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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1998)
Best foot forward Preparation is key for impressing interviewers A.L. FORKNER is a junior news-editorial major and a Daily Nebraskan colum nist. Well kids, it’s that time of year again. Time for all the boys and girls to be on their best behavior. No, it’s not Christmastime (regardless of what the department stores want us to think). It’s Monster Career Fair time. So I was honored when the fine folks at the DN asked me to pass on a few interview tips. Apparently they admire my worldly knowledge. At least I think that’s what they meant when they said, “Forkner, you’re completely unemployable. Figure out what you do during a job interview, then write a column about the opposite.” See, told ya. They love me. Anyway, I know how nerve-rack ing an interview can be, so I jotted down a few tips that should put you head and shoulders above the rest (At least it will put you above the students that didn’t read this column. You and the other three will really stand out.) Tipi : Get to the interview 10 minutes early. Fashionably late doesn’t cut it However, camping out on the recruiter’s doorstep isn’t very effec tive either. Ten minutes assures the recruiter that you’re punctual, but not fanatical. Fanatical is bad. Unless, of course, you’re sending an application to the Irish Republican Army. Then fanatical is a good thing. Tip 2: Dress in a professional manner. Avoid the old idiom about dress ing like you would for a day on the job. Theater majors look silly inter viewing dressed as Shakespeare’s Ophelia. Physical education majors won’t impress anyone wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt Journalists shouldn’t look like journalists. In fact, no one should look like a journalist. Banana Republic just can’t keep up with die demand. Tip 3: Resumes andportfolios should be organized with a cover let ter attached. As functional as it may be, drop ping an old Busch beer box full of your stuff in the recruiter’s lap can be misconstrued as sloppiness. Reminder Family albums do not constitute a portfolio. Unless you’re a child actor. Then family portraits, home movies and mug shots are acceptable. Tip 4: Relax. Lay off the triple espresso shooter before the interview. But try to keep it in perspective. Recruiters tend to mistake extreme relaxation for disinterest Especially when the snoring begins. Up 5: Don’t worry if you have lit tle work experience. Many employers are looking for flunkies to do their dirty work. So you might end up with an exciting career as a hatchetman. Tip 6: Recruiters understand that students don’t have much work expe rience. That sounds good enough. Unfortunately, I’m not looking for understanding. I’m looking for a job. If you are, too, then in place of work experience, simply substitute a note from your best friend attesting to your skill as a mechanical engineer (or whatever). Nothing impresses the big dogs more than the opinions of others. Up 7: Have a friend call you to make sure you’re awake in time. Personally, I’d prefer Courteney Cox, but you can choose your own Friend. Up 8: Answer all questions hon estly. If you don’t know the answer to a question, admit it Throw yourself on the recruiter’s mercy. Maybe he is looking for a mindless sycophant. If you don’t want to answer a per sonal question, say so. That’ll demonstrate that you can hold up to intense scrutiny and hard questions. Corporations are always looking for someone who can hold to a grand jury inquiry. Up 9: Know something about the company. Knowledge of small details will impress. But stay away from dry fig ures about the company’s growth over the last six fiscal quarters. Instead, prepare a few witty remarks about the latest scandal to hit the company. For ©cample, ask the CNN rep if she knows atxmt the Husker football team using nerve gas on Tennessee in last year’s Orange Bowl. She’ll appreciate the wit, and you’ll demonstrate that you keep up on current events. Up 10: Don ’ttrytoBS the recruiter. They have a clue. You don’t No one’s going to believe you when you claim to have discovered fire. Just remember, this isn’t “Oprah.” So don’t be overly truthful. No recruiter in the world wants to know about your secret fantasies about Betty from the Archie comics. lip 11: Relax some more. If you don’t get this job, ho big deal. It’s not the end of the world. After all, there’s always grad school. _abound in the construction industry and Kiewit is positioned to take advantage of them with over thirty district and area offices located across the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Kiewit has been in die construction business for ova: 110 years and consistendy ranks among the largest and most successful construction — companies in the United States. y We recruit nationally throughout the year for positions in: • Accounting * Civil Engineering • Construction Management * Information Systems Peter Kiewit Son’s, Inc., Human Resources Department 12-DW, 1000 Kiewit Plaza, Omaha, NE 68131 Kiewit Job Line (402) 336-3636 f ___ An Equal Opportunity Employer We need husband and wife couples to be surrogate parents to 8 youth while raising up to 2 dependent children! NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Will train in proven child care techniques. Receive a salary of $48K/couple plus food, business vehicle, benefits and private apartment within an attractive home. Must be 21 + with HS diploma and Valid driver’s license (with good record). Willing to relocate. CALL 1-800-321-4171. Boys Town USA, on outskirts of Omaha, NE. Other sites across the U.S. EOE/Drug Testing Employer/M/F ' _S _ Boys Town USA Caring for America’s Girls and Boys ^ www.boystown.org Knowing another language will only help job prospects By Todd Anderson Senior staff writer Learning a second language is more than just learning how to say the same thing twice. It teaches a lull range of communi cation and interpersonal skills in addi tion to being able to communicate in another language. And those are the skills that employers are looking for more and more in the college graduates they hire, said Darlene Williams, an assistant director of the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s Career Services Center No matter the language, she said, learning another form of communica tion has become increasingly important because of the increasing interdepen dence of die United States and other nations. Tina Cassler, study abroad adviser for International Affairs, said hidden benefits come from the process of acquiring a second language. Whether a student learns solely from a class, from studying abroad or from a combination of the two, Cassler said, learning a new culture and way of thinking are important hidden bonuses. “If you’ve lived it and experienced it, you can share it with others,” she said. She said going to a foreign country, even if English is the dominant lan guage, is important because of the new perspective of the world and the United States it offers to students. Modern language department adviser Pam LeZotte said studying the literature, history and culture of another country is a significant component of acquiring a second language. It would be difficult to work with members of another community with out knowing about their traditions and ways of life, even if they spoke English, she said. And those who can speak a second language develop fine-tuned communi cation skills both in their learned and native languages. LeZotte said employers look for efficient and accurate communication capacity, and they understand foreign language acquisition drives learning those skills. “I think it would be really difficult to name a career or profession where it wouldn’t be an advantage to know a sec ond language,” she said. Williams said students who are pro ficient in another language should think beyond obvious, traditional professions like teaching and translation when coh sidering career possibilities. Foreign language can serve as the focus ofa career, or as an auxiliary skill, in the United States or abroad. While Spanish, French, German and Russian tend to be the most popular second languages, she said learning sign language and other forms of com munication could also be important LeZotte said working or studying abroad in another country - either an English-speaking country or a country where another language is widely spo ken-would paint a new perspective for students who eventually will want to attract the attention of employers. Williams said job applicants can give the special skills acquired from language study and foreign experience more prominence by listing them as “special skills” or “relevant experience” on their resumes. She said employers increasingly are looking for language skills in potential employees who can meet the needs of working in a globally interconnected community. With all other qualifications equal, Williams said, employers will favor candidates with special skills. “Anything extra you can give them makes you more attractive.” - .. 1, A. . ' s ■ ' *