Career Strategy for the New Age
Students who graduate from today's universities, business schools and MBA programs have worked long and hard to develop themselves as the ideal candidates for progressive careers in business and technology. University curriculum in this market requires not only courses in strategic financial management and integrated business and marketing communications, but also seminars in career and personal development such as resume building, interview skills, and the construction of an individual career strategy. Business technology in the 21st century demands that job applicants prepare for the webcam interview as a component of their career training.
Mapping a career among the vast highways of technology, competition and outsourcing is not easy. Unlike the career paths chosen by the small percentage of college graduates during the 1940s and 50s, applicants now must 'fit' themselves into the fast lanes of a company's culture and technological purpose. Progressive job seekers know that real career success depends on a comprehensive individual plan that details specific professional goals and proven techniques for achieving them. Moreover, successful candidates must be able to convey their skills and their 'fit' into available business positions during the initial meeting with potential employers. This is where part two of the individual career plan begins....
A few years ago, potential hires were called 'in' to a human resources office for a face-to-face interview. Suits were cleaned, shirts were ironed, and shoes were shined. As business went global, the face-to-face became less prevalent so employers could cut their investments of time and overhead. The telephone interview became the most common method for conducting initial interviews; the limitations, however, of th e telephone interview were obvious and offered interviewers very little information beyond what had been submitted via resume and cover letter. Thanks to technological advances and inexpensive digital and web technology, the webcam interview has been adopted as the initial interview format of choice. In truth, the webcam interview is the least problematic method for both the interviewer and the applicant. Although the human resources representative can't shake an applicant's hand, he or she can observe the candidate's demeanor, body language, energy and reactions to skill and experience questions. Serious job candidates need to be prepared to excel in this new and growing practice.
Experts in the field of human resources offer job seekers advice on preparing for and succeeding in a webcam interview: A webcam interview is not informal; a job candidate must look professional even if he or she will only be seen from the waist up. Having a copy of a resume and occasionally glancing at it is not taboo; reading from notes, however, is amateurish. Looking frequently at the webcam while speaking gives the interviewer the feeling of 'eye contact' and establishes a more personal interview. Experts suggest that job candidates try to relax, smile, and be natural.
Of course, all job applicants should go into an interview with knowledge of the available position and its requirements, information about the company and its policies, locations, benefits, etc. Applicants should also bring a list of questions about the available position and the company to the initial interview.
Graduates and job seekers have labored to become the ideal candidates for today jobs. Career and personal development has become an important component in that labor, and business demands that successful applicants be prepared for the future of human resources: webcam technology.
By: Michael Policano, Live Hire
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.
Michael, good stuff.
I've been counseling college students to forget what they think they know about "getting a job" to pursue a "strengths based" effort to become involved with an employer where they can maximize their entry value in whatever enterprise that may be fortunate enough to hire them.
It's a simple and effective process.
It begins with a change in perspective. An applicant is not looking for a job, as if he/she was getting something from someone, but looking for an opportunity to serve someone, as if he/she was actually giving something valuable.
To do this confidently, the applicant must absolutely know how they naturally work best. This knowledge is what Marcus Buckingham calls a talent, which is the foundation for a strength. Once a student can identify their real and natural strengths, they approach employment in a new way. What job hunters learn isn't what job they should do, as is customary for career counseling services, but how they should uniquely approach anything they might choose to do.
It's a four step process for an applicant:
1. Discover their strengths. Read Now Discover Your Strengths, and take the online assessment.
2. Understand these strengths as areas of near perfect performance. Learn what results they can almost automatically offer, simply because of who they know they are.
3. Research companies to discover ones with visions and missions that are aligned with the kinds of things they can be passionate about.
4. Take a different approach. When talking with a prospective employer, don’t ask things like, "What positions are you currently looking to fill?" and then try to make the resume look like a fit. Instead, using their knowledge of their strengths, engage a business on the basis of the expected outcomes that their employment will produce for the company. This helps the prospective employer frame the hiring decision. It changes from, "Do I have a position for your?" to "Do I want the outcome you offer?" Managers and business owners are hungry for outcomes, and the average applicant rarely offers any.
5. If the first company declines, ask what other companies in the space are in need of the outcome you deliver.
Experience tells me that this approach leaves a great impression. Rather than the employee centered approach, this one shows a business owner that the primary interest of the applicant is producing a beneficial outcome for the business. The applicant is there to help him. If the offer of a great outcome is declined, consider that it may lack clarity. Revise it.
No business person worth his salt forgets the approach. And, if the outcomes are well presented, few can resist the strong temptation to take advantage of the opportunity. After all, should they pass on a great outcome, their competitor might get it. This is a risk too great for many managers to take.
Besides, nobody just "wants a job", do they?