With school back in session across Western New York, most students are spending weeknights with their head down completing any homework assigned to them. Many of us don’t escape doing “homework” once employed either, often taking it with us at the end of the...
Interviewing Articles
Tell Me When You Overcame a Problem
(Frequently Asked Questions in an Interview) There are very few jobs where a person does not face any obstacles, problems, or issues during the course of the day. The real successful people are those who have the ability to accurately analyze the situation, seek the...
Tell Me about Yourself
This edition features a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) focused on an inquiry that is generally considered the ice breaker of interview questions. This question or request is almost always at the beginning of the interview in the form of the first question asked. It...
Take Accountability…Don’t Pass Blame
Employers are continuing the process of adjusting their interview style away from the very traditional review of your previous experience and job history, and more towards your behavior and motivation. As this has occurred, what Interviewers are looking for has...
Should I Tell Them and When?
One of the hardest things for a person to do is to keep a secret. We seem to have a natural inclination to want to tell people…family, co-workers, even strangers when and if we get lonely enough. What should you do, however, if this information is related to or could...
Selling Yourself in Job Interview
This is the aspect of the interview that usually results in cringes from a Job Seeker. Many sigh when this topic is brought up and respond by saying, “But I am not going for a sales job”, or “I don’t like talking about myself in that way”. The reality is selling...
Read Your Body Language
A number of years ago, I wrote about the importance of your body language in conveying the message you desire (you can check out all the archived articles on the Job Search Articles & Advice page). The topic is one, however, that most do not give much thought to....
Phone Screen Preparation Tips
Phone interviews can be a real challenge. During an in-person interview, a Job Seeker relies on so many senses beyond just hearing, but in a phone screen that is all you have to utilize. The reality is virtually everyone will have to conduct some type of phone...
Passing the Psychological Test
It is quite common, after an offer, to have to undergo some testing (such as a drug screen or a background check) prior to starting a position. Job Seekers have come to expect this occurrence, and it typically is a situation where you will know if you pass or not...
Making the Best of a “Bad” Interviewer
We have all been there, at one point or another, in our working career. You are in an interview that you have been looking forward to “acing” and you find yourself in front of an Interviewer that you are just not connecting well with. In this edition of HR Matters,...
