Category Archives: Interviewing

You’ve studied abroad…now use it to stand out!

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By Christina Faulkner, Career Services’ Employer Relations Program Coordinator

So you’re back in the States after a semester abroad; you’ve explored a new place, culture, and maybe a new language too. Your semester abroad can be a great leverage point on your resume and in an interview to help set you apart from other candidates!

Christina in Niokolo Koba National Park during her study abroad experience in Senegal.

Christina in Niokolo Koba National Park during her study abroad experience in Senegal.

Put it on your resume
Your resume is often the first method of contact you will make with a potential employer, so you want it to stand out against all of the other resumes they see. Having experience abroad distinguishes you from other candidates because it shows that you can adapt to new environments and be independent.

Depending on how relevant your study abroad experience is to the job you are applying for, you can list it briefly or more in-depth. Always include the location, duration, and title of the program on your resume. If you studied at a university while in your host country, include the name of the university as well. If your study abroad experience is directly applicable to the job, you can expand on it by sharing the classes you took (and whether they were in a language other than English), research projects you conducted, what you learned, and/or skills you gained.

If you held an internship, volunteered, or conducted research abroad, add your title and duties under the appropriate section of your resume.

Include any languages you learned abroad in the skills section of your resume. Add your proficiency in the language – basic, intermediate, conversational, or fluent.

Examples:

Resume Pic Christina

Talk about it in an interview
What you choose to put on your resume, including study abroad experience, may come up in an interview; if it’s on your resume, then you should be prepared to discuss it. You can also use experiences from your trip abroad to answer behavioral interview questions. Examples:

Interview Christina

Examples like these can show you are adaptable, determined, a good communicator, and so much more!

Everyone’s study abroad experience is unique and challenging in its own way, so use it to prove that you are the right person for the job. Be proud of your experience abroad – you learned, explored, and put yourself out there!

For individual help, please visit us during drop-ins! These times will change beginning May 13, so please keep an eye on our website.
Monday           12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday          12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday      3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday          2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Jerejef! (Thank you!)

Career Resources Series: Use Vault.com to Score Points with Employers

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By Chuck Reutlinger, Associate Director, Career Services

“Why are you interested in us? What do you know about us? Why are you interested in this position and this career path? What are your strengths? Where do you see yourself in the future?”

Employers ask questions like these to see how much you really know about their organizations, their products or services, their work cultures, and, of course, the actual tasks, challenges and preferred qualifications of a specific job. Why? They are trying to identify that candidate who has an accurate grasp of the realities of working in a specific role; is confident that their knowledge, skills and attitude can produce desired outcomes; whose personality and work style will fit easily into their work culture; and who will be energized by the work they do now and in the future. This will be the candidate with whom they will want to form a relationship and to whom they will gladly make an offer.

VaultIn order to properly impress an employer, motivated job seekers have come to depend on a number of resources that capture and publish information on industries, employers, specific careers, and the tactics that employers use to evaluate candidates in the various stages of consideration.  Foremost among these resources is Vault.com.  Through its various profiles and lengthy guides, Vault provides the kind of information that networkers, cover letter writers and interviewees can use to compete successfully for an offer of a job or an internship. Familiarity with such information has become an employer’s expectation of their best candidates.

For the general public visiting Vault’s web site, some information is presented free of charge but most of the truly valuable information carries a cost.  Fortunately for students, Vault makes arrangements for colleges and universities to pay an annual fee that affords their students access to a great deal more crucial insider information on industries, careers, employer cultures, preferred qualifications, interviewing styles and formats, and much more. Syracuse has such an arrangement whereby students can log on to Vault through a Syracuse portal, set up their own accounts on Vault, and use the resources without the restrictions that non-Syracuse users would encounter.

To access Vault through the Syracuse designated pathway, students need to follow these steps every time they wish to use this resource:

  1. Go to this section of the Career Services website and click on the login link
  2. Enter the SU designated user name and password
  3. Click on Vault Career Insider on the next page
  4. Set up a new account for first time users or log in with existing account login info set up in an initial visit

Counselors at SU Career Services can help students to grasp how Vault information can help them.  Resources similar to Vault include Wet Feet and Glass Door although SU does not currently have specific arrangements for student usage.

Ace the Interview: #GetHired13

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Recap by Tracy Tillapaugh

Last night, Rosanne Ecker, associate director in Career Services, provided many excellent tips for those seeking new job opportunities in a Senior Session called “Ace the Interview.” With off-the-wall questions such as “What kind of salad dressing would you want to be?” it’s hard to know what an interviewer is looking for sometimes. But Ecker discussed several concrete strategies for winning the job from the interview.

Associate Director Rosanne Ecker shares tips for successful interviewing.

Here are some highlights and tips to remember the next time you have an interview:

Prepare:

  • Read up on the firm and the company. Check out their website and google them! Learn their values and their mission. What is it like? Do you agree with it?
  • Go over your resume. If you’re going to sell yourself on the interview then you need to know what you’re selling.
  • Go over the job description. You need to analyze it like a poem and know what the company is looking for in this position. You want to show them that you’re a match; you don’t need to show them that you’re the smartest/funniest/etc. person they’ve met. For example: prove that you can be vivacious if job description asks for someone to be vivacious!
In the Interview: 
  • Develop a proactive agenda. What do you want the interviewer to know whether or not they ask? Many questions are open-ended, giving you numerous options for answering them.
  • Like a good novelist, show the interviewer through examples. Just stating that you are attentive to detail is not enough; provide an example that shows your attention to detail that you can describe.
  • Answer questions using the PAR formula. Problem. Action. Results. Frame each of your examples and answers in this way with the emphasis being on the action and results. Ecker says that an interview is a series of happy stories!
  • Ask second-level questions based on your research. The company will be impressed that you know about them and are curious to learn more. You want to show them that you’re seeing if they’re a match for you as well.
Follow-Up:

  • Send thank-you notes within 24 hours to each person that interviewed you. Show them that you’re still very interested in the opportunity.
  • Relax!

Remember: interviewing is a skill, if you practice, you will improve!

The next Senior Session, Networking Now: Why #SOCIALMEDIA is a must will be held Tuesday, October 30th in Crouse Hinds 010 at 5:00 pm. RSVP in OrangeLink to reserve your space today!

Job search advice: how many applications led to Microsoft

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By Jeff D’Andria, G ’12

Jeff D’Andria, G ’12

Hi SU family! Here are a few nuggets of job hunt knowledge I picked up from being in the trenches myself for a few months. The following tips were instrumental in me landing a job with Microsoft as a University Recruiter. I really combed through my journey and came up with the things that not only helped me, but I believe will help you too!

  1. Get over your false confidence. I was so sure that my cover letter and resume were the bomb.com, so I was confused when I wasn’t getting any call backs. The most pivotal step in my job hunt was going to Career Services and getting all of my application materials looked over. After I got them checked, I suddenly had many interviews come my way. Get your stuff checked! I worked at Career Services for the two years I was in graduate school and still needed help. Tuck the ego aside and make an appointment.
  2. Keep applying, even when you’re interviewing. Remember, they’re considering many candidates. Even if you make it to a final round interview, chances are you’re contending with 3-4 other strong candidates. At this final round, you only have a 25% chance of being chosen as the best candidate. Bottom line: it’s too expensive to stop applying, so keep doing it until you have an offer in hand.
  3. Rules are meant to be broken. Since when does an M.S. in Counseling = a job at Microsoft? Worked for me. If you’re feeling like your major doesn’t line up with a job or internship you want, there’s hope. The education section on a one-page resume takes up maybe 10% of the visual space available. I’m a huge believer that the remaining 90% is what sets you apart and lands the interview. To make this theory work, you have to intern, volunteer, work, overall just DO pertinent things! If you are strategic enough, you don’t have to feel ruled out of opportunities because of your major.
  4. Get what you’re worth.  I knew I wanted to work at a high caliber organization and didn’t settle for anything less. Your first job affects the second job/salary you get, and the third and so on. It’s critical that you talk to people you trust (i.e. Career Services) to learn what your options are. Do not rush into a lesser opportunity for a reason like, “hey I’m lucky to get a job.” Know that you’ll have to start your job search early, roll with the punches for sure, but that’s part of the journey and if you stick with it, you’ll get what you’re worth. A YouTube video that illustrates this point: http://youtu.be/8xFEqdkO5UI
  5. Be graceful and grateful. When I accepted the job offer with Microsoft, I was in the interview process with two other organizations. I made sure to genuinely thank them for considering me and ensured that I would love to stay in touch. For one of the organizations, I even referred a friend for the opportunity and they proceeded to invite her on-site for an interview. If you think big picture for a moment, you’ll see that after your first job, you’ll move onto another opportunity. Be grateful and helpful to places you turn down because 1) it’s the right thing to do and 2) you don’t want to burn any bridges.

One of my favorite quotes that applies to the job search is: “Luck is the residue of design.” If you put in your due diligence, it’s only a matter of time before something awesome happens for you. Good luck and feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter, @jeffitout, if you have any questions.

With a dash of luck (…a blog post about landing a job)

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By Alison Neufang, Class of 2012

The spring semester was a rough one for me. I had one of the toughest classes I’ve taken. I was also taking the capstone advertising course. I was part of three semester-long teams, and we know how much we all love team projects. Mostly, I was just staving off a raging case of senioritis. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t too proactive about finding a job. It was just really easy to procrastinate. Easier than normal.

That’s not to say I wasn’t thinking about it. I was. I attended one career fair where I didn’t find anything that interested me. I thought about what I should be doing, mainly networking and talking to as many HR people as possible. I knew I should be getting a portfolio together.

But when I finished my last final, I had nothing to show. I still needed to update my resume. I still needed to put my portfolio together. I needed to scour the CDC’s newsletters and Monster.com.

But there were some things that I had been doing for my entire college career. I had been building relationships. Not specifically for the purpose of getting a career, because that would just be rude. But I knew that there were people who wouldn’t mind helping me. So the first thing I did was to recruit as many of my professors as I could. I was lucky that a few decided to lend me a hand. They drew on their experience to introduce me to a few people in the industry.

The other thing I had been doing without realizing is learning how to sell myself. I have passion for my chosen career, and I was able to describe where I thought I fit in. So when I was introduced to people in the industry, I could toss aside any nervousness or scripted speech and just talk. I was able to just look at the people I was meeting and tell them why I thought I could help them do what they do, and be happy doing it. Because, you know, no one likes working with a miserable jerk who has to force herself out of bed in the morning.

So here’s the rundown of what I did. I took my final final (what a weird thing, the last act as a college student) and then I had a week until graduation. So I met with my professors and asked for some introductions. I updated my resume one last time. I went to the SUccess in the City networking event and I shook a bunch of hands and collected a bunch of business cards.

They say finding a job is a full-time job, so I worked on my portfolio for about 10 hours a day for 4 days straight. This was a great exercise because it forced me to reflect on the experience I had gained from school. I would recommend every entry-level person has some examples of why they aren’t completely clueless about the position.  Then I scheduled a few interviews.

And then I graduated. I walked that stage and it was one of the happiest days of my life. The next day I had an interview. Then I had lunch with a professor. Then I had another interview. Then another. And then another. By that Friday, I had a job.

So there was a bit of luck. To find a job that quickly is pretty much unheard of. And I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without a lot of help from some friends. But the main thing I would attribute my success to is my passion. I walked into the interview with enough confidence to say “I belong here,” and enough desire to ensure that my confidence didn’t come off as “ego.”

I wish you all the best of luck in your job search. I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it.

Advice from an SU grad: the path to my dream job

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With graduation nearing, we know many of our seniors are knee-deep in the job search process. In this blog post, iSchool alumnus Daniel Reichert shares his perspective and feelings on looking for meaningful work – and how he found SUccess.

Stress
The interviewing process is stressful. It’s stressful when you put your applications out, and it gets more stressful as you continue on with the process for any company. If you don’t hear back from a company for some time, the stress goes through the roof.

In my late 20s, I’ve been through the interview process several times – once when I just got out of my Army Reserve training, once after getting back from Afghanistan having also just completed my bachelor’s degree, and finally just recently after completing my master’s from the iSchool.  The stress never gets easier.

Chase Your Dreams
In my recent endeavors, I decided I didn’t want just another job. I wanted a career. After following the suggestions from Career Services, I landed a few interviews with major IT companies throughout the country.  It came down to three, all of which would have an estimated “final decision” time during completely different time frames.  Of the three, there was one that was my dream company. Of course, it was estimated to be the last one in line to decide.

The three companies interviewed me through stages, where two of them went through the process rapidly in a month or so.  One of them flew me across the country for the final interview.  It wasn’t my number one, but it was a good sign. Unfortunately I didn’t get that one. I eventually looked at it as a blessing in disguise to make it easier to go full-speed into my number one pick.

Patience and Follow Up
I graduated in December without any offer. I moved back in with my parents being extremely optimistic that I would get an offer from my top choice.  Time went by with no response, and I started applying to other companies. How could it be that I’d made it so far in this nearly six month long interview process and my rejection came in the form of just being ignored?

I didn’t want to be a nuisance, but at the same time I wanted somewhat of a closure.  I attempted to make contact with everyone I interviewed with at the company.  A week later, I got a phone call from the lead hiring manager who was my main contact.  She apologized to me for the delay in responding and informed me I was well in the running still but there was one more interview to go through.

WOOO!

After going more than one month without any response from the company I put everything into, this was a major relief to know I was still interviewing (strangely enough after half a year of interviewing already). A week later I had the biggest interview of my life. I did the interview via webcam. The interviewer told me I would hear back in about week or so, thus getting my nerves going again (more than ever before).

I didn’t sleep at all during that time.

I did whatever I could to keep my mind off of things. Thankfully this was during Miami Tech Week. There was definitely a fair amount of small community things to attend. While I was walking into the building for the Android meetup and about to silence my phone, I received a phone call. It was the hiring manager and she sounded excited.  She called immediately to offer me the position!

It took nearly half a year from submitting my application to hear the phone call I remember so vividly of being offered the position.  I declined other opportunities and I made major gambles. I lost many nights of sleep.  This was my dream job and I ended up getting it after three separate interviews with three groups of people who had varying levels of credentials.  Did I handle the stresses right? Was it a recommended gamble to take? I can’t say, because it worked out right in the end.  Bottom line: don’t overestimate yourself, but most importantly: don’t shortchange yourself.

Interviewing: Four Minutes to Shine

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By Chuck Reutlinger, Associate Director, SU Career Services

Interviewers are famous for making up their minds about considering someone further in the first four minutes of an interview.  Doesn’t sound fair, does it?  Much as they may be trained to do otherwise, they may still do it.

So, how can you insure that you make the first four minutes count?  As someone who has conducted hundreds of real interviews and more than a thousand mock interviews, here are some thoughts.

Positive image.  Make sure your visual and non-verbal impression is flawless, from your hair to your clothing to your accessories to your shoes, from your eye contact and smile to your firm, confident hand shake and upright posture.

Set a tone of confidence and enthusiasm.  When asked how you are, say more than most people’s automatic response of “Fine. How are you?”  Are you glad to have this interview?  Say so!  Have you researched the employer and its sector?  Say so! It might yield a chance to score points right away.

Score big points in the small talk. Interviewers want to see your composure, and your communicative and interpersonal skills, so respond to their remarks, take an interest in them and ask questions in return.  This is critical if your role will involve teamwork or contact with customers or others in the organization but outside your group.  Be ready to talk about current events, your extracurricular activities, and other things seemingly unrelated to the job since life is what you will discuss when you are on the job!

“So tell me about yourself.” First, expect this invitation to talk.  Second, realize that how you present your content is what they want to observe, but that, thirdly, what you relate can score points by making the content of your response relevant to their goals for the interview.  Instead of articulately relating what they already know, e.g. your recent history as shown on your resume,  consider telling them about your future goals or how you became interested in the field you have chosen to pursue or which elements of the job you are particularly keen to take on.  Tell interviewers what you mean to relate, keep the response focused so you hold their attention, and don’t ramble into other topical areas.  Wrap it up with an upbeat remark and let them get on to their next item of business.

Why are you interested in (this position, our organization)?  Expect this early in the interview, too.  It might substitute for “Tell me about yourself.”  You should be ready to score big points here IF you have done your homework on them, positions of this type and know how your own interests, skills, work style preferences, etc. will relate to their situation.  If you haven’t role played these responses with someone else to insure that they hit a target, then you could lose points early in the interview.

These are the common elements of the beginning of an interview.  Give them your attention and practice this stage of an interview as you would the later stages of any interview.  A good start can make a big difference!

Don’t fall off the interviewer’s radar!

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By Tracy Tillapaugh (and Katie Conrad)

Write a thank you note.  Why, you ask?

  • It gives you a chance to remind the employer that you’re still interested
  • It shows your maturity and professionalism
  • You will stand out from the other applicants-many people don’t write thank you notes!

Don’t be tardy for the party…
Send the note within 24 to 48 hours of the interview via email to ensure that the employer receives it. Mailing a thank you letter is helpful but might not reach the interviewer in time.

Just say it!
Say thank you directly and restate your interest in the position.

Reaffirm the match.
Whether you send your thank you note via email or snail mail, send something specific that reaffirms why you’re a great candidate for the position.

Good luck!  It’s good to know that you’ve done all you can!

The CV vs. the Resume: Which should you use?

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By Rosanne Ecker, Associate Director

At least once a week, I get asked the question, “What’s the difference between a resume and a CV?” It’s a great question!  Keep in mind that my answer is specific to the United States, because it’s different in other countries. Here are three key differences between a CV and a resume:

1. The purpose
A resume is designed to show that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in a job or an internship, that you are well-matched for the job opportunity and that you are able to hit the ground running.

A CV is designed to show that you are a scholar who has conducted research, presented your work at conferences, taught, and published articles. A CV is used to showcase your academic achievements and scholarly potential.

2. The use
A resume is used to apply to most non-academic jobs including consultant, engineer, IT specialist, accountant, jobs in marketing, communications and more. A resume is the usual document used to apply to any job where your skills are the main reason that the employer would hire you.

CVs are mostly used when applying for faculty positions, for grants or fellowships or for research positions in industry, academia or government. Whenever your research productivity and teaching experience would be valued, a CV is the way to go.

3. The length
A resume is usually one to two pages at most (with less than 3 years of full-time post-graduate experience).  It’s likely that the employer will receive many resumes for any particular position and will scan them quickly (by eye or machine) to pick out the most outstanding candidates and eliminate those that are not specifically relevant to the advertised opportunity.

On the other hand, a CV can get quite long and that’s OK.  You can use a CV to showcase all of your academic achievements, including honors and awards, teaching experience, grants you’ve received and research you’ve done, if you’re applying to a college faculty position.

Is there any time you would use elements of each in a “blended” document?
Yes! A research lab would be interested both in your research techniques, computer skills and your ability to use specific equipment, as well as the papers you presented and articles you published. In this case, you’ll be presenting both your skills which are relevant to the job as well as your scholarly accomplishments.

When should you think about “converting” your CV to a resume?
If you’ve been geared toward a college teaching position or a research role and are now considering doing something more applied, you might want to have your CV focus more on your skills than your scholarly accomplishments. You will have to eliminate some of your accomplishments in order to spotlight your skills and this can be painful!

What is the main thing that CVs and resumes have in common?
Crafting a clearly formatted document, whether a CV or a resume, is your first step in getting an interview. That’s why people put so much work into the document. It may be the first glimpse of you that an employer gets. Of course, in addition to the CV and the resume, it’s useful to have an online presence on LinkedIn or a web page where you can feature your strengths and accomplishments. It would be ideal to have connected with someone at your potential employer so that they’re expecting your resume or CV.

Should I include references on either the CV or the resume?
It ‘s not usual to include references on a resume. The employer will request them if you make the next cut or the cut after that. You also do not need to write, “references on request.” It’s better to use that space to tell the employer something more about your skills and accomplishments.

On a CV, however, it’s usual to include, or add a page, listing your references with their full title and contact information.

Where can I get someone to help me figure out which document is best for me and to review my CV or resume?
Our office! Career Services, located at 235 Schine Student Center, has drop-in hours Monday through Friday (check our website for current drop-in hours), during which a career consultant will meet with you for 15 minutes to review your document. Please bring a paper copy with you.

If you are a PhD student or an undergraduate with a CV that needs to be reviewed, please set up an appointment by calling 315-443-3616, since a CV will require more than 15 minutes.

Top ways to highlight leadership skills in an interview

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Many students take advantage of internships, clubs, student government, sports and other opportunities to build leadership skills. The question is, how do you demonstrate and articulate your experiences to a potential employer?

In this guest blog post, GEICO shares the following steps that could help you to showcase your leadership skills for your next interview.

Who are you?
When you are looking for a job, you’ve got to tell interviewers who you are and what you can do for their company. No one knows you, and no one knows your skills unless you tell them. You have to show the value of your skills and experiences. You need to be able to show a potential employer that the time and money they’ll invest in training you will not be wasted because you already have what it takes to contribute to the organization and climb up the ladder of success.

What have you done?
Consider what skills are important to you and to the job you are applying for. Then think about the times in the past when you have used these skills in your job or at school. Be able to explain, in one or two sentences, how you used this skill to accomplish something that was beneficial to your employer or student organization. Just make sure the skills you choose are applicable to the job for which you are applying.

Talk about real examples
When focusing on leadership, talk about the experiences you’ve had in building or leading a team; include how you motivated the team and even what tasks you delegated. Results are what matters here. Focus on them. What was the group able to accomplish under your charge? Be able to talk about a problem that the organization had and how you were able to lead the group in solving it. Know when to say “we” and when to say “I” when giving examples. Using “we” implies teamwork, whereas the use of “I” denotes leadership.

Look your best and show your confidence
Keep in mind that, as a candidate, it’s not just the answers to the questions that you’re judged on, but also the way you present yourself. If you want to be regarded as a leader, you have to act like a leader.  Sitting up straight, walking to the interview room and shaking hands with confidence and answering questions without any hint of doubt are key ways to show that you are indeed a leader. Don’t forget to maintain eye contact and act professionally, but not stiff. Know the business that you are interviewing for and dress appropriately.

Exuding confidence will greatly boost your chances of being regarded as a potential great leader. A leader knows how to react to certain situations and will not hesitate to stick with what he or she believes in. If you are a leader, it will naturally show in how you carry yourself during the interview.

Practice, practice, practice
Take the time before your interview to hone what you want to say on any number of key subjects. Practice questions and answers with a friend, and then practice some more. You will be much better prepared for a smooth interview.

At GEICO, we have two selective leadership programs that target graduating seniors who excel academically, possess leadership experience and demonstrate the desire to one day manage a team. These positions put successful participants on the fast track to higher-level positions. You will learn the business from the ground up through mentoring and learning to mentor others. When GEICO interviews candidates for these jobs, it’s important that those who go on to the next steps have relevant experience as well as a strong desire to manage people.

Interested in learning more about careers at GEICO? 

Visit www.geico.jobs or connect with GEICO’s national college recruiter, Debra Mienke-Pence, on Facebook and LinkedIn.