gcapone, Author at Palladian Career Resources

There Are No Stupid Interview Questions

Have you ever been asked a question in an interview that strikes you as complete ridiculous? The kind of question that makes you wonder how the person across the desk was able to get their job if they think a question like that is valuable.

At some point in your job search, you may be asked a question that seems valueless, or just plain stupid. Some people react to a question like this by making a joke out of it, asking if the interview is serious or stating that they think it’s dumb question. These responses are mistakes.

If an interviewer asks a question, they have a reason for asking it. It’s important to them. It may indeed be ridiculous and the basis of the question may not make any sense to you, but the interviewer asked it because they want the answer. If your reaction shows you don’t respect the question, it will hurt your chances. Even worse, the interviewer may have a very good reason for asking the question due to some detail of the position you do not know.

There are no stupid interview questions. Regardless of your feelings of the value of a question, the judge of each question and answer is the interviewer. Additionally, there are interviewers that intentionally throw in off the wall questions to see how the candidate will react. In this case, the interviewer doesn’t really care about the answer. They are more interested in the ability of the job seeker to stay focused and professional.

As you prepare for an interview, it is important to consider how you will react to a question that completely surprises you. No matter how much you prepare, there is always a chance that the interviewer will ask a question you didn’t anticipate. How you respond to being blindsided can make or break an interview.

If you get a question that surprises or stumps you, take a few seconds to answer. A short pause to think will not hurt the impression you make. If you need more than a couple seconds, stall. A simple phrase, such as: “That’s an interesting question,” followed by a restatement of the question can help you formulate your answer. Avoid the temptation to just start talking. Many people, when nervous and faced with a question they didn’t expect panic and start talking immediately – before they know what they are going to say. If you avoid this, you will make a much better impression.

8 Reasons to Hire a Professional Resume Writer

A resume writing service can help develop a resume that gets attention instead one that is overlooked. Despite this, the vast majority of job seekers write their own resume. For some, this is effective, but many struggle. Even more problematic, many job seekers do not know they are sending an inadequate resume. This can prolong a job search, costing the job seeker thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars from missed opportunities.

The primary reason given by job seekers for why they do not hire a resume writer is that they are the expert about their career. As the most knowledge on the subject, they assume they are the best writer for the job. The truth is most job seekers are not very good at writing a resume. The second most common reason job seekers give for not hiring a professional writer is the cost. This can be short sighted as a poor resume that prolongs a job search or yields inferior job offers can be far more costly than the most expensive resume writing services.

A professional resume writer can help you develop a more effective resume. There are eight primary reasons for this:

Professional Resume Writers Know Resumes – A good resume writer will have read thousands, or tens of thousands of resumes in their career. They have seen virtually every conceivable style, format and structure. Most job seekers have only read a few resumes in their careers.
Professional Resume Writers Understand Hiring Managers – The key for a resume to be effective is it must impress hiring managers and lead to interviews. Good resume writers understand what hiring managers look for, and what they don’t want to see.
Professional Resume Writers Don’t Have Emotional Ties – Many job seekers include details in their resume for emotional reasons. A professional resume writer will assess each piece of information objectively. An accomplishment or experience that holds personal significance may not help sell the job seeker. The professional resume writer will help weed out details that that the job seeker feels are important but are unimportant to a hiring manager.
Professional Resume Writers Don’t Know the Full Background – Many job seekers fail to explain details of their experience clearly because they know the full background and situation. A resume needs to be written so a person with no knowledge of the candidate can understand clearly their background in a very short time. Job seekers often find it difficult to describe their experience in clear, simple terms.
Professional Resume Writers are Writing Experts – The vast majority of job seekers claim to be good communicators. The truth is some people are good writers and others aren’t. A good writer can help polish a resume so that it reads clearly and delivers a more compelling message.
It is Very Difficult to Edit Your Own Work– It is much more difficult to edit and proofread your own work. You know what you meant to write and may read your resume as you intended it, not as you actually typed it. Another person can only go by what is on the paper. They don’t know what you intended. No matter how many times you review your resume, another set of eyes can make a huge difference.
Professional Resume Writers Are Faster – Most job seekers spend weeks working on their resume. A professional resume writer will often complete a resume in a few days. This can accelerate your job search.
Professional Resume Writers Will Eliminate the Jargon – Most companies have terminology that is unique. Some terms are used so much within the company, employees assume everyone knows them. A resume writer will quickly identify words that will not be clear to a hiring manager at a different company.

A professional resume writer will help you develop an effective resume and can help you gain a competitive advantage over your competition.

Resume Filename Best Practices

The filename of a resume is an often-overlooked detail by many job seekers. Palladian surveyed a selection of resumes and identified best practices and common mistakes for naming the resume file. In the study, Palladian indentified four elements that routinely appear in the filenames of resume. The most common was an indication of the job seeker’s name. Also common were the word “resume,” a version number of the resume and the date the resume was written.

The filename of a resume is an often-overlooked detail by many job seekers. Palladian surveyed a selection of resumes and identified best practices and common mistakes for naming the resume file.

In the study, Palladian identified four elements that routinely appear in the filenames of resume. The most common was an indication of the job seeker’s name. Also common were the word “resume,” a version number of the resume and the date the resume was written.

Job Seeker’s Name

Ninety-two percent of resumes had some indication of the candidate’s name, but only fifty-eight percent contained both the first and last name. Nine percent of the resumes had no reference to the candidate, with files names like “resume,” “myresume” and “resume2009.” The remainder had some reference to the candidate, a first name, a last name or initials, but did not contain both the first and last name.

Other Information

A large percentage of resume filenames contained information of no value to a hiring manager. Two common items were the date the resume was written and the version number of the resume. There were job seekers that put information in the filename that had no meaning. In some cases, it looked like the job seeker used the resume of someone else as a template, since the filename contained a different person’s name. Others had random words that seemed to have no meaning.

File Format

By far, the most common file format was the Microsoft Word 2003 – a .doc file. There were also pdf, rtf, wps and docx file formats, along with one format that could not be identified.

Best Practices

Use your first and last name in the file name.
Include the word “resume”
Include a keyword phrase (1 to 3 words summarizing your job or industry)
Separate words with hyphens
Submit your resume in a Microsoft Word 2003 format (.doc)

Structure of a good resume filename: FirstName-LastName-Resume-KeywordPhrase.doc

Example: John-Doe-Resume-Logistics-Manager.doc

Behavioral Interview Questions for Project Engineers

Project engineers identify, plan and implement projects with organizations. The scope of this field is extremely broad. There are a number of common elements to project engineering roles, and these elements are often assessed with behavioral interview questions.

A behavioral interview targets specific situations the job seeker is likely to encounter in the role and asks for examples of a similar experiences. The questions usually follow a “Tell me about a time when you…” format.

Tell me about a time when you led a large capital improvement project.
Tell me about a time when you managed the acquisition of new equipment.
Tell me about a time when you planned a facility expansion.
Tell me about a time when you redesigned a process.
Tell me about a time when you made improvements to the plant layout.
Tell me about a time when you designed a new product.
Tell me about a time when you redesigned the packaging of a product.
Tell me about a time when you added automation to a process.
Tell me about a time when you had trouble debugging a new piece of equipment.
Tell me about a time when you reduced the utility costs in a facility.
Tell me about a time when you changed a process to reduce material handling.
Tell me about a time when you managed a project that came in under budget.
Tell me about a time when you managed a project that exceed budget.
Tell me about a time when you led a project that fell behind schedule.
Tell me about a time when you delivered a project ahead of schedule.
Tell me about the most successful project you managed.
Tell me about a project that was a major failure.
Tell me about a time when you failed to plan an essential step in a project.
Tell me about a time when you delegated effectively.

To be prepared to answer these questions in an interview, you need have examples of specific projects you have managed. You do not need a project for every question. A selection of projects touching on a range of experiences will allow you to adapt to almost any question.

Get our book on behavioral interviewing.

Other Great Books to help you prepare for Behavioral Interviews:

Interviewing With Your Current Employer

Preparing for an interview with your current employer poses several unique challenges. You know the company and the interviewers. The process is clearly defined. You even have insight into the position that outside candidates would never have. Despite this, many people struggle with internal interviews.

Preparation is the key for internal interviews. You need to be able to talk about your experience in detail. Interviewers will expect you to discuss your accomplishments and experiences as if you were an external candidate. You need to prepare thoroughly.

In an internal interview, it is likely you will know some or all of the interviewers. They will also know you and have an impression of your abilities, experience and performance. Most interviewers will also recognize that they may only have a partial picture of your performance. Managers do not have the opportunity to see the full performance of every person within a company. They often form impressions of people based on a few isolated accomplishments or failures. It is possible that the interviewer is someone you see every day, but because they are in a different functional area, they may have little to no understanding of your day-to-day work.

Current or Past Experiences

One of the most common questions individuals have about internal interviews is whether to talk about experiences at their current employer or focus on experiences at prior employers. Many assume that the interviewer knows what they have done in their current role and only talk about past employers. This is a huge mistake. It leaves one impression above all others… you can tell a good story but have accomplishment nothing in your current role.

Focus on your experiences at your current employment. The most important assessment criteria in any interview is the value you will offer in the role. If you cannot show any value you have provided in your current role, no matter how impressive your performance in past jobs, you will not convince an interviewer that you will add value in a new role.

Focusing on your current experiences does not mean you disregard your past. Some interviewers will only know you by your current role. If you are interviewing for a position in a different functional area, you should discuss your experience with skills critical to that area. This may require discussing past jobs.

If you have been with your current employer for less than a year, you should prepare to discuss your current role for 25-50% of the interview. Experiences with prior employers will fill the remainder of your answers. If you have been with the company for 1 to 3 years, try to focus 50-75% of your answers on your current role. If you have been with the company for more than 3 years, you should target 80% of your answers from roles with your current employer.

As you discuss your experience with your current employer, prepare all the details as if you were interviewing with someone that knows nothing about you. Don’t assume that the interviewer knows the details and background behind each of your experienes. You are better off providing more detail, including information the interviewer already knows, than leaving out details that make your answer confusing or less effective.

Interview Tip #6

Interview Tip: Demonstrate your potential in an interview by showing your past successes.

Interview Tip: Demonstrate your potential in an interview by showing your past successes.

Many job seekers only state their qualifications and potential. The candidate that stands out will show their qualifications by presenting examples from their experience. Successful candidates will also demonstrate their potential by providing specific accomplishments in situations similar to those they will encounter in the new position.

Resume Tip #6

Resume Tip: Avoid overly dramatic language that tries to make something sound much more impressive than it really is.

Resume Tip: Avoid overly dramatic language that tries to make something sound much more impressive than it really is.

Saying something in a very unusual way purely to sound impressive will backfire. Your resume should highlight your strengths and accomplishments. It is a sales pitch for you. Just make sure you avoid being overly boastful or all hype and no substance. You want your presentation to be credible.

Education and Training on a Military Resume

The military provides a tremendous number of educational opportunities, ranging from short training classes up to year long programs. Knowing what to include on you resume can be a challenge. Many people transitioning from the military include too much information.

The military provides a tremendous number of educational opportunities, ranging from short training classes up to year long programs. Knowingwhat to include on you resume can be a challenge. Many people transitioning from the military include too much information.

I’ve read a lot of resumes from military personnel that include a page or more of classes and workshops the individual completed over their career. Most of these are routine classes that do not differentiate the candidate. Additionally, many military personal include courses with no relationship to the career they are pursuing. For example, listing a large number of classes and certifications for various weapons will not help a person land a leadership position in manufacturing (except, perhaps, with a firearm manufacturer).

Including significant detail of your training in unrelated areas will not help you land a job. It may also hurt your chances. When a hiring manager reviews your resume, they may only spend 15 seconds looking at it. Any time they spend reading details that don’t sell your background is a waste. They may move on to the next candidate before they get to the impressive parts of your background.

To determine the elements of your education and training that are significant and should be included in your resume, you need to focus on the core challenges of the position. Identify the most significant skills that are required. Then include the courses that relate to these skills.

As an example, let’s contrast two positions.

The first position is for a leadership role, a supervisor or manager, with a manufacturing firm. A candidate pursuing this position should emphasize leadership, communications, strategic planning and organizational skills. A routine safety or hazmat class, that all military personnel complete each year, is irrelevant for a position like this. Training classes like this focus on conferring basic knowledge of safety issues. They won’t set someone apart. It is much better to list and emphasize training in leadership and communications skills.

The other position is a health and safety manager for a chemical firm. In this role, technical experience and skill with federal regulations is very significant. Leadership and communications skills may also be important, but technical ability will usually be the highest priority for a hiring manager. In this case, emphasizing safety and hazmat courses is good idea. Although you want to emphasize safety courses, don’t go overboard. Focus on significant courses, not the routine ones everyone completes. You want to show you are an expert, not just someone that showed up for the annual one hour safety refresher.

The key to selecting the right items to include in your resume is prioritizing what is important to the reader. If a training class isn’t especially impressive, you are better off putting more detail in your work experience section and leaving the training class out.

For civilian positions, your resume should be two pages or less. This makes it essential for you to prioritize the content of your resume.

Too Many Resume Sections

Your resume should be structured in a series of sections, with the most important at the top and the least important at the bottom. Selecting the most important sections is an important decision. Many job seekers prioritize information based on the significance to them. Unfortunately, what is important to a job seeker is often less important to a hiring manager. This makes it essential to prioritize based on the reader’s interests.

For most job seekers, work experience is the first thing a hiring manager will want to read. There are exceptions… new college grads should put their education first and technical experts should lead with their technical skills. Individuals with significant experience should lead with their experience.

A common structure for a resume of an experienced individual will look like this:

Professional Summary or Objective Statement
Work Experience
Education
Skills
Other Sections

The resume I read today deviated from this structure substantially. The individual had 20 years of experience in the real estate field. With 20 years of experience, I would want to read the work experience to get a feel for what the candidate has done. Despite this, the work experience was buried at the bottom of the resume. Below is the structure the candidate used:

Objective Statement
Professional Profile
Education (lengthy section with training classes and certifications)
Affiliations (professional organizations in real estate)
Relevant Experience (details of non-work activities, including part-time jobs and a home-based business)
Volunteer Work
Skills (list of computer programs)
Professional Experience (the work experience section!!!)
References

This structure is very disjointed and does not sell the candidate. Much of the information in the education, relevant experience, volunteer work and skills sections is either routine for every candidate or completely unrelated to the jobs the candidate is pursuing. For example, experience with Windows XP may be a requirement for a position, but is far less important than the 20 years of work experience.

You need prioritize the elements of your background that are most directly related to the position you are pursuing. If I was rewriting this resume, I would delete a lot of information and completely reorder the information I kept.

You can expect the job seeker would resist this. Some of the information I would delete is information that has a high personal significance to the job seeker. The home-based business is a good example of this. I’m certain that this effort was something that the job seeker took a tremendous amount of pride in and worked hard to make successful. Despite this, the presentation on the resume shows little significance the candidate’s career. It just isn’t going to help land a job.

Make sure you prioritize based on the hiring manager’s priorities. If you are uncertain of your resume, get a second opinion.

Behavioral Interview Questions for Nonprofit Careers

Working for a nonprofit organization has a lot of similarities to other industries, but there are some significant differences. Behavioral interview questions are a good tool to assess a job candidate for the specific skills required in a nonprofit. This makes these questions common in interviews with nonprofit organizations.

Behavioral interview questions are a good tool to assess a job candidate for the specific skills required in a nonprofit. This makes these questions common in interviews with nonprofit organizations.

Preparing for a behavioral interview is essential for success. You need to be able to discuss very specific examples from your background. Without adequate preparation, your performance will suffer. To prepare, look at each of the questions below and develop a 2 to 3 minute story from your background to answer the question. Then, practice the stories. Once you know stories inside and out, try to apply them to other questions. This will help you learn how to answer questions you don’t expect. As you get better, complete a few mock interviews. The more practice you get, the better you will preform. Unfortunately, most job seekers improve their interview skills by going on a lot of interviews. They use their failures to teach them. A better way is to work with a coach and complete mock interviews so that you improve prior to a real interview.

Below is a selection of questions you may encounter:

Fundraising

Tell me about a time when you led a successful fundraising campaign.
Tell me about a time when you missed a fundraising goal.
Tell me about a time when you tried a new approach to fundraising.
Tell me about your most successful fundraising effort.
Tell me about the most innovative fundraising activity you have utilized.
Tell me about the most challenging target group you have approached for fundraising.
Tell me about the biggest donation you have ever obtained.
Tell me about a time when you recognized the contributions of donors.
Tell me about a time when you wrote a grant proposal.

Marketing

Tell me about a time when raised community awareness for your organization.
Tell me about a time when you developed a marketing plan.
Tell me about a time when you expanded the client base you served.
Tell me about a time when you increase public support for your organization.
Tell me about a time when you lobbied a government entity.
Tell me about a time when you recruited new volunteers.
Tell me about a time when you improved volunteer retention.
Tell me about a time when you recruited new board members.
Tell me about a time when you managed a community outreach effort.

Operations

Tell me about a time when you cut costs.
Tell me about a time when you developed a budget.
Tell me about a time when you had a budget shortfall.
Tell me about a time when you improved the efficiency of the organization.
Tell me about a time when you changed a process.
Tell me about a time when you made a significant change in policy.
Tell me about a time when you implemented a new technology.

Virtually any work situation can be assessed with a behavioral question. This makes preparation essential. You need specific examples from your experience that you can discuss and adapt to a wide range of questions. Use the behavioral interview questions above to help identify examples you can talk about in an interview.

Get our book on behavioral interviewing.

Other Great Books to help you prepare for Behavioral Interviews: