day will probably be ALL research so you can familiarize yourself with company clients.

3. Realize that what you give, is what you’ll get: If you work hard, arrive on time (or early) and work diligently, your hard work will be rewarded.

While you’re there:

4. Ask for feedback: Why? Because it shows you care about your job performance. Also, your ability to handle constructive criticism will be noticed and could get you better projects or opportunities in the future.

5. Be proactive: Instead of tweeting all day when you have nothing to do, ask for something to do. Don’t be afraid to ask for projects you’d like to work on. Most of the time your boss will be willing to give you the experience you ask for.

6. Get to the point: When asked to do research for your boss, highlight main points, email articles–anything to make their job easier. Brief them on the most important things they wanted first, then accompany the research with additional info if requested, or in an email so they can refer back to it.

7. Keep a record: Of what you do, the number of hours you intern, etc. It will help when you notice on your Field Experience syllabus that you were supposed to have a log of what you’ve done! It will also give you something to refer back to when updating your resume.

8. Make a contact list: Take note of the people you work around, even if you only meet them once or twice. Get their emails, phone numbers, their twitter name…anything. Stay in contact. You never know when their expertise could come in handy.

9. Keep track of the computer programs you use: Companies find it valuable when interns and potential employees don’t have to be trained in certain areas. Almost everyone is proficient in Word, Excel and PowerPoint by now. So skip it on your resume. Instead, incorporate the unique programs you’ve learned along the way.

10. Use tools to your advantage: The tools you use on a daily basis at your internship could make your life a lot easier in the long run. Create media lists. Utilize the PR Newswire, etc.

11. Ask questions: It shows your paying attention and that you care about doing the task at hand correctly.

12. Take notes: So you don’t ask the same questions twice!

When you leave:

13. Know your limits: If you’re a blogger, are you allowed to blog about the internship? What are your limitations? What’s confidential information? You wouldn’t want to leak something or put something out on the World Wide Web for everyone to see if it’s not supposed to leave the office.

14. Take advantage of outside opportunities: Trade shows, samplings, corporate events. All these things will help you to become well rounded and experienced. And, it will give you a chance to get out of the office setting for a bit

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