Recently, I came across this article in BusinessWeek in which several interviewers from different companies discuss the mistakes applicants do when they interview. The editor comes up with 10 of those mistakes. Here are a few highlights from that article: Some of the most embarrassing moments are caused by blunders a student didn't anticipate. A cell phone ringing in the middle of an interview can be an unwelcome interruption. Whatever you do, don't stop to answer it or check the number, says Connie Thanasoulis, director of campus recruiting at Merrill Lynch. Her advice: "Apologize, and immediately move on." Try to keep your answers under a minute if possible. This gives the interviewer a chance to consider whether they want to ask the candidate to elaborate on the answer. "If the interviewer wants more details, they will ask for it," Sullivan says. The question can be an interesting test for Canale, who evaluates candidates by the manner in which they answer the question. He says that being honest about not knowing the answer is sometimes the best tactic. "Don't be afraid to say I don't know," says Canale. "I think that would be an area where everybody could improve." It can irk a recruiter when students spend their allotted time talking about themselves in broad generalizations or clichés. Avoid common phrases such as "I'm a people person" or "I'm a creative person." Instead, Booz Allen's Sullivan recommends that you come up with pertinent examples or stories that clearly illustrate your point. "The problem is you don't know if the person sitting across from you may be a consultant," McLaughlin said. "You could be rubbing the person the wrong way. I always tell students stay away from anything that could be perceived as a negative comment." Students should walk into the interview with a list of thoughtful questions that take advantage of the recruiter's knowledge of the company, Sullivan says. He recommends avoiding questions that can easily be answered by looking at the company's Web site, such as whether the company has a Boston office. "You should have three or four really good and insightful questions that show self-awareness that you are in front of someone who is pretty senior," Sullivan says. If quantitative math is not your strong suit, don't pretend that it's your best subject. You could be sitting across from a derivatives trader who might want to put you on the spot, says Citigroup's McLaughlin. "Instead of making broad characterizations about your skill set, be more humble about your abilities," she says. Learn as much as you can about the person who is interviewing you and the company before the interview. Recruiters say they are sometimes surprised when they see a student has done little to no research on the company before the interview. "We've seen students that may not know the company or firm. Some may not have visited the Web site or attended a briefing on campus," said Angela Marchesi, MBA recruiting program manager at Deloitte. Students should avoid the temptation to tell a recruiter that their firm is the candidate's No.1 choice. "Sometimes there is a tendency for candidates to overemphasize the compensation piece," he says. "They talk less about 'how can I contribute to the company?' and more about "what can I make here?'" Students should equate an initial meeting with a recruiter with a first date, Vijungco says: "On a first date, you don't want to talk about marriage."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Recruiters' Top 10 Complaints
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The most important event of coming days...
70 millions Turkish citizens wait for the announcement of the candidate of AK party. According to some news, only Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bülent Arınç and Abdullah Gül know the candidate. Well, we will get our answers to question through the middle of this week unless they miss the registration deadline. The issue is also brought forward by The Economist in the section of "The coming days":
THE registration deadline for candidates hoping to become Turkey’s next president expires in the middle of the week. The seven-year term of the fiercely secular incumbent, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, ends in May. Turkey’s mildly Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, may fancy the job. But recent massive demonstrations show that opponents, perhaps unfairly, fear that his ascent to the presidency would constitute a grave threat to Turkey’s secular republic. And his AK Party members want him to lead them into November’s parliamentary elections to boost their chances of maintaining their huge majority. Mr Erdogan may conclude that he is better off in his current role.