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Posts Tagged ‘job interview’

Moving Expenses

January 15th, 2009

There is a wide variety of practice in this area, so be clear. Many company relocation policies address such points as:

  • Do you provide reimbursement of closing costs for the sale of my old house?
  • Do you provide reimbursement of closing costs for the purchase of my new house?
  • Will the company assist in the sale of my current house?
  • If I can’t sell my old house, do you have a program that will buy it?
  • Can the company provide a loan for buying a house? If so, what are the terms?
  • If I need to rent while looking for a house, will I be reimbursed?
  • Does the company pay for house-hunting trips in the new community? How many?
  • Does the company provide reimbursement for temporary living expenses? Any limitations?
  • Does the company provide reimbursement for the shipment of household goods?
  • Does the company provide reimbursement for the storage of household goods?
  • Does the company provide reimbursement for the shipment of family vehicles?
  • Does the company provide reimbursement for the tax gross-up of the taxable portion of moving expenses?
  • In the event my landlord is unwilling to release me from my lease, will the company assume the obligation for the lease?

You Got an Offer. Congratulations! , ,

Show your investment in the job and level the playing field

January 15th, 2009

Of course, no one would ever ask all these questions in one job interview, but you want to get a good understanding of four aspects: the job, the people, the management, and the company. Before your next interview, select four or five of these questions and reword them to meet the unique requirements of the individual interview.

Exploring Questions , ,

Can’t just wing it?

January 12th, 2009

Well, the situation I’ve just described is your next job interview. It’s a presentation. The agenda: your future at the company. In the audience: the senior decision makers required to authorize offering you a position. Everyone is looking at you to shine. Now, given the stakes, are you willing to wing it? If you’re comfortable with working like that, there’s little need to read further.

Some applicants believe that spontaneity can make up for lack of strategic planning. But spontaneity, in cases such as this, can be indistinguishable from laziness and lack of preparation. Interviewers, professionals themselves, really want you to prepare for the interview as they did. Preparation is professionalism in action. It’s common sense. It’s courtesy. It works.

Why You Have to Question , , , , ,

The interviewer’s most critical question in a job interview is often the last one

January 11th, 2009

There are great questions and dumb questions and, worst of all, no questions at all. This website prepares you for the most neglected part of the job interview: the opportunity for you to ask questions. Part I outlines some rules and principles you can apply in your questioning so that you ask more of the former and fewer of the latter. But first a quiz. Of the following five candidate behaviors in the job interview, what behavior do you think recruiters find most unforgivable?

  1. Poor personal appearance
  2. Overemphasis on money
  3. Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing
  4. Doesn’t ask questions
  5. Late to interview

The answer is number 4. Surprised? Candidates who do not ask any questions represent the number one behavior that causes recruiters to lose confidence, according to my admittedly unscientific survey of over 150 recruiters, job coaches, and hiring managers. Still, it’s not too bold to make this statement: You cannot succeed in a job interview without asking a number of wellconsidered questions.

Of course, even great questions will not get you a job offer if you come in with other problems. Here, in order, are the 10 attitude strikeouts that most often condemn job candidates:

  1. Doesn’t ask questions
  2. Condemnation of past employer
  3. Condemnation of past employer
  4. Poor personal appearance
  5. Indecisive, cynical, lazy
  6. Overbearing, overly aggressive, “know-it-all”
  7. Late to interview
  8. Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing
  9. Unable to express self clearly
  10. Overemphasis on money

The rules of the game , , , ,