1. careers
2. resume writing and advice

THE
DELTA
ZETA
JOB GUIDE
THE JOB
JOB GUIDE
THE
GUIDE
SECTION
ONE
GETTING A JOB
3
The Resumé
5
The Cover Letter
15
Networking
17
The Job Interview
22
Thank You Note
28
EXCELLING ON A JOB
30
The Mindset Change
31
Teamwork/Communication Styles
34
Initiative
37
Time Management
39
Business Etiquette
43
SECTION
Summary
52
About the Author
53
TWO
Please note:
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other information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of
the author.
© 2009 JobBound. All rights reserved.
2
L
THE JOB GUIDE
Let’s be honest, nobody really likes looking for a job. The fact is
you’re going to have to do it – unless you happen to win the lottery.
For the most part, it can be a pretty painful process, but if you work
hard and smart, it can be a lot easier.
With more than 220,000 members in a variety of fields and industries
and with different degrees and skills, there are undoubtedly many
Delta Zeta sisters from all walks of life who can offer advice and connections for your particular career aspirations. The Delta Zeta network is one of your most powerful tools, and this job guide will make
sure you make the most of it!
The purpose of this guide is to help you work through that not-so-delicate transition from college life to the real world - from finding a job
to excelling while on the job. It’s not the “be all, end all,” but it will be
a great way to get you into the process.
This guide has two sections.
1. Getting a job
2. Excelling on the job
SECTION ONE:
•
•
•
•
•
Putting together your resumé
Networking
Interviewing
Cover letters
Thank you notes
SECTION TWO
• How to thrive in the real world once you get a job
Both sections are informative and witty - and make for delightful reading!
3
A
At some point after you graduate, there will be a company that will pay
you tens of thousands of dollars a year to do something for them.
Crazy, but true! The purpose of this section is to make sure you find
one of those companies.
GETTING A JOB
The tricky part is that there are often hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of people applying for the same jobs you are. That’s not to say
it’s impossible to land one, but it does require some work.
It’s NOT like applying to college, where even if you don’t get in to your
first choice there will always be a “safety school.” In many instances,
the job equivalent of a safety school is flipping burgers at the fast
food restaurant.
There’s no magic formula to when you should start looking for a job
or internship, but like most other things in life, the earlier the better.
Here’s one way to think about it. If you want a good job upon graduation, it certainly helps to have had some internships. In order to land
most internships, you’ll need a resumé and you’ll need to interview.
Some companies begin hiring for internships as much as six to eight
months in advance of the summer. The same is true for full-time jobs.
So, if you want to be prepared, you should start putting together your
resumé in the fall of the school year. You don’t HAVE to, but it helps to
be ready just in case you meet someone who wants a copy of your
resumé.
5
This section covers five key areas of the job search process:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
THE RESUMÉ
THE COVER LETTER
NETWORKING
THE JOB INTERVIEW
THE THANK YOU NOTE
4
A
Ah, the resumé – a simple 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that, for better
or for worse, is the key to your future. You’ve sunk an incredible
amount of time, money and effort into school, and you enter the battle for a job with just this one piece of paper as the primary weapon
in your arsenal.
It better be as good as it can be!
THE RESUMÉ
WHEN TO START
The resumé is typically the first step in the job search process. Some
people have resumés coming out of high school; others graduate without one at all. Your goal should be to land somewhere in between!
As mentioned earlier, you want to begin putting your resumé together in the fall of the year in which you will be applying for an internship
or full-time job. It just makes it easier to jump into the job search
process. Don’t freak out if you don’t have one by Christmas, or even
spring break, but your chances of landing that dream job are just better the sooner your resumé is complete.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT A RESUMÉ
Quite simply, a resumé is an advertisement for you. Much like an ad
you’d see in a magazine, you have one sheet of paper to tell your
story. And just like an ad, you have to know your target and know
exactly what you want to say to them.
THE TARGET
Your target is the Recruiting Director or Hiring Manager for the job for
which you are applying. Plain and simple. It’s not your friends, or your
parents, or your sorority sisters, or anyone else. As a result, everything on your resumé needs to be relevant, compelling and easy to
read for that particular Recruiting Director.
Here’s the scary part. Recruiting Directors are flooded with resumés.
As a result, they’re going to spend a whopping 15 seconds max looking at your resumé. Yes, your entire life merits a grand total of 15 seconds of a Recruiting Director’s time!
5
B
But that’s okay. As long as you know what the playing field is, you
can better understand how to win the game.
What’s going to impress someone reading your resumé is not a cool
font or a florescent paper color, but rather great content, elegantly told.
Let’s get into it.
THE RESUMÉ
THE SECTIONS
There are three sections on every student resumé: Education,
Experience, and Activities/Interests. Some resumés may include
an Objective.
OBJECTIVE
Sometimes you need one, sometimes you don’t.
For the most part, objectives can be wasted space. An objective like,
“to obtain a position that utilizes my strong analytical, teamwork and
leadership skills” is quite frankly bogus. Of course according to you,
you are analytical, and a team player with good leadership skills. But
let’s be honest, anyone can write that if they want.
If you are applying for a specific job, then no, you don’t need an
objective. Recruiting Directors assume your objective is to get that job.
Often, objectives just become big typos. People put “to obtain a
financial analyst position at a major accounting firm” on resumés they
send to consulting firms. Oops, that one goes right into the garbage.
The only time you need an objective is when you are applying to a
large company that does not have a specific job opening. In that
case, it’s helpful for the Recruiting Director to know which department to forward your resumé to.
For situations like these, the objective should be simply, “To obtain a
position in the finance department of Pepsi.” It’s short and sweet.
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E
EDUCATION
This is always the first section on your resumé until you’ve had your
first “real” job.
THE RESUMÉ
You should list your school, your degree, your major/minor and your
graduation year. You’ll want to include your GPA if it’s above a 3.2,
and you can include your major GPA as well, especially if it’s better
than your overall. Don’t forget to include any study abroad programs.
You can also include any relevant academic scholarships or awards,
as well as Dean’s List and the like.
Don’t simply list your scholarships, though. For instance, many students will put down an entry like:
Founders Memorial Scholarship
And that’s it. Unfortunately the reader has no idea what this award is.
For all they know, it was given to you by the founder of Pizza Hut to
fund your eating habits. Or it was awarded to one of six out of thousands of members based on outstanding dedication and loyalty to
Delta Zeta! Don’t forget to let the reader know.
Here’s how a typical Education entry looks:
EDUCATION
University of Texas – Arlington, Texas, May 2009
Bachelor of Arts in Marketing
Major GPA: 3.6, Overall GPA: 3.4
Founders Memorial Scholarship, nationwide award
recognizing superior achievement and individual
excellence
Dean’s List - Fall 2007-Present
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EXPERIENCE
This is officially known as the “meat” of the resumé. The experience
section is what will likely make or break your resumé.
THE RESUMÉ
First, let’s discuss what goes into this section. The obvious answer
is all your relevant jobs and internships. The not-so-obvious answer
is other great extra-curricular or volunteer activities you’ve done.
For instance, if the company where you are applying is looking for
leadership skills, the fact that you held an officer position in Delta
Zeta is going to go a long way toward making you seem impressive.
It’s certainly more important to the reader than your job as a waitress
at Sweet Willie’s Rib Shack. Yet many folks bury this type of extracurricular involvement in a section at the bottom of their resumé called
“other experience” or something else. Don’t be that person!
Think back to the beginning of this section. The Recruiting Director
reading your resumé is going to spend fifteen seconds looking at it.
You have to make sure the most important information is included
towards the top.
That leads us to the second point: the order of this section. Your
resumé does not have to be in chronological order.
YOUR RESUME DOES NOT HAVE TO
BE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
You should list the most important information first. The Recruiting
Director scanning your resumé starts at the top and works his way
down. If you haven’t caught his attention at the beginning, he won’t
make it to the bottom.
If you worked as a lifeguard in the summer of 2008, but as a financial
analyst at Goldman Sachs in the summer of 2007, put the Goldman
Sachs job first on your resumé. Always remember: look at your jobs,
internships, extra-curricular activities and volunteer work and put
them in the order that is most relevant to the reader.
8
O
Ordering isn’t just top to bottom; it’s also left to right.
Often students will write:
2008-2009, Delta Zeta, Northwestern University (President)
The reviewer may not even make it to the word “President,” which is
of course the most important information. It should read:
THE RESUMÉ
President, Delta Zeta, Northwestern University, 2008-2009
Dates are least important; they should go last. Either your titles or
your company should go first. It’s a judgment call as to which you
think the reader will find most impressive. Just make sure you’re consistent all the way through.
Finally, the last and most important point: what to say in this section.
How you craft your bullet points under your experiences is the best
way to distinguish yourself from everyone else.
Virtually all college students make the mistake of writing a job description as opposed to a list of their accomplishments.
They simply describe what anyone in their position (internship, leadership, or extra curricular) did, as opposed to what they specifically
accomplished.
Let’s look at an example:
President, Delta Zeta, Northwestern University, 2008-2009
• Responsible for the operations, facility and
administration of 80-member sorority
• Oversee all activities of executive board and
committee members
• Key correspondent with all other Greek chapters
on campus
The fact is, ANY president in the history of the Greek system, whether
at Delta Zeta or not, can write this exact same statement. All you’ve
done is tell the reader what a sorority president does. And guess
what? The reader probably already knows that!
9
I
If what is written in a resumé can be written by the person who did
the job before, with, or after you, then you haven’t done yourself justice.
Resumés need to be infused with numbers, accomplishment and
specificity. It’s the hardest thing to do, but it will dramatically improve
your resumé.
THE RESUMÉ
When listing your accomplishments, think about the following:
• How was the organization better as a result of
YOUR involvement?
• What did YOU specifically accomplish?
• How did YOU do it differently than the person
before, after, or next to you?
• How were YOU selected?
• Use facts and figures whenever possible.
It doesn’t matter if you were president of the chapter, or if you entered
numbers into a database at your dad’s office. Your ability to sound
impressive in this section will dramatically improve your resumé.
Let’s take a look at how to rewrite the chapter President’s job
description:
President, Delta Zeta, Northwestern University, 2008-2009
• Responsible for the operations, facility and
administration of largest Greek chapter on campus
• Chapter recognized nationally as 1 out of 158
for outstanding scholarship, philanthropy, social
service, sisterhood, communication, and overall
excellence
• Increased community service by 50% to more than
10,000 hours in one year, which was the second
highest chapter total
• Raised weekly meeting attendance 25% by
overhauling meeting content and format
Sounds a bit better, doesn’t it?
10
C
Companies are looking for candidates who can hit the ground running. You want this section of your resumé to communicate “real
world” skills that are easily transferable to a workplace environment.
THE RESUMÉ
Here’s what this entry says about the candidate:
1. Can handle a lot of work (largest chapter on campus)
2. Is results oriented (recognized as one of the best
in the country)
3. Can motivate and sell (we all know how hard it is to
increase community service!)
4. Has great leadership skills (somehow drove up
meeting attendance)
Not a bad list of skills to have for just about any company.
An impressive list of accomplishments doesn’t come just from great
jobs either. Often, students will lament, “I just entered numbers into a
database all summer” and write that on their resumé.
But when you dig into it, usually there’s more to it. Something like:
Entered more than 1,000 numbers into company’s firstever new business database, helping to grow sales by
more than 7%
The key to a strong resumé is an impressive list of accomplishments
versus simple job descriptions.
ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS
Here’s a chance to show how involved and interesting you are. This
section should include brief listings of your:
• Extra-curriculars and club activities (unless you held
a leadership position and listed it in your experience
section)
• Intercollegiate, intramural, or club sports
• Volunteer activities
• Interests
11
I
If you have attended a special training or development conference,
such as the Norma Minch Andrisek Leadership Conference, you can
include it in this section as well. The leadership conference offers
Delta Zeta members a great opportunity to develop new leadership
skills that companies are craving. Professional companies often
spend over $3000 to send their employees to this type of training,
and recruiting directors would be impressed to see it on your résumé.
THE RESUMÉ
The Activities section is pretty straightforward and goes something
like this:
Activities/Interests
• Delta Zeta, member, 2007 – Present
• Student Government representative, 2007 – 2008
• Intramural Softball, captain/league champions, 2007
• Relay for Life, volunteer, 2006 – Present
• Interests include: biking, traveling, SCUBA diving,
and 80’s rock
It’s nice to have the last line help “round you out” so you don’t seem
so impersonal. It’s also okay to have one of your last interests be
something a bit “out there.” You never know, it could be a nice
conversation starter!
RESUMÉ PITFALLS
There are a few things that will hurt your chances of landing a job.
Avoid these at all costs!
Typos/Grammatical Errors
With so many people applying for so many jobs, most Recruiting
Directors simply throw away all the resumés with typos. It’s estimated that 20% of resumés out there have typos in them. Don’t let yours
be one!
Remember that spell check doesn’t catch everything. Have at least
two other people read it, and then read it yourself backwards – from
the bottom to the top. Chances are you’ll find a mistake.
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First Person
Resumés should not include “I” or “me.” They should be written in
objective tense.
Long Sentences
THE RESUMÉ
Use short bullet points, beginning with strong action verbs. Use past
tense for all experiences and jobs, except those with which you are
currently involved. There should be no periods on your resumé.
High School
By the time you’re a senior, you shouldn’t have any high school on
your resumé unless it’s very specifically relevant to the job you’re pursuing. Nobody cares anymore that you were Treasurer of the National
Honor Society as a junior in high school! Juniors can have a bit of
high school on their resumé, and then obviously more for sophomores and freshmen.
Multi-Page Resumés
Keep it to one page. No exceptions.
Greek Speak
Most people in the working world don’t have a Greek background.
And to be honest, there are some that have negative perceptions of
Greek life. You need to do your best to avoid the traditional “sorority
girl” stereotypes. As a result, stay away from jargon that won’t make
sense or be meaningful to non-Greeks.
Watch the use of your officer titles. Use President and Vice President,
and avoid old terms like Rush Chair or Social Chair. There’s no need
to list your Greek chapter name. Finally, just list your most prominent
position in the chapter as opposed to listing every officer position you
ever held.
Crazy Fonts, Funny Colored Paper, Odd Layouts
These things don’t help you to stand out; they just make the reader
believe you have weak content on your resumé. It’s fine to have nice,
lightly colored linen paper, but leave the laminated purple resumé,
printed sideways, at home.
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Computer Skills
Unless the job asks for specific computer skills, there’s no need to
include them. The fact that you know Microsoft Word is not impressive. In fact every single graduating college senior in the U.S. probably knows it. And PLEASE don’t put on your resumé that you’re
familiar with Internet Explorer or Netscape!
THE RESUMÉ
References Available Upon Request
Do you know anyone whose references are NOT available upon
request? Don’t waste valuable space putting that on your resumé.
It’s okay to include your references as an attachment.
Photographs/Detailed Personal Information
That’s just plain weird.
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THE COVER LETTER
I
If your resumé is an ad, then your cover letter is a teaser campaign
for that ad. Something that, in and of itself, won’t sell the Recruiting
Director on you, but will hopefully intrigue her enough to spend more
than fifteen seconds on your resumé.
The problem is that virtually every cover letter sounds exactly the
same. They’re full-page single-spaced letters organized like this.
Paragraph 1: How I heard about the job
Paragraph 2: Why I want the job
Paragraph 3: My qualifications for the job
Paragraph 4: How I’ll follow up on the job
We already know that Recruiting Directors are flooded with resumés
and spend about 15 seconds looking at each one individually. Now
try tacking on a full page, extremely boring document that basically
says what’s already on the resumé. How many cover letters do you
think actually get read?
That being said, you still have to do one. It shows you’re interested,
have thought about the job and are willing to take the time and effort
to write something.
But here’s the trick. Make that letter different – keep it short, make
some sentences two words, make some paragraphs one sentence,
write it very personally and be conversational.
You need to catch their attention in the first sentence or two so that
they actually read on, and then give your resumé some extra review
time.
But beware, there’s a fine line between clever and stupid!
Here’s a sample letter. You’ll quickly see the difference between this
one and the typical cover letter.
15
THE COVER LETTER
Dear Ms. Smith:
I consider myself to be quite the juggler…not in the classic
“clown-at-the-circus” sense, but as it relates to thriving in an
environment when I’m juggling task after task.
Since October, I’ve worked as a coordinator at a salon with more
than 100 employees and thousands of customers a week.
Customer service, attention to detail, and multi-tasking are an
absolute necessity. I’m sure you can imagine the demands of
salon clientele!
Now I’m anxious to parlay this experience into my true passion
– sales. I love a challenge, and I want to do whatever it takes to
be successful and contribute. I cannot imagine a better place to
do it than at Katz.
I truly hope to have the opportunity to talk about the job of Sales
Assistant. I’ll plan to follow up in a week’s time.
Regards,
Muriel Landry
This certainly isn’t the perfect cover letter for everyone (don’t just
copy it!), but it does give you a sense of what to do.
Often it’s helpful to think about how you got interested in the field, why
you like the particular job or company, or even some special connections or skills you have that the reader would find interesting. Keep it
short and personal and let some of your personality shine through.
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NETWORKING
The single best way to get a job is to know somebody. Yes, it should
be based on your merit alone, but unfortunately (or fortunately) that
isn't how it works. In fact, about 66% of people get jobs through networking, while fewer than 5% of candidates get jobs over the
Internet. So the question is, for every hour you spend on the Internet
looking for work, are you spending twelve hours networking? I think
we all know the answer to that question!
Understanding how to network – from whom to contact to what to
say - can have a huge impact on your ability to land a job.
WHAT IS NETWORKING?
Here’s a great way to think about it.
Let’s say you just moved to a new city and it’s time to get that everimportant first haircut. Your options are to look in the phone book,
talk to some stylists, or even visit individual salons. Picking the right
place would be a bit of a shot in the dark, and you wouldn’t really
know for sure if you’d be happy with the service until you had your
hair done.
Now, imagine if a friend of yours lived in that city and said, “Andrea,
you have to use Mario’s Salon. Christopher is amazing and he doesn’t
even charge that much.”
Of course you’d at least give Mario’s a try. Wouldn’t you?
That’s how networking works.
Networking is about making connections, getting yourself out there
and letting people know you’re in the job hunt. It’s a way to talk to as
many people as you can, and get yourself in front of as many contacts as possible, so that when it comes time to hire someone, you’re
top-of-mind.
When it comes to getting a job, Recruiting Directors rely on networking to fill positions. A recruiter has a huge stack of resumés to look
through to find a candidate. But there are people at their company
that will often know someone that they think would be a great new
hire. The recruiter is almost always going to give serious consideration to those candidates that are recommended.
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NETWORKING
It’s not to say that you’re guaranteed a job if someone recommends
you, or that you won’t get a job if you don’t network. It’s just that networking dramatically improves your chances.
If a recruiter has a stack of 500 resumés to look through, there are
typically about ten resumés on top of the pile that have been forwarded from someone inside the company. Chances are, that recruiter
will pick five of those ten off the top stack, and then five of the
remaining 500 for an interview.
HOW IT WORKS
It’s pretty simple. Try to set up an appointment to meet for twenty
minutes or so with some people you know to find out about what they
do. Importantly, you’re not asking them for a job. You just want to
get more information about their field and their position.
When you meet, spend a few minutes talking, hear about their work,
and ask them a bunch of questions. Hopefully you leave with a good
sense of what their field is all about, and you leave them with a favorable impression of you.
WHO TO TARGET
Everyone! Begin with some easy ones. Relatives, friends of your
parents, parents of your friends, school alumni, and of course, Delta
Zeta alumnae.
By being a member of Delta Zeta, you have a built in network of
smart, successful sisters in the working world who would love to help
you find a job.
In fact, Delta Zeta has a Web site called For Sisters Only that you can
join to help facilitate networking. This group has a strong focus on
providing connections and resources for members who are either
getting ready to graduate from college or for those who are launching themselves in the "real world."
Once you join For Sisters Only, you can ask other Delta Zetas for job
leads and internships in a specific industry and/or location. Or you
can simply network and chat with other Delta Zetas trying to find a job.
This network also is intended as a lifelong resource for Delta Zeta
women who are supporting each other through career and geographic moves at any time. Active and alumna members of all ages are
welcome to join at: www.deltazeta.org.
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NETWORKING
But that’s not all. You can stay connected through the Delta Zeta
member directory located on the Web site as well. With the member
directory, you can search for members and find other sisters with
similar careers by selecting options from the job category menu.
Delta Zeta alumnae chapters are also great networking sources. You
can contact your local alumnae chapter president to get the contact
information for alumnae in your area. By joining an alumnae chapter
when you graduate, you can form relationships and stay connected
with Delta Zetas from all walks of life and careers.
Fortunately, Delta Zeta has all of these tools that make it easy to connect to your sisters around the world. And here’s the crazy thing,
these women are dying to talk to you. They were all once struggling
college students, trying to figure out what to do with their lives and
trying to land that dream job. Now that they have it, they love to talk
about their success. I know it’s hard to believe, but most people like
talking about themselves!
So don’t be shy – it’s a great way to land a job, and a great way to
learn about industries and opportunities.
Now let’s talk about specifically what to say and how to approach it.
NAMES
Hopefully you have some sense of the field or fields in which you
would like to work. It certainly doesn’t need to be specific. “I may
want to do consulting or marketing, but I’m not exactly sure” is a fine
approach to take.
Start to talk to your friends and contacts about what you want to do,
and mention that you’d like to speak with people in the field. At this
point you just want some names.
You’ll be surprised – when you tell your parents you’d like to learn
more about consulting, they’ll say something like, “Oh, you know Ms.
Wilkov, our neighbor, she works in consulting.”
It’s that easy.
THE SPREADSHEET
Any successful project starts with a spreadsheet. Networking is no different.
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Take the names of your contacts and put them down the left side,
then across the top list things such as: how you know them, their email address, phone and mailing address, company, job title and any
other relevant information. Include a section to keep track of your
communications with your contacts.
NETWORKING
THE CONTACT
Now it’s time to get in touch. Start with a phone call…it’s best to talk
in person. Here’s a sample of what to say:
“Hi Ms. Pond, my name is Cindy Marhula, and I’m currently at the
University of Illinois. I’m looking to perhaps get into consulting when
I graduate this spring and was hoping to learn a bit more about the
field. I’m sure you’re really busy, but I was wondering if it would be
possible to meet for about twenty minutes at your convenience to ask
you a few questions about you and your job at Accenture.”
That wasn’t so bad, was it? Try to get in touch with them in person.
It’s okay to call and hang up if you get their voicemail (you likely will),
but remember, lots of people have caller ID, so don’t call eight times
a day! Once a day is enough. If you don’t get through after about a
week, leave a voicemail. Make it succinct, like the example above,
and don’t forget to leave your name and number.
If you don’t hear back in about a week or ten days, send them an email or call again. Make sure the subject line is catchy, but not weird –
“Student from U of I looking for job advice” or “Referred by Brenda Neuman.”
Be realistic. There will be some people who don’t call you back, never
respond to the e-mail, or simply say no. So be it. That’s not so bad.
Fortunately, many people will be happy to meet with you, even if it’s
not right away.
THE NETWORKING MEETING
Also known as an informational interview, this is when you actually
get to meet with a real, live working employee.
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There are three basic goals for the meeting:
NETWORKING
1. Learn about the industry or job
2. Make a favorable impression on the person with
whom you are meeting
3. Get names of other people with whom you can meet
Here’s a perfect end to the fictitious meeting you had with Ms. Pond
of Accenture.
“Cindy, it was great meeting with you today. I hope I answered some
of your questions about consulting and Accenture. If you have an
extra copy of your resumé, I’d love to forward it on to our recruiting
department in case we have any openings. Also, here are the names
of a few more people at other consulting firms you may want to talk to.”
You should approach this informational interview very much like you
would an actual interview, except that you’ll likely be asking most of
the questions. Here’s how to prepare:
• Wear a business suit
• Show up on time (meaning at least five minutes early)
• Have a list of about ten to twenty great questions to
ask (and not simple things that you can find out on
their Web site)
• Bring several copies of your resumé
• Leave your schedule open after the meeting in case
they want you to meet some more people
You’ll find that after a few of these meetings, you’ll really get the hang
of it, and it will be a lot of fun!
FOLLOWING UP
Don’t forget to send a nice thank you note right after the meeting (see
“Thank You Note” section for content details). You’ll also want to
keep in touch with these people, especially if the meetings go well.
Send them periodic e-mails or notes on your progress. This way
they’ll know if you’re still in the job market. Also, even if you land a
job elsewhere, it’s great to have contacts for your next job search!
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THE JOB INTERVIEW
H
Here's a shocking fact: Recruiting Directors actually want you to do
well in the interview. They are not looking to trick you, terrorize you,
or make you look bad. Instead, they are looking to make a connection with students in order to find terrific candidates.
But for some reason, the Legend of the Evil Recruiting Director
lingers. As a result, most students think of the interview as a contest,
where the goal is to outguess or bluff the interviewer. In fact, it's really just a conversation, where the most important skills are being
relaxed, confident, and honest.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT AN INTERVIEW
An interview is your resumé come to life. Typically, you’re interviewing because your resumé was impressive enough to merit an in-person
discussion. This is when they have the chance to see the real you!
It’s a bit scary, but it shouldn’t be. Companies want to hire you for
who you are, not for who you are trying to be in an interview. Try to
relax and be yourself. (You do need some judgment though. If being
yourself means lying around in your sweatpants, then don’t do that in
the interview.) Importantly, don’t try to be someone else.
HOW TO PREPARE – BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS
Most companies conduct behavioral interviews – where they
more interested in your skills and behaviors than in talking about
basics of what you did. In other words, they are looking for
“hows” and the “whys” as opposed to the “whats.” The “whats”
what got you into the interview in the first place.
are
the
the
are
What you need to do is take a 360 degree view of everything you’ve
done. Think about why you did it, what you learned, how it helped
you grow, and what you might do differently if you had to do it all over
again.
For instance, let’s say you were chapter president. Some of the
questions you might receive could be…
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• Why do you think you were selected for this position?
THE JOB INTERVIEW
• What were you hoping to accomplish?
• What specifically did you accomplish?
• How did you work with the rest of the officers?
• What did you like most?
• What did you like least?
• What did you learn?
• How would you do it differently if you had to
do it all over again?
T
Thinking about these questions probably seems like torture, but you
can be certain that these types of questions can and will be asked
during an interview. Just being aware of some of this stuff in advance
can make your responses much stronger.
Obviously, there are no right or wrong answers to these questions,
but you want to make sure you’re coming across as honest, insightful, and strategic in talking about what you’ve done.
So, for the first question above, “Why do you think you were selected
for this position?” you don’t want to say,
“I don’t know…no one else wanted to do it and I
figured why not…it might look good on my resumé.”
Hopefully there’s a better reason, like:
“The success of our chapter is largely based on the
quality of the women we bring into our organization and
based on my past involvement with the chapter, my peers
thought I would be the best person for the job.”
The lesson here is not to make stuff up, but to think about the types of
questions you might get and how you might respond. You definitely
don’t want a script, but you also want to try to avoid being caught off
guard.
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THE JOB INTERVIEW
HOW TO PREPARE – THE COMPANY AND THE JOB
You would never go on an interview without knowing about the job
and the position, would you? Of course YOU wouldn’t, but unfortunately plenty of people do.
Questions like, “Where are your headquarters? Who are your clients?
What’s the President of the company’s name?” are a sure way to get
yourself rejected quickly.
Research the company on the Internet, work with the Career Services
office, read the trade magazines (publications for people in the industry, like Ad Age for the advertising business), and talk to people at the
company or in the field to get as much information as you can before
the interview.
You don’t want to walk in spouting random facts about the gross tonnage of their shipping fleet, but you do want to sound intelligent
about the position and the company.
HOW TO PREPARE – STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Ah the dreaded…“what are your weaknesses?” question. What do
you do?
A lot of students try the old, “I’ll-take-a-strength-and-disguise-it-asa-weakness” approach. They figure the Recruiting Director will never
figure it out when they say they work too hard or are a perfectionist.
Well, guess what? That doesn’t work. In fact, it just makes you look
like you’re trying to put one over on the interviewer.
Instead, try to talk about an actual weakness that you have in a
thoughtful and insightful way. Think about the following:
• What your weakness is
• How you discovered it
• Why it’s important to fix it
• How you’re trying to improve upon it
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THE JOB INTERVIEW
So, when someone asks what your weakness is, you can say something like,
“One of the things I’m working on right now is my
tendency to procrastinate. I know once I start
working full time, I won’t have the luxury of putting
things off until the last minute. I realized that now,
when I do a project, I tend to wait until the last
minute to do the things I don’t really like doing. So,
everyday, I write down a to-do list and make sure
the first things I do are the ones I don’t want to. I
even made a bet with my roommate that I’d get
those done first. If I don’t, I have to buy her lunch,
and trust me, I don’t want to do that!”
That sounds a lot better than “I’m a perfectionist.”
It works for pretty much any weakness you have…unless it’s something like “I just don’t like to be around people – I tend to get violent.”
In most cases, a well thought out weakness can make you sound
quite impressive.
For strengths, the same thing holds true. Be insightful, honest and
compelling and you can’t go wrong.
HELPFUL TIPS
Open-ended questions
Hopefully, you won’t get the old “Tell me about yourself” question. If
you do, be succinct and concise. Start with how you got interested
in the field for which you are interviewing, talk about the things you’ve
done to reinforce and confirm that interest, and why you’re now interviewing for the job at hand.
Defending your point-of-view
Occasionally employers will put you on the spot to see how you
stand up under pressure. They may ask your opinion about something (hopefully job related) to see how you think on your feet.
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THE JOB INTERVIEW
I
If you’re interviewing for a banking job, they may ask your opinion of
the Fed’s monetary policy. State your point-of-view and then be prepared to defend it. If you say you think it’s been a key factor in keeping the U.S. out of a depression and the interviewer disagrees, don’t
just say, “Did I say it was a key factor? Well, I meant to say it was a
lousy factor. You must have misheard me.”
They may be testing you to see how you’d do in a real life work situation, so don’t be afraid to defend your point-of-view (politely).
Promptness
It’s unacceptable to be late. We all know that, yet it constantly happens. The interview is supposedly you at your best. If you can’t arrive
on time for an interview, what are you going to be like when you start
working? It’s simply too important to risk being late.
Plan on it taking twice as long to get to your interview as it normally
would. You never know about traffic, accidents, late trains, etc. You
want to walk in to see the receptionist of the company about 10 minutes before the interview starts. If you arrive much earlier, just walk
around the block or grab a cup of coffee to pass the time.
Attire
Very easy. Wear a business suit. Even if the company says they are
casual, plan on wearing a suit unless they specifically tell you not to.
It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed!
Also, make sure you’ve worn your outfit in advance of the interview.
You may discover that your pants are incredibly itchy, or those new
shoes make your feet bleed! You don’t want to find that out during an
interview.
Questions
Typically, at the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask if you
have any questions. It’s important to have two or three that you want
to ask – no more, no less.
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THE JOB INTERVIEW
The questions should be things about which you are genuinely interested, but not information readily available on their Web site. – e.g.,
“Where are you located?”
You also shouldn’t ask about salary or benefits specifically, especially on the first interview.
Good questions include:
• What do you like about your job?
• What do you dislike about your job?
• What makes someone successful at this company?
• How do you think the current state of the economy
will affect your business?
There are countless others. Just make sure you pay attention to the
answers. It’s acceptable to ask the same questions of a number of
people with whom you are interviewing. It’s interesting to see how
different people answer the same question.
As you’re leaving, it’s also okay to ask when you can expect to hear
back from the company. That way you’ll know when to follow up.
A final thought
Just be yourself.
It’s easy to say, but difficult to follow. Remember, it’s just another
human being sitting across from you. Be relaxed and confident, and
you’ll do well.
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THE THANK YOU NOTE
O
Often, the last impression you leave is the most important. Don’t forget a thank you note!
The key to a good thank you note is to make it personal. Just like the
cover letter, however, there is a fine line between clever and stupid.
Thank you notes should be short, and they should mention things you
talked about in the interview. As soon as you have a chance to jot
down notes from an interview, do it…especially if you’ve interviewed
with a more than one person that day.
You do want to write a different thank you note to each person with
whom you interview. There is always a chance that they will share them
among the team.
Obviously, it’s critical to make sure there are no typos, that names are
correct, and that you spell the name of the company right.
Here’s a sample thank you note:
Dear Ms. Pond,
It was great meeting with you today. I have to say
that it was amazing to finally see Accenture after all
I had read about it.
Our discussion of what makes companies successful really intrigued me. I have spent some more time
thinking about it, and I continue to feel that strong
management and great ideas are what set the best
companies apart.
As for me, I could not have been more excited to
meet with the team yesterday. I am looking forward
to hearing back from you and hope that I can be
part of your team.Thank you so much for your time.
Regards,
Cindy Marhula
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THE THANK YOU NOTE
D
Delivery options
These days companies make their candidate decisions fairly quickly.
It’s perfectly legitimate to send a thank you note as an e-mail. Try to
do it the evening of your interview or the day after. The sooner the better.
It’s also okay to send a hand-written card or typed note – as long as
you know they are not deciding on your status immediately. Again,
get it in the mail the next day, or drop it off at the office if that happens to be convenient.
A nice touch
Often there may be a person whom you deal with extensively in the
interview process, but who doesn’t actually interview you - maybe a
junior employee, receptionist, coordinator or administrative assistant.
Sending them a thank you note is a great way to “get in good” with
the company as well. Those gestures often get noticed even more!
That wraps up the “Getting a Job” section.
If it seems like a lot of work to get a job, it is. Nobody said it was
going to be easy. But let’s remember the point about the company
paying you tens of thousands of dollars.
Going about the job search intelligently can make getting a position
immensely easier. And the sooner you get one, the sooner you can
stop worrying about getting one!
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EXCELLING ON THE JOB
Y
You did it. You got the job, you’ve graduated college and you’re
entering the real world.
Now what?
Well, be prepared for the biggest change in your life. Ever. With the
possible exception of having kids, nothing will change your life more
than going from student to professional.
If you thought it was a big shift from high school to college, forget
about it. This puts that move to shame.
Don’t worry. Just like anything else, with proper preparation and perspective you can make it work. Also, it’s a ton of fun living on your
own and making your own money. It’s not all bad!
This part of the guide is set up to help with the transition from student
to professional, with the goal of helping you avoid many of the mistakes new employees make.
5
There are five sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
THE MINDSET CHANGE
TEAMWORK/COMMUNICATION STYLES
INITIATIVE
TIME MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
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THE MINDSET CHANGE
A
As far back as you can remember, you’ve been a student. That’s what
you do. You go to class, you learn from an instructor, and you hang
out with friends. That describes a first grader, and that describes a
college senior.
It’s over.
Now, you get paid lots of money (relative to what you were making),
and there may or may not be someone to teach you, and there may
or may not be friends to hang out with at work.
Many other things are different. Not necessarily better, or worse, just
different.
TIME
COLLEGE
REAL WORLD
You have about 15 hours of
actual class time a week,
rarely starting before 10:00
a.m., but lots of study time
hanging over your head.
Bright and early five days a
week, at least 40 hours a
week, but usually when you
leave the office at night, you’re
done for the day.
RESPONSIBILITY
COLLEGE
REAL WORLD
It’s all your own. No one is
really looking out for you, but
you are beholden to no one.
It’s shared. People pitch in to
help you out, and you’re
expected to be a strong, contributing team member.
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THE MINDSET CHANGE
VACATION
COLLEGE
REAL WORLD
Winter Break, Spring Break,
Summer Break – Roughly 110
Vacation Days.
10 Vacation Days…but they’re
paid. There’s not much better
than sitting on the beach in
Mexico and thinking, “I’m getting PAID to do this!”
Fundamentally, there is a major shift in the way that you operate as a
professional. Unfortunately, it’s not something they teach you in college. Sure, you learn a skill or a profession (e.g., understanding book
balancing to become an accountant), but you’re not taught how to
work.
There are a few key distinctions that you’ll need to be aware of from
the outset to help make the job transition a good one.
Team vs. Individual
Your success at work is almost always predicated on your ability to
work with a team. Unless you’re self-employed, every project and
every day involves other people.
In college (and before), virtually everything you do is you and you
alone. Sure, you may have had a few group projects, but we all know
how those work. Two people put forth all the effort and then the other
four share in the credit!
It’s pretty straightforward. You will not be able to succeed in the
workplace unless you work well with other people. That means being
a good leader, being a good follower and carrying your weight and more.
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THE MINDSET CHANGE
L
Learning vs. Teaching
It’s the job of a university to teach you. A professor stands up in a
room and tells you the causes of the Revolutionary War. He then
gives you reading assignments to help you better understand the
causes, and he tests you on your ability to understand those concepts. If you get something wrong, he tells you why.
On the job, they hand you a stack of papers and say, “Here’s the
Pereira file; I need it on my desk by Friday.”
Okay, maybe it isn’t quite that harsh, but the lesson is that there isn’t
anyone helping you on your way.
Due to shrinking budgets, many companies have little or no formal
training. Your ability to succeed will be based on how you seek out
knowledge and figure things out for yourself. Do not sit back and say,
“I don’t know how to do this…no one told me.”
Ask questions, do research, think intuitively, be curious and soak up
information. You need to learn to thrive and no professor is available
to teach you.
Paid employee vs. Paying student
As mentioned earlier, some company is paying you money to work for
them with the assumption that you will add value in excess of your
paycheck. Unless you sign an employment contract (which you
probably won’t), you are considered an “at will” employee. That
means you can quit whenever you like, but of course they can also
fire you whenever they like.
Treat your job as a privilege. That’s not to say that you should kill
yourself and be miserable at work, but it does mean that you shouldn’t leave a busy office at 6:00 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and
Friday because you have guitar lessons those nights.
Especially as a new employee, you will want to plan on working more
than less, on pitching in on even the worst projects, and most importantly, on having a great attitude.
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THE MINDSET CHANGE
T
TEAMWORK/COMMUNICATION STYLES
For better or for worse, a majority of your time awake will be spent at
the office. If you don’t like the people with whom you work and do
not get along with them, you will probably hate your job. On top of
that, you’ll probably spend more time with your boss than with your
significant other. It’s pretty creepy!
Who is the team?
Essentially, there are three teams you encounter in just about any job.
Let’s look at an advertising agency as an example.
The first team is your core team: the people with whom you interact
virtually on a daily basis. So if you are an assistant account executive at an agency, your core team would be your boss, the other AAEs
on the account, your creative team and your media team.
The second is your extended team: people with whom you interact weekly or monthly. So, the extended team might be the creative
director, the finance person and the planner on the account.
Finally, there’s the support team. This includes administrative support like secretaries, the mailroom staff, the receptionist, and also
internal departments like the technology guru who fixes your computer, or the HR person who helps with your medical claims.
You might think, “who really cares about these support folks – I’m
higher up on the food chain than they are, and I don’t deal with them
that much.”
Actually, like all team members, these people have the ability to make
your life miserable or a whole lot better. If you take the extra effort to
show respect and gratitude, it will be well worth it.
Regardless of the team, there are a few general rules that will make
your life at work considerably better.
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THE MINDSET CHANGE
A
Acknowledge Contributions
Let’s say your hard drive crashes and you lose everything. You call
the computer liaison, and he spends two hours in your office working
his tail off to get it all back. Send his boss an e-mail, (and copy him)
that says what an amazing job he did and how indebted you are to
him. It takes all of ninety seconds, but you better believe that next
time you call him in a panic, he’s going to come running to help you out.
Get Personal
Get to know people you work with…from your secretary, to the mail
distributor, to your boss. Ask them a few questions, show them some
attention, find out a bit about their background – and then remember it.
Share The Wealth
During the course of your career you’re bound to get stuff you don’t
need – a T-shirt, duffel bag, tickets, gift certificates. Pass them on to
someone at work. It will go quite a ways in making your working relationship great.
Communicate
Communication certainly seems easy enough. How tough can it be
to “keep everyone in the loop?” Actually it isn’t all that difficult, yet it
always seems to be forgotten.
Not keeping the extended team involved is the easiest way to alienate them. By definition, extended teams are outside the core, and are
anxious to know the inside scoop. Frequent e-mails and update
meetings are just the ticket. What may seem minor to you can be a
critical detail to another team member.
Become Indispensable
As the junior team member, you should volunteer to pitch in and help
on everything. First, it lets people know that you’re willing to work
hard, and second, it helps integrate you into the group.
As soon as the team realizes that you have all the background information, or that you are the expert on the competitor, or even that you
are the only one who can operate the technical equipment, you’re in.
Then, when there’s a meeting with some bigwigs, they have to bring
you along!
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THE MINDSET CHANGE
D
“Do Unto Others…?”
Of course everyone knows the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.” It certainly makes sense when it
comes to being considerate, treating people with respect, etc.
However, when it comes to understanding your role in a group, and
how to interact with others, it may not be the best approach to take.
As usual, sports provide a great example. The best coaches and
managers realize that not every player responds to the same motivation techniques. Some players need the coach yelling in their face to
get going; others prefer a hands-off manager who doesn’t tell them
what to do.
It’s the same in the working world. From how they respond to pressure, to how they are motivated, to how they use their time, people
are very different.
Understanding what drives people is the key to your success in operating efficiently in a team.
Whether you’re the team leader, or one of the members, spend time
paying attention to what makes people tick. While you may do really well under the gun, someone else in your group may crack under
that pressure. If you keep giving them your work at the last minute,
it will drive them crazy.
Unfortunately, as the new person, you’ll have to adapt your style to
the styles of your coworkers, whether that’s your boss or people from
other groups.
The quicker you can figure out the dynamics of the team you’re working with, the sooner you’ll understand the teamwork Golden Rule:
“Do unto others…as they would like to
have done unto them.”
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H
Here’s the easiest way to think about initiative:
• In college, if you do everything you’re told, and you
do it well, you get an A.
• At work, if you do everything you’re told, and you
do it well, you get a C.
INITIATIVE
It’s pretty straightforward in college. Your professor tells you what the
test is going to cover, or the topic of your paper. You know that if you
study a lot or write a good enough paper, you’ll ace the course.
In the real world, it’s definitely not that simple. Sometimes you know
that the overall goal is to get from point A to point B. But rarely is
anyone going to tell you how to get to point B. And occasionally, it
will be up to you to tell your boss that point B isn’t even where they
need to go, but that point C is the place to be.
As you make the transition from student life to work life, you must
begin to think less in terms of “what can you teach me?” and
more in terms of “what can I offer you?” That means taking a
proactive approach to the company needs instead of waiting for people to tell you what to do or how to do it.
And, by displaying initiative, you have a great chance of moving
ahead, getting noticed and helping out your company.
Initiative doesn’t have to be practiced only on big projects, either.
Perhaps you have an idea on how to distribute the mail better or how
to reorganize some files for quicker company access. It can be big or
small, but as long as you keep doing it, you’ll be a star.
Here are some tips to remember:
• With everything you do, ask “is there a way to do
it faster, better, cheaper?” If there is, then make
the change and attempt to systematize the
process so everyone can benefit.
• Exit student mentality: learn while doing, don’t
wait to be taught.
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• When you’re given a project, try to find out why
you’re doing it. Understanding the big picture
allows you to come up with the best way to reach
that goal.
INITIATIVE
• Don’t go to your boss to complain about
something unless you have a better way to do it.
• Act above your title: put yourself in your boss’s
position and try to think about how he or she
would approach a problem or situation.
• Make sure you have a role in every meeting. Even
if you’re not a speaking contributor, take great
notes and send out a meeting summary. It’s a
terrific way to ensure you get invited back.
• Your job isn’t just what people tell you, it’s what
you make of it.
• And remember…it’s always easier to ask for
forgiveness than permission!
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TIME MANAGEMENT
W
We talked before about how time changes dramatically in the real
world. No, not in a Matrix kind of way…but you’re going from a situation (college) where you have very little structured time to an environment (working) where it’s all about structured time.
What will be key to your success on the job, not to mention your happiness as a human being, is not how much you work, but how well
you work.
Time is a precious commodity in the
workplace and in life…use it wisely!
One of the first things to learn is that time is no longer your own. In
college, for the most part, your use or misuse of time affects you and
you alone. If you wait until the last minute to write a paper, and then
don’t do well on it, the only one facing the consequences is you.
On the job, your actions affect the success of a larger team. If you
procrastinate and wait until the last minute to get stuff done, it hurts
the team and the company.
Oh sure, when you begin working you’ll see many people working
late hours, doing stuff at the last minute, and occasionally missing
deadlines. As the new employee, you don’t want to be that person.
Maybe one day when you’re running the show you can finish every
project on the way to the client meeting, but at the outset, you want
to be Ms. On Time.
You’ll also quickly learn that deadlines change all the time.
Sometimes, they’re later than agreed, and occasionally, they’re earlier than anticipated. You want to make sure you continue to check in
with the team, with your boss, and with the client to gauge the latest
on each deadline.
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TIME MANAGEMENT
E
Even more importantly, because deadlines change, you want to get
your work done as soon as you can. If you’re told the deadline for a
big project is Friday and then wait until Thursday to start it, you’ll be
in big trouble when you get the call that says, “hey, the client changed
their mind; they need the Pereira report by Wednesday for a meeting
with the CEO.”
The message: don’t procrastinate.
Given the variety and scope of projects that you’re given, you’ll need
to distinguish between urgent and important.
URGENT VS IMPORTANT
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of only doing what is urgent. Known
in the real world as “fire drills,” these are the types of projects or
requests that require your immediate and dedicated attention right
away. However, they sometimes tend to be wasted time. This is
known in the real world as “stupid.”
For example, perhaps your boss runs into your office and says he has
a meeting with his boss in an hour and wants a recap of everything
you’ve been working on for the past month in case it comes up in the
meeting. That’s urgent, but not necessarily important.
That’s not to say that every urgent request isn’t important, but it’s critical for you to take a step back and understand if indeed the urgent
request is urgent and important, or whether or it’s just urgent.
You may discover that your day is filled with these urgent requests.
That means your time to do the important stuff is outside the realm of
9:00 – 5:00. Come in early, or stay late if you find that is when you
have the best opportunity to focus on more critical projects – the
types of projects like strategic projections or in-depth analyses can
really make a difference.
Finally, organization is a key to successfully managing your time.
Whether it’s on your computer, a PDA or an old-fashioned pad of
paper, keep a “to-do” list and a schedule.
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TIME MANAGEMENT
Organize your to-do list on an A, B, C basis:
• A: High Priority – items that need to be done by
the end of the day
• B: Medium Priority – items that need to be done
by the end of the week
• C: Low Priority – items that need to be done at
some point in the future.
This will give you a sense of what needs to be done each day, recognizing that you’ll probably have to update the to-do list throughout
your time at work.
One trap to avoid gets back to the old urgent vs. important. Make
sure you put a few important projects into the A list so you have an
opportunity to work on those as well.
Another great way to stay organized and manage your time is to
employ the “one click” e-mail system.
Oftentimes e-mail starts to pile up and you find yourself opening an
e-mail, reading it, but not having enough time to respond. You then
leave it in your inbox, check it a bit later and realize you still don’t
have time. The message stays there for a while and you keep rereading it and putting off a response.
In the “one click” system, you open an e-mail and give yourself
three choices:
• Respond immediately
• Put in a folder to respond later
• Save with no action
Try to respond immediately to as many as you can. The small amount
of time it takes will pay off in the long run.
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TIME MANAGEMENT
T
The key for the “respond later” e-mails is to carve out a specific
time each day when you get to all of these. Force yourself to dedicate 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to craft replies to these e-mails.
The time you spend continually opening e-mails and not responding
is just wasted time.
The “save with no action” e-mails are simply put into a folder and
retained for those “cover your butt” situations, where someone says,
“hey Ashley, how come you never gave me your summary of the
Pereira file?” You then pull out an old e-mail from that guy and reply,
“well I assumed you didn’t need it since you sent me the e-mail I’ve
attached that said don’t send me the summary of the Pereira file.”
Unfortunately, that situation will probably arise quite a few times on
the job.
Remember, by effectively managing your time at the office, you’ll
allow yourself the luxury of mismanaging it as much as you want outside the office!
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
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When you hear the word etiquette, you’re probably thinking about
whether or not to lift your pinkie when you drink tea or which salad
fork to use for a Belgian endive salad.
Actually, this section is more about whether or not you can have a
martini when you go to a business dinner and whether you can keep
your tongue stud once you start working.
The fact is, there is a new set of rules in the working world. Some are
obvious ones that apply to pretty much any company – “I can’t miss
my flight if I’m traveling on business.” But others are much more
subtle – “Am I allowed to e-mail my friends from work?”
Indeed, every company has a different set of rules that apply, but
there are some “truths” and certain ways to think about appropriate
behavior that will make your work transition a whole lot smoother.
This section will address etiquette in four exciting areas:
• THE OFFICE
• YOUR CUBE
• A MEETING
• A MEAL
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
OFFICE ETIQUETTE
They say image is everything. It may not be everything, but it certainly says a lot. How you act, dress and speak in the office immediately sends off cues about who you are.
Appearance
If there is a woman in the office who hasn’t washed her hair in a few
days, and who wears ripped jeans and flip flops, you might think
she’s not the most serious employee. Now in fact she may be, but
the message she’s presenting about herself is quite different.
When it comes to dress in the office, there are few companies with
hard and fast rules. Some places still have full time business attire –
meaning a business suit. In those instances, it’s pretty easy to figure
out. Wear a suit.
But most companies these days have some manner of business
casual, a nebulous term to be sure. For women this usually means a
skirt or slacks and a collared shirt with no jeans or sneakers. Think
nice Sunday brunch with your parents.
The overall idea about dress is to look around and observe. If everyone has on nice pants, don’t come to the office wearing jeans. But if
most of the employees wear jeans, it’s okay to dress accordingly.
However, you don’t want to be the first or the only person setting a
trend (at least until you’ve established yourself…and even then it’s
risky).
For “fashion accessories” follow the same model. Students will
sometimes ask, “Do I have to get rid of my multiple earring holes
when I start working?” The answer is always “it depends.” If no one
in the organization has a bunch of earrings, don’t start the trend.
Some companies may even have policies against it. If you start
working and realize a lot of people do have them, then you may want
to ask your boss or HR if it’s okay, and then go for it!
Remember, all the decisions you make about dress (and many other
things we’ll get into) have implications. Your appearance sends off
cues about who you are. Most of the people in managerial positions
that can promote you or give you a raise are older than you. What
they think is appropriate and what you think is appropriate can be
two very different things.
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
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Plus, you never know when someone will say, “Hey, the CEO wants
to meet all the new employees today.” If you’re wearing your “Disco
Sucks” T-shirt and haven’t washed your hair in a few days, you’re
likely not making the best impression.
It’s safe to say that your appearance at the office is not the appropriate manner to express your individuality. At least at the beginning of
your career, play it conservatively.
Timeliness
This one is easy. Always be on time.
In fact, some companies subscribe to the following:
Arriving early is on time, arriving on time is late, and arriving late is
unacceptable.
Now, you will find that at some companies there is a tardiness epidemic - whether it’s showing up for work or attending meetings.
Don’t fall into that trap. Just like appearance, your promptness says
a lot about who you are. Also, it’s rude to other people to show up
late for a meeting. You’re basically saying, “My time is more valuable
than yours.” It’s never the right thing to do, especially as you start
out your career.
Politics
Not Democrat or Republican, but something far more devious.
New employees often comment that one of their biggest surprises is
how often people talk about their coworkers behind their back. “I
can’t believe what an idiot Cindy was at the meeting.” Or, “My boss
won’t get off my case, I really can’t stand him.”
Unfortunately, office politics and gossip run rampant in the working
world. Your best bet is to distance yourself from it as much as possible.
Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Our tendency will be to
jump into the conversation if for no other reason than you probably
think Cindy is an idiot and your boss is giving you a hard time.
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
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The problem is that more often than not, gossip can be harmful and
even make its way to the person involved. Even worse, you don’t
ever want to be known to management or to Cindy as the person who
bad-mouthed her.
“Just say no” to gossip and office politics.
Behavior
As a student you represent your school. As a member, you represent
Delta Zeta. When you start working, you will be a representative of
your company.
The stakes, of course, are higher since this company is paying you.
The way you act, both at work and outside the office, is a reflection
of your company. It’s definitely something you need to keep in mind.
CUBE ETIQUETTE
Ah, the cubicle…your home away from home. Unfortunately, you’ll
be spending more time at your desk than you will in your bed!
There are a few key areas to cover as it relates to life in the
cube–specifically phone, computer and environmental etiquette.
The phone
Again, you’ll likely be on the phone quite a bit at work. Here are some tips.
Answer your phone by stating your name. “Brittany Phelps” or, “Hello
this is Brittany Phelps” or some other variation. Don’t just pick up the
phone and say “Hello.”
Your voice mail message should be short and professional.
“Hello, this is Brittany Phelps. Thanks for calling,
but I’m unavailable right now. Leave a message
and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Then do get back to people right away. It’s rude to wait days to return
a call.
Messages you leave for others should also be short. When on voice
mail, people have the tendency to ramble. If you have a chance to
listen to a message before it’s delivered, do it. You’ll probably be
amazed at how often you repeat yourself.
If you’re lucky enough to have a speakerphone, don’t abuse it. Save
it for situations where you have others in your office and you need to
make a call together. People usually do not get a speakerphone in a
cube because it makes a lot of noise and people tend to yell when
talking on a speakerphone.
You don’t want the people in the nearby offices to hear your friend
coming out from the speakerphone saying things that wouldn’t be
appropriate for a locker room!
That brings us to the next point – personal phone calls. Most companies allow them, just check to be sure. Even though it’s permitted,
it doesn’t mean it should be abused. Limit the amount of time you
spend on the phone, and also check the policy on long distance calls.
Just because your phone can dial to China, doesn’t mean it’s permissible. The last thing you want is a note from HR saying you owe
$1,200 for long distance calls last month.
What’s also important to note is that companies can legally tape and
listen to your phone conversations when you use their phones.
Enough said!
The computer
We’ll start with the scary stuff. Just like phone calls, companies can
and do monitor all activity on your computer. Let’s repeat that…all
activity on your computer.
People have been fired for looking at inappropriate Web sites (we all
know what would be considered inappropriate). Employees have
also been fired or reprimanded for spending too much time on the
Internet, or instant messenger. For some reason the company doesn’t
buy the excuse, “But there was this awesome Amazon sale that was
only available online.”
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
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Just to keep it all in perspective, a company can track everything you
do online, even if it’s from your own personal e-mail account. Act
accordingly.
Another work related faux pas is sending e-mails to the wrong people.
It happens innocently enough. A coworker sends you a forwarded e-mail
from the client or from your boss that says something such as, “Can
you believe what this stupid client wants us to do?” You read the original e-mail and reply and say, “What an idiot.” Only you send it back
to the client instead of to your coworker.
Unfortunately, this happens much more than you think. The result is
a loss of business for the company and/or loss of job for the employee. It seems fairly innocent, but the general rule is don’t put anything
in writing (e-mail or good old fashioned hard copy) that you wouldn’t
want everyone to read.
The environment
A few simple rules will help you out here.
Keep your office clean. It makes it easier to work, and a messy office
typically connotes that you’re disorganized. Try to straighten up your
workspace before you leave each night.
Be careful what you leave on your desk. Certainly confidential work
documents should be kept locked up. Also beware of personal items
as well. If you happen to be a connoisseur of Guns and Ammo magazine, don’t leave copies all over your desk.
Decorate appropriately. Some companies have policies on what can
and cannot be hung on walls or displayed on your desk. Take your
cues from co-workers before you plaster your walls with Duran Duran posters.
Be mindful of noise pollution. Again, certain organizations or groups
allow music, and others don’t. Even if it is allowed, play it extremely
softly and check with your neighbors to make sure they don’t mind.
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
MEETING ETIQUETTE
At most organizations, your role for the first few months is to soak up
knowledge and to observe. In short time you will likely be contributing to meetings and at some point leading them. But even at the outset of your career, you can benefit from a few tips.
Be prepared
Show up early, have pen and paper, and make sure you bring any and
all back-up material that team members may need. Your preparedness helps establish you as a resource and gets you invited back.
Take notes
Be sure you record as much as you can about the meeting. There are
always questions after the fact as to who said what and to what was
agreed upon. If appropriate, send out a note to the participants
recapping the meeting. It’s also a great way for you to learn and a
terrific reference tool to go back to.
Be mindful of your position
Remember that as the junior person, you should volunteer to run and
make copies if there aren’t enough for the group, or even give up your
chair for the big VP. It’s not that it’s your “job” to make copies and
get people coffee, but if someone has to do it, it should be the junior
person and not your boss or someone else.
DINING ETIQUETTE
Company or client meals can be great fun. Usually the meal is at a
really nice restaurant, and usually you’re not paying! However, the
first few experiences can be a bit intimidating.
The best advice when it comes to many dining related issues is to follow the lead of others. Whether it’s what fork to use, or how to order,
pay attention to what the rest of the group is doing. In most instances
you can’t go wrong.
Here are a few specific tips.
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Food
It’s best to order something from the middle of the price range – not
the priciest, and not the cheapest. Try to avoid ordering first, and then
get a sense for whether people are ordering appetizers and desserts.
Don’t order really messy foods like ribs or other finger foods, unless
everyone is diving in.
Drink
If you’re on official company business, pay close attention to these
warnings:
• Never drink if you don’t want to drink
(yes, peer pressure exists on the job).
• Never drink if you’re underage.
• Never drink if it’s against company policy.
• Never get drunk.
• NEVER EVER drink if you’re driving.
Now, that being said, there are companies that allow drinking and will
offer it during meals. If you’re out to eat and wondering if you should
order a drink, try to defer to others. You don’t want to be the first person to order alcohol, and you certainly don’t want to be the only one
drinking. If everyone at the table is ordering a beer, and you feel like
having one, it should be fine – assuming you followed the warnings above.
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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Paying
It’s not always clear if you have to pay for work meals or even who
should pay. Try to get a sense before you go out if the company is
sponsoring the meal. A good rule of thumb is that if there’s a client
or vendor with you, you’re not going to have to pay out of your own
pocket. But it’s not always that clear, so make sure you know in
advance.
Also, at certain companies, it’s customary for the newest employee
to pay for the meal – not out of her own pocket, but to pick up the
tab and then submit the expense report to get reimbursed. Again,
check before you go out to make sure, and bring a credit card (or
cash if they don’t accept credit cards).
General
All the rules your mom taught you as a kid apply. Wait for everyone
to be served before you begin to eat. Don’t talk with your mouth full.
Pace yourself. Put your napkin in your lap.
Be polite, relaxed and follow the lead of others and you can’t go
wrong.
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That wraps up the Delta Zeta Job Guide. By reading this, you should
know quite a bit more about how to get a job and how to do well on
the job.
Now, the trick now is to do it!
The advice is meant to guide you and to help you avoid many of the
mistakes that college students and new employees typically make.
Use it wisely, but don’t think there’s a magic formula to everything.
The best way for you to succeed is to work hard to have fun and to
be yourself.
SUMMARY
Good luck!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Brad Karsh is President of JobBound (www.jobbound.com), a company dedicated to helping college students and recent graduates get
great jobs and transition into the workforce.
Author of Confessions of a Recruiting Director: The Insider's Guide to
Landing Your First Job (Prentice Hall Press), Brad is considered the
nation's leading expert on the job search. He's been featured on
CNN, The Dr. Phil Show, and CNBC, and he’s been quoted in The
Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, NY Times,
Fortune, and many others.
Brad has presented at dozens of schools including, The University of
Illinois, Kansas State University, The University of Texas, and
Northwestern University.
Before starting JobBound, Brad spent fifteen years at Leo Burnett
USA, the advertising agency for companies such as McDonald’s,
Procter and Gamble, and Disney. As VP/Director of Talent
Acquisition, he was responsible for all of the agency’s hiring. With
more than ten years of entry-level recruiting experience, Brad critiqued more than 10,000 resumés and interviewed more than 1,000
entry-level job candidates. He was also in charge of entry-level training.
JobBound also provides individual job preparation services for job
seekers including resumé writing, mock interviews, cover letters, and
career coaching. For more information and advice, check out
www.jobbound.com
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