What’s the best and worst thing to wear to an interview?
We can’t get Stacy and Clinton from TLC to show up with a $5,000 gift card, but we can provide you with some guidelines. When dressing for an interview, remember that you want to project the type of image you want: professional, put together, competent and smart.
Some major fashion faux pas to avoid:
1. Carrying a backpack instead of a briefcase or portfolio; girls, leave the slouchy satchels behind as well.
2. Ladies, your skirt should be long enough to sit comfortably without thigh showing. If unsure, use The Grandma in Church Test: if grams would give you a disapproving look for wearing it in church, don’t wear it.
3. A word on ties: gents, nothing says class like a good tie. That being said, nothing looks sillier than a bad tie. Keep it conservative in pattern and color and no less three and a quarter inches wide. Have a friend help you tie it if necessary.
4. Don’t blind your interviewer with color. In most industries it’s best to stick with navy, black or gray. If the dress is business casual, it’s fine to add some color (it also shows you have a personality!) but make sure it is in a conservative way. Some creative fields like advertising and fashion may be amenable to more color; check up on the office culture beforehand to get a feel for what would be appropriate.
5. This is not Overtime Tap. Heavy makeup, low tops, tight pants or skirts and super high heels are not okay.
6. No graphic t-shirts or highly visible brand names. One caveat: if you’re applying to a company whose apparel you may be expected to wear.
6. About the bling: women shouldn’t wear more than one set of earrings and should keep it minimal. Pearl or diamond studs, or small dangling earrings are acceptable. Men should remove all jewelry except for wedding/class rings or metal watch. Everyone should remove facial piercings.
7. Cover up any visible tattoos.
8. Make sure your clothes fit properly. It’s distracting to both you and the interviewer if you are constantly fixing your top or pants. Remember: too tight = skanky; too loose = sloppy. Spend the extra time and money to get your professional wardrobe tailored and well fitted.
9. Nails should look clean and be trimmed to short length. No bright nail polishes.
10. Hair: make sure it’s neat and out of your face. Girls, simple styles are best (I think a low ponytail is underrated). Boys, make sure it’s clean and combed.
11. Fishnets, patterned hosiery or bare legs (no matter how tan you are). Women should stick with neutral color hosiery that complements their suit.
12. Men, wear socks which match your shoes and make sure they’re long enough; it looks silly if you can see a gap of flesh when you sit.
13. No stains or wrinkles! If you spill something on yourself in Coolbeans before the interview, try to conceal it the best you can; bringing along an extra cardigan or jacket may be helpful.
14. No dirty or scoffed shoes. No sneakers. No sandals. Toes are not professional. Girls, heels are great, but don’t wear higher than you can handle. Nobody wants to walk with the girl who has to waddle down the hall. It makes you look young.
15. Skip the strong aftershaves, perfumes or colognes: Many people are allergic to certain scents.
16. Match your shoes and belt. Simple leather is best.
17. Remember to cut off the zigzag thread that keeps pockets and slits closed in a new suit!
18. Plan ahead. Lay out your clothes. Call your mom.
Bottom line: look good so that your wardrobe is not a distraction. You want them to focus on your words, not your outfit.
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Leveraging Social Media in the Job Search
Wednesday , November 9, 2011
4-5 PM, Hogan 406
More and more companies and job seeker alike are using technology to help fulfill their employment goals. Social networking tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have become valuable resources in the job search. In this workshop you will learn the dos and don’ts when using social media to network and pursue job opportunities.
Learn more about a particular job or industry by spending a day on site with a Holy Cross Alumni during Winter Break. Email Jonathan Hurt at jhurt@holycross.edu for list of shadowing sponsors, sites and program guidelines.
This week meet Josh Jones ’11, who has transitioned from shooting hoops in Hart to saving lives at St. Vincent Hospital.
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Josh Jones '11
For the majority the past four years my days were happily spent going to class in Stein and Beavan, playing basketball in the Hart Center, meeting friends for dinner at Kimball and for coffee at Cool Beans, studying late Dinand, and of course those “social gatherings” on Caro Street.
Unfortunately, like they say, “all good things must come to an end”. So, on May 27th 2011, life has I had known it for four years change tremendously.
Now, the time that I once spent shooting hoops at Hart is now spent working as a Pharmacy Technician at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Ma. I became certified as a pharmacy technician during the summer before my junior. As a part of HC’s Academic Internship Program, I was able to intern in the inpatient pharmacy at St. Vincent during the spring of my senior year. I was hired right before graduation have enjoyed working in the pharmacy ever since. I think that working in the pharmacy is a great experience that will prove to be valuable as apply to pharmacy schools.
The time that I previously spent eating with my friends and roommates in Kimball and Crossroads, I now spend grocery shopping and cooking meals for myself. After set the smoke alarm off countless, cooking is something that I am finally getting the hang of. I now appreciate all of the cooking and shopping that my mom did for me when I was at home.
My late nights of writing papers in the stacks of Dinand have now turned into late nights of applying to pharmacy schools in my Shrewsbury apartment. I have applying to schools as close to Holy Cross as MCPHS in Worcester, as far away as Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky.
Although my trips to Caro Street have come to an end, they have been replaced with trips to Boston and New York. Staying in the Worcester area has not only made the transition to life after Holy Cross easy but it has also made it easier to visit and stay in touch with friends who are also in the New England area.
While I miss being a student at Holy Cross, I am happy to be in my own place, working, and preparing for the next stage in my life. To those of you still on the hill; enjoy your time at HC and know that when we leave as graduates we are very well equipped to pave our own way in the world.
Are you tired of thinking about or answering this question? Have you considered looking for a short-term job or volunteer/service opportunity? If so, you are considering a “gap year,” a period of time when you take a break…to travel, volunteer, study, intern, or work. A gap year is also referred to as a deferred year, year out, year off, time out, time off. A gap year experience can last for several weeks, a semester, or up to a year or more. (Source: PlanetGapYear.com)
The virtual forum is an open discussion arena. Post questions any time, day or night, to our 8 alumni panelists representing a range of areas including teaching/education (TFA), non-profit, medical research, and community service (Americorps VISTA, JVC). Ask as many questions as you wish; there is no limit.
Trick or Treat! Take a break from gorging on candy to check out these tips from InternMatch.com on answering tricky interview questions with sweet answers.
Don't be afraid of a tricky interview question!
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Some of the trickiest, most difficult questions can be turned into a “treat” – another way to market your skills and experience to a potential employer.
Trick: “Do you have any further questions?”
Treat: You might be tempted to say, “no!” Of course, you’re ready to get out of there! You’ve spent the last 20 minutes convincing your interviewer that you know the difference between SEO and SEM. You’ve watched their assistant interrupt them twice for a phone call and you’ve seen them check their Blackberry enough times to know that this interview is the last place they want to be. Your stomach is grumbling. Your parking meter will expire soon. However, don’t give up just yet!
This age-old question is the perfect opportunity for you to ask one or two more meaningful, insightful questions. Have you asked your interviewer about their experience with the company? How work is assigned? How your performance will be measured?
Remember:This question is often a last-chance opportunity for you to sell yourself to the company and to emphasize your enthusiasm about working there!
Trick: “What’s your biggest weakness?”
Treat: Your response to this question could be the difference between a cool summer, doing cool things, in a cool city or, a summer stocking shelves at your local grocery store. While you may be tempted to tell them about your addiction to reality shows and burritos, this is not that kind of confessional.
This question is code for “what’s something you’re not excellent at, but you’re working on?” Are you interviewing for an internship in web design? If so, tell them about the latest web design software that you’re trying to master.
Remember: Employers want to know that you’re a self-starter (yes, that word again!). Your response to this question is another opportunity to communicate your sincerity about a chosen profession.
Trick: “Why did you choose your major?”
Treat: This one might seem like a no-brainer, but surprisingly a lot of students aren’t prepared for this question. For students with majors like Computer Science, Engineering, or Finance the response may seem more obvious. You enjoy coding, you want to help build software, work in consulting or become an investment banker. If you majored in liberal arts, the answer may not seem so apparent.
If presented with this question, it is the perfect time to match your academic skills to the skills required of the position. Are you doing research for a thesis? Did you spend a semester analyzing Keats and Plato? Tell the employer how you chose a major that would help you become effective at analyzing, researching, writing, and editing.
Remember:Excellent research and writing skills are an important part of any job – and so is your ability to communicate effectively.
Trick: “The Brain Teaser”
Treat:Let’s face it – employers are developing all types of tricks to weed out potential internship applicants. The “brain teaser” is not a new interviewing technique and if presented with one – don’t worry! Employers use this question to evaluate your problem-solving abilities, as well as how you approach difficult, complex situations.
There is often no right or wrong answer to this question. What you should do is take a deep breath, focus and quickly examine the question or situation. After carefully considering the prompted question or situation, choose the best method to approaching this scenario. For instance, if they ask “how many golf balls could fill a school bus?” You might not know the exact amount, but perhaps you can guess the length of a school bus and the size of a golf ball to determine the possible number that could fit inside the bus.
What you shouldn’t do is give up or say, “I have no idea how to do this” or “this is too difficult.”
Reminder:Brain-teaser questions can be frustrating. If an interviewer presents you with one of these questions, it’s usually to test how well you work under pressure and how you approach difficult problems.
To sum it up, make sure you’re able to turn these common “Tricks” into “Treats” and nail your dream internship!
Are you planning on interviewing for a job or a program? This workshop will help you discover proven strategies for increasing your interviewing skills. Learn some things you might not know about interviewing and how to make the best first impression.
Check out the first article in our new Alumni Guest Post series–a series of posts written by young alumni about life after Holy Cross! First up–Christine Giamattei ’10 on her transition from Holy Cross to the real world.
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Christine Giamattei '10
When I graduated from Holy Cross in May 2010, I had a lot to look forward to.
A day before my friends and I left to celebrate the end of senior year on the Cape, I interviewed for an assistant job at a top advertising agency – what I thought was my dream job – and got the job on the spot.
What’s more, the job was in New York City, the one place I wanted to live and work after graduation. I had spent summers 2008 and 2009 interning there and, to my surprise, fell in love.
During second semester of senior year, I did everything I could to get back there. I perfected my resume, visited the Career Planning Office almost every day, e-mailed with Holy Cross alumni who worked in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or Public Relations, wrote cover letter after cover letter, signed up for every social media site to market myself, stalked particular companies’ websites, blogs and Twitter accounts, read up on industry trends and even spent an entire family vacation preparing for a phone interview.
There was a time when I thought that nothing I had done was going to pan out and that I was the only one without a plan.
I was patient, waiting for something good to click for me.
When it did, I was ecstatic. Of course I was going to accept the offer to work at a company that could lead to great opportunities and to live in the city I loved. I knew I wouldn’t be making a lot of money, but I never thought twice about making it work financially.
I found an ideal 4-month sublet and moved down to New York City two weeks after graduation and started my job a day after.
At first, things went well. I was drawing up expense reports, maintaining my boss’s calendar, making photocopies, putting together binders – very much administrative work. It was humbling, and I didn’t mind it – I have always known I’d have to “pay my dues.” I worked with a wonderful group of people who were also recent college graduates, so the environment was fun, social and supportive. I worked hard and give it all I had.
However, I was not prepared for the bad relationship that would soon develop between my boss and me. As the administrative assistant, it was all too easy to get blamed for things that went wrong – and unfortunately, once my boss decided she didn’t like me, it was as simple as that and went downhill from there.
I never thought I’d be someone who didn’t get along with their boss, or anyone else for that matter. I love people and I’m a team player. If I stayed there, I knew my boss would make my life miserable or block me from further opportunities at the company or even fire me.
When I received an e-mail from my supervisor at my internship from the prior summer, asking if I would interview for an open position, I jumped at the chance. I had had a successful internship there and could imagine picking up right where I had left off.
I interviewed, got the offer and accepted right away. I had been earning overtime at my first job, so the salary was actually much less.
Again, I thought I’d be able to make it all work.
Right around the time I switched jobs in October 2010, I moved out of my 4-month sublet, signed a lease with one of my Holy Cross roommates and moved into a very tiny apartment on the Upper East Side. The rent was within our budget and the most bang for our buck, as far as safe areas of New York City go. The neighborhood was wonderful and I loved everything about living with a best friend and being a mile away from Central Park.
However, a few months later, I realized that I did not like my job and was not happy with my financial situation.
Graduation 2010
Very long story short from the past year: It was a good job, but it was not for me. I also never got the feeling that I had a good work-to-life balance. With more than an hour commute each way, I was always stressed out about rushing to and from work. I felt guilty that I wasn’t staying super late every night, even though I would get all of my work done and met my deadlines. I thrive on the “life” part of that balance too.
On top of being unsatisfied there, I was making very little money for the amount of work I was doing and saving none of it.
Along with rent payments each month, there were also payments to be made for my Metro card, laundry and groceries. I did a pretty good job of making ends meet and cutting out basic things like a gym membership and cable, but I was unhappy with that struggle.
This past summer, my roommate and I frequently discussed renewing our lease. For me, it was a tough decision – months and months of weighing the pros and cons. When it finally came time to decide if I would renew the lease, I realized that signing on for another year of these struggles was something I could not do.
It may have been an unconventional career move without another job lined up, but I decided to leave my job and move home. I am interviewing now, and have faith that the right opportunity will come along for me–I’m excited and feeling positive about that!
I’d love to leave you with some things to think about as you apply for jobs or secure plans for after graduation–some things I wish someone had told me when I was still in college.
–It is perfectly OK to graduate without a job or without a plan.
Since I first began working (and not loving my job), I wished someone had told me this. During senior year, jobs and after-graduation plans were hot commodities and everyone seemed competitive about them. I like to akin it to an arms race. Do not get defeated if you do not secure a job right away. The right opportunity will come your way–and the time off after graduation will allow you to think about what you really want to do.
–Do not regret the decisions you do make.
Of course, I still wonder what would have happened if I graduated without a job and moved home. I wonder if I would have had time to think about what I really wanted to do or to save money to pursue other opportunities. However, I definitely do not regret accepting the initial job offer and the past year and a half I spent living and working in New York City. I’ve learned a lot, especially about myself and the kind of career I want.
—Be resourceful.
You’ve most likely heard about the importance of networking, but I will reiterate that it is as indispensable as a good GPA on your resume and the internships under your belt. I got set up with both jobs I’ve had though Holy Cross alumni. Event if it is just to start a conversation or to look for advice, send e-mails to alums! Beyond networking, do everything you can to be the ideal candidate in whatever industry you are interested in. For me, that meant launching my running and healthy living blog to show my writing skills and interest in fitness, social media and communications. Also, never think that you “won’t” get something. There are jobs out there and positions to be filled–so always take the chance and apply!
—Spend time to think about what you really want to do.
Brainstorm about positions and career paths. Figure out what you are good at and are passionate about. Listen to people, ask questions and make lists of pro’s and con’s. Don’t think that you have to go into a particular industry just because you had a similar internship. Consider opportunities like graduate school and teaching fellowships.
—Consider your finances.
Unfortunately, promising yourself that you will make it work is not enough. Things always end up costing more than you initially figure. Now I am way more realistic about what I can and cannot afford than when I first graduated. Know that it is okay to pass on opportunities and invitations and that saving money is a good ting. Considering your finances may be the hardest thing you’ll have to do after graduated, but it is also the smartest and most mature.
—Enjoy your life to the fullest.
Life does go on after graduation and I promise you, you’ll enjoy it! Keep in touch with Holy Cross friends, make new friends at work and in your city, pursue a hobby, challenge yourself with some task. Though I have not had the best experiences with jobs so far, I am very happy with my life outside of work and who I’ve become.
I hope my story and experiences in the year and a half that has passed since I graduated from Holy Cross have helped you in some way.
Believe it or not, it is never too early to start preparing for next summer. Learn the basics of how to land a summer internship or job at this interactive workshop.
