By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter For college students or recent grads applying for internships, the sea of interview rules often appears murky. However, whether meeting with a recruiter, hiring manager or human resources professional, and whether meeting face to face, by Skype or phone, there are three things you clearly must NOT do. 1. Wear jeans and a […]
What to Do When an Employer Slings an Oddball Interview Question
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Your hair and clothes are pristine. You conduct a final run-through of common interview questions. Calm descends upon you. You are confident and cool as you enter the job interview. That is, until your prospective boss slings a question like those listed on Glassdoor’s annual Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions list. For example: 1. “If […]
5 Items to Help Trumpet Your Value In an Interview
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter It may seem obvious. You were invited to an interview with the hiring manager or recruiter. They beckoned you because they like your resume and believe you are qualified for the job. At this point, it’s all about the dialogue, and you are a fantastic interviewer, so what else do you need […]
Today’s Job Interview: The Goldilocks Syndrome
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Thank you to my recruiting friend, Recruiting Animal (@Animal) who introduced my latest US News post in a unique and compelling way: The Goldilocks Syndrome When a company has been through troubled times, they need just the right new engineer, software consultant or sales representative to help turn that ship around. So, […]
How to Tame Nerves Before a Big Job Interview
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Have you ever hoped for something so bad that once you got it, you weren’t quite sure how to deal with it? A trip around the world, a chance to meet someone you idolize, or a big job interview can be especially disconcerting. In fact, an important job interview may be the […]
How to “Think on Your Feet” During Oddball Interviews
In the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith’s resilient character, Chris Gardner, was thrown into jail for unpaid parking tickets the night before a breakthrough job interview. The next morning, he sprinted to the interview donning the paint-stained T-shirt and slacks from the day before. Despite his duress, Gardner’s ability to successfully manage the interview, inspired. In […]
Preparing Job Interview Responses: “Wrong” and “Better” Answers
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Being prepared to have a ‘connected’ conversation with the interviewer is essential to getting hired, whether your vying for an entry-level or executive role. Answering questions from a top-of-mind, unfiltered approach often can create a disconnect that diminishes the likelihood of your making it to the next interview phase. I recently wrote […]
Powerless in Job Search? Fuel Up!
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter I am delighted to present my first blog post via U.S. News & World Report, in collaboration with Glassdoor.com. Career transition requires clear and constant career articulation initiatives that push many of us out of our comfort zones, which can be exhausting. In this post, I share five invigorating career exercises to […]
Alleviating Job Interview Pressure: 10 Tips
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Next to a root canal appointment, few things in life are as nerve inducing as the job interview. Knowing the person with whom you will be speaking has the opportunity to either keep you in the running or slam the door shut on the ‘perfect-fit’ job opportunity is intimidating, for sure. While […]
Bathrobe Chic
By Robert P. Poindexter Scheduling my time has been a bit of an issue for me lately. In November, I cut my hours at my full-time job in order to be more available for Careertrend. The problem is, I have had a regular work schedule dictated by my employers for so long that I was […]