First Comment

The great guest posts continue to roll in here at Astron Solutions World of HR. Phone interviews can be some of the most stressful parts of an interview process since you can't actually see the person you are speaking to (and sometimes can't hear them well either). Alexis Bonari has a blog post today to help you ace that interview. Alexis is currently a resident blogger at College Scholarships, where recently she’s been researching arabic scholarships as well as tips on finding archery scholarships. Whenever this WAHM gets some free time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking with the freshest organic in-season fare, and practicing the art of coupon clipping. Here is Alexis' guest post:
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More and more employers and recruiters have started interviewing potential job candidates over the phone because it is relatively cheap, and can be done fairly quickly. If you are a recent grad student, then participating in a phone interview with a potential employer could be stressful and intimidating.
Because of this, it’s extremely important to take the proper steps beforehand to make sure you are fully prepared for a phone interview in order to succeed in your job search.

The first step in preparing for a phone interview is to make sure your cell phone is completely charged, and that you are in an area with excellent reception. (If you are using a land line then this shouldn’t be a concern for you).

It’s also important to make sure you are in a quiet room so there won’t be any background noise that will distract you as you are on the phone with your (hopefully) future employer.
You should also make sure your phone volume is set on high, and turn off any appliances, or even your TV or stereo, because they could act as potential distractions. (It may even be a good idea to place a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door as well, just in case).

The next step is preparing some notes of what you would like to say or bring up during the interview. Write down some questions or even points you want to make beforehand, and have a paper and pen handy so you can write down notes during the interview as well. Remember one of the benefits of a phone interview is that the person interviewing you can’t see what you’re doing, so take advantage of this and lay out pages and pages of notes and questions you want to cover during the interview.

Also it’s extremely important to remember to speak slowly and clearly, and try to avoid drinking, eating, or even chewing gum during the interview, as each sound you make is essentially magnified over the phone. So if the person interviewing you can hear you eat while you talk, they could find it offensive and be easily turned off by your phone etiquette.

To make your voice sound more loud and clear during a phone interview, be sure to speak directly into the phone, or even try standing up so your voice will sound stronger. Also try to avoid saying things like “um” and “er” because these habits are particularly noticeable on the phone. If you try smiling while you talk it will also make your voice sound more upbeat, and will ultimately leave a good impression with the person interviewing you as well.

If you are still feeling nervous and uneasy about a future phone interview, there is no need to be! Remind yourself that a phone interview is actually much less stressful than an in-person interview because your potential employer won’t be judging you by how you look or act, but by what you say. So as long as you prepare what you are going to say beforehand, your phone interview should be a breeze.

I'm sorry to have been absent from the blogging world for a while but I just recently entered the world of dog ownership (picture on the right) and the puppy has been occupying way too much of my time. But I'm back now and we've got some great stuff on tap for this week including a few great guest posts. The first guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities. She welcomes your comments at her email: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.
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A picture of little Jack taking a nap

We often read so much about how to prepare for the actual back and forth discussion part of our job interview that we don't actually get any advice about how to prepare for the logistics of going to a job interview. When I say logistics, I mean all of the details surrounding the interview itself. If you don't get these details right, they can seriously hamper your efforts to nail down that job. And in this economy, you can't afford to let the details keep you from getting a steady paycheck.

Anyhow, when you get ready to go off to your interview, take a moment to track down some of these logistical details. These may seem obvious and common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people might forget these in the nervous rush of thinking about the interview. And, of course, good luck!

Plan Your Route

Before you leave for the interview, plan out the route you will drive to get there. Keep in mind an alternate route as well so that you can adjust where you go in case there is a traffic jam. Also, use a traffic monitoring system, such as the one on your GPS, or use the radio to get traffic updates.

Figure Out the Parking Situation

Next, you should try to figure out the parking situation at the place where you are interviewing. Some places have easy parking, while others will require you to get your parking ticket validated. Simply check with whomever helped you set up the interview for more information.

Where Will You Meet?

This is a pretty basic step, but it's still one that needs to be taken so that you can avoid some anxiety once you arrive at the office. Simply establish where you will wait or how you will meet with whomever is going to interview you. Should you wait in the lobby? Will someone come and get you? Do you take the elevator up? Establish the process here to save yourself some trouble the morning of the interview.

Know Your Interviewers

This is very important, as it will help you determine how to prepare for the interview. Know exactly who will interview you, and if you aren't sure, don't worry about asking. You should be able to look up your interviewers on the company website and learn about them and what they do and how you will fit into their vision for the company. Knowing whom you are about to speak to in an interview will help you feel less surprised; even though you'll just be meeting them for the first time, by knowing who they are and having some information about them, they will be a little more familiar to you.

Save an Emergency Contact Number

Finally, make sure you save the company contact number in your phone before you leave for the interview. If you have an emergency, you need to be able to tell them about what's happening so that you can reschedule. It's better to let them know that you're lost before the fact, rather than call afterwards to apologize and reschedule.

The last part of our links clean out is upon us...let's check out the links:

First from the New York Times was a very depressing article from May that talks about the new poor and that some jobs from our economy are never coming back: "Millions of workers who have already been unemployed for months, if not years, will most likely remain that way even as the overall job market continues to improve, economists say. The occupations they worked in, and the skills they currently possess, are never coming back in style. And the demand for new types of skills moves a lot more quickly than workers — especially older and less mobile workers — are able to retrain and gain those skills. There is no easy policy solution for helping the people left behind. The usual unemployment measures — like jobless benefits and food stamps — can serve as temporary palliatives, but they cannot make workers’ skills relevant again."

Also from the New York Times, an article about a service charging $400 per hour to get 20-somethings off their couch to be coached in finding jobs.

Next from the Boston Globe is some advice for the job seeker on trimming down a resume that is too long. It's something that makes looking at a candidates resume a lot easier.

Lastly, from howtonailaninterview.com is advice on, well, how to nail a job interview.

We start out on this Monday morning with 18 common e-mail mistakes from US News and World Report via Yahoo! Finance (H/T Sarah). I can tell you from the experience of receiving e-mails (in both my professional and personal life) that people hit reply all way too often when they just mean to hit plain ole reply.

Next, from FINS we have Goldman Sachs updating their interview tips via a nifty little video (H/T Wendy). The most important advice, in my opinion, is the last point: "At the End. Ask two or three questions about the company or about the interviewer's view of broad industry trends. Don't ask about salary and benefits. You'll have plenty of time for that once you get an offer. And, of course, e-mail a thank you note. It's a classy touch."

ABC News is next with some things not to do during an interview such as, well, bringing mom. Some of these are priceless.

Next, from USA Photos Pictures Blog is a list of the top ten worst jobs in the United States...with pictures of each.

Lastly, from SIFMA, a list of what the positions really mean in simpledetails.

Hope that everyone who was off yesterday had a nice day off and everyone who had to work didn't have too bad of a Monday. As we all exercise our ability to be part of this workforce, we can thank people like Martin Luther King Jr. and others who made this opportunity possible for us. Even those who are out of work can certainly take a day to reflect and that's the important part of holidays like yesterday.

HR.BLR takes it one step further and says that MLK Day should be an opportunity for workplaces to celebrate diversity and instead of talking about how we're all the same, talk about the unique ways in which we are different. Everyone brings something to the workplace and having diverse backgrounds is one way to help build a successful organization.

The New York Times has a story about some Starbucks workers in New York City who took the holiday to celebrate...and then to protest. If you're trying to argue for some sort of equality, MLK Day seems like a good occasion to do so, even for baristas.

Lastly, from the Boston Globe JobDoc, some advice on handling a canceled interview. Although this information is for the candidate, a lot of advice can be extracted for the interviewer in how they handle their interview cancellations.

Winter Cleaning! I have tons of great links to share with everyone that I will post here at the Astron Solutions blog over the next few days:

The first is from way back in May from ResumeBear and, with the national spotlight on the healthcare, they have a list of the healthiest companies in America.

From back in December about how young entrepreneurs are making their own jobs in this bad job market instead of waiting around to find one from the New York Times.

Then on to ABC News which has tips for interviewing and 5 tips that no one mentions. These are helpful hints not only for the job applier but for Human Resources as well.

Next, from this past week, some advice from TLNT on how you can avoid a people management fiasco at your company like the Juan Williams/NPR case.

Lastly, from FINS we have an article which states there's actually a science behind your employees blowing their bonuses.

When I was finishing up my Masters studies, I scoured Monster.com, Careerbuilder and Craigslist to see who would hire me. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do (I still don't know), but at the time I was just looking for something that sounded fun and exciting. So when I saw an advertisement for a sports marketing firm that was hiring for an executive training program, I was very excited. I was even more excited when I got a call about setting up an interview at the office in New Jersey. I had no clue what I was in store for, though.

I completed my 45 minute commute to the company's offices in an office park and since I was early, I camped out for a little while in my car and read up on what I knew about the company. From their website they seemed to be a large sports marketing company that worked with the New York Yankees--among other accounts. As I was sitting in the car, I saw many young people leaving the building in suits and thought that this seemed like a cool work environment.

I decided to enter the office 15 minutes early and was surprised to find that the area I was ushered into seemed to be a single office. In the waiting room were a ton of other young people like me in suits and looked much like the people I'd seen leaving the building. I checked in and sat in the large waiting area. Someone came out of the office and a name was called and they went in to interview. Seeing about 10 people in front of me, I wondered how I was going to get interviewed any time soon.

My answer came when the door opened 5 minutes later and the person in there left. I thought this was odd, but figured maybe the interview didn't go well and they were just cutting it short. Except the next person had the same time limit--and the next person as well.

I realized there was another room to the right when the receptionist walked over to a door and opened it quickly but she closed it just as quickly as myself and a female candidate tried to look in. When she came out of the room, I got a quick glance inside the room to find out all that was in there was a copy machine. I started to have some alarm bells go off.

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the hiring manager and the candidate getting into a screaming match in the room. We all turned as the door opened and the hiring manager literally threw the guy out of the office, screaming at him that he "could not believe someone would have so many problems with such a great opportunity" and that the candidate "was an idiot for asking so many stupid questions."

Alarm bells ringing loudly at this point, I realized I was two away from having to go in to interview. The hiring manager finally calmed down when he saw all the scared faces in the room and walked over in his fancy suit to the television and put on the volume for the Yankees game saying "we really should be supporting our client."

Finally it was my turn as I entered the room. A single office, on desk, one picture on the desk (which I figured out was a picture of a car), no computer, no books...really, nothing. We got into the interview and he asked me basically 2 questions, all the while showing no signs he was listening to me. After I finished my second answer, he put a big star on my resume and let me know that I was exactly what they were looking for and he was going to be excited to have me back for a second interview. He said that I looked like someone who would appreciate this position more than that "other idiot who asked so many stupid questions." He then asked me if I had any questions and I of course said no.

On my way out I asked the receptionist where the rest of the office was. She asked "excuse me?" and I quickly decided to thank her and leave. I walked down the hall and checked out the rest of the offices around there was not a single occupied office. It was all empty, Boiler Room-type offices behind every door. I left the building with another candidate and he seemed to think we got duped into interviewing for a fake company.

I went home and Googled the company name and after scrolling through the results, realized he was right. There were a ton of negative reports on this company and it ends up that the company had three different names in three years because negative reports kept on being written about them. There are a ton of these companies out there. They either run like a pyramid scheme where they tell you that it's an executive management training position and the sole goal is to work you like a dog in menial tasks and then train you to start your own and share your profits with the other company. Or they bait-and-switch telling you that you're working for a prestigious sales or marketing company only to have you go out and sell something like Verizon Fios door-to-door. Most of them require employees to give them cult-like devotion and cover all expenses including any car costs and gas expenses. All of them fall under a category of companies called "Mutli-Level Marketing companies". While multi-level marketing companies could be legit, these companies are far from it.

These are shameful people who prey on those who are young and inexperienced in the job world (they won't interview you if you have more than a year of experience) and try to exploit their eagerness to make an impression in the job world. When I got a call back from this company, I politely declined the second interview--and then was called again a week later to find out why. I wasn't exactly truthful, but then again, I know they hadn't been either.

I am reminded of that today because someone I know was contacted by one as well. I knew right away to search their name on Ripoff Report, a great resource for figuring out if the company is legitimate or not. There are also many guides on the internet to figure out if any type of multi-level company is right for you. Hopefully these companies continue to be given a bad name because it hurts real companies who try to recruit out in the market. The burden of proof for some companies is becoming higher after fakes like these continually pop up. But hopefully that just creates more honesty out there in the market so that people don't have to make the same mistake I made.

Not exactly in the park, but it is a beautiful Saturday to be there and if you want some great links while you're lounging in the sun.

From ben's blog, some advice about the right way to lay off an employee. The steps? Get your head right, don't delay, be clear in your own mind about why you are laying people off, train your managers, be visible and be present. "After seeing their friends laid off, employees were no longer willing to make the requisite sacrifices needed to build a company. He said that although it was possible to survive an isolated layoff, it was hugely unlikely that a company would experience great success."

From ESPN New York, an interesting conflict between the New York Jets and a female reporter. The interesting part of this story has been the response from other female journalists who have been less than supportive of Ines Sainz, the woman who filed the complaint of discrimination and harassment.

Interview Tips has 20 ways to nail an interview with some hilarious videos of people who didn't come close to doing so (H/T Wendy). Number 16 may be the worst.

There are job reports out there, but finally there is The Hidden Job Report.

And lastly, some advice about what a company blog should look like from The New York Enterprise Report (H/T Jennifer)

We've all been rejected. Whether it be in high school on the person we had a crush on, when we were applying to college, when we've interviewed for jobs, or even when some of us have been let go from that a job that we've all been told, at one point or another: "no". But there's many different ways to say no and doing it in the right way in both the hiring and firing process, a company can help candidates and former employees as well as helping their own self-image. Let's take a look at the three types of candidates and how is a bad and a good way to say N-O.

External Job Candidate

These are the easiest people to say no to out of the three groups we'll talk about, but there are still proper ways to go about this. I know one former classmate who was told they had a prestigious position at an investment bank coming out of business school only to have that invitation revoked once the company hit some skids. How did this person find out they weren't going to be employed at this large bank? The news. Seriously. Instead of calling/e-mailing/writing the candidates to let them know their signed offers were not going to be honored, they instead let the news organizations reporting the story know and the classmate found out by reading about the company online. That's rough--and wrong.

The best way to go about it was done a few years back for me. I applied for a job that was I pretty sure I was under-qualified for--but I really liked the company, job, pay, and thought it would be worth it to apply. After speaking with the Human Resources representative for a few minutes on the phone the day I applied, she told me they were sifting through applications and she would get back to me. She did get back to me--later that evening and told me that they were not going any further with my application. Instead of just not calling me back (which is happened to many people I know plenty of times recently), she called me on her drive home to discuss why they were going elsewhere. She talked me through the strong points in my resume and where they felt I may not fit for the job. She also told me they would keep my resume on file and I shouldn't hesitate to reapply in the future. I was shocked by this phone call and certainly appreciated it. "No" didn't sound like "no" that time.

Internal Job Candidate

Probably the most difficult person to say no to out of the group. At least when you're laying off someone you're ushering them out the door and outside job candidates you don't know from Adam usually--but internal job candidates who don't get the job are still going to be walking around those same floors every day. The worst way to do it is to do it impersonally and/or string that person along. Most internal job applications require a candidate to tell his or her boss and/or human resources representative. Then they need to interview at the same company they already work (which usually is accompanied by a good deal of inter-company gossip). To say the least, these people are sticking their necks out and putting their jobs on the line. Many bosses probably are not so happy with a candidate saying they're looking for another job in the company and if they don't get hired by the new hiring manager, fear of retribution from the original manager can be strong.

So it's not a surprise that I shook my head at one story I heard recently of how an internal job candidate was strung along for a month and half only to not got the job. Worse yet, instead of the hiring manager or human resources representative letting the candidate know they weren't going to get the job, they received a call from the home offices from someone they never spoke to before who was in charge of breaking the bad news to them. Not only does this person have to run into the people who didn't want to hire them every day, but they also had to deal with the fact that none of them would have the common courtesy to tell the candidate themselves.

Instead, internal candidates should be met with an open and honest process. Companies should clamor to keep good employees and if an employee is looking for a new position internally, it's a good bet they're looking externally as well. Even if the candidate is ultimately not hired, he or she needs to be given every form of support possible to make sure that they don't become angry, resentful or disenfranchised with the company. Sometimes this can be done in the form of offering the candidate more training to improve their skills or some sort of financial incentive to thank them for trying to stay but keeping them satisfied all at the same time.


Letting Go Of An Employee

In this economy, almost every company has at least had to think about cutting back on employees. The recession has hit every industry hard and difficult personnel decisions have had to be made all across the United States and the globe. But there is a right way and a wrong way about doing things. One prestigious investment bank--which has been in the news a lot recently for other unethical practices--certainly did this the wrong way. Instead of letting employees know that there would be some layoffs coming, they leaked it out to a few internal members and let them spread around the rumor. Hysteria set in for a day but no one was let go. The next day, when people tried to swipe their key cards to come into the building, some of the employees had key cards that didn't work. It wasn't a glitch--those employees had their key cards shut off because they had been laid off. How embarrassing must it have been for those people to stand in the lobby of this large building as their still-employed co-workers are passing by? How confusing must this have been for many of them. When these people went to security to find out why their badges weren't working, they were each handed an envelope with severance information and a number to call if they had questions. That's just awful.

I also heard of other companies doing right by their employees. There were stories of small business owners who knew they had to shut down operations and instead found creative ways to stay open--sometimes even getting the employees to sacrifice some benefits so that everyone could keep their jobs. There were stories of CEOs who instead of taking a fat paycheck for reducing payroll, took that fat paycheck and put it back into employees salaries so that no one would be let go. But when employees have had to be let go, there were right ways to do this too. Some companies offered long severance packages, vested previously unvested retirement investments, provided job search support or future job training, and some even kept the door open for rehiring. While sometimes there's very little way to avoid it, you want people to leave your company with the least sour taste in their mouth as possible.

So what way do you use to say no to employees? What are best practices that you've established? What about any horror stories you may know of? Let us know in the comments below

Some good links on a HOT Wednesday for the resume and the interview:

The New York Times from back in February had some advice on writing a resume that shouts "hire me". Good advice at a time when so many resumes are being received--and they all look the same.

AOL's Barbara Safani (also of Career Solvers) wants to know if you're lying on your resume saying "it is critical that all information reported on the document is accurate and something you can back up with facts if questioned."

We go back to AOL and Safani for the toughest job interview question out there (what is your weakness?) as well as a few other tough questions and the best ways to answer them

The Staffing Advisor asks how you got all that from reading a resume and tells the story of a church committee rejecting Jesus Christ as a candidate

Lastly, FINS has some advice on making a good first impression and nailing your finance interview

On this Good Friday, we bring you some good links that are not so good if you're unemployed:

It's frustrating when you go through a few interviews and don't get a job offer. But one person went through 52 interviews at Goldman Sachs and got only one job offer according to Here Is The City (H/T Wendy). Wow

How many people are taking jobs right now they are overqualified for? But it doesn't mean they aren't really happy to be employed according to the New York Times (H/T Sarah and picture from the NYT article)

There is one time when "any work" is worse than "no work": unemployment benefits and the Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! explains (H/T Wendy)

And Tom Delay, you have egg on your face after saying that people are unemployed because they want to be. Details of that non-PC and non-true statement from Huffington Post via Yahoo! (H/T Wendy)

Sorry we've missed you for a few days here at the Astron blog. In the middle of moving and that has been no fun. But I have some fun links for you to read over the weekend. Here's how to know it when you see it.

The first is from Career Solvers and is good advice for the job seeker on how to spot a job scam.

Next comes from The Recruiters Lounge and it's advice for a the interviewer of how to know if you're being lied to in a job interview...and how to counter it.

From Grub Street New York, word that the Gristedes supermarket chain's gender discrimination lawsuit is becoming a class action lawsuit--if only people knew what to spot beforehand..

Lastly, from the Examier, a very off-color way to answer weird interview questions. Not exactly PC, but shows how dumb some of the questions are when you see how you can answer them.

Once in a while, we get an excellent guest blog submitted to us. This is one of those cases. Jay, a friend of mine, who just graduated law school and passed the bar, is someone I would classify as a "grammarian" (others may use the less politically correct term "grammar nazi"). He hates people's misuse of "your" and "you're" and of course "there", "their", and "they're". But while perfect writing is not required in any job, knowing how to write like a professional is a good way to get hired, to keep your job, and to advance. Here is some advice from Jay in our guest blog today:
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I am a newly admitted attorney who graduated from law school less than one year ago. Lawyers, by definition, have been trained to write like professionals. This is one of the redeeming aspects of our profession, and I am proud to uphold this “tradition.”

Sadly, writing is not the art that it used to be. From the dawn of mankind until the early 1980’s, human beings wrote on surfaces ranging from stone walls to ordinary paper, using utensils ranging from granite rocks to ballpoint pens to typewriters. The common element among each of these formats is that those human beings had no room for error. There was no backspace key or pencil eraser or Wite-Out. Once that typewriter key was pressed, or that pen stroke was made, the words were – figuratively and often literally – set in stone. Consequently, writers were forced to choose their words very carefully.

Fast forward to the last couple of decades. The invention of the personal computer has revolutionized the way in which people write. The two biggest changes, in my opinion, are that we can write faster than ever before and that we can easily correct our mistakes. Admittedly, this faster pace of writing has lessened the strain on our bodies and our minds. The downside of this speed is that to avoid negating the time and trouble we have saved by using computers, we rush through the thinking process. Quite simply, because we can write quickly and correct our mistakes effortlessly, we write as the words and thoughts occur to us. For many people, the concept of “stream of consciousness” has transformed from an exercise in a high school English class into the primary way in which we communicate with other people.

Lots of modern norms have accelerated this change. Nobody writes a letter anymore; we write e-mails instead. Text messages have replaced handwritten notes and postcards. Blogs have replaced letters-to-the-editor. Twitter has replaced newspaper clippings. Communication has never been easier, and the end result is that people are writing more frequently and faster than ever. We are constantly looking for shortcuts to save even more time. The problem, however, is not how fast we write. No, the problem is how we write.
I believe that “AIM-speak” is just plain ugly. First used in instant messaging programs more than a decade ago, this style of writing has spread to modern e-mails and text messages. The words “you,” “because,” and “tonight” have become “u” and “cuz” and “2nite.” We are even too lazy to phrase the simple question, “What’s up?” anymore. Instead, we opt for the shorter “wsup?” These examples are just a few of the countless shortcuts people now use in contemporary English writing.

Needless to say, I find this laziness disgusting. It is sloppy and unprofessional. Computers already enable us to write at almost the same rate at which we think, so do we really have to shave off an extra millisecond by dropping the letters “y” and “o” when typing the word commonly written as “u”? If William Shakespeare saw us doing that, he would be very, very angry with us.

In my opinion, it is worth the extra time to write out each word as it appears in the dictionary. Quite honestly, there is little or no penalty associated with doing so. The time saved in using these language shortcuts is negligible, and the reward obtained by using proper grammar and spelling is considerable.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the law. Halfway through my first year of law school, I applied for a judicial internship with a Senior U.S. District Court judge in Hartford. Countless other law students at my law school applied for the same position, along with many students at other law schools in my region. I won the job, I later learned, almost entirely on the strength of my writing sample: an appellate brief I had drafted over a period of three weeks for my moot court class. While that job was an unpaid summer internship, I later obtained my first full-time job out of law school – a two-year clerkship with a different federal judge in the same courthouse – solely on the basis of the written materials I had produced for a law school professor while working as a research assistant. And sure enough, more than six months into this job, I have learned that the most important part of my job is drafting opinions for my judge that are written in proper English. Part of my job is to submit documents that do not contain any grammatical or spelling errors. The words must also flow and be sufficiently clear so that the reader can easily and quickly glean the information he or she seeks.

I should note that in my (admittedly limited) experience, I have found that you need not be brilliant to write in an organized, clear, and grammatically proper manner. You just have to take enough time to allow your thoughts to flow naturally. If you rush carelessly through the writing process, your words and sentences will appear sloppy and unprofessional.

Too often I see adults spew out e-mails and memoranda that appear to have been composed by someone typing while wearing mittens. I wonder how much time and energy those individuals put into their words. Sloppy prose reflects the care and attention (or lack thereof) that the author invested in its creation. As a lawyer, and particularly as a judge’s law clerk, I see this frequently. In a discovery dispute, for example, a lawyer will submit a series of e-mails in which the opposing counsel (allegedly) dragged his feet to delay discovery. The e-mails are meant to show the court how the other lawyer was non-responsive. But usually, I am more inclined to notice the poor English that the lawyers used in those communications. Incredibly, I have observed lawyers who were trained at Ivy League law schools use such words and expressions as “bc” and “thx.” If I were a client, I would refuse to pay my lawyer $400 per hour to write like a 7th grader.

The bottom line is that how you write says a lot about who you are as an employee. If you want to be treated like a professional, then you should write like one. Decades ago, scraps of paper containing handwritten notes were easily discarded, lost, or forgotten. Now, the vast majority of what we write is permanently recorded on the Internet, in someone’s phone, or in the recipient’s inbox. Every e-mail, every memorandum, every report is etched on a hard drive somewhere, waiting to be recalled at a moment’s notice. These things have your name written all over them. Many of these items can be Googled by future employers and co-workers. Future presidential candidates might even be mocked or grilled over the sloppy English they used decades ago as young professionals in their twenties.

My point is that if you write like you are an adolescent, people will treat you as such. Whether you are a lawyer or a journalist and therefore write for a living, or you are a doctor who claims that writing chicken scratch is “part of the job,” taking the time to write carefully and thoughtfully is a valuable investment. Sooner or later, people will notice that you express yourself intelligently and professionally, and that will pay major dividends. And why is the ability to write clearly, fluidly, and properly so valuable? Because so few people take the time to do so. Do yourself a favor and be one of those people.

A few older articles to get out of the way today, but that doesn't make them unrelevant!

From a mid-February New York Times report, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued seven job placement operators for deception. The victims were innocent people just looking for a job and part of an expanding array of fraudulent job placement and work-at-home schemes. This is sad news for the job market where cruel people are taking advantage of the desperation of people to get hired.

From earlier this week a Yahoo! News and AP report says that states may ban credit check on job applicants (H/T Wendy). As we said above, it's hard enough to get a job in this economy, but now job applicants are facing another hurdle in the form of bad credit histories. From the article:

Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.

Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility. But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon have proposed outlawing most credit checks, saying the practice traps people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.

And lastly, from the New York Times "Corner Office" is a C.E.O. that says that one of the things she looks for in a job candidate is how they treated the receptionist when they came in for the interview: "I’ll want to know if someone comes in and if they weren’t polite, if they didn’t say, “Hello,” or ask them how they were. It’s really important to me." Good advice!

assertTrue( ) has a list of 9 question to ask during an interview on their website but I figured it would be a good idea to expand on their list of questions not to ask from the candidate and the interviewer. Here are 5 for each:

For the candidate:

1. Don't ask about time off. If you have a vacation planned after you're supposed to start the new position, there's a time and a place about it. But don't start your relationship with a hiring manager or human resource professional by talking about how much time you won't be spending in the office

2. Be careful about how you talk about your last/current employer. There are good reasons why you want to leave your job and then there are reasons that will send up huge red flags at your new company. Don't hide anything from them that they need to know...but don't start by talking about the body odor of your current boss.

3. Don't ask any question about the company you can find out on the website. There is a fine line between being interested about a company and finding out more and being lazy and just not searching the company's website before the interview. Actually, it isn't a fine line. Do your research before you step into the office.

4. Leave something non-essential off the resume. I feel that some question will come up that's best described by something that's not essential to be on the resume, but something which will describe you well. If you were president of an organization but that was years ago, you can talk about the initiative you took to climb up the ranks without having it as one line in a resume. Also, if there's something on your resume just to pad it, it may look like you're confused about your career path and/or using a generic resume. Don't do that.

5. Don't go in without any knowledge of who you'll be speaking with. Not everyone has a bio up on the website, but if they do, give it a little study. If they don't, ask the person who sets up the interview to tell you a little bit about who you'll be interviewing with. Eventually you'll get a chance to ask a question and you don't want to be totally stumped/totally unoriginal. If you've done the research into them, it'll pay off.


For the HR Professional/Hiring Manager

1. Don't be nervous. I guarantee the person sitting across from you is 100x more nervous that you are. If you're nervous, it'll make them nervous and make for a very awkward interview. Some people hate operating in this type of setting but you need to find a way to feel comfortable doing this.

2. Force the interviewee to go off script. Basically, don't ask only generic questions. Ask them something they will have to think about for a few seconds and show some creativity/problem solving skills in thinking. Maybe talk about a problem and see how they would solve it or ask them how they feel about something in current events relating to the job (or to something else). In one of my interviews for my current role, I spent more than half the time speaking about A-Rod opting out of his contract with the Yankees. It had nothing to do with the role, but it allowed me to show how I spoke, how I solved problems and my creative side. But most importantly, it forced me to go off script.

3. Read the resume before the interview. I've had way too many interviews where I could tell the person interviewing me had no clue anything about me. If you're expecting the candidate to be prepared and do research on the company, you should provide the same courtesy and do the minimal amount of research required to read their resume. It can also help you frame questions for #2.

4. Keep the interview moving. You're like the producer of a radio show. If the host or callers get off topic for too long, you're job is to move it along to the next step. Don't cut anyone off, but you can't allow an interviewer to just ramble. Part of any job is fitting what you need to say within a timeframe and this is great practice for it. Also, you don't want the interviewee veering into too many personal details, so keep it on track.

5. Know what the position requires. This seems like it should be above for "candidates" but I think this is just as important for interviewers. I had an interview where the job description, HR representative and hiring manager all gave me a different shpeel about what the position required. There's no easier way to confuse a candidate than not being all on the same page. I was asked about certain licenses that had nothing to do with the job and the HR rep thought I was wholly unqualified by the time she got done speaking with me, when, in fact, I had all the requirements listed on the job description. It's not considerate to the person being interviewed.

Hope those are some good hints. I figured it was a few non-obvious Dos and Do Nots for the interviewer and the interviewee.

About six months back, I had to do my first interview for my new company. One of the things that I was surprised about was the rigidity in which I was supposed to do this. The candidates would only be meeting with me for an hour of one-on-one time before I passed them off through the three other interviews they had set up for them. Not only that, Human Resources instructed me to come up with certain questions that I had to use for every candidate.

That didn't quite sit well with me. All my best interviews that I've either been the interviewer or the interviewee have been free-flowing conversations that allow the candidate to show their true self. I've spent hours interviewing at times. The Astron interview certainly comes to mind here. Jennifer and I spoke for what seemed like hours. It allowed both her to learn more about me and me to learn more about her and the company. One interview for my current job, I walked in and the interviewer, having read my resume and realizing I was a sports fan, had an article on his screen about Alex Rodriguez from the Wall Street Journal, pointed at it and asked me what I thought about the situation. Later he told me the point was just to see how I communicated and presented myself. But he allowed me to get into a comfortable zone by starting the interview off like that. We still got to the important/mandatory/obligatory questions, but we started out on the right foot.

My feeling is that when you have rigidity in interviews, you make people answer questions they've already prepared for. Surprise them. One of my co-workers had to interview potential managers to be his boss. He would ask all of the potential managers during the interview: "what if I wanted to come in late every day?" One interview I was in I was asked to tell a joke. Another, I had to shout something at the top of my lungs in a crowded room of interviewers. The point is not to embarrass people but to see their creativity, their ability to think on the spot, and also to avoid getting answers they've practiced in front of the mirror many times and don't reveal their true self.

I'm not saying don't ask: "what is your greatest weakness?" but be willing to follow up on that. If someone goes "I'm a perfectionist, to a fault" make them elaborate and give examples. If the interviewer asks where you want to see yourself in five years, give an answer and then turn it around and ask them where the want to be in five years or if they ended up where they thought they'd be five years before. Engage. Be willing to push from both sides of the interview. Ask the other person "if you weren't working here but could be doing anything else in the world, what would you want to do/where would you be?"

I know, I know...to seem fair and that you're not discriminating between candidates, you can't deviate too much from interview to interview. But the last thing you want to do is judge each candidate based on a set of canned questions. Make them open up. Even just a little. You will have to work with this person if you hire them; it would be a good idea to see a little of who they really are.

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And with that, I'm out of here for two weeks. I'm heading to the Land Down Under. I will try to get some blog posts in from down there, but can't promise anything. In the meantime, Jennifer and the rest of the Astron crew should be taking over for me here. So, trust me, you're in good hands :)

Those who've gone outside in New York today know it was a beautiful day. Where here are some links to enjoy once you're done enjoying the weather...

Got some good stuff from the Boston Globe's Job Docs, the first article is about a couple of bad apples spoiling things for everyone at work: click here

Also from Job Docs, advice on whether it is appropriate to get calls for jobs--while at work: click here

Lastly from Job Docs, it's not just in the school yard anymore--job interview do overs: click here

From the Wall Street Journal, word that recruiting at business schools has dropped: click here

Also from the Journal, despite cutbacks in firms, they are still investing in developing future leaders: click here

Lastly from the Journal, an article making the case for executive education: click here

And our last article for the day, from Dice, 8 ways to keep your career moving while out of work (H/T Wendy): click here

Just because...

You know when an interviewee calls up and asks why they haven't gotten a call back? Well maybe it's tell them that your Human Resource staff just can't keep up...and you wouldn't be alone according to the Kansas City Star: click here

The Ventura County Star talks about a bias bill that is being opposed by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

Red Orbit says that wired staffs are a good thing...despite some other opinions: click here

The Wall Street Journal follows up with this article about companies' efforts to extend researchers' productivity: click here

Lastly, the Start4all Human Resources weblog has six "A-HA's" in building a successful Human Resources career: click here