Announcements

1. Announcements • 30 pts toward Phase 4, or amnesty from the presentation portion: if your team gives a short presentation at Open House Oct 20 • Employers will be here on Wed. • I will only be available until 3PM his Friday. TAs will be there in Baldy 19 • Phase 2 is due Oct ???

2. “today’s candidates were great. However, yesterday’s candidates mostly were NOT.  The problems revolved around not researching the employer, needing practice interviewing, poor communication skills. ”

3. Writing, speaking, resume skills

4. Your resume is attended to… • First, for 5-10 sec. • Next, for 2 minutes • Next, you are called to interview • Your resume is then studied before you arrive • Your resume gets and then supports an interview

5. Resume tips • Put ALL of the contact information in one place • One page. If more is needed, treat it like an appendix • Don’t lie, not even a little. • First, getting caught will kill your job prospects (if it’s important, you will be asked) • Second, it’s often easy to tell • Add topics from this course in the “skills” section.

6. Contact info Michael Buckley – applying for the position of Supreme Overlord 137 Bell Hall, Buffalo, NY 14224 mikeb@buffalo.edu / 716-645-4729 Please contact me for references or additional information. Facebook? Really? Here's why….

7. Skills: software development, requirements specification, incremental methods, software project management, testing. Programming experience: Java, C++, Visual Basic, many more. Most structured, object oriented, and visual languages. Event- and error-driven programming. Embedded systems.

8. Education: Leave nothing out – GPA, additional degrees, awards, honors

9. Make experience easy to read Experience – Two Columns, by Position Cater the resume toward the position Don’t make the person hunt for the relative info

10. headings • Contact Info and Objective • Education • awards • Skills • from this class • communications and teaching skills • personal (like languages) • Experience (targeted) • Publications, Patents, Awards • Professional Affiliations • Relevant Personal Information - citizenship status, security clearances

11. Some real resume items “Physical appearance: Outstanding” “Independently wealthy” “Writting skills excellent” … honestly, not made up “Computer Experience: IBM, Dell, Gateway, Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, Xbox, PS3, Guitar Hero” “Programming Languages: HTML 1.0, HTML 2.0, HTML 3.0…” "Achieved Level 60 on World of Warcraft" …. included confetti ….

12. 50 Worst of the Worst (and Most Common) Job Interview Mistakes http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ 1. Arriving late. 2. Arriving too early. 3. Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette. 4. Bad-mouthing your last boss. 5. Lying about your skills/experience/knowledge. 6. Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes. 7. Forgetting the name of the person you're interviewing with. 8. Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave. 9. Wearing sunglasses. 10. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece.

13. 11. Failing to research the employer in advance. 12. Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm. 13. Inquiring about benefits too soon. 14. Talking about salary requirements too soon. 15. Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question. 16. Failing to make a strong case for why you are the best person for this job. 17. Forgetting to bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio. 18. Failing to remember what you wrote on your own resume. 19. Asking too many questions. 20. Asking no questions at all.

14. 21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions. 22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying. 23. Talking more than half the time. 24. Interrupting your interviewer. 25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer. 26. Yawning. 27. Slouching. 28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother. 29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair. 30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lip-smacking.

15. 31. Saying "you know," "like," "I guess," and "um.“ 32. Name-dropping or bragging or sounding like a know-it-all. 33. Asking to use the bathroom. 34. Being falsely or exaggeratedly modest. 35. Shaking hands too weakly, or too firmly. 36. Failing to make eye contact (or making continuous eye contact). 37. Taking a seat before your interviewer does. 38. Becoming angry or defensive. 39. Complaining that you were kept waiting. 40. Complaining about anything!

16. 41. Speaking rudely to the receptionist. 42. Letting your nervousness show. 43. Over-explaining why you lost your last job. 44. Being too familiar and jokey. 45. Sounding desperate. 46. Checking the time. 47. Oversharing. 48. Sounding rehearsed. 49. Leaving your cell phone on. 50. Failing to ask for the job.

17. My additions 51. Texting. 52. Eating. 53. Calling the interviewer “Dude”. 54. Cursing. 55. Talking politics, religion, other subjective subjects. 56. Using your computer during the interview. 57. Not being interested in the interviewer and his job.

18. Answering the 11 Tricky Questions 1. “Tell me about yourself.” 2. “Tell me something bad you’ve heard about our company.” 3. “Why should I hire you?” 4. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” 5. “How would you react if I told you your interview so far was terrible?” 6. “What’s the last book you read?” 7. “Can you work under pressure?” 8. “Who’s your hero?” 9. “Have you ever considered starting your own business?” 10. “If you won the lottery, would you still work?” 11. “How much do you want to get paid?”

19. 1. “Tell me about yourself.” DO: Talk about the ways that what you know and what you can do are perfectly suited to this job. DON’T: Tell the interviewer your life story. 2. “Tell me something bad you’ve heard about our company.” DO: You wouldn’t apply for a job at a company you disapproved of, would you? So you should be able to honestly answer that you haven’t heard anything negative about this place. DON’T: Repeat gossip you might have heard. 3. “Why should I hire you?” DO: Impress your interviewer with how much you know about the company’s requirements and then describe how you are the best person to meet those requirements. DON’T: Get tripped up by a lack of prior research.

20. 4. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” DO: Talk about how your specific abilities, training, and experience will enable you to smoothly integrate with this company. DON’T: Say that you have no idea. 5. “How would you react if I told you your interview so far was terrible?” DO: Recognize that this is a test to see if you get flustered. Say, mildly, that you would ask for reasons why. DON’T: Freak out. Remember, the interviewer said “if.”

21. 6. “What’s the last book you read?” DO: Mention a book that reflects well on you. Choose something by a reputable author that your interviewer has probably heard of. DON’T: Name a book you haven’t actually read. 7. “Can you work under pressure?” DO: Say that of course you can, and then relate a brief story about a time you did. DON’T: Just say, "Yes I can." Provide a specific example. 8. “Who’s your hero?” DO: Name a person who has inspired you and then describe specifically how this inspiration relates to your work. DON’T: Get caught off-guard by what should really be a softball question. Come prepared with a good answer.

22. 9. “Have you ever considered starting your own business?” DO: Talk about how you are happiest and do your best work in a company that is amazingly similar to the one you’re applying at. DON’T: Go on and on about how you’d love to be your own boss one day. 10. “If you won the lottery, would you still work?” DO: Be honest and say you’d be thrilled to win the lottery; then add that even if you did you’d still seek out satisfying work, because work is what makes people happy. DON’T: Say that you’d never work again (too honest) or that you’d just work for free (too BS-y).

23. 11. “How much do you want to get paid?” “The average for this position, but I would like to review that in 6 mos. to see if I’ve met or exceeded expectations.”

24. When to walk out • If the interviewer insults you. • If you’re asked “too personal” questions: age, religion, family, etc.e.g. “How old is your sister?” True. • If the interviewer takes/makes calls without apologizing profusely. • If you’re treated with disrespect. • If it appears likely that you’ll have to work for free. e.g., every Saturday. • If expectations appear to extend beyond the job. e.g. attend church, join a club, buy Amway products. • If you’re not allowed to talk to co-workers.

25. Create Content That Sells Resume design should get attention but it's really the content of your resume, the descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate--as well as the level of salary offers you receive. Before: Maintained records for accounts receivable and accounts payable databases. After: Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable and payable account records working directly with the Chief Information Officer

26. Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify Key Words Learning how to analyze the key words that employers provide in help wanted ads and job descriptions is a key element in creating powerful resumes. Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs In addition to programming - software methodology, program management, testing, documentation

27. Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You Want With employers receiving hundreds of resumes you must make sure that your resume hooks an employer's attention within a 5-second glance. A great way to do this is to use job titles and skill headings that relate to and match the jobs you want. For example, compare the headings used – Before Programming Systems Analyst Software Engineer After:Embedded Systems Programmer Database and Information Technology Design Requirements Specification and Problem Definition for Software Systems Which set of headings are the strongest ?

28. Use Design That Grabs Attention- reviewers spend just a few seconds. Employers make snap judgments when glancing at your resume. If they see unrelated job titles or skills the likelihood is very high that they will make an immediate assumption that you are not qualified for the job you want. Adding to this problem is the fact that employers don't have the time to read through each of your job descriptions to determine if you have the skills they need. You Must Do That For Them! The design of your resume must highlight the most important information about your work experience, skills and education. At first glance this information forms the image that employers have of your skills and abilities.

29. Sell the Benefits of Your Skills Most resumes provide a list of duties that a person has been responsible for--without explaining the benefit of those skills to employers. For example, a secretary's resume might state she can type 80 wpm and is extremely accurate. This statement lacks an explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy benefit an employer's bottom line. The real benefit is that the employee can produce more work and ultimately save the employer money. For programming – the ability to completely understand the requirements and deliver well-designed code on time.

30. Create an image that matches the salary you want As you write your resume, keep in mind the level of job and salary you want. Be sure to create an image that presents you at the appropriate level. For example, language used in a resume for an $8 an hour position is much different than the language used for a $30 an hour position. Seeking an entry level position in the computer field. Now what pay rate do you think this statement would motivate employers to offer? A much better statement would be: Seek a software engineering position utilizing my previous design and project experience (which was building an augmentative communications device in a team setting, using a strict design methodology).

31. Prioritize the Content of Your Resume Another big mistake is to list very important data in the lower sections of their job descriptions. As you compile statements for your resume, prioritize them by importance, impressiveness and relevance to the job you want. Remember that a strong statement will affect every statement under it. Read the two examples below. Which one has the most impact? Unprioritized • Maintained records control, filing, office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance. • Managed front office functions to support the President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales Representatives. Prioritized • Managed front office functions to support the President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales Representatives. Maintained records control, filing, office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance.

32. Tweak and Target Your Resumes and Cover Letters You will generate many more interviews by tweaking your resume and cover letter so that they address the specific skills each employer requests. Always read the company’s web site. Don’t use solution space jargon. Use problem space jargon.

33. avoid Bizspeak http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/ http://www.viewz.com/top10/bizspeak.shtml

34. An actual speech: “I am happy with the results. By developing a holistic synergy and by leveraging our core competencies to a position above those of others doing work in this space, we can become an industry leader in developing interactive products which can be used in an intuitive manner. By implementing real-time technologies and using ground-breaking content, we can harvest techniques to work with our Information providers, and we can empower our team in this expanding digital marketplace”