Testing, Testing, 1,2,3.... Athletes and Jobs

As we all know, the economy is not in the best shape right now. Which decreases our chances to find a job whether it be just for the summer or after college. For, me I began the job hunt process at the beginning of December 2011 and did not find a job until late July 2012. This is why I want to encourage those of you who are about to embark on a career search to start now! Don't let it stress you out- if you get a head start now you will be fine.

During my job searching process there were things that I wish I knew/took advantage of. 

Here is what I wish I knew:

• Research the organization before you go on an interview- figure out its mission, values, and what makes the organization good at what they do. Understand what they do, sell or buy and be able to ask questions about it or compliment them on it. (Example: "I see that your organization made Fortune 500,  that is a great accomplishment. What is it that got your organization there?"
• Understand the importance of STAR- http://www.jobinterviewtools.com/blog/job-interview/behavioral-interviewing/star-interview/
• HOW TO WORK EXCEL WELL! If you don't know it now learn it
• Have questions for the employer: 

1. What is a typical day in the life of this position? 
2. What would a successful first year in this position look like for you?
3. Thinking back to the person who you've seen do this job best, what made their performance so outstanding?
4. What is your time line for getting back to candidates about the next steps?

Here is what I wish I did:

• Go to college career fairs- it is here where networking can help you and you can also find organizations that you never knew of
• Go to interview preparation sessions- employers are not messing around in this economy. They do not have much time to interview people so when they do they want concise, well spoken answers to their questions. I fumbled many times in interviews and if I had practiced it would have went a lot smoother
• Go professional clothes shopping when you actually have the time to do so- I was too lazy to shop for a suit and professional clothes early on- mainly because I only like comfy clothes. So as a result, I was running around like a mad woman at the mall and grabbing anything that I could find (not smart)

Here are interview questions I had asked that you might be asked in the future: If you have any questions to add please do!

1. Describe your major: not only describe your major but how it helped you grow as a person and how it will make you more productive on the job and help the organization gain a competitive edge
2. What are your weaknesses? this is a trick! You need to pick a weakness that can be seen as a strength or turned into a strength. For example: "One of my weaknesses is being a perfectionist- I want things to be perfect and right to produce the best results. This can sometimes act as a road block but I am working on balancing my perfectionism so as not to impede on deadlines."
3. What is your biggest failure in life?  I have been asked this question three times- be sure to admit to a failure but recover by saying what you learned from it and how you can carry this lesson into the workforce
4. What accomplishment are you most proud of? You can say what you are most proud of but try to pick an accomplishment that can be seen as a transferable accomplishment to the workforce. For example, you can say, "I was on a collegiate track and cross country team and we achieved ________. This was a great accomplishment for me because I was able to learn what it is like to work with a team through both good and challenging times to achieve something great."
5. What do you know about our organization and where do you think you might fit in best? Uhh Huhh, You can imagine how this one got me into trouble- DO YOUR RESEARCH
6. Do you think that being a student athlete took away from learning how to act in the real world? Why or why not? This is where you shine! Tell them in no way did it take away from learning about the real world- in fact, it probably taught you more about the real world because you had to learn time management, balance, teamwork, and how to effectively leverage a competitive drive to best bring the TEAM success (make it always about the team)
7. Do you have experience in this field? Simple question but if you do not have experience say that athletics has taught you to be a very quick learner and that your competitive drive for team results will push you to work harder to understand it
8. Why would you want to work in this organization/position? Flatter the organization but NOT TOO MUCH and then explain your strengths and how you can make them better and also how they can make you better
9. Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult person? What was the outcome? Choose a situation where the end resulted in collaboration or negotiation.