JOB GUIDE - Phi Delta Theta Fraternity · THE JOB GUIDE 2 L SECTIONS Let’s be honest, nobody...

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ΦΔΘJOB GUIDE

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© 2009 JobBound. All rights reserved.

SECTION

ONE

SECTION

TWO

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

Summary 52

About the Author 53

Please note:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or anyother information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission ofthe author.

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Let’s be honest, nobody really likes looking for a job. But the fact ofthe matter is, you’re going to have to do it – unless you happen to winthe lottery. For the most part, it can be a pretty painful process, butif you work hard and smart, it can be a lot easier.

The purpose of this guide is to help you work through that not-so-del-icate transition from college life to the real world - from finding a jobto excelling while on the job. It’s not the “be all, end all,” but it will bea great way to get you into the process.

This guide has two sections.

1. Getting a job2. Excelling on the job

SECTION ONE:• Resumés• 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!

Please note:All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form orby any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any other infor-mation storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author.

© 2009 JobBound. All rights reserved.3

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At some point after you graduate, there will be a company that will payyou 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 findone of those companies.

The tricky part is that there are often hundreds, and sometimes thou-sands, of people applying for the same jobs you are. That’s not to sayit’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 yourfirst choice there will always be a “safety school.” In many instances,the job equivalent of a safety school is flipping burgers at the fastfood restaurant.

There’s no magic formula to when you should start looking for a jobor 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 grad-uation, it certainly helps to have some internships. In order to landmost internships, you need a resume and you need to interview.

Some companies begin hiring for internships as much as six to eightmonths in advance of the summer. The same is true for full-time jobs.If you want to be prepared, you should start putting together yourresume in the fall of the school year. You don’t HAVE to, but it helpsto be ready just in case you meet someone who wants a copy of yourresumé.

This section covers five key areas of the job search process:

1. THE RESUMÉ

2. THE COVER LETTER

3. NETWORKING

4. THE JOB INTERVIEW

5. THE THANK YOU NOTE


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TELL YOUR STORY

Ah, the resume – a simple 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that, for betteror for worse, is the key to your future. You’ve sunk an incredibleamount of time, money and effort into school, and you enter the bat-tle for a job with just this one piece of paper as the primary weaponin your arsenal.

It better be as good as it can be!

WHEN TO STARTThe resume is typically the first step in the job search process. Somepeople have resumes coming out of high school; others graduate with-out one at all. Your goal should be to land somewhere in between!

As mentioned earlier, you want to begin putting together your resumetogether in the fall of the year in which you will be applying for aninternship or full-time job. It just makes it easier to jump into the jobsearch 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 arejust better the sooner your resume is complete.

HOW TO THINK ABOUT A RESUMÉQuite simply, a resume is an advertisement for you. Much like an adyou’d see in a magazine, you have one sheet of paper to tell yourstory. Just like an ad, you have to know your target and know exact-ly what you want to say to them.

THE TARGET

Your target is the Recruiting Director or Hiring Manager for the job forwhich you are applying - plain and simple. It’s not your friends, oryour parents, or your fraternity brothers, or anyone else. As a result,everything on your resume needs to be relevant, compelling and easyto read for that particular Recruiting Director.

Here’s the scary part. Recruiting Directors are flooded with resumes.As a result, they’re going to spend a whopping fifteen seconds maxlooking at your resumé. Yes, your entire life merits a grand total of fif-teen seconds of a Recruiting Director’s time!


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SHORT & SWEET

But that’s okay. As long as you know what the playing field is, youcan better understand how to win the game.

What’s going to impress someone reading your resume is not a coolfont or a florescent paper color, but rather great content, elegantly told.

Let’s get into it.

THE SECTIONSThere are three sections on every student resume: Education,Experience, and Activities/Interests. Some resumes may includean 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 andleadership skills” is quite frankly bogus. Of course according to you,you are analytical and a team player with good leadership skills. Butlet’s be honest, anyone can write that if they want.

If you are applying for a specific job, then you don’t need an objec-tive. Recruiting Directors assume your objective is to get that job.

Often, objectives just become big typos. People put “to obtain afinancial analyst position at a major accounting firm” on resumes theysend to consulting firms. Oops, that one goes right into the garbage.

The only time you need an objective is when you are applying to alarge company that does not have a specific job opening. In thatcase, it’s helpful for the Recruiting Director to know which depart-ment interests you.

For situations like these, the objective should be simply, “To obtain aposition in the finance department of Pepsi.” It’s short and sweet.


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EDUCATION

This is always the first section on your resume until you’ve had yourfirst “real” job.

You should list your school, your degree, your major/minor and yourgraduation year. You should include your GPA if it’s above a 3.2. Youcan include your major GPA as well, especially if it’s better than youroverall. Don’t forget to include any study abroad programs.

You also can 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 stu-dents write an entry like:

Arthur R. Priest Scholarship Award

And that’s it. Unfortunately the reader has no idea what this scholar-ship is. For all they know, it was given to you by your uncle to fundyour enormous pizza habit On the other hand, this award could havebeen given to one outstanding member of a Phi Delta Theta chapterto recognize individual efforts of excellence and leadership. Don’t for-get to let the reader know.

Here’s how a typical Education entry looks:

EDUCATIONUniversity of Texas – Austin, May 2010Bachelor of Arts in MarketingMajor GPA: 3.6, Overall GPA: 3.4Arthur R. Priest Award,

Nationwide award based on exemplary leadership,community service and scholarship

Dean’s List - Fall ‘07-Present


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EXPERIENCE

This is officially known as the “meat” of the resume. The experiencesection is what will likely make or break your resume.

First, let’s discuss what goes into this section. The obvious answer isall your relevant jobs and internships. The not-so-obvious answer isother great extra-curricular or volunteer activities you’ve done.

Luckily, as a member of Phi Delta Theta, you are part of an organiza-tion that offers numerous leadership opportunities where you canbuild skills that you can transfer in the real world and on your resume.For instance, if the company you’re applying for is looking for leader-ship skills, the fact that you held an officer position in your fraternityis going to go a long way toward making you seem impressive. It’scertainly more important to the reader than your job as a waiter atSweet Willie’s Rib Shack. Yet many folks bury this type of extra-cur-ricular involvement in a section at the bottom of their resume called“other experience” or something else. Don’t be that person!

Think back to the beginning of this section. The Recruiting Directorreading your resume is going to spend fifteen seconds looking at it.You have to make sure the most important information is includedtowards the top.

That leads us to the second point: the order of this section. Yourresume 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 RecruitingDirector scanning your resume starts at the top and works his waydown. If you haven’t caught his attention at the beginning, he won’tmake it to the bottom.

If you worked as a lifeguard in the summer of 2009, but as a financialanalyst at Goldman Sachs in the summer of 2008, put the GoldmanSachs job first on your resume. Always remember: look at your jobs,internships, extra-curricular activities and volunteer work and putthem in the order that is most relevant to the reader.


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DATES GO LAST

Ordering isn’t just top to bottom; it’s also left to right.

Often students will write:

2008-2009, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, University of Alabama, (President)

The reviewer may not even make it to the word “President,” which isof course the most important information. It should read:

President, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, University of Alabama, 2008-2009

Dates are least important; they should go last. Either your titles oryour company should go first. It’s a judgment call as to which youthink the reader will find most impressive. Just make sure you’re con-sistent 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 bestway to distinguish yourself from everyone else.

Virtually all college students make the mistake of writing a job descrip-tion as opposed to a list of their accomplishments.

They simply describe what anyone in their position (internship, leader-ship, or extracurricular) did, as opposed to what they specificallyaccomplished.

Let’s look at an example:


• Responsible for the operations, facility and administration of 90-member fraternity

• 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, whetherat Phi Delta Theta or not, can write this exact same statement. Allyou’ve done is tell the reader what a fraternity president does. Andguess what? The reader probably already knows that!

If what is written in a resume can be written by the person who didthe job before, with, or after you, then you haven’t done yourself justice.


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Resumés need to be infused with numbers, accomplishments andspecificity. It’s the hardest thing to do, but it will dramatically improveyour resume.

When listing your accomplishments, think about the following:

• How was the organization better as a result ofYOUR 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 enterednumbers into a database at your dad’s office. Your ability to soundimpressive in this section will dramatically improve your resume.

Let’s take a look at how to rewrite the chapter President’s jobdescription:


• Responsible for the operations, facility and administration of largest Greek chapter on campus

• Chapter recognized nationally as 1 of 8 out of 48 foroutstanding scholarship, philanthropy, social service,and overall excellence

• Increased community service by 50% to more than10,000 hours in one year, which was the secondhighest chapter total

• Raised weekly meeting attendance 25% by overhauling meeting content and format

This sounds a bit better, doesn’t it?


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Companies are looking for candidates who can hit the ground run-ning. You want this section of your resume to communicate “realworld” skills that are easily transferable to a workplace environment.

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. Is a great leader (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 greatjobs either. Often, students will lament, “I just entered numbers into adatabase all summer” and write that on their resume.

But when you dig into it, usually there’s more to it. Something like:

Entered more than 1,000 numbers into company’s first-ever new business database, helping to grow sales bymore than 7%

The key to a strong resume is an impressive list of accomplishmentsversus simple job descriptions.

ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS

Here’s a chance to show how involved and interesting you are. Thissection should include brief listings of your:

• Extracurricular and club activities (unless you helda leadership position and listed it in your experiencesection)

• Intercollegiate, intramural, or club sports• Volunteer activities• Interests


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AVOID THESEPITFALLS

It’s a pretty straightforward section and goes something like this:

Activities/Interests• Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, member, 2006 – Present• University of Kansas Student Government, representative,

2008 – 2009• Intramural Softball, captain/league champions, 2008• Relay for Life, volunteer, 2007 – Present• Interests include: biking, traveling, SCUBA diving,

and 80’s rock

The last line can help “round you out” so you don’t seem so imper-sonal. It’s also okay to have one of your last interests be somethinga bit “out there.” You never know, it could be a nice conversationstarter!

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 RecruitingDirectors simply throw away all the resumes with typos. It’s estimat-ed that 20% of resumes out there have typos in them. Don’t let yoursbe one!

Remember that spell check doesn’t catch everything. Have at leasttwo other people read it, and then read it yourself backwards – fromthe bottom to the top. Chances are you’ll find a mistake.

First Person

Resumes should not include “I” or “me.”


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Long Sentences

Use short bullet points, beginning with strong action verbs. Use pasttense for all experiences and jobs, except those in which you are cur-rently involved. There should be no periods on your resume.

High School

By the time you’re a senior, you shouldn’t have any high school activ-ities on your resume unless it’s very relevant to the job you’re pursu-ing. Nobody cares anymore that you were Treasurer of the NationalHonor Society as a junior in high school!

Juniors can have some high school activities on their resume, andthen 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. Tobe honest, there are some that have negative perceptions of fraternitylife. You need to do your best to avoid the traditional “frat boy”stereotypes. As a result, stay away from jargon that won’t makesense or be meaningful to non-Greeks.

Use proper titles such as President and Vice President. Avoid termslike Rush Chair or Social Chair. Instead use Recruitment Chairman orSpecial Event Chairman. There’s no need to list your Greek chaptername. Finally, just list your most prominent position in the fraternityas opposed to listing every officer position you held.

Crazy Fonts, Funny Colored Paper, Odd Layouts

These things don’t help you to stand out; they just make the readerbelieve you have weak content on your resume. It’s fine to have nice,lightly colored linen paper, but leave the laminated purple resume,printed sideways, at home.


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Computer Skills

Unless the job asks for specific computer skills, there’s no need toinclude them. The fact that you know Microsoft Word is not impres-sive. In fact every single graduating college senior in the U.S. prob-ably knows it. And PLEASE don’t put on your resume that you’refamiliar with Internet Explorer or Firefox!

References Available Upon Request

Do you know anyone whose references are NOT available uponrequest? Don’t waste valuable space putting that on your resume.It’s okay to include your references as an attachment.

Photographs/Detailed Personal Information

That’s just plain weird.


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MAKE ITDIFFERENT

If your resume is an advertisement, then your cover letter is a teasercampaign for that ad. Something that, in and of itself, won’t sell theRecruiting Director on you, but will hopefully intrigue her enough tospend more than fifteen seconds on your resume.

The problem is that virtually every cover letter sounds exactly thesame. 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 resumesand spend about fifteen seconds looking at each one individually.Now try tacking on a full page, extremely boring document that basi-cally says what’s already on the resume. How many cover letters doyou think actually get read?

That being said, you still have to write one. It shows you’re interestedand that you are willing to take the time and effort to write something.

Here’s the trick: Make that letter different. Keep it short, make somesentences two words, make some paragraphs one sentence, write itvery personally and be conversational.

You need to catch their attention in the first sentence or two so thatthey continue reading and give your resume 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 thisone and the typical cover letter.


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ETTER Dear Ms. Landry,

Nothing is as exciting as getting ready for game day.

The players warming up, the buzz of the crowd as they enter thepark, and the smell of the stadium, all make for an electricallycharged atmosphere. I’ve seen if first hand, and I love it.

I’ve been around professional sports since I was a child. Myfather worked as a Major League Baseball scout for more thanthirty-five years. Even more importantly, I had the pleasure ofspending this past summer as an intern for the JolietJackHammers minor league baseball team.

It was an amazing experience. I interned in the Public/MediaRelations department and had a chance to work on an incredi-ble variety of projects. I worked with ESPN as they covered theplay of Pete Rose Jr. and a Cubs/Sox Legends game. I handledall our player appearances. I even set up and ran our first base-ball camp. I usually put in eighty hours a week, and I couldn’tget enough!

I am extremely interested in pursing a career in Sports Marketingupon graduation.

I would love to talk with you more about my passion, my back-ground, and your organization. I look forward to touching basewith you soon.

Regards,

Richard Dale

This certainly isn’t the perfect cover letter for everyone (don’t justcopy 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, whyyou like the particular job or company, or even some special connec-tions or skills you have that the reader would find interesting. Keep itshort and personal and let some of your personality shine through.


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CONNECTIONS

The single best way to get a job is to know somebody. Yes, it shouldbe based on your merit alone, but unfortunately (or fortunately) thatisn't how it works. In fact, about 66% of people get jobs through net-working, while fewer than 8% of candidates get jobs over theInternet. So the question is, for every hour you spend on the internetlooking for work, are you spending twelve hours networking? I thinkwe know the answer to that question!

Understanding how to network can have a huge impact on your abil-ity to land a job.

WHAT IS NETWORKING?

Here’s a great way to think about it.

Let’s say the Denver Broncos just drafted you to become their nextquarterback (not too far-fetched). You’re going to need an agent torepresent you. There are literally hundreds of agents out there, andyou don’t know any of them. However, you happen to know that yourbest friend’s Dad is a sports agent because you spent lastThanksgiving at his house.

When it’s time to pick an agent, chances are you’ll at least consideryour buddy’s Dad among the few people that you’ll interview.

That’s how networking works.

Networking is about making connections, getting yourself out thereand letting people know you’re in the job hunt. It’s a way to talk to asmany people as you can, and get yourself in front of as many contactsas possible. That way, when it’s time to hire someone, you’re top-of-mind.

When it comes to getting a job, Recruiting Directors rely on network-ing to fill positions. A recruiter has a huge stack of resumes to lookthrough to find a candidate. But there are people at their companythat will often know someone that they think would be a great newhire. The recruiter usually gives serious consideration to those can-didates that are recommended.

It’s not to say that you’re guaranteed a job if someone recommendsyou, or that you won’t get a job if you don’t network. It’s just that net-working dramatically improves your chances.


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BUILT-INNETWORK

If a recruiter has a stack of 500 resumes to look through, there aretypically about ten resumes on top of the pile that have been forward-ed from someone inside the company. Chances are, that recruiterwill pick five of those ten off the top stack, and then five of theremaining 500 for an interview.

HOW IT WORKS

It’s pretty simple. Try to set up an appointment to meet for twentyminutes or so with someone you know to find out about what they do.Importantly, you’re not asking them for a job. You just want to getmore information about their field and their position.

When you meet, spend a few minutes talking and ask them a lot ofquestions about their work. Hopefully, you leave with a good senseof what their field is all about, and you leave them with a favorableimpression 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, fraternity alumni.

By being a member of Phi Delta Theta, you have a built in network ofsmart, successful brothers in the working world who would love tohelp you find a job.

For example, Phi Delta Theta has a Facebook Application that helpsyou search and locate brothers by chapter, location, industry, andprofession. On the message board, you can post jobs and discussopportunities to get the word out about your job search. You also canfind alumni groups within Facebook where you can connect withengaged alumni in your area.

Furthermore, it’s a great idea to join your local alumni club. Phi DeltaTheta has over 100 alumni clubs throughout the United States andCanada that meet regularly, and you can find the chapter nearest youthrough the “chapter finder” on the Phi Delta Theta website. This isa wonderful way to meet new contacts who are eager to help out afellow Phi.

In addition, Phi Delta Theta’s General Convention is held every two yearsand is a terrific event for Phis to get to know one another and networkwith Phis across the country representing all fields and industries.


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G FFinally, Phi Delta Theta has the True Blue Society which is your alum-ni loyalty association. Yet again, this is a wonderful way to stay con-nected with other Phis and maintain a great network. Members of theTrue Blue Society include numerous men from all walks of life whoembody success, character, and a deep sense of integrity. The TrueBlue Society is one of the best ways to take part in the spirit of PhiDelta Theta and to stay connected with this amazing network.

Here’s the crazy thing – these folks, either from the fraternity or else-where – are dying to talk to you. They once were struggling collegestudents, trying to figure out what to do with their lives and trying toland that dream job. Now that they have it, they love to talk abouttheir success. I know it’s hard to believe, but most people like talk-ing about themselves!

Don’t be shy – it’s a great way to land a job and a great way to learnabout industries and opportunities.

Now let’s talk about what to say and how to approach it.

NAMES

Hopefully you have some sense of the field or fields in which you wouldlike to work. It certainly doesn’t need to be specific. “I may want todo consulting or marketing, but I’m not exactly sure” is a fineapproach to take.

Start talking 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 thispoint you just want some names.

You’ll be surprised. When you tell your parents you’d like to learnmore about consulting, they’ll say something like, “Oh, you know Mr.Wilkov, the guy whose lawn you cut, he works in consulting.”

It’s that easy.

THE SPREADSHEET

Any successful project starts with a spreadsheet. Networking is no different.

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 e-mail address, phone, address, company, job title and any other relevant


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information. Include a section to keep track of your communicationswith your contacts.

THE CONTACT

Now it’s time to get in touch. Start with a phone call: it’s best to talkin person. Here’s a sample of what to say:

“Hi Mr. Bellin, my name is Rob Marhula, and I’m currently at theUniversity of Illinois. I’m looking to get into consulting when I gradu-ate this spring and was hoping to learn a bit more about the field. I’msure you’re really busy, but I was wondering if it would be possible tomeet for about twenty minutes at your convenience to ask a fewquestions 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 timesa day! Calling once a day is enough. If you don’t get through afterabout a week, leave a voicemail. Make it succinct, like the exampleabove, 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 e-mail 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 Bob Neuman.”

Be realistic. Some people will call you back, some will never respondto the e-mail, and some will simply say no. So be it. That’s not so bad.Fortunately, many people will be happy to meet with you, even if it’snot right away.

THE NETWORKING MEETING

Also known as an informational interview, this is when you actuallyget to meet with a real, live working employee.

There are three basic goals for the meeting:

1. Learn about the industry or job2. Make a favorable impression on the person with

whom you are meeting3. Get names of other people with whom you can meet

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Here’s a perfect end to the fictitious meeting you had with Ms. Bellinof Accenture.

“Rob, it was great meeting with you today. I hope I answered someof your questions about consulting and Accenture. If you have anextra copy of your resume, I’d love to forward it on to our recruitingdepartment in case we have any openings. Also, here are the namesof a few more people at other consulting firms you may want to talk to.”

You should approach this informational interview very much like youwould an actual interview, except that you’ll likely be asking most ofthe 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 resume• 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 hangof 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 tokeep in touch with these people, especially if the meetings go well.Send them periodic e-mails or notes on your progress. This waythey’ll know if you’re still in the job market. Also, even if you land ajob elsewhere, it’s great to have contacts for your next job search!

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W HHere's a shocking fact: Recruiting Directors actually want you to dowell in the interview. They are not looking to trick you, terrorize you,or make you look bad. Instead, they are looking to make a connec-tion with students in order to find terrific candidates.

But for some reason, the Legend of the Evil Recruiting Directorlingers. 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 real-ly just a conversation, where the most important skills are beingrelaxed, confident, and honest.

HOW TO THINK ABOUT AN INTERVIEW

An interview is your resume come to life. Typically, you’re interview-ing because your resume was impressive enough to merit an in-persondiscussion. Now they can see the real you!

It’s a bit scary, but it shouldn’t be. Companies want to hire you forwho you are, not for who you are trying to be in an interview. Try torelax and be yourself. (You do need some judgment though. If beingyourself means lying around in your sweatpants, then don’t do that inthe interview.) Importantly, don’t try to be someone else.

HOW TO PREPARE – BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS

Most companies conduct behavioral interviews – where they aremore interested in your skills and behaviors than in talking about thebasics of what you did. In other words, they are looking for the“hows” and the “whys” as opposed to the “whats.” The “whats” arewhat got you into the interview in the first place.

What you need to do is take a 360 degree view of everything you’vedone. Think about why you did it, what you learned, how it helpedyou grow, and what you might do differently if you had to do it all overagain.

For instance, let’s say you were chapter president. Some of thequestions you might get asked are:

• Why do you think you were selected for this position?

• What were you hoping to accomplish?


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• Why did you decide to run for the position?

• 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 allover again?

Thinking about these questions probably seems like torture, but youcan be certain that these types of questions can and will be askedduring an interview. Just being aware of some of this stuff in advancecan 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, insight-ful, and strategic in talking about what you’ve done.

For the first question above, “Why do you think you were selected forthis position?” you don’t want to say,

“I don’t know. No one else wanted to do it and Ifigured why not, it might look good on my resume.”

Hopefully there’s a better reason, like:

“The success of our fraternity is largely based onthe quality of the men we bring into our organiza-tion and I wanted to make sure our fraternity wasas good as it could be.”

The lesson here is not to make stuff up, but to think about the types ofquestions you might get and how you might respond. You definitelydon’t want a script, but you also don’t want to be caught off guard.

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PREPARE IN ADVANCE

HOW TO PREPARE – THE COMPANY AND THE JOB

You would never go on an interview without knowing about the joband the position, would you? Of course YOU wouldn’t, but unfortu-nately plenty of people do.

Questions like, “Where are your headquarters? Who are your clients?What’s the company president’s name?” are a sure way to get your-self rejected quickly.

Research the company on the Internet, work with the Career Servicesoffice, read the trade magazines and talk to people at the companyor in the field to get as much information as you can before the inter-view.

You don’t want to walk in spouting random facts about the gross ton-nage of their shipping fleet, but you do want to sound intelligentabout the position and the company.

HOW TO PREPARE – STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Ah the dreaded: “what are your weaknesses?” question. What do youdo?

A lot of students try the old, “I’ll-take-a-strength-and-disguise-it-as-a-weakness” approach. They figure the Recruiting Director will neverfigure 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 looklike you’re trying to put one over on the interviewer.

Instead, try to talk about an actual weakness that you have in athoughtful 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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BE HONEST

So, when someone asks what your weakness is, you can say some-thing like,

“One of the things I’m working on right now is mytendency to procrastinate. I know once I startworking full time, I won’t have the luxury of puttingthings off until the last minute. I realized that now,when I do a project, I tend to wait until the lastminute to do the things I don’t really like doing. So,everyday, I write down a to-do list and make surethe first things I do are the ones I don’t want to. Ieven made a bet with my roommate that I’d getthose done first. If I don’t, I have to buy him 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 some-thing 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 soundquite impressive.

For strengths, the same thing holds true. Be insightful, honest andcompelling and you can’t go wrong.

HELPFUL TIPS

Open-ended questions

Hopefully, you won’t get the old “Tell me about yourself” question. Ifyou do, be succinct and concise. Start with how you got interestedin the field for which you are interviewing. Talk about the thingsyou’ve done to reinforce and confirm that interest, and tell why you’renow interviewing for the job at hand.

Defending your point-of-view

Occasionally employers will put you on the spot to see how youstand up under pressure. They may ask your opinion about some-thing (hopefully job related) to see how you think on your feet.

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They may be testing you to see how you’d do in a real life work situ-ation, 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 hap-pens. The interview is supposedly you at your best. If you can’t arriveon time for an interview, what are you going to be like when you startworking? It’s simply too important to risk being late.

Plan on it taking twice as long to get to your interview as it normallywould. You never know about traffic, accidents, late trains, etc. Youwant to walk in to see the receptionist of the company about ten min-utes before the interview starts. If you arrive much earlier, just walkaround the block or grab a cup of coffee to pass the time.

Attire

Wear a business suit. Even if the company says they are casual, planon 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 newshoes make your feet bleed! You don’t want to find that out during aninterview.

Questions

Typically, at the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask if youhave any questions. It’s important to have two or three questions thatyou want to ask – no more, no less.


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JUST BEYOURSELF

The questions should be things about which you are genuinely inter-ested in discovering, but not information readily available on theirWeb site. – e.g., “Where are you located?”

You also shouldn’t ask about salary or benefits specifically, especial-ly 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 theanswers. It’s acceptable to ask the same questions of a number ofpeople with whom you are interviewing. It’s interesting to see howdifferent people answer the same question.

As you’re leaving, it’s also okay to ask when you can expect to hearback 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 anotherhuman being sitting across from you. Be relaxed and confident, andyou’ll do well.

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Often, the last impression you leave is the most important. Don’t for-get a thank you note!

The key to a good thank you note is to make it personal. Just like thecover letter, however, there is a fine line between clever and stupid.

Thank you notes should be short, and they should mention things youtalked about in the interview. As soon as you have a chance to jotdown notes from an interview, do it - especially if you’ve interviewedwith a more than one person that day.

You do want to write a different thank you note to each person withwhom you interview. There is always a chance that they will share themamong the team.

Obviously, it’s critical to make sure there are no typos, that names arecorrect, and that you spell the name of the company right.

Here’s a sample thank you note:

Dear Mr. Bellin,

It was great meeting with you today. I have to say,it was amazing to finally see Accenture after all I hadread about it.

Our discussion about makes companies successfulreally intrigued me. I’ve spent more time thinkingabout it, and I continue to feel that strong manage-ment and great ideas are what set the best compa-nies apart.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the team yester-day. From the warm welcome and interesting peo-ple I met to the great discussions we shared, I lovedevery second of it.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you, and I hopeI can be part of your team.

Thank you so much for your time.

Regards,

Rob Marhula

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GO ABOUT ITINTELLIGENTLY

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 tosend it the evening of your interview or the day after – the sooner thebetter.

It’s also okay to send a hand-written card or typed note as long asyou know they are not deciding on your status immediately. Again,mail it the next day, or drop it off at the office if that happens to beconvenient.

A nice touch

Often there may be a person whom you deal with extensively in theinterview process, but who doesn’t actually interview you - maybe ajunior employee, receptionist, coordinator, or administrative assistant.

Sending them a thank you note is a great way to “get in good” withthe 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 wasgoing to be easy. But let’s remember the point about the companypaying you tens of thousands of dollars.

Going about the job search intelligently can make getting a positionimmensely easier. And the sooner you get one, the sooner you canstop worrying about getting one!

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You did it. You got the job, you’ve graduated college, and you’reentering the real world.

Now what?

Well, be prepared for the biggest change in your life. Ever. With thepossible exception of having children, nothing will change your lifemore than going from student to professional.

If you thought it was a big shift from high school to college, forgetabout it. This puts that move to shame.

Don’t worry. Just like anything else, with proper preparation and per-spective you can make it work. Also, it’s a ton of fun living on yourown and making your own money. It’s not all bad!

This part of the guide is set up to help with the transition from studentto professional, with the goal of helping you avoid many of the mis-takes new employees make.

There are five sections:

1. THE MINDSET CHANGE

2. TEAMWORK/COMMUNICATION STYLES

3. INITIATIVE

4. TIME MANAGEMENT

5. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

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AAs far back as you can remember, you’ve been a student. That’s whatyou do. You go to class, you learn from an instructor, and you hangout with friends. That describes a first grader, and that describes acollege 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 mayor may not be friends to hang out with at work.

Many other things are different. Not necessarily better, or worse, justdifferent.

TIME

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COLLEGE REAL WORLD

You have about fifteen hoursof actual class time a week,rarely starting before 10:00a.m., but you have lots ofstudy time hanging over yourhead.

Bright and early five days aweek, at least forty hours aweek, but usually when youleave the office at night, you’redone for the day.

COLLEGE REAL WORLDIt’s all your own. No one isreally looking out for you, butyou are beholden to no one.

It’s shared. People pitch in tohelp you out, and you’reexpected to be a strong, con-tributing team member.

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Fundamentally, there is a major shift in the way that you operate as aprofessional. Unfortunately, it’s not something they teach you in col-lege. Sure, you learn a skill or a profession (e.g., understanding bookbalancing to become an accountant), but you’re not taught how towork.

There are a few key distinctions that you’ll need to be aware of fromthe outset to help make the job transition a good one.

Team vs. Individual

Your success at work is almost always predicated on your ability towork with a team. Unless you’re self-employed, every project andevery day involves other people.

In college (and before), virtually everything you do is you and youalone. Sure, you may have had a few group projects, but we all knowhow those work. Two people put forth all the effort and then the otherfour share in the credit!

It’s pretty straightforward. You will not be able to succeed in theworkplace unless you work well with other people. That means beinga good leader, being a good follower, and carrying your weight andmore.


COLLEGE REAL WORLDWinter Break, Spring Break,Summer Break – Roughly 110Vacation Days.

Ten vacation days, but they’repaid. There’s not much betterthan sitting on the beach inMexico and thinking, “I’m get-ting PAID to do this!”

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THINK INTUITIVELY

Learning vs. Teaching

It’s the job of a university to teach you. A professor stands up in aroom and tells you the causes of the Revolutionary War. He thengives you reading assignments to help you better understand thecauses and he tests you on your ability to understand those con-cepts. If you get something wrong, he tells you why.

On the job, they hand you a stack of papers and say, “Here’s thePereira file; I need it on my desk by Friday.”

Okay, maybe it isn’t quite that harsh, but the lesson is that there isn’tanyone helping you on your way.

Due to shrinking budgets, many companies have little or no formaltraining. Your ability to succeed will be based on how you seekknowledge 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 upinformation. You need to learn to thrive and no professor is availableto teach you.

Paid employee vs. Paying student

As mentioned earlier, some company is paying you money to work forthem with the assumption that you will add value in excess of yourpaycheck. Unless you sign an employment contract (which youprobably won’t), you are considered an “at will” employee. Thatmeans you can quit whenever you like, but of course they can alsofire you whenever they like.

Treat your job as a privilege. That’s not to say that you should killyourself and be miserable at work, but it does mean that you should-n’t leave a busy office at 6:00 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, andFriday because you have guitar lessons those nights.

Especially as a new employee, you will want to plan on working morethan less, on pitching in on even the worst projects, and most impor-tantly, on having a great attitude.

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FOLLOW THESE RULES

TEAMWORK/COMMUNICATION STYLES

For better or for worse, a majority of your time awake will be spent atthe office. If you don’t like the people with whom you work and donot get along with them, you will probably hate your job. On top ofthat, you’ll probably spend more time with your boss than with yoursignificant 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 interactvirtually on a daily basis. So if you are an assistant account execu-tive at an agency, your core team would be your boss, the other AAEson the account, your creative team, and your media team.

The second is your extended team: people with whom you interactweekly or monthly. So, the extended team might be the creativedirector, the finance person, and the planner on the account.

Finally, there’s the support team. This includes administrative sup-port like secretaries, the mailroom staff, the receptionist, and alsointernal departments like the technology guru who fixes your com-puter, or the HR person who helps with your medical claims.

You might think, “who really cares about these support folks – I’mhigher up on the food chain than they are, and I don’t deal with themthat much.”

Actually, like all team members, these people have the ability to makeyour life miserable or a whole lot better. If you take the extra effort toshow respect and gratitude, it will be well worth it.

Regardless of the team, there are a few general rules that will makeyour life at work considerably better.

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AAcknowledge Contributions

Let’s say your hard drive crashes and you lose everything. You callthe computer liaison, and he spends two hours in your office workinghis 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 grateful you are. Ittakes all of ninety seconds, but you better believe that next time youcall 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 maildistributor, to your boss. Ask them a few questions, show them someattention, 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 someoneat work. It will go a long way in making your working relationships great.

Communicate

Communication certainly seems easy enough. How tough can it beto “keep everyone in the loop?” Actually it isn’t all that difficult, yet italways seems to be forgotten.

Not keeping the extended team involved is the easiest way to alien-ate them. By definition, extended teams are outside the core and areanxious to know the inside scoop. Frequent e-mails and updatemeetings are just the ticket. What may seem minor to you can be acritical detail to another team member.

Become Indispensable

As the junior team member, you should volunteer to pitch in and helpon everything. First, it lets people know that you’re willing to workhard, 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 onewho can operate the technical equipment, you’re in. Then, whenthere’s a meeting with some bigwigs, they have to bring you along!


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“Do Unto Others…?”

Of course everyone knows the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as youwould have them do unto you.” It certainly makes sense when itcomes to being considerate and treating people with respect.However, when it comes to understanding your role in a group andhow to interact with others, it may not be the best approach to take.

As usual, sports provide a great example. The best coaches andmanagers realize that not every player responds to the same motiva-tion techniques. Some players need the coach yelling in their face toget going; others prefer a hands-off manager who doesn’t tell themwhat to do.

It’s the same in the working world. From how they respond to pres-sure to how they are motivated and how they use their time, peopleare very different.

Understanding what drives people is the key to your success in oper-ating efficiently in a team.

Whether you’re the team leader, or one of the members, spend timepaying attention to what makes people tick. While you may do real-ly well under the gun, someone else in your group may crack underthat 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 tothat of others – whether that’s your boss or people from other groups.

The quicker you can figure out the dynamics of the team you’re work-ing with, the sooner you’ll understand the teamwork Golden Rule:

“Do unto others…as they would like tohave done unto them.”

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Here’s the easiest way to think about initiative:

• In college, if you do everything you’re told, and youdo it well, you get an A.

• At work, if you do everything you’re told, and youdo it well, you get a C.

It’s pretty straightforward in college. Your professor tells you what thetest is going to cover or the topic of your paper. You know that if youstudy 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 knowthat the overall goal is to get from point A to point B. But rarely isanyone going to tell you how to get to point B. Occasionally, it willbe up to you to tell your boss that point B isn’t even where they needto go, but that point C is the place to be.

As you make the transition from student life to work life, you mustbegin to think less in terms of “What can you teach me?” andmore in terms of “What can I offer you?” That means taking aproactive approach to the company needs instead of waiting for peo-ple to tell you what to do or how to do it.

And, by displaying initiative, you have a great chance of movingahead, 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 howto reorganize some files for quicker company access. It can be big orsmall, 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 doit faster, better, cheaper?” If there is, then makethe change and attempt to systematize theprocess so everyone can benefit.

• Exit student mentality: Learn while doing, don’twait to be taught.

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• When you’re given a project, try to find out whyyou’re doing it. Understanding the big pictureallows you to come up with the best way to reachthat goal.

• 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’sposition and try to think about how he or shewould approach a problem or situation.

• Make sure you have a role in every meeting. Evenif you’re not a speaking contributor, take greatnotes and send out a meeting summary. It’s aterrific way to ensure you get invited back.

• Your job isn’t just what people tell you, it’s whatyou make of it.

• And remember, it’s always easier to ask forforgiveness than permission!

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We talked before about how time changes dramatically in the realworld. No, not in a Matrix kind of way, but you’re going from a situa-tion (college) where you have very little structured time to an environ-ment (working) where it’s all about structured time.

What will be key to your success on the job, not to mention your hap-piness as a human being, is not how much you work but how wellyou work.

Time is a precious commodity in theworkplace and in life. Use it wisely!

One of the first things to learn is that time is no longer your own. Incollege, for the most part, your use or misuse of time affects you andyou alone. If you wait until the last minute to write a paper, and thendon’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 youprocrastinate and wait until the last minute to get stuff done, it hurtsthe team and the company.

Sure, when you begin working you’ll see many people working latehours, doing stuff at the last minute, and occasionally missing dead-lines. As the new employee, you don’t want to be that person.Maybe one day when you’re running the show you can finish everyproject on the way to the client meeting, but at the outset, you wantto be Mr. On Time.

You’ll also quickly learn that deadlines change all the time.Sometimes, they’re later than agreed, and occasionally, they’re earli-er than anticipated. You want to make sure you continue to check inwith the team, with your boss, and with the client to gauge the lateston each deadline.

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URGENT VS IMPORTANT

ORGANIZATION

Even more importantly, because deadlines change, you want to getyour work done as soon as you can. If you’re told the deadline for abig project is Friday and then wait until Thursday to start it, you’ll bein big trouble when you get the call that says, “Hey, the clientchanged their mind; they need the Pereira report by Wednesday for ameeting with the CEO.”

The message: don’t procrastinate.

Given the variety and scope of projects that you’re given, you’ll needto distinguish between urgent and important.

It’s very easy to fall into the trap of only doing what is urgent. Knownin the real world as “fire drills,” these are the types of projects orrequests that require your immediate and dedicated attention rightaway. However, they sometimes tend to be wasted time. This isknown in the real world as “stupid.”

For example, perhaps your boss runs into your office and says he hasa meeting with his boss in an hour and wants a recap of everythingyou’ve been working on for the past month in case it comes up in themeeting. That’s urgent, but not necessarily important.

That’s not to say that every urgent request isn’t important, but it’s crit-ical for you to take a step back and understand if indeed the urgentrequest 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 of9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Come in early, or stay late if that is when youhave the best opportunity to focus on more critical projects – thetypes of projects like strategic projections or in-depth analyses canreally 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 ofpaper, keep a “to-do” list and a schedule.

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Organize your to-do list on an A, B, C basis:

• A: High Priority – items that need to be done bythe end of the day

• B: Medium Priority – items that need to be doneby the end of the week

• C: Low Priority – items that need to be done atsome point in the future.

This will give you a sense of what needs to be done each day, recog-nizing that you’ll probably have to update the to-do list throughoutyour time at work.

One trap to avoid gets back to the old urgent vs. important. Makesure you put a few important projects into the A list so you have anopportunity to work on those as well.

Another great way to stay organized and manage your time is toemploy the “one click” e-mail system.

Often, e-mail starts to pile up. You open, read, and decide to respondlater. You then leave it in your inbox, check it a bit later and realizeyou still don’t have time. The message stays there for a while andyou keep rereading it and putting off a response.

In the “one click” system, you open an e-mail and give yourselfthree 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 amountof time it takes will pay off in the long run.

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TThe key for the “respond later” e-mails is to carve out a specifictime each day when you get to all of these. Force yourself to dedi-cate thirty minutes of uninterrupted time to craft replies to these e-mails. The time you spend continually opening e-mails and notresponding is just wasted time.

The “save with no action” e-mails are simply put into a folder andretained for those “cover your butt” situations, where someone says,“Hey Daryl, how come you never gave me your summary of thePereira 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’veattached that said don’t send me the summary of the Pereira file.”Unfortunately, that situation will probably arise quite a few times onthe job.

Remember, by effectively managing your time at the office, you’llallow yourself the luxury of mismanaging it as much as you want out-side the office!


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4

When you hear the word etiquette, you’re probably thinking aboutwhether or not to lift your pinkie when you drink tea or which saladfork to use for a Belgian endive salad.

Actually, this section is more about whether or not you can have amartini when you go to a business dinner and whether you can keepyour tongue stud once you start working.

The fact is, there is a new set of rules in the working world. Some areobvious ones that apply to pretty much any company – I can’t missmy flight if I’m traveling on business.” Others are much more subtlesuch as am I allowed to e-mail my friends from work?

Indeed, every company has a different set of rules that apply, butthere are some “truths” and certain ways to think about appropriatebehavior 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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OOFFICE ETIQUETTEThey say image is everything. It may not be everything, but it cer-tainly says a lot. How you act, dress, and speak in the office imme-diately sends off cues about who you are.

Appearance

If there is a guy in the office who hasn’t washed his hair in a few days,and who wears ripped jeans and flip flops, you might think he’s notthe most serious employee. Now in fact he may be, but the messagehe’s presenting about himself is quite different.

When it comes to dress in the office, there are few companies withhard and fast rules. Some places still have full time business attire –meaning a business suit. In those instances, it’s pretty easy to figureou: wear a suit.

But most companies these days have some manner of businesscasual, a nebulous term to be sure. For guys this usually meanskhakis and a collared shirt with no jeans or sneakers. Think niceSunday brunch with your parents.

The overall idea about dress is to look around and observe. If every-one has on nice pants, don’t come to the office wearing jeans. But ifmost 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 atrend (at least until you’ve established yourself, and even then it’srisky).

For “fashion accessories” follow the same model. Students willsometimes ask, “Do I have to get rid of my multiple earring holeswhen I start working?” The answer is always “it depends.” If no onein the organization has a bunch of earrings, don’t start the trend.Some companies may even have policies against it. If you startworking and realize a lot of people do have them, then you may wantto ask your boss or HR if it’s okay, and then go for it!

Remember, all the decisions you make about dress (and many otherthings we’ll get into) have implications. Your appearance sends offcues about who you are. Most of the people in managerial positionsthat can promote you or give you a raise are older than you. Whatthey think is appropriate and what you think is appropriate can betwo very different things.


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PPlus, you never know when someone will say, “Hey, the CEO wantsto meet all the new employees today.” If you’re wearing your “DiscoSucks” T-shirt and haven’t washed your hair in a few days, you’re notmaking the best impression.

It’s safe to say that your appearance at the office is not the appropri-ate manner to express your individuality. At least at the beginning ofyour 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 lateis unacceptable.

Now, you will find that at some companies there is a tardiness epi-demic - whether it’s showing up for work or attending meetings.

Don’t fall into that trap. Just like appearance, your promptness saysa lot about who you are. Also, it’s rude to other people to show uplate for a meeting. You’re basically saying, “My time is more valuablethan yours.” It’s never the right thing to do, especially as you startout your career.

Politics

Not Democrat or Republican, but something far more devious.

New employees often comment that one of their biggest surprises ishow often people talk about their coworkers behind their back. “Ican’t believe what an idiot Chris was at the meeting.” Or, “My bosswon’t get off my case, I really can’t stand him.”

Unfortunately, office politics and gossip run rampant in the workingworld. Your best bet is to distance yourself from it as much as possible.

Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Our tendency will be tojump into the conversation if for no other reason than you probablythink Chris is an idiot and your boss is giving you a hard time.


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STATE YOUR NAME

The problem is that more often than not, gossip can be harmful andeven make its way to the person involved. Even worse, you don’tever want to be known to management or to Chris as the person whobad-mouthed him.

“Just say no” to gossip and office politics.

Behavior

As a student you represent your school. As a brother, you representPhi Delta Theta. When you start working, you will be a representativeof 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 reflectionof 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 bespending 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. “Brian Phelps” or, “Hellothis is Brian Phelps” or some other variation. Don’t just pick up thephone and say “Hello.”

Your voice mail message should be short and professional.

“Hello, this is Brian Phelps. Thanks for calling,but I’m unavailable right now. Leave a messageand I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

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COMPUTERS ARE MONITORED

Then get back to people right away. It’s rude to wait days to return acall.

Messages you leave for others should also be short. When on voicemail, people have the tendency to ramble. If you have a chance tolisten to a message before it’s delivered, do it. You’ll probably beamazed at how often you repeat yourself.

If you’re lucky enough to have a speakerphone, don’t abuse it. Saveit for situations where you have others in your office and you need tomake a call together. People usually do not get a speakerphone in acube because it makes a lot of noise and people tend to yell whentalking on a speakerphone.

You don’t want the people in the nearby offices to hear your friendcoming out from the speakerphone saying things that wouldn’t beappropriate for a locker room!

That brings us to the next point – personal phone calls. Most com-panies allow them, just check to be sure. Even though it’s permitted,it doesn’t mean you should abuse it. Limit the amount of time youspend 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 permis-sible. 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 andlisten 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 canand do monitor all activity on your computer. Let’s repeat that…allactivity on your computer.

People have been fired for looking at inappropriate Web sites (we allknow what would be considered inappropriate). Employees have alsobeen fired or reprimanded for spending too much time on the Internetor instant messenger. For some reason the company doesn’t buy theexcuse, “But there was this awesome Amazon sale that was onlyavailable online.”

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KEEP IT CLEAN

Just to keep it all in perspective, a company can track everything youdo online, even if it’s from your own personal e-mail account. Actaccordingly.

Another work related faux pas is sending e-mails to the wrong people.It happens innocently enough. A coworker sends you a forwarded e-mailfrom the client or from your boss that says something such as, “Canyou believe what this stupid client wants us to do?” You read the orig-inal e-mail and reply and say, “What an idiot.” Only you send it backto the client instead of to your coworker.

Unfortunately, this happens much more than you think. The result isa loss of business for the company and/or loss of job for the employ-ee. It seems fairly innocent, but the general rule is don’t put any-thing in writing (e-mail or good old fashioned hard copy) that youwouldn’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 officetypically connotes that you’re disorganized. Try to straighten up yourworkspace before you leave each night.

Be careful what you leave on your desk. Certainly confidential workdocuments should be locked up. Also beware of personal items aswell. If you happen to be a connoisseur of Guns and Ammo maga-zine, don’t leave copies all over your desk.

Decorate appropriately. Some companies have policies on what canand cannot be hung on walls or displayed on your desk. Take yourcues from co-workers before you plaster your walls with Duran Duran posters.

Be mindful of noise pollution. Again, certain organizations or groupsallow music, and others don’t. Even if it is allowed, play it extremelysoftly and check with your neighbors to make sure they don’t mind.

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MMEETING ETIQUETTE

At most organizations, your role for the first few months is to soak upknowledge and to observe. In a short time you will likely be con-tributing to meetings and at some point leading them. But even atthe 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 andall back-up material that team members may need. Your prepared-ness 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 arealways questions after the fact as to who said what and what wasagreed upon. If appropriate, send out a note to the participantsrecapping the meeting. It’s also a great way for you to learn and aterrific reference tool to go back to.

Be mindful of your position

Remember that as the junior person, you should volunteer to run andmake copies if there aren’t enough for the group, or even give up yourchair for the big VP. It’s not that it’s your “job” to make copies andget people coffee, but if someone has to do it, it should be the juniorperson and not your boss or someone else.

DINING ETIQUETTE

Company or client meals can be great fun. Usually the meal is at areally nice restaurant, and usually you’re not paying! However, thefirst few experiences can be a bit intimidating.

The best advice when it comes to many dining related issues is to fol-low 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 instancesyou can’t go wrong.

Here are a few specific tips:


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Food

It’s best to order something from the middle of the price range – notthe priciest, and not the cheapest. Try to avoid ordering first, and thenget a sense for whether people are ordering appetizers and desserts.Don’t order really messy foods like ribs or other finger foods, unlesseveryone is diving in.

DrinkDrink

If you’re on official company business, pay close attention to thesewarnings:

• 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 willoffer it during meals. If you’re out to eat and wondering if you shouldorder a drink, try to defer to others. You don’t want to be the first per-son to order alcohol, and you certainly don’t want to be the only onedrinking. If everyone at the table is ordering a beer, and you feel likehaving one, it should be fine – assuming you followed the warnings above.

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PPaying

It’s not always clear if you have to pay for work meals. Try to get asense before you go out if the company is sponsoring the meal. Agood rule of thumb is that if there’s a client or vendor with you, you’renot going to have to pay out of your own pocket. But it’s not alwaysthat clear, so make sure you know in advance.

Also, at certain companies, it’s customary for the newest employeeto pay for the meal – not out of her own pocket, but to pick up thetab and then submit the expense report to get reimbursed. Again,check before you go out to make sure, and bring a credit card (orcash if they don’t accept credit cards).

General

All the rules your mom taught you as a kid apply. Wait for everyoneto 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 gowrong.


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GOODLUCK

That wraps up the Phi Delta Theta Job Guide. By reading this, youshould know quite a bit more about how to get a job and how to dowell on the job.

Now, the trick is to do it!

The advice is meant to guide you and to help you avoid many of themistakes 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 tobe yourself.

Good luck!

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ABOUT T

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Brad Karsh is President of JobBound (www.jobbound.com), a com-pany dedicated to helping college students and recent graduates getgreat jobs and transition into the workforce.

Author of Confessions of a Recruiting Director: The Insider's Guide toLanding Your First Job (Prentice Hall Press), Brad is considered thenation's leading expert on the job search. He's been featured onCNN, Dr. Phil, and CNBC, and he’s been quoted in The Wall StreetJournal, The Washington Post, USA Today, NY Times, Fortune, andmany others.

Brad has presented at dozens of schools including, The University ofIllinois, Kansas State University, The University of Texas, andNorthwestern University.

Before starting JobBound, Brad spent fifteen years at Leo BurnettUSA, the advertising agency for companies such as McDonald’s,Procter and Gamble, and Disney. As VP/Director of TalentAcquisition, he was responsible for all of the agency’s hiring. Withmore than ten years of entry-level recruiting experience, Brad cri-tiqued more than 10,000 resumes and interviewed more than 1,000entry-level job candidates. He was also in charge of entry-level training.

JobBound also provides individual job preparation services for jobseekers including resumé writing, mock interviews, cover letters, andcareer coaching. For more information and advice, check out

www.jobbound.com

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JOB GUIDE - Phi Delta Theta Fraternity · THE JOB GUIDE 2 L SECTIONS Let’s be honest, nobody...

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