Interview Questions: What Kind of Supervision Do You Like Best?

Everyone answers to someone. Even CEOs, Presidents and Executive Directors answer to stock holders, tax payers, a board, the community and so forth. Entrepreneurs answer to their customers. Think about your relationships with authority figures; parents, professors, law enforcement, and past or current supervisors. What brings out your best work or motivates you?

Now, think about how to phrase your answer in a positive way. A typical response is, “I don’t want anyone looking over my shoulder.” A better way to phrase that might be, “I like a supervisor who gives me a job to do, let’s me do it, and is there if I have any questions.” Another idea, “I have found I produce my best work when my supervisor provides clear instructions and expectations, allows me to work on the project but is available and open to questions.” Do these fit your needs? One last response to help you think through your own response, “I like a supervisor who is fair, friendly, knows the business, and is willing to listen to new ideas.”

Give some thought to your answer and don’t assume you can “work for anyone”. Having worked for a variety of supervisors over the years, I know the difference they can make on productivity and achievement which can affect promotional opportunities, raises, and your own feelings of self-worth. Search for a good fit. You might not like your boss every day and that’s OK. If you find you just can’t get along with your boss it might be time to think about a new job but if you don’t seem to get along with ANY boss than perhaps the problem is you.

Etiquette Tip of the Week: Now Hear This…

The best conversationalists are good listeners. When you meet new people, ask them questions about themselves to keep the conversation going. Are you a native of this place? Where are you from originally? What do you do for a living? How did you get into that line of work? What do you like best about your job? Listen to their answers and ask them questions based on their answers.

It is easier to get into trouble by talking too much. Very few get into trouble from listening too much.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Etiquette Tip of the Week: Platter Matters

Pass items around the table counterclockwise. (That’s from your left to your right, for those raised wth a digital clock.) If there is a large platter of something…say, turkey…hold the platter for the person on your right, while he/she uses the serving utensils to move the turkey from the platter to his/her plate. Always turn the serving utensils toward the person who will be using them next.

If someone asks you to pass an item, you may not intercept the pass and help yourself. Remember to say, “Please pass the…” and “Thank you” when it arrives. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Interview Questions: How Do You Deal with Stress or Pressure?

Every job involves some amount of stress or pressure. Frequent responses I have heard over the years go something like, “I take a short break to calm down.” This gives the impression that when there is the most work to be done or decisions to be made you are going to be gone on break. Some better responses include lifestyle choices such as walking or working out (done outside of work time). The best way to respond would be to use the STAR technique. Describe a situation or task that placed you under stress or pressure, outline the action you took and the results achieved. “Over the years, I have found that I work well with deadlines and am able to handle stress or pressure by using it to motivate me and help me prioritize. Finals week is always a stressful time but I found that creating a schedule that included study time, test dates, and other responsibilities helped me to stay organized and focused. I was able to meet my work obligations, pass my finals, and avoid late night cramming.”

Etiquette Tip of the Week: Stirred and Shaken

When on a business trip, avoid alcohol on an airplane – drinking at high altitudes makes you more inebriated. It is said that one drink on an airplane, counts for two drinks on the ground. If they put one of those mobile staircases up to the airplane exit and you fall down it, taking out a senior citizen or a vacationing family with small children in the process, that will not be good imaging for your company.

When traveling for business, you are representing your company and should, dress, speak and behave in a way that inspires confidence in your business and products.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Interview Questions: What are Your Weaknesses?

Let’s face it, we all have weaknesses and interviewers know it so don’t try to pretend you don’t. Even perfectionism could be a weakness if you have trouble meeting deadlines. There are a couple of ways to answer this question. First, you could choose a weakness that has some positive aspects. “Sometimes, I can be stubborn but you’ll find if you give me a job to do I stick with it until it is finished.”  Another strategy is to select a weakness that you have identified and have taken steps to improve. “During college, I had trouble meeting assignment deadlines and realized I needed to work on my organizational and time management skills. I started using an online calendar to organize my time and assignments and this improved substantially.”

Etiquette Tip of the Week: Dude, Where’s My Salad?

We are so used to having a salad before our entrée, but in a formal dinner the salad comes after the main entrée. Since you start with the utensils on the outside and work your way in, the salad fork in a formal dinner is closest to the plate.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com

Interview Questions: What Are Your Personal Strengths?

Personal strengths, self-management skills, transferrable skills – it’s all getting at the same thing. In addition to possessing the technical skills for the position, you need to have the skills required to show up, do the job, and get along with others. These are the skills that make you a good employee no matter where you work. Can you think of any skills or qualities that have been noted by your current or previous supervisors? Are there skills or techniques that you have utilized to produce quality work for your course assignments? Use short examples to help demonstrate your skills in these areas. As always, think about the type of work you will be doing and how your personal strengths will be an asset in that work.

DON’T DO DUMB STUFF

You remember when you were little and you would do something that mom, dad or grandma thought was inappropriate. They would call you on it. For me I can still hear my Mom saying “Steven (it was Steven back then), don’t eat with your fingers”, “Steven, tuck in your shirt”, “Steven, don’t use that word, it’s not nice” and on and on. Some of those reminders stuck with me and others didn’t. No, I don’t eat with my hands (well maybe French Fries) anymore and I do know when it’s appropriate to dress up and tuck in my shirt tails. The occasional off color word does slip from my lips when I want to emphasize a point but never in public. These rules for life become part of your makeup, your personality. They define you in many ways. What are yours?

Let’s take it to the next level. Bring it to today and apply the same guidelines. You are now in college and more mature than you were in your formative years. As each semester passes you are closer to graduating from ISU and eventually you will be seeking your first job or going on to grad school. There will be ample times and situations where you hope that all those manners and “good behaviors” kick in. Where you say the right thing in the right way to make your point, where you are dressed appropriately for the situation, where you are confident in your ability to make your point and hopefully impress an interviewer and an employer. Well what we hear from employers is that there are a bunch of students whose instincts betray them just when they need them to kick in. Maybe it’s nerves. And maybe it’s not reading the signals the right way. Whatever it is it can make things difficult. Be sure you make that mental transition to the career world where you are being held accountable for everything you do, where someone is paying you a salary to perform. I heard one of the employers say “just tell students not to do dumb stuff”.
Here are some true life examples of inappropriate behavior during the all important first few months on the job.
• An employee fell asleep at a day-long training program during the first week on the job. His supervisor was the person doing the training.
• A new recruit was sighted texting extensively at their desk.
• Inappropriate dress seems to be a big one: one person was called into her/his bosses office for wearing flip-flops to work; another was wearing a visible thong; yet another was sent home for wearing low cut “hip hugger” pants and revealing to much stomach; other were sighted for wearing shirts with “messages” on the front (favorite saying; music groups, political preference, etc.) Employers expect you to wear clothing that reflects their work environment, that doesn’t draw attention to you, which does not offend customers or the public. Use common sense when dressing for casual Friday or blue jean day.
• A new recruit was seen repeatedly monitoring their Facebook account during work time
• Many stories were relayed of new employees coming in late to work in a very unconcerned manner. It’s true that some work environments have very relaxed policies but make sure you know your employers expectations.
• Many new employees found it perfectly acceptable to surf the net on work time. NOT!
Well by now you get the point. “Don’t do dumb stuff” at work. Remember there is only one time to make a good first impression and that first impression will stick with you like fly paper, good and bad. You don’t want to be the organizations joke of the week. If any of these stories hits you to close to home or is a concern let me suggest that you see a professional career coach in your Career Services office on campus, take a mock interview, register for LAS 201or Bus Ad 301:Professional Employment Preparation, sign up for an Etiquette Dinner or any of the other similar workshops and programs run by clubs, student orgs, fraternities and sororities on campus and in the community that will assist you in getting off on the right foot during that critical first year on the job. But the best way to “get your act together” is spend a moment and let your mind drift back to your childhood and listen to those words of wisdom from mom. “Steven, clean your fingernails and polish your shoes, you look a mess”.

Etiquette Tip of the Week: The Switch

When you are at a networking event or a cocktail party, hold your drink in your left hand so your right hand is free to shake hands.

If your beverage is in your right hand and you suddenly have to switch it to your left to shake a person’s hand, then your hand will be cold, wet and clammy from the beverage glass. A cold, wet and clammy handshake does not leave a good impression.

Courtesy of “The Culture and Manners Institute” www.cultureandmanners.com