From Resume to Interview: Tips to Make Yourself a Stronger Candidate NAFSA: Association of International Educators Career Center Kansas City, Missouri June 3, 2010 Presenter: Ellen H. Badger, Director International Student and Scholar Services Binghamton University – State University of New York Member, NAFSA Board of Directors ebadger@ Binghamton.edu

Are you looking to start a career, to further a career, or to change a career? Advice From Three Recent Hires: Where to Look Identify resources that list those jobs that are of interest. It can be a overwhelming to look at web sites like jobs.com or indeed.com. Narrowing it down makes it easier to search job sites.

NAFSA Job Clearing House

Chronicle of Higher Education HigherEdJobs.com Job sites on university webpages if interested in a specific school or geographic reason Listservs Cast a wide net, look at jobs not just higher education, but related areas such as

research centers, not-for-profits, etc.

Detach your emotions from your current geographical location. It can take time for you to convince yourself to cast your net wider and not be too geographically attached

Network! Get to know people in the field that interests you.

Talk to friends and colleagues for leads Do informational interviews Attend NAFSA regional conferences,

Put yourself out there Have the nerve to make a cold contact for an informational interview. Cast a wide net, not just higher ed, but research centers, not-for-profits

It’s a tough job market out there, but there may be part-time or temporary positions that will help get your “foot in the door” at the job location of your choice. Those kinds of jobs are rarely advertised. It never hurts to ask. Customize Your Resume and Cover Letter for Each Job Application When reading job descriptions try to really feel yourself in that job. Then hone your resume and cover letter for that job. Present those transferable skills for the position that you really feel fits you.

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Read the job description to figure out if it’s at your level, above your level (a stretch) and below your level (like when you’re applying to college and knew to have a “safety” school) Every cover letter needs to be re-written for each specific job application. Your resume needs to be refined to show how you match the required skills in the job description. One colleague had 15 versions of a resume and 30-40 versions of the cover letter, you need to take that time to do it right. Know Yourself Know how you work in certain situations, look for key words in a job description like “team building,” “customer service” and “communication” as examples of values that are important to you Conduct an employability assessment. Ask other co-workers, friends how they would describe you. How do others “know” you? Get feedback from the people you work with. What do I do well, what didn’t I do well? Do Your Research Before Sending That Resume and Cover Letter Google or check web sites to learn everything you can possibly know about a school when applying to strengthen a cover letter. It can get you further along in the selection process. Then do even more research prior to a phone interview or personal interview. Currently Unemployed? Don’t let that fact weigh heavy during a job interview, you can’t be desperate. Don’t get yourself into the mindset that you’re unemployable. Keep going back to networking and thinking about what you are good at. Some people are seeking a job, others have employment but want to further their career, and can say “I think I can really do this job” as opposed to “I really need a job.” Keep on the best terms possible with your former employers. If you were laid off, don’t be bitter about what happened to you and don’t take that to the interview with you. Never ever talk in a negative fashion about your past employment. Who Should Be Your References? Most prospective employers will want to contact only references who know you in a professional capacity. Be sure to pick references who know you well. They can be people who worked with you in addition to people to whom you reported. Transferable Skills Originally, you may not have had the intention to pursue a career in international education, so if you lack previous job experience in this area, identify your soft skills that are a good match for this type of work. Examples include empathy, patience, having appropriate communication skills, flexibility in your personality, can “bend” with the situation as it changes, etc. Find concrete activities that you have done in the past that demonstrate your soft skills. Think of the “special needs” populations that you might have worked with in the past, such as immigrants or populations in transit. Volunteer situations are very relevant in this context.

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Phone Interviews Phone interviews can be where your technical skills are assessed, personal interviews are where your soft skills are assessed. Phone interviews can be used to qualify you based on experience, and are frequently used as a method of narrowing down the candidates prior to personal interviews.. A phone interview can feel like you’re in front of a firing squad! You’re asked so many questions! Take it slow, have your research notes and the job description in front of you, and be as well informed as possible of who you will be speaking with and who they are. Speak slowly, think through every question. Be prepared! The phone call is like the elimination round. Be as friendly and positive as you can, let your personality come through the phone line. But even a phone interview provides you, the candidate, with the opportunity to assess the employer. If it’s a lot of boiler plate, unimaginative questions, you may not be very impressed. The longer, more complex interview questions may engage you more. Be prepared for people from different departments to be part of a phone interview screening. You will feel more invested in the position if the interviewers project honesty and a positive manner. Personal interviews This is an opportunity to assess the new employer and the workplace. You may be attending multiple meetings but asked the same questions. Remember that these people don’t know you at all, and that it is ok to give the same answers if it’s different group who hasn’t heard it yet. Don’t oversell yourself, instead, be yourself. Don’t talk on and on but don’t be super brief, either. Appearance is important, so be neat and well groomed. Wear a suit. Social skills are important. Remember that the interview starts from the second someone says hello to you until you leave. A meal is the interview, small talk in the hallway is the interview, greeting the receptionist is the interview. After the Interview Follow up with an email or paper note. If you made a real positive connection with a person or persons in the interview, mention that in the note, and “continue the conversation.” Take a look at the local area. If you are offered the job, do some preparation ahead of time to decide if you would like to live here. Stay an extra day if you are not from the local area, to do some exploring. It will be the research you did ahead of time that will make you more interested in the place. If You Don’t Get the Job It is hard if you are rejected, or worse, never hear back, especially if you know you have the skills and talents to do the job. It is a tough job market right now. Find ways to protect your feelings. You will get hurt.and it is easy to get despondent. The job search is a personal process, because you put so much of yourself into it. Write down the questions you were asked, they may be helpful as you go through other interviews in the future.

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The Employer Perspective: There’s Lots of Competition The most recent job searches I conducted yielded over 100 applicants each. I used a search committee for each vacancy. The committee members were both from our office and from offices that are “stake-holders” in the position If You Want The Job, Make that Extra Effort With the Job Application “Template” or “Cookie-Cutter” cover letters are quickly dismissed, unless there is something interesting in your resume. Even if there is, the search committee will wonder about your interest in coming to work with us if your cover letter is “blah.” Ungrammatical cover letters will quickly dismiss a candidate, especially if one of the job requirements is strong communication skills. If the job announcement calls for a cover letter and resume, don’t forget the cover letter. If the job requires attention to detail, failure to follow instructions can be enough to kick you out. Be sure to make your resume easy to read. I should be able to easily see dates and places of employment. Remember to include information that includes what you did for each job. What We Look For Employers are looking for the right combination of technical and soft skills. They are also looking for “fit.” How well will the candidate work with others in the office, and how well will the candidate represent the office to its various publics? Reference Checks Reference checks can be very revealing in interesting ways. Be sure you have talked with your references first before listing them on your resume.