Career Connections 2013

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c o n n e c t i o n sc o n n e c t i o n s

A special publication of the I75 Newspaper Group• Sidney Daily News • Troy Daily News • Piqua Daily Call • Weekly Record Herald

future?What lies in your

future?

2 • Career Connections • February 2013

Team Orientation – no “what’s in it for me”; employers wantpeople who are competent and confident enough to take initia-tive and work alone, but can also work successfully on a team.

Job skills – they want potential employees to proficient inbasic skills like being able to read, write and speak clearly andappropriately. They look for evidence of these skills in the inter-view and on correspondence prior to the interview, such as re-sumes and cover letters.

Personal Attributes – Personal qualities and characteristicslike a professional appearance and good hygiene, but adaptabil-ity and flexibility were rated highly.

Work Ethic – Work ethic was rated the highest on the surveyas a “must have”; if youwant to work they say, planto come to work on time,every day; keep your word;follow through on your com-mitments, and act as if youexpect to take a drug testevery day.

Communication – Theability to speak, listen, andunderstand was a vital at-tribute, along with address-ing co-workers, supervisors,and managers properly.Employers are looking forpeople who can take direc-tion and feedback positivelyand keep their emotions incheck. Slang, mumbling,and cursing will not get youwork with these employers.

Character – Service ori-entation, honesty, friendliness, courtesy, and keeping commit-ments were ranked highly by the employers.Don’t be tripped up of an interviewer asks you if you “have”

one of these attributes! Be ready to share an incidence whenyou USED this attribute! For example:Interviewer: “Would you say you are a trustworthy person?Candidate: “Yes; when I worked for ABC Company as a route

salesman, I had to take cash from the stores on my route everyday and deposit the money into the company account. My cashand the sales report for the day always balanced.”

Based on the responses of the employers surveyed, hereare Upper Valley Career Center’s 16 Tips for Personal In-terviewing Preparation:• Make sure your clothes are neatly ironed and pressed. Noth-

ing gives away the lack of attention to detail more than wrinkledclothing. Dress one level above the job you are applying for.• Make sure your clothing fits properly. If your pants or

sleeves are too long or something is too loose or too tight you’lllook and probably feel awkward.• Don’t wear flashy jewelry. You’ll want the interviewer to pay

attention to you, not your bling. One ring on each hand, one ear-

ring in each ear, and a watch is a good guideline.• Dress according to the season. Don’t wear a stuffy turtleneck

sweater in the middle of the summer.• Don’t wear perfume, cologne, or aftershave. You never know

if your interviewer is allergic and this isn’t a good way to findout.• Make sure you have a nice, clean haircut that makes you

look well groomed.• For men, make sure you shave and keep facial hair to a min-

imum.• NO VISIBLE TATTOOS! Hide them or have them removed.

Most interviewers are not excited about body art unless you’reinterviewing for work at atattoo salon.• Don’t wear anything

that is too revealing ortight. It’s best to keep yourbody parts to yourself.• Avoid articles of cloth-

ing with loud, busy prints.It’s best to wear solid neu-tral colors that flatter yourskin tone.• For women, don’t

overdo your makeup.Wearnatural colors and avoidheavy eye shadow, eyelinerand brightly colored lip-stick.• Shoes should be clean

and polished. No gym shoesand NO sandals!• Keep hands, and finger-

nails clean. For women, un-derstated length AND color of nails.• Brush your teeth before the interview if you can; if not, use a

(small) breath mint. You may not be aware of your own offensivebreath.• Dispose of any gum ahead of time• Don’t eat before the interview! What if you spill mustard on

your shirt or sit down across from the interviewer and belch?Logistical Guidelines for Successful Interviews• Before the interview:- Research the company before the interview. What are their

products? Where are their locations?- Prepare questions about the company to ask the interviewer.

They may ask you if you have questions; “duh” doesn’t work!- Locate the place of the interview before time to AVOID

BEING LATE OR STRESSED!- Find out where to park, what door to use, who to ask for, etc.- Go to the interview alone.- Arrive ten minutes early. Introduce yourself to any employ-

ees in the lobby.See more page 3

CAREER CONNECTIONS

Local employers identify whatthey look for in an employee

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Clopay Building Products, a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation, is North America's largest manufacturer of residential garage doors and a key player in the commercial overhead garagedoors segment. Clopay Building Products has played a leading role in establishing and advancing garage door industry technical standards and national building codes with innovations such as ourpatented E-Z SET Spring System® and our Safe-T-Bottom Bracket®. Every day the people of Clopay Building Products – from the assembly line to our nationwide network of distributors – work tomeet and exceed the diverse needs of homeowners, architects, builders and businesses. This commitment, combined with an extensive sales and service network and a warranty from Clopay BuildingProducts, assures total customer satisfaction on every garage door purchase.

Clopay offers everything the residential or commercial customer demands: a trusted name, exceptional durability, a diverse portfolio of design options, and dependable customer service.Quality construction and structural innovations make our garage doors easy for dealers and builders to install and service.

We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional customer service as well as unsurpassed quality and innovative products. Our employees are the cornerstone of our success and we are looking fordynamic individuals to join our team.

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CAREER CONNECTIONS

Employers ccoonnttiinnuueedd ffrroomm ppaaggee 22


• During the interview:- Obtain a business card from each person

who interviews you.- When you greet each interviewer, shake

hands while looking the interviewer directly inthe eyes, then wait for the interviewer to speak.Some interviewers like to make small talk atthe beginning of the interview; if so, he/she mayask you about your trip there (“Did you haveany trouble finding us?” or “What do you thinkof the weather?”). Answer in a friendly, warmway, but don’t go into detail. That’s why it’scalled “small talk”.- Sit down in the chair assigned when

asked/told.- Prepare answers to the most common inter-

view questions (listed below).- Answer the interviewer’s questions accu-

rately and honestly. State facts without brag-ging. Prepare answers in advance for thecommon interview questions below.- Answer questions fully and to the point.

Avoid saying too much or being wordy.- Speak clearly and sit straight.- Look the interviewer in the eyes when you

answer a question.- If you don’t understand a question, it’s OK to

ask for clarification or to have it repeated.

- If the interviewer asks a particularly diffi-cult question, silence is OK; saying “I need aminute to think about that is also OK.- Refrain from nervous habits like clicking

your pen or tapping your fingers.- Speak positively of your past employers, co-

workers, and supervisors. Avoid using “they” todescribe former employers. Instead say, “We” or“I”.- Do not use personal examples. If you lack

experience, use school examples to illustrateyour skills and experience.- Place personal items, (purse, folder, etc.) on

the floor by your chair.- Take extra resumes with you in a folder.- If you do not fully understand the work you

will be doing, ask for clarification.- Thank the interviewer at the end of the in-

terview, and ask when a decision will be made.- If possible, send a personal thank-you note

to everyone who interviewed you within 24hours (That’s why you get a business card at thebeginning).• Common Interview Questions- Tell me about yourself- What is something of which you are particu-

larly proud?See more page 4

Welcomejob

seekers!As a semi-annual publication of Ohio Community Media,

Career Connections is beingproduced to showcase local

employment opportunities along with

educational tools to assist inthe job search process.

Our goal is to connect local jobseekers with

local companies who havelocal openings.

This product will be published in August and February each year. Deadline for the

August 7, 2013 edition is July 17, 2013. For more

information contact MandyKaiser, Inside Classified SalesManager, at 937-498-5915.

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Employers ccoonnttiinnuueedd ffrroomm ppaaggee 33


- What goals do you have for thenext 5 years?- What is one of your weak-

nesses?- What is your greatest

strength?- Why should I hire you?- Why are you interested in this

job?- What have you learned from

your past experience that can beapplied to this job?- What does being a team player

mean to you?- Tell me about your greatest ac-

complishment in your last job.- If I asked your last manager,

what would he/she say about you?- How well do you get along with

others, especially people who aredifferent from you?- Tell me about your greatest ac-

complishment in your last job. Submitted by Diana Searls,

Program Coordinator at Upper Valley Career Center

937-778-1078 ext [email protected]

Make sure you stand out in the crowd


CAREER CONNECTIONS

Career and Job Fair do’s and dont’sBY RANDALL S. HANSEN, PH.D.

Here are the keys for students and job-seekers to successfullynavigating a career or job fair. Follow these simple rules andguidelines and you should achieve success in this importantstrategic tool of job-hunting.

• Do have a specific strategy for maximizing your time at theevent. And don't bother spending time with recruiters from com-panies that do not interest you.

• Do pre-register for the event, and do attempt to get the listof attending companies before the career fair.

• Don't eliminate companies because they are recruiting forpositions outside your field; take the time to network with therecruiter and get the name of a hiring manager for your particu-lar career field.

• Do attempt to research basic information about each com-pany you hope to interview with at the job fair.

• Don't just drop your resume on the recruiter's table andwalk off.

• Do prepare a one-minute "commercial" that focuses on theunique benefits you can offer the employer -- a version of yourelevator speech. And do be prepared for common interview ques-tions.

• Do be prepared to talk about your work experiences, skills,and abilities.

• Do have a few questions prepared for each recruiter, butdon't ask questions that any good job-seeker should already

know, such as "What does your company do?"• Do say the recruiter's name several times during your con-

versation, even if you have to keep glancing at the recruiter'snametag.

• Do remember all the keys to successful interviewing, includ-ing a firm handshake, a warm smile, eye contact, and a strongvoice.

• Do bring enough copies of your resume to the career fair.And do bring different versions of your resume if you are search-ing for different types of jobs.

• Do take advantage of the time you have to build rapportwith each recruiter, but don't monopolize their time.

• Don't ever just walk up to a booth and interrupt a currentconversation; wait your turn and be polite.

• Do dress professionally -- conservative is always the safechoice. And do wear comfortable shoes.

• Don't ever say anything negative to the recruiter about yourcollege or previous jobs, companies, or supervisors.

• Do be sure to ask about the hiring process of each company,but don't ask too many questions about salaries, vacation time,and other benefits.

• Do take the initiative and ask about the next step in theprocess. And do be prepared to follow-up all job leads.

• Do be sure to follow-up with each recruiter. Some expertssay to call and leave a message on their voicemail right after thejob fair, but at a minimum you should send each recruiter athank you letter.

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Facebook Graph Search: How jobhunting will change in 2013

For many people, applying to online ads can feel a little likeplaying the lottery. The odds of winning a job are stacked againstyou. But as job search capabilities and social media converge,that is about to change big time -- and to the job hunters' benefit.

On Tuesday, Facebook Inc. un-veiled its new Graph Search tool(pictured above), which will enableusers to search friends, and friendsof friends, for all kinds of informa-tion. Instead of simply directingusers to the timelines, Facebook'sGraph Search tool will allow users tosearch "photos," "likes" and com-ments -- with just simple shortphrases, Facebook product managerKate O'Neill, told ABC News.

At the same time, new web appli-cations like Sonar, BeKnown andBranchOut allow job seekers to seewho from their social networks areemployed at companies that might have job openings for them.

What does this mean for job seekers?It will be easier to find contacts within companies by allowing

users to comb their friend groups for business contacts.Both job seekers and recruiters will be able to mine data to

find out, for instance, who you know that works at a specific

company, for instance. As Facebook Graph Search begins rollingout, the site will be able to compete with job search websites likeLinkedIn.

"This should change how people use Facebook," Dan Schawbel,the founder of Millennial Branding,said in an interview with AOL Jobs."The site's no longer just a social net-work." And that should benefit work-ers, according to Schawbel, becauseon Facebook you are looking for jobsamong networks of "people who willactually go out of their way to helpyou."

More than 90 percent of recruitersalready check social media websites,Jobvite.com says, but with this newcapability, job hunters should beginusing Facebook to "build their ownbrands," Schawbel says.

Last year, a series of websites werealso rolled out that offered more data to help job seekers in theirsearch. As was reported by AOL Jobs, sites like Bright.com andPath make use of an algorithm to direct job seekers to specificjob openings that they would have the best chances of getting.The tools study a company's hiring tendencies, and the workers'education and employment history.


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DEBRA AUERBACH

References are often the last step in the screening process be-fore an employer extends an offer. While every company has adifferent policy on references, most still ask for them.What areference says, or doesn't say, can sometimes make the differencebetween getting an offer or not.Greg Szymanski, director of human resources at Geonerco

Management in Seattle, says that when employers contact refer-ences, they're looking to determine if the candidate is the personwho presented himself in the interview. "Often what's not said ismore important than what is said. And hesitations and dancingin a reference's answers are very telling."

The questions employers are asking• Employment verification: The standard questions a hiring

manager will ask are ones related to your employment. The em-ployer will want to verify that you did indeed work with this ref-erence, the dates of your employment and the reference'srelationship to you (boss, peer, etc.). Sean Milius, president of theHealthcare Initiative, an affiliate of global recruiting firmMRINetwork, says employers also want to know why you left. "Itis very important that their story matches that of the candi-date," Milius says. "If the candidate says it was a 'mutual part-ing,' but the reference says they were let go or laid off, there willbe a problem. The candidate should always be truthful whenasked why they left, as the potential employer will check outtheir story."• Workplace performance: After a hiring manager asks the

basic questions, she might dig a little deeper into your work per-formance. Common performance-related questions will coverstrengths, areas for improvement, ability to work in a team andbiggest accomplishments. Sunil Phatak, director of U.S. recruit-ing at IT staffing and consulting firm Akraya Inc., says the fol-lowing questions on both hard and soft skills are also oftenasked:• What would you say is his strongest attributes?• How would you describe her interpersonal skills?• What would you say motivated him most?• Would you rehire or recommend her for rehire?Personality and well-roundedness: Szymanski notes that

while work-performance questions provide important insight,they don't always give a complete picture of the candidate. "Ifyou want to know what the person is like, you have to ask ques-tions that get at that information in a different way." For in-stance, an employer may ask, "Would you trust the reference towatch your children if you were away on vacation?" Or, "Wouldyou take the candidate to dinner at a nice restaurant with yourparents/spouse/significant other?" "The more personal/nonwork-related questions are often useful, not for what the referencesays, but [for] what the reference doesn't say and/or the mannerin which the reference provides an answer or doesn't answer,"Szymanski says.

Who the references are matters, tooSure, a reference's answers hold a lot of weight, but who the

reference is can be just as telling to a hiring manager. If the onlySee more page 8

What are employers asking your references


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CAREER CONNECTIONS

references you can provide are your mom, your sister and yourbest friend, it might raise a red flag with the potential employer."Most employers would prefer that a job

seeker choose a former manager or super-visor as a reference," Phatak says. "This isbecause managers are usually able to de-liver a relatively unbiased opinion and aremuch less likely to be swayed into giving apositive referral if one isn't truly deserved.A manager is also a good pick for a refer-ence because a positive referral from himwill hold more weight than one from a co-worker who is similarly ranked. Job seek-ers should also select references whoworked with them for at least a year, havea good understanding of their abilities andcan attest to their positive attributes."

Setting your references up forsuccess

While you likely won't know the exactquestions a hiring manager plans to askyour references, you can still preparethem for the call. The first thing youshould do is tell your references that theyare one.While that may seem obvious, it'snot always done, and the last thing you want to do is have yourreferences be blindsided by the hiring manager's call. Even ifyou've used certain references in the past, don't just assume

they'll be available or willing to serve as one again. The best ap-proach? Ask your contacts first before giving their information to

the employer.Phatak says that if you've done a good

job of selecting your references, they'llknow you and your work style wellenough that they won't need any coachingon the answers. He does suggest that youshare the basic job description with yourreferences and refresh them on the posi-tion you had and contributions you madewhile working together. "This is especiallyhelpful if a lot of time has passed sinceyou last worked with them. You don'twant your references to be caught off-guard and failing to recall what it is youeven did on their team."Szymanski shares this metaphor to

summarize the use of references duringthe hiring process. "Reference checking isone spoke in the wheel of talent acquisi-tion. If you can get as many spokes in thewheel as you can, your hiring will get bet-ter. Reference checking is not perfect, butif used in conjunction with other spokes,

reference checking can be useful in verifying/confirming whatyou already know or breaking ties between two or more closelymatched candidates."

References ccoonnttiinnuueedd ffrroomm ppaaggee 77


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CAREER CONNECTIONS

SUSAN RICKER

Big Foot roams the woods of North America. The LochNess Monster lurks below the water's surface in Scot-land. Hiring younger workers makes more sense thanhiring mature ones.Which one of these myths is mostwidely believed?Big Foot and "Nessie" may be out in the wild some-

where, but mature job seekers are just as attractive jobcandidates as their younger counterparts. More experi-enced, more mature, more reliable -- mature job seekersare the total package when it comes to hiring. So why doemployers buy into the notion that their age is adrawback? Learn how to bust three commonmyths about older workers and get hired.

Myth No. 1: You're out of touchPerhaps the

most commonmyth is that ma-ture job seekersstruggle to keepup with technol-ogy and indus-try trends. Thetruth is that it'severy job seeker's re-sponsibility, regard-

less of age, to ensure he has the experience and skills needed forthe job he wants.

While younger job seekers may receive the most cur-rent education, mature job seekers can take advantage ofthis opportunity, too. If your job search isn't yieldingmuch interest, it may be time to consider attending aworkshop or seminar in your field. Tailor your résuméto the job posting's requirements. Research the com-pany and mention specifics in your cover letter. Alsonote your skills and experience, including your technol-ogy capabilities. You can beat this myth and market

yourself as the total package. You have experience,judgment and dependability on your side.

Myth No. 2: You'll ex-pect a leadership posi-tionThe experience, judg-

ment and dependabilitythat make you the totalpackage may also make youappear to be a high-mainte-nance job seeker or some-body who expects aleadership position.

Combat this assumptionin your cover letter by ex-

See more page 10

Myths about older job seekers


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plaining that you're interested in the spe-cific position and that you look forward tojoining the team. You may be moved into aleadership position soon after starting, butdon't expect a warm reception if you men-tion a leadership position as a requirementto being hired. Instead, explain your lead-ership qualities and how they apply to thejob for which you're interviewing, as wellas how you'll fit into the company culture.

Myth No. 3: You'll retire soon any-way

The classic "Where do you see yourself infive years?" question makes an appearanceat most job interviews, though for maturejob seekers, this question may soundloaded. Will you still want to work in fiveyears?

While younger job seekers may respondwith a positive answer about how theyhope to still be working with their team,mature job seekers may need a more spe-cific answer. Hiring managers may worrythat more mature job seekers are lookingfor a pastime before retiring. Make it clearthat the age of retirement is rising andyou're looking at this position as an impor-tant

Older ccoonnttiinnuueedd ffrroomm ppaaggee 99

11 • Career Connections •February 2013

Wilson Memorial Hospital is committed to providing the highestquality of care to our patients. Quality care means doctors,nurses and technicians who deeply care about ourcommunity’s well being.

If you are a dedicatedprofessional who isinterested in a careerwith a hospital whogenuinely caresabout itsemployees,we would liketo meet you.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Apply online: www.wilsonhospital.com or to Human Resources Dept.Wilson Memorial Hospital

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Career Connections 2013