Group Mentoring, Group 2 Session 2
Senior Robert Szeluga met with his group of Leadership students and executives for their final Group Mentoring session this week. The key points for the discussion are below:
60 Second “Elevator” Speech
- Practice makes perfect – The more you practice talking about yourself, the more comfortable you will be. You will also speak more clear and concise after multiple repetitions
- It is important to not only say what you do, but also give an idea about who you are.
- Credibility helps. “I am a member of the Leadership Development Honors Program, which is nationally recognized as a top 25 program for college leadership”.
- Prioritize what you want to say. You may not have time to say everything that you want, so understand what is most important for them to hear.
First Impression
- Employers will judge you within the first 15 seconds that you walk into the room
- Understand the culture of where you are interviewing or working for. Employees at IBM typically wear business formal suits whereas Apple employees can wear jeans and a nice shirt.
- When in doubt, always overdress.
Interview Question
- Tell me about yourself – Be able to talk for at least 2-3 minutes explaining what you do, how you do it, and most importantly what type of person you are.
- Greatest Weakness – Be able to turn it into a positive. “I usually spend way too much time on work and do not make enough time for myself”. Also explain how you are going about fixing this weakness.
- Where do you see yourself – It is good to show ambition, but to be realistic as well. Do not say that the position is just a “stepping-stone” for something else.
- Why did you leave your previous job – Do not bad mouth your previous company, even if you left on bad terms.
- Hypothetical situation – There really is no right or wrong answer most of the time. These are simply curveballs meant to trip you up.
David Couper’s 10 Interview “Myths”
- Myth #10: The interviewer is prepared
- Myth #9: Most interviewers have been trained to conduct thorough job interviews.
- Myth #8: It’s only polite to accept an interviewer’s offer of refreshment.
- Myth #7: Interviewers expect you to hand over references’ contact information right away.
- Myth #6: There’s a right answer to every question an interviewer asks.
- Myth #5: You should always keep your answers short.
- Myth #4: If you’ve got great qualifications, your appearance doesn’t matter.
- Myth #3: When asked where you see yourself in five years, you should show tremendous ambition.
- Myth #2: If the company invites you to an interview, that means the job is still open.
- Myth #1: The most qualified person gets the job.
Résumé
- Rarely see objectives any more on résumés
- Always put results. Not only did you organize the fundraiser, but the fundraiser raised over $300.
- The term “references available upon request” is useless. You can use that space for other things.
- For students, résumé should be only 1 page. As you gain more experience, you can add “awards” or “certifications” on a second page.