5 Questions You Should NOT Ask in an Interview

5 Questions You Should NOT Ask in an Interview When it comes to conducting interviews, there are a handful of questions you simply shouldn’t ask the candidates in front of you.   Whether it’s because your words could be misconstrued or cause offense, sometimes you need to look for a way around a certain question if you want to get to know your interviewee without putting them on the defensive. Here are just five questions you really shouldn’t ask in an interview, with a few alternative ways of finding out the information you need… 1. Do you have kids? It’s a given you should never ask if someone is expecting or already has children.   It probably wouldn’t even cross your mind to ask the ‘family question’ of a man, so don’t ask it of the woman sitting in front of you either. You could try, instead, to ask whether they see any problem with the working hours if they have other commitments outside the office.   That gives your interviewee a chance to let you know if they have little ones who will need picking up and dropping off at school or other relatives they need to care for. 2. When did you graduate? Asking when someone left university could be a tricky one, as it’s almost as good as asking their age.   Rather than run the risk of being accused of age discrimination, try to find a slightly more tactful way of asking about their degree and subsequent experience. You might try asking about what and where they studied and hope they raise the graduation year of their own accord.   Failing that, asking about where they see their career going or what they are looking for in a new job can get them to open up and talk about past achievements. 3. Where do you live? Commuting can really take it out of you, so most recruiters want to know their candidate isn’t going to be making a grueling hundred-mile round trip to get to and from work each day.   Asking where someone lives could, however, be misconstrued as prying or finding grounds for discrimination. You might try highlighting any commuting benefits your company offers, such as travel discounts or car sharing schemes.   Alternatively, try asking if they are happy with the location of the office and give them a chance to talk about how close or far it is from home. 4. How many sick days did you take in your last job? Asking about sick days is tantamount to asking about a person’s health, and that’s a definite no-no.   If someone has a condition they feel they need to tell you about, then they will tell you in their own way and at the time of their choosing. Never pressure someone to reveal any medical details.   Instead, you could try asking if they see any barriers which might make it tricky for them to carry out their work, giving them the space to talk about their health if they feel the need to. 5. Why should we give you the job? It’s still a staple question in many interviews, but most candidates will be put on the defensive if you demand to know why you should hire them.   It can come across as confrontational, and you won’t get the most out of the candidate if they feel you’re putting too much pressure on them. There are much friendlier ways of posing the same question, so you might want to ask them to highlight the key skills and experience they have which make them suited to the position. Some questions have to be completely off the cards, so never ask anything which could be seen to be prying into ethnicity, religion or a candidate’s health and wellbeing.   Most interviewees will volunteer the information you’re after if you leave your questions fairly open-ended, so phrase things creatively and let your candidates speak freely if you want to get the most out of your interviews. About the author: Lizzie Exton writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in sourcing candidates for internships. To browse our  graduate jobs London listings, visit our website.

Graduate unemployment the long view University of Manchester Careers Blog

Graduate unemployment the long view University of Manchester Careers Blog No-ones going to kid you that its an easy job market out there, but just how hard is it now? I prefer evidence to conjecture, so here are some facts. My first port of call for labour market info is always Dr. Charlie Ball, whom some of you met at Pathways (hes the expert in graduate labour market statistics and aquilegias). Hes also Deputy Director of Research at HECSU and   loves a good statistic. Hes been tracking graduate unemployment going back to 1975 and has come up with this enlightening graph (taken from his recent blog post): So, undergraduate unemployment is high compared to the heady pre-Lehman Brothers days of 2007, and it looks like its a stuck on a plateau. However, contrary to some of the press reports, its not the worst its ever been. To reassure you that it is possible to carve out a decent career even if you graduate in a time of sky-high unemployment, Ill use Exhibit A: Dr Charlie Ball graduated in the early nineties, now afore-mentioned UK graduate labour market guru, and Exhibit B: Yours truly! Yes, I was there in 1981, in a cap and gown and a very unfortunate perm and I still found a good graduate job. This is probably why neither of us gets over-excited by the scare stories of graduates who will never get a job. Weve lived through tough times and know that you may have to be resourceful and look at a range of alternatives, but you shouldnt assume that youre set for a life-time of unemployment or boring, low-paid work. Of course, those stats just relate to undergraduates. Heres how the postgrads fare, compared to the undergrads: Notes: Doctorate and First degree are self-explanatory. Other postgraduate is a term used by HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency). This does not include PGCE or doctoral researchers, so it is predominantly made up of masters or the closest approximation I can get! It only looks at those who have been studying full-time (so excludes all those part-time masters who are already working; lots of people in good full-time jobs do a masters part-time, which would really distort the destination data). The way they measure this destination data changed last year, so its not strictly accurate to compare this year with previous years but I reckon the unemployment rate for each year is still a reasonable approximation. (Charlie will no doubt tell me if Ive got this wrong.) You can see the same plateauing effect, but doctoral researchers have plateaued at a much lower unemployment rate than undergrads or masters. Unemployment for masters, though, is as high, if not a bit higher than, unemployment for undergrads. This reinforces the message I constantly give that you cant assume that your masters automatically gives you the edge over a good undergraduate candidate. It may also reflect the job hunting behaviour of many masters, which is often out of sync with when lots of employers want to recruit. Masters what can you do about this? Dont leave your job hunting until close to when you finish your degree (mainly October to Christmas). Lots of employers are advertising entry-level jobs right now, when they know a lot of new undergrads will be available. Once it gets to autumn, large employers start recruiting for their management/graduate programmes but then they dont want you to start for another year! Individual vacancies will be advertised all year round, but if you dont have much work experience, you dont want to miss out on this large summer round of entry-level positions. . Obviously, you cant start immediately but many undergrads will also be trying to negotiate to start a new job after the summer (particularly with the kind of summer were having this year). Dont assume that you will be excluded if you cant start before early autumn. . If you want any individual help with your career, or feedback on your CV or applications, come and see us over the summer. Its much quieter now, and if you leave it until youre about to finish your masters, you will be competing with all the new final year undergrads at our busiest time of year. This will mean you will have to wait longer, and may only be offered a 15 minute appointment rather than the 30 minute appointments on offer at the moment. . Dont panic! Last year, 86% of other postgraduates were in work and/or study six months after graduating (4% were doing something else, which includes those who were already retired, or were having children, or were ill, for example). . The likelihood is that you are going to get a job or that PhD youre hankering after- as long as you do something about it, sooner rather than later. Jobs for postgraduates If you are looking for a job to start in the next few months, search the vacancies on CareersLink to access jobs where employers are specifically targeting University of Manchester students. There are currently 720 ads for graduate level full-time jobs or internships (paid) on CareersLink more than twice the number on the main national graduate jobs sites like Milkround, Target or Prospects. These include jobs where postgrads are specifically mentioned, including a mathematical modeller (Vacancy ID 20340), jobs in a number of technical and business consultancies (ID 22455, 22337, 22468, 22003), financial analyst posts requiring a range of languages (ID 22111 search on employer to see other language requirements), healthcare analyst (ID 21571), geologist roles in Crawley or China (ID 18448, 21423), translation role (ID  22271), legal affairs internship in Germany (ID 22456) and more. All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate job market

One Moment in Time

One Moment in Time One moment in time. That’s all anybody asks for. One moment where you really have the power to do what you want to do. One moment where you are the shining star and nothing and no one on the planet can take your accomplishments away from you. One moment to be able to prove to your family, to your friends (and your enemies) and most importantly, to yourself that you are capable of doing what you set out to do. Sounds magical doesn’t it? Well, it is….sort of.  It is magical in the sense that it is truly spectacular when your moment happens. But not magical in the literary sense, because to anyone who’s ever had that “one moment in time,” it usually wasn’t born of something fairy-tale like, it was born of hard-work, perseverance and dare I say, patience. Being the Gen Y product I am, patience is not my strong point, but wanting that coveted one moment in time and wanting it yesterday, certainly is. As I go through applications and interviews for an active job search on one hand, and on the other hand, trying to help build the brand and identity for the start-up I work for, it seems that I’m searching for that one moment in time. I’m searching and searching for that “AHA” job description, coffee meeting, and interview. And I am searching for that “AHA” client or that “AHA” flash of brilliance that will take the company to the next level. But maybe that’s the problem- the searching part. It seems that we are born into a culture and media that celebrates special moments. And that’s great; I love a celebration of success as much as the next Gen Y. But maybe, we should celebrate the long days and sleepless nights that are spent prior to that special occasion. Maybe we should laud the process and series of moments that lead us to both failures and successes. Above all, maybe we should remember that at any given second, there is an opportunity to have “our moment in time.” What do I mean? I mean life is short and the moments we are given in the first place are not endless. If we keep waiting for “a moment in time” to really go for the gold when it comes to what we want to do in life, whether in our careers or relationships or personal goals, we might be waiting a long time. As we all know, this weekend Whitney Houston passed away and whatever you think about her, she left us with some inspiring music for the ages.   Below is a quote and video of Whitney Houstons hit song, “One Moment in Time: “I want one moment in time When Im more than I thought I could be When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away And the answers are all up to me” The thing I’ve found about people who achieve their dreams is that they know that this “one moment in time” hasn’t passed. They know this moment isn’t in some distant place in the future. They know that moment is here and the moment is now. I think it might just be worth it to try to live my 20s and indeed my life in this “one moment in time.” As you listen to the song above, I want to know: What do you think about this concept of “one moment in time?”  Is it all just a silly cliché? Or are these powerful lyrics that can truly inspire?  What can you do in this one moment in time to be the best you can be? Let’s talk.

The 20 Hardest Questions to Be Asked in an Interview [STUDY]

The 20 Hardest Questions to Be Asked in an Interview [STUDY] Weve all been there, you spend hours preparing for an interview and set off to your appointment satisfied that  there couldnt possibly be a question that you havent mentally prepared a genius answer for. Then BANG, a bewildering, stress inducer of a bombshell  is dropped on you  and youre left in a cold sweat as you decipher the best course of action. Some of the most  run-of-the-mill interview questions such as whats your biggest weakness?  and describe yourself in three words, made an appearance in the most dreaded questions to be asked, which doesnt come as too much of a surprise to me. Even when youre expecting to be asked such a thing  it doesnt seem to weaken the blow an awful lot and what really is the best response to these after all?! The average job hopeful thinks their fate is decided early- with just over five minutes cited as  the time an interviewer takes before deciding if they’ll be hired or not. This is much longer  than the 90 seconds many research state that it actually takes, however it means that pressure is well and truly on  to provide impressive answers  throughout the introductory stage of the interview. Our friends at the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) recently  completed a study on interview experiences in the UK and compiled a list of what they found people regard as the difficult interview questions. The 20 hardest questions to be asked in an interview: What are your weaknesses? Describe yourself in three words? If you were a fruit or vegetable what would you be and why? If you were a flavour of ice cream, what would you be and why? What has been your greatest achievement? What are your strengths? Describe a time when you have failed? Why should we choose you for this role? Why did you apply for this job? How will you contribute to the team? Describe a situation where you have gone above and beyond? Describe a project you have handled? What do you think the chief executive thinks of the company? What attracted you to this company? How would your friends describe you? Describe a situation where you have had others follow your lead? Name a time where you have worked under pressure? What attributes do you have that will support you in this role? Are you a competitive person? What are you hoping to get out of life? More of this at How to Answer the Top 35 Interview Questions.

The Resume For Promotion

The Resume For PromotionThe resume for promotion is something you need to write and provide to an employer. It is the most important document in your company, not just for the moment, but throughout your career. It contains all the information on your qualifications that the hiring manager will be needing.The resume should be accurate and factual, and should have a professional look to it. You have to get the information right the first time, and you can not afford to make any mistakes.Information such as prior employment is important. Job responsibilities are also of great importance. Many people find this part of the resume quite frustrating. However, you must remember that a hiring manager is not going to need to use the information that you provided them, so there is no harm in including it.Employer information should be included. If you have any training or education, this must be included. This way the hiring manager can see how you have been trained.Your resume should be profe ssional appearance. In fact, the word professional should never be skipped. Be sure that you have a pleasing layout with excellent font size and color.All important details should be there in good detail. You have to understand that you do not have much time. You have to make the best use of what time you have.Certain information is not required, but certain things must be there. As you read through the resume, you should be able to see what is required, and what is optional. It is good to know how to use the space.You may want to write the resume first, and then go back and edit it, but the latter may take more time. You must do some things right the first time, but you can not afford to make any mistakes. One mistake can cost you the position. Therefore, correct the resume for promotion before hand, so that it does not come back to haunt you later.

How to Get a Promotion at Work - CareerAlley

How to Get a Promotion at Work - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.1 Most people start out in a new job or career hoping to climb the ladder to the top. If that sounds like you, then you might be wondering what you can do to stand out even more to your bosses and impress them enough to offer you a promotion. Every workplace is different; while some companies recognize potential almost immediately, there are others where youll need to consistently prove yourself over a longer period of time in order to be in with a chance of moving up. The good news is that there are several things that you can do to put your name on the map and get yourself talked about as a viable candidate for promotion. Weve put together some of the best things to do if you want to climb the career ladder with your employer. 1. Go the Extra Mile: One of the biggest ways to really wow your boss is to always go the extra mile in work. Thats not just when it comes to customer service if thats part of your job, but when it comes to all the other tasks that you do. Employers tend to promote employees who they can trust to not only do what is asked of them but also go above and beyond when possible. This will prove to your employers that you are passionate about doing the best that you can in your line of work. Photo by Elijah Hail on Unsplash 2. Always Be Eager to Learn: Promoting from within is something that most employers take into careful consideration, and one of the biggest factors that they look for in a potential candidate is an eagerness to learn more. Bear in mind that if you get the promotion, there will probably be a lot that you dont already know about the role, and your employer will want somebody who is willing to take in new information and learn as much as they can to work to the best of their ability. Never be afraid of asking your boss questions about your role; they will respect that you want to know as much as possible to improve your performance. 3. Work on Yourself: Depending on the kind of job that you do, taking courses and getting additional qualifications could help put you in a better position for a future promotion. Whether you take the time to study for a part-time degree program or engage in leadership training to help you work as a better manager in the future, employers will respect your resolve to improve yourself, your knowledge and your abilities. In addition, having these extra, relevant qualifications on your resume can help when it comes to applying for higher roles in the future. Strong leadership is a key quality to develop and you can find leadership training options here if youd like to seriously pursue strengthening this skill. Photo by Ashley Whitlatch on Unsplash 4. Be a Positive Employee: When it comes to choosing the best candidates for promotions, your attitude will be more important to your employer than your current skills and abilities. Remember that skills can always be learned, so its the attitude that you have towards your current role thats going to impress your employer the most. Along with being eager to learn more, you can make a good impression by being positive about your role. Not only should you be able to own up to any mistakes that you make but being able to view them positively and learn from them in the future will certainly make you stand out to your boss. 5. Set a Good Example: Employers look for workers who are already setting a good example to others when it comes to choosing who to promote. Being a model employee should be one of the very basic things that you do in order to improve your chances of promotion in the future. No employer will want to promote somebody who needs to be constantly spoken to about things such as turning up on time or breaking simple workplace rules. Avoid office gossip and politics; people who can rise above the temptation to get involved with this usually demonstrate that theyll be a fairer manager. So, be an example for other employees to follow, since this is just what your employer will be looking for when hiring for a higher position. Employers tend to promote employees who they can trust to not only do what is asked of them, but also go above and beyond when possible. Tweet This 6. Communicate with Your Boss: You might feel a little apprehensive about talking to your boss regarding a future promotion, but this can actually help you to get where you need to be. Dont go straight up to your boss and ask him or her to promote you (unless you think that this might actually work). Instead, communicate with your boss about your hopes and plans for the future, and let them know that you are interested in working your way up the company. In many cases, this will be good news for your boss, since many employers are always looking for people who are eager to progress. Dont forget that if you work for a large company, your boss may not necessarily realize that all the efforts you are putting in are in hopes of getting promoted. By speaking to them, youll make it clear that this is what youre working towards, and they will be able to keep you in mind when a role does arise. 7. Get Clear Expectations: Alongside talking to your boss about your own hopes for the future, this is also a good opportunity to speak to them about what theyd expect from you in order to gain a promotion. By sitting down and talking to your boss, youll be able to discover what they are looking for in a promotion candidate and what will really impress them from you as an employee. Even if youre not yet comfortable talking directly to your boss about a future promotion, ask them what you can do to exceed their expectations; they will usually be more than happy to let you know. 8. Be a Team Player: Although your boss will want to see that you are able to distinguish yourself from your peers at work, this doesnt mean that you should stop being a good team player. In fact, people who get promoted tend to work well within a team and take leadership whenever it is appropriate. If you can get your team working well together naturally and contribute a lot to group projects, this is something that will surely shine through to your employers. If youre the kind of person that people can bring their work problems to and work fairly with everybody, your employer will notice this quickly. Smartly executed self-promotion is the key to career advancement, and in our hyper-connected days, LinkedIn is one of the best tools to help you do this. The question isnt whether you should be leveraging social media, but rather, how to best take advantage of this powerful medium to separate you from the pack. Tips for Self-Promotion CareerAlley 9. Display Commitment: Last but not least, employers look to promote people who can demonstrate passion and a clear commitment to their work. This doesnt mean dragging yourself into work when youre really sick or working through every weekend, but you should show that youre willing to put in a lot of effort into getting results and helping your employer to shine. If you work for a small business, this is even more important, since entrepreneurs look for people who they can rely on to have their back and strive for the best results for the brand. Getting promoted at work isnt always easy, but there are several things that you can start working on today to improve your chances. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to launch your career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

The Sydney Morning Herald - Jane Jackson Career

The Sydney Morning Herald - Jane Jackson Career My latest article in The Sydney Morning Herald business section featuring an excerpt from my book, Navigating Career Crossroads.Click here to read  Explore Job Search Strategies that WorkThe Sydney Morning Herald Explore job search strategies that work Jane JacksonCareer management coach and author Jane Jackson shares an excerpt from her book Navigating Career Crossroads to provide encouragement and new ideas for all mature age job seekers who may be at a loss as to how to secure their next role. Heres a section from Explore Job Search Strategies that Work.A little while ago, I heard a woman describing her plight on talkback radio.She contacted the presenter on air, feeling desperate about her job search situation. Her role was made redundant at the beginning of the year and shed been applying for about five jobs a day online for the last five months. In that time shed only had three interviews, none of which progressed.Amandas fifty-five years old, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Diploma of Education, has extensive experience in facilities and office management and although she was applying for similar roles, and also lesser roles, she was getting nowhere. She sounded at the end of her tether and my heart went out to her.The presenter then asked her if she thought it was because of her age and she said that it probably was. That was when I was prompted to call the radio station to offer my assistance to her, gratis, as she needed guidance and a reality check on how to look for a job, regardless of her age.We set up an in-depth consultation, which included a reality check, review of her resume and job search strategies. She was so grateful to have someone to point her in the right direction.During our discussions I discovered that all she had been doing was logging on to the online job boards to apply for jobs.As we spoke, a light bulb switched on as she realised she wasnt supposed to stay behind the computer looking at online job boards all day every day. While online job boards have their place, by focusing solely on them, she was missing out on a range of other job search strategies. In fact, there were six methods she could consider:1. Using online job boards2. Working with recruiters3. Networking4. Approaching employers directly5. Interning6. VolunteeringShe decided to expand her job search activities to include networking and leveraging her network to gain introductions to decision makers in the companies she really wanted to work in. Within 2 months she secured a new role through one of her new network connections. I was delighted when she told me, I thought my only way of getting a job was by applying to advertised roles. Just one introduction to the right person set a chain of events that have led to this new job that I would never have known about otherwise!Jane Jackson is a career management coach and author of Navigating Career Crossroads. Her book takes you through the seven essential steps for success when looking f or a job. Visit janejacksoncoach.com.http://www.smh.com.au/business/explore-job-search-strategies-that-work-20150604-ghgda4.html