Interview Deal Breakers

Hello Students, 

Recently while at the Career Fair I took an informal poll asking employers what are things potential candidates say or do that cost them the job?  Here are the top 10 interview deal breakers

1. Bad breath (when working in sales and dealing with clients major deal breaker)
2. Coming late to an interview (allow yourself enough time for travel and parking or subway delays)
3. Poor eye contact (looking someone in the eye builds trust and confidence with an employer)
4. Asking the pay in the 1st interview (do your research, know the salary range of your industry)
5. Not knowing the company or what they do (research what the company does and find out as much about them as you can)
6. Making answers too broad (be able to give specific examples  of your work, we suggest the STAR method)
7. Not asking any questions once the interviewer has finished with his questions (have at least one or two questions that you would like to know about the company that you did find out during your research
8. NO CURSING or SLANG (no explaining necessary)
9. Not understanding the job description (read the job description and know how to express how you will be able to do that job)
10. Not showing eagerness for the job (show the employer you are happy to be interviewed but not a doormat, find the balance)

Hope this information helps in your job search to learn what to do and what not to do!

Lorraine Massiah,
Assistant Director

Tricks to get more treats!

This past Wednesday was our Fall Career Fair, where we had over 100 employers connecting with students to talk about available opportunities. If you were at the fair, hopefully you made some great connections with these employers, and maybe got a few leads on positions to which you can apply!

You might be wondering how to keep those connections going, and turn them into links that will last long after the fair concluded. Here are some tricks to get the most treats out of the contacts you made on Wednesday:

• Send an email thank-you! If you haven’t sent a thank-you note to your contact already, today is the perfect time to do so. It doesn’t have to be long; you can simply thank them for taking time out of their day to attend the fair and meet with you, and include something from your conversation to aid them in connecting the email to their time with you. Attach a copy of your resume to the email, too!
• Connect on LinkedIn! This is the best way to keep the connection going throughout your networking process, since you can stay up-to-date on all the professional goings-on of your whole network—and they can see yours! (If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, don’t worry – come in to see us and we’ll give you all the info to set you up!)
• Follow through! If the employer gave you instructions, like to apply for a position online or email them directly with your resume, make sure you follow those instructions – and send them a follow-up email once you do! 

With these tricks, you’ll be treating yourself to a job or internship in no time. Happy networking, and happy Halloween from your friends at The Career Center!

Amy (Batman) Smith,
Assistant Director

But first, let me introduce myself...

Hi everyone! I’mmmmmmmmmm back! Let me introduce myself – my name is Michele Roberts and I am the newest member of the Career Center family. I will be the liaison to the Herbert School of Communication and I am excited to meet you.

While I have only been with the Career Center a few short weeks, I have noticed a few recurring themes: 1) you know more than you think you know, 2) you have more transferable experience than you realize and 3) you are pretty awesome.

I graduated from Hofstra with a BA in Communications, Video and Television and after spending a few years (Okay, who are we kidding, it was many years) out in the field working in the Media industry at companies like Viacom Media Networks (for brands such as MTV, VH1 and CMT) and Westwood One. Now, I am back at Hofstra and ready to share my experiences with students as they begin to start career planning, prepare for internships and transition from campus to career!

So please come to the Career Center so we can start writing your perfect resume, draft a winning cover letter, discuss internship opportunities, create your personal brand and portfolio and share the resources and tools you will need to succeed! You can set up an appointment by stopping by our office, calling (516) 463-6060, or directly on our website. I look forward to meeting you!  

Michele Roberts,
Assistant Director

Feel the Fear and Connect Anyway

One of the best ways that you can learn about an industry is by networking. Many students don’t know how to network or where to start. This article by The Seattle Times gives some easy to use pointers on how to conduct an informational interview (one of the best tools in networking), which include:

• “Once you specify a few companies you think would be the best places to start, go through your LinkedIn contacts and see how close a connection you have to employees there.”
• “Look over the interviewee’s profile on LinkedIn and come up with some questions about his or her career history. The more you know going in, the more the interviewee will be likely to share insights with you.”
• “never, ever ask the interviewee directly for a job.”
• “to keep your momentum going, ask for the name of a colleague or another person in the profession whom you should contact.” 

One important tip I would add is to prepare questions before your informational interview. Doing this will allow you to make the best use of your time and show that you are prepared. Our Career Planning Handbook provides sample informational interview questions in the Interview section.

Happy Networking!

Nayelli Perez, Assistant Director