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JOB SEARCH RESOURCES
A Candidate’s Guide to Job Search
As a candidate, you want to prepare for every interview. Try to wing it or ad-lib and you're likely to be disappointed by the results. You can improve your chances of getting the position you want by following these steps:
Complete a Self-Analysis
The first step in finding the position of your dreams is to conduct a thorough self-analysis--your needs, desires, dislikes, weaknesses and experiences. Be as honest as possible in addressing these questions:
- What are my personality strengths and weaknesses?
- What are my intellectual strengths and weaknesses?
- What are my communication strengths and weaknesses?
- What have I accomplished in my career and in life? Of what am I most proud?
- Where have I failed or missed the mark? What have I learned from my failures, mistakes or misses?
- What events, activities and people give me the greatest satisfaction?
- What do I need to be a satisfied, happy and productive human being?
- What are my top skills and abilities?
- What are my professional strengths and weaknesses?
- What are my top professional interests? In what areas do I lack interest?
- Why did I study healthcare and how happy am I with my choice?
- What do I want from a position right now?
- What do I want from a position in five to ten years? The long-term future?
Also try to come up with three to five career goals. A goal is a destination or place you'd like to arrive at within a discrete period of time. Then reflect on a strategy to meet your short-term goals, a stopover on the way to long-term goals. Instead of focusing on a particular job title or position description, focus on the kinds of work activities that bring you satisfaction.
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Prepare Your Resume
Once you've conducted a self-analysis, it's time to prepare your resume, cover letter and reference list. The resume is a silent business card or sales representative. Among the items you want to include are these:
- Who you are
- Where you can be reached
- Current employment
- Employment history
- Education and training
- Business and professional accomplishments
- Awards and recognitions
No two resumes are alike, and some people like to include these items:
- Relevant activities and interests
- Career objectives
- References
- Publications and memberships
No matter what you choose to include in your resume, avoid including a photo, physical data such as age, gender, race, height and weight, and personal data, such as marital status and memberships in controversial social, religious or political organizations.
The kind of resume you create will depend on where you're at in your career. A graduate student might emphasize special coursework, as well as work experiences that have prepared him or her for an early career position in managed care. Another person may want to develop a resume that's more essay than outline.
Choose a resume format that's appropriate for the position, organization and your field. Then arrange the content to reveal your abilities and experiences. Your resume should present what you've done or achieved, where you've done it and what you're looking for now. Present contact information, followed by education and training and work experience.
If you choose to write a cover letter that targets a specific employer, follow these principles:
- Write a short, one-page letter
- Mention why you’re interested in the position.
- Indicate when you can be available for an interview.
- Identify specific areas of interest.
- Explain how you learned about the position opening and organization.
- Expand upon your resume. Avoid repeating resume details.
- Steer clear of form letters.
- Use the letter to introduce yourself, not to deliver a complete biographical profile.
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Research Organizational Background
Once you've prepared your resume, try to learn everything you can about your industry, field and profession. If you're in a specific area of managed care, for example, be prepared to answer these questions:
- How has your field evolved in recent years? What is its history and arc?
- What are your field's top five major developments and events--especially those of the last five years?
- What are the top five-to-seven new or emerging trends in your field?
- What are your field's top five current challenges or problems, as well as top five future challenges?
- What are the top five areas of specialization within the field?
- Who are the top five-to seven leaders within the field?
- What is a typical workday life within your field?
Also learn everything you can about the organization where you would like to work. With input from your recruiter and your own Internet, print and phone-based research, prepare to address the following:
- What are the organization's core products and services? Be sure you can address the past, present and future.
- Where is the organization located, including the locations of affiliates, partners, offices and plants?
- What are the organization’s plans for expansion, development and merger or acquisition?
- What is the organization's reputation and image--within the community and industry, as well as among consumers and key opinion leaders?
- What is the organization's history and legacy?
- What is the organization's mission, vision and values?
- What are the organizations major competitors, as well as competitors in core product and service areas?
- What is the organization's financial status? Is the organization on the upswing or downswing?
- What is the organization's corporate culture? Describe it with five adjectives.
- What is the organization's rate of turnover or reputation for employee satisfaction?
You can answer the majority of these organizations by reviewing the organization's Web site, as well as through news searches. Many organizations will publish journalists' articles within the pressroom of the Web site. You may also want to speak to people who've previously worked for the organization or those who know, see web links within the Resources section of this site to find out how you can research your field.
As you find and reflect on the answers to these questions, consider how well you could fit in. If an organization has a rigid, hierarchical structure, and you see yourself as a laid-back high creative, you might want to investigate and approach those types of organizations.
Do as much as you can to find out about the type of position, as well as the specific position? Your recruiter will offer guidance on the following factors:
- What are the position's responsibilities and duties?
- Who would you report to? Who would you manage?
- What types of experiences are required or preferred?
- What is the position's advancement potential? Or, what is your likely career path within the organization?
- Where would you be working? Is this location accessible? Is the commute manageable?
- When would you be expected to start work?
- What is the salary and compensation and benefits structure?
- Does the organization offer special benefits such as training?
- What about relocation coverage?
In preparing for your interview, make sure that you're up-to-date on current events. Be prepared for light small talk in the areas of politics, sports, entertainment, world and national news, business, health and science. On the other hand, avoid taking a firm position on controversial issues such as the war in Iraq, religion or illegal immigration.
Also learn whatever you can about the organization's interview process by addressing these questions?
- What is the organization looking for in the candidates it interviews?
- Who will you interview? What are these people like?
- What would turn the interviewer(s) off?
- What kinds of questions will interviewers pose?
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Take Part in Interviews
Once you've established a relationship with a recruiter and company, you're ready to take part in the interview. Seasoned professionals who haven't been on an interview in 15 years sometimes forget interview pleasantries and basics. Following are some tips you want to remember:
- Arrive 15 minutes before the interview is scheduled to take place. If you can't make the interview, inform your recruiter or interviewer as soon as possible. Make every effort not to cancel at the last minute.
- Use the interviewer's name, but avoid becoming too familiar too early. Your recruiter will advise you on whether to use the interviewer's first or last name.
- Start strong. Interviewers develop biases and make decisions early in the interview, so avoid communicating any negative information or raising troubling questions.
- Dress professionally--slightly better than the position for which you're applying. To stay on the safe side, wear a dark or neutral colored suit and polished leather shoes.
- Avoid lying, fabrication or exaggeration. Once you're found out, you can forget about working for the organization. Stick with the truth.
- Show sincere interest in the interview, interviewer, position, organization, discipline and industry. Avoid communicating the impression that you're "just shopping around," or making comments such as, "I'm here to interview you."
- Be polite, gracious, kind and appreciative. Avoid a combative, belligerent or arrogant attitude on issues such as compensation, reporting relationships or duties and responsibilities.
- Be direct and forthcoming. Answer the interviewer's questions. Evading questions will only generate doubt.
- Put money in its place. Avoid focusing exclusively on compensation and benefits. Instead, zero in on your ability to do the job and carry the organization to a higher level.
- Focus, focus, focus. Answer each interviewer's question with language that's clear, direct, specific, honest and vivid. Interviewers are looking for your ability to concentrate and zero in on specific issues.
- Avoid going off on tangents by sharing extended stories, illustrations or anecdotes. If you offer an example, deliver a quick summary featuring the problem or opportunity, implementation steps, results and lessons learned.
- Stay active, involved and enthusiastic. Interviewers will wonder if you appear passive, disinterested, or lacking in initiative.
- Steer clear of sob and horror stories.
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