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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER BEFORE AN INTERVIEW
When preparing for an inter-
view, determine your answers to
some of these questions an inter-
viewer may ask. These are also
good to work into your résumé.
Then, prepare some questions for
the interviewer as well.
Qualifications
What qualifications do you
have that relate to the position?
What skills or abilities have
you developed recently?
Where have you shown initiative
in a previous project?
What have been your greatest
accomplishments?
What is important to you in a job?
What motivates you in
your work?
What qualities do you find
important in a team?
Work experience
What have you learned from
your past jobs?
What are/were your major
responsibilities?
What specific skills used previ-
ously relate to this position?
How does your previous experi-
ence relate to this position?
What did you like most/least
about your last job?
Career goals
What would you like to be doing
five/ten years from now?
How will you achieve success?
How will you judge yourself
to be a success?
What type of position are
you interested in?
How will this job fit in
your career plans?
What do you expect
from this job?
When can you start?
Education
How has your education prepared
you for this position?
What were your favorite classes/
activities at school?
Why did you choose your major?
How do you plan to continue
your education?
How to prepare Is it time to consider a career change?
for an interview
Before the interview
• Review the job announce-
ment.
• Learn more about the
department by visiting its web
page and social media sites.
• Review your résumé and
be prepared to discuss your rel-
evant skills.
• Decide who your refer-
ences are. They should be a
current or past supervisor,
coworker, teacher/professor or
associate who has knowledge
of your work history, skills,
abilities, accomplishments, ini-
tiative, education and integrity.
Get permission to use their
name in advance and collect
their current contact informa-
tion (including email address).
• Be prepared. Bring extra
copies of your résumé and a
notebook to take notes. Make
sure you bring everything they
suggest, such as samples of
your work or letters of refer-
ence.
• Dress
for
Success.
Appearance should reflect
maturity and self-confidence.
Be neat, clean and dress in
good taste.
• Find out where the inter-
view will be, obtain clear
directions and confirm the
time. Plan to arrive early.
During the interview
• Relax — think of the inter-
view as a conversation, not an
interrogation.
• Be enthusiastic, confident,
courteous, and honest.
• Listen to the questions
carefully and give clear con-
cise, and thoughtful answers.
• Convey interest in the
organization and knowledge of
the position. Then, ask relevant
questions about the job or
department, such as Where
does this job fit into the organi-
zational structure? What quali-
ties do the people possess that
have already been successful
in this job? What kind of orien-
tation and training are avail-
able to new employees?
• Present a list of your refer-
ences and any letters of recom-
mendation or reference that
you may have to offer.
• End the interview with a
firm handshake and thank the
interview panel for their time
and consideration.
After the interview
• Send a concise thank you
letter within 24 to 48 hours of
the interview. Reiterate your
interest in the position, men-
tion anything you know rein-
forces you as a good fit for the
job and give your contact
information.
If you are not selected for
the job, it is OK to politely ask
an interviewer which area(s)
you could improve on in the
future. And don’t give up
hope. Every interview is one
step closer to getting the right
job for you. —Submitted by
Confederated Tribes of Coos,
Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw
Indians
Changing careers vs.
switching jobs
Changing
careers
and
switching jobs are not the same
thing, and some people may
want the former while others
may only be in need of the lat-
ter. A full-fledged career
change may require returning
to school and a willingness to
start from the bottom. A job
change typically allows profes-
sionals to stay in their fields
and move on to another posi-
tion, whether it’s with their
existing employer or with
another company.
Career trajectory
The direction of a person’s
career may also influence
whether or not they want to
make a career change.
Established
professionals
mulling a career change should
consider their willingness to
start anew. Many mid-career
professionals have worked for
years to establish themselves in
their fields and within their
companies. Switching careers
does not mean that experience
and reputation is invaluable,
COURTESY PHOTO
People may choose to change careers at any stage in life. Putting in the right amount
of preparation and forethought allows the transition to go smoothly.
but neither attribute may carry
as much weight in a different
line of work, and that can affect
career trajectory and future
earnings.
Effects on others
Established professionals
must also consider the effect
that a career change may have
on their families. Married mid-
career professionals should dis-
cuss changing careers with
their spouse, and even their
children if the kids are old
enough to understand. Discuss
the pros and cons of changing
careers and the impact that
making such a change may
have on your family’s daily
life. Will the family have to
move? Will the family lifestyle
change dramatically, if at all?
Spouses and children may feel
better about the change know-
ing they were involved in the
decision, and talking things
through with family may help
working professionals deter-
mine if changing careers is the
best decision for them.
Long-term goals
Long-term goals are another
thing to consider before mak-
ing a career change. That’s
especially true for mid- or late-
career professionals who may
already have made significant
progress toward achieving their
long-term goals. Discuss long-
term goals with your spouse or
significant other and how
changing careers might affect
those goals. Long-term goals
can change, and while the abil-
ity to realize those goals might
not weigh heavily in your deci-
sion regarding a career change,
understanding how such a
change might affect your retire-
ment or other late-life plans
can only help you make the
most informed decision possi-
ble.
Many people resolve to
change careers, but such a deci-
sion requires the careful con-
sideration of a host of factors.
— Metro
Job hunting tips for young women
oung women prepar-
ing to enter the work-
force may discover a
job market that’s difficult to
crack — in many places, the
business realm is still “a
man’s world.”
Getting a foot in the door
in your desired field is not
always easy, but young
women looking to land that
first job out of college can
consider the following tips to
help them take that all-impor-
tant first step toward a
rewarding career.
• Decide on a path. Blindly
searching for work or any old
job is a recipe for an aimless
Y
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COURTESY PHOTO
As the culture in the business world changes, women will
have less problems entering the careers of their choice.
search that likely won’t land
you a job you enjoy. Choose
what it is that you want to do
and who you hope to do it for,
and then you can proceed
with a more refined search
that does not include you
spending time pursuing posi-
tions you don’t want.
• Don’t be afraid to seek
advice. Once you determine
some companies you may
want to work for, don’t be
afraid to seek advice from
people who already work for
those companies. Even if such
businesses don’t have any
current openings, you might
be able to schedule informa-
tional meetings. Treat such
meetings like you would a job
interview, asking questions
about the industry and what
you can do to get your foot in
the door. Once such meetings
have concluded, send a hand-
written thank-you note to the
person who took time out of
their day to give you the
informational meeting.
• Learn from each job inter-
view. Many people, especially
young people just starting out,
go through many job inter-
views before finally landing a
job. Each interview is not just
an opportunity to land a job
or hone your interviewing
skills, but also a chance to
learn what employers are
looking for. Many interviews
for entry-level jobs are simi-
lar regardless of the industry,
so make note of your respons-
es that went over well and
those that might need a little
more work.
• Be prepared to explain
why you should be hired. Job
seekers should be able to
explain both their enthusiasm
for the job and why they are
right for that job. Keep your
description of your capabili-
ties concise, but don’t be
afraid to confidently state
why you are the best possible
candidate.
• Look for volunteering
opportunities. After you have
targeted a field you want to
work in, you may find that
there are few paying opportu-
nities within that field. But
you might be able to volun-
teer or even pursue an intern-
ship if you only recently
graduated from college.
Volunteering or accepting an
unpaid internship is a great
way to start making some
contacts and gaining some
legitimate experience, and
working for free might just
indicate to prospective
employers that you are seri-
ous about pursuing a particu-
lar career and not just landing
a job.
Young women may be met
with a difficult job market
upon graduating from college.
But there are ways to make
job hunts easier and land the
job of your dreams. — Metro
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
A job interview can be
described as a mutual “ex-
change of information” be-
cause it provides the candidate
with an opportunity to both
gain information about the
department and position, and
to discuss skills and career
goals in relation to the job.
Interviewing helps man-
agers determine three things
before they make a hiring deci-
sion: can
you do
Preparation is the job,
an important
are you
motivat-
part of the
ed to do
interview
the job
process.
and are
you
a
good fit in the organization.
Managers want to know if
you possess the necessary
knowledge and abilities to suc-
cessfully perform the duties of
the job, if you are interested
and if you will do the job with
consistent effort and if your
work ethic, values and goals
are consistent with the organi-
zation. This should demon-
strate if you will be a team
player and how well you will
work with the team.
Preparation is an important
part of the interview process.
The time you spend preparing
prior to the interview will be
time well spent in your job
search process. The following
are some tips on what you can
do to prepare yourself before,
during and after a job inter-
view.
Around the start of the new
year, many people resolve to
leave their current jobs.
Changing careers is a signifi-
cant step, especially for people
who are firmly established in
their fields. A career change
can rewarding and life-chang-
ing, and there are some things
professionals might want to
consider before resolving to
change careers in the new year.